Taco Nori (Burrard Skytrain Station)

When I first laid eyes on Taco Nori (at the Richmond Night Market), I was immediately drawn to the fully stuffed Japanese tacos.  By employing a tempura fried nori shell and using sushi rice as a base, this was essentially a sushi roll re-imagined.  The great thing about the sushi taco is that it is a portable hand-held meal or snack (depending how many you have) for those on the go. I feel that their new location (just across from their food cart spot) is perfect for those on their way to and from the Skytrain station.

We sampled all of their available options including the California and the Spicy Tuna.  Before they stuff the tacos full of the main ingredient, they sauce the sushi rice with spicy mayo or wasabi mayo adding julienned cucumber and soy sauce mix with green onions and sesame seeds on top.  With a considerable amount of fluffy imitation crab salad with some tobiko, I really enjoy the California taco.  It is like a fried California roll but with much more stuff.  As for the Spicy Tuna, it is filled with meaty pieces of bright-tasting ahi tuna.  It is mildly spicy, allowing the natural sweetness of the fish come through.  I particularly like the soy sauce mix they use as it is full of umami without being too salty.

My favourite of the whole bunch is the Mango Paradise featuring Atlantic salmon, avocado, mango and imitation crab.  This has everything where the mango really brings things to life with a tangy sweetness.  You might laugh, but the addition of imitation crab make this complete since it adds the classic fluffy texture and unmistakable sweet brininess.  Next to it is the popular Spicy Salmon nori taco.  There are buttery pieces of Atlantic salmon dressed in sweet and salty soy with some kick.

There is a little of everything for everyone including vegetarians as the Avocucumber features the same rice base with extra cucumber and sliced avocado.  Personally, this wouldn't be my choice, but it does well with lots of creamy avocado.  Right beside it is something more up my alley in the Ahi Tuna. I really like this as the soy sauce mixture goes particularly well with the tuna.  The umami from the soy brings out the brightness and the sweetness in the tuna.

Back to another vegetarian offering in the Wakame with avocado hiding beneath it.  In all honesty, I would actually order this.  I personally love wakame salad with its sweet tanginess.  The crunch provides a nice mouth-feel that offsets the soft avocado. Another one I would consider is the Chopped Scallop with mayo and masago.  These little bay scallops are sweet and buttery while laced with enough mayo to bind them together.  The masago adds some pops of brininess.

Last but not least, the classic Salmon is another taco I wouldn't hesitate to order.  Besides, it is the standard where most people will find it approachable.  Nice buttery nuggets of salmon with the same delicious sweet, tangy and salty sauce mix.  I really enjoy the concept and think it is another way to enjoy a sushi roll/poke bowl hybrid in a handheld format.  Nice textures and flavours make it appealing and delicious.  Now, until the end of May 2025, if you show them the Instagram reel from my account, you will receive 10% off your order!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Portable deliciousness

- Nice texture on the tempura-fried nori shell

- They don't skimp on the filling

The Bad:

- Shell can be a bit greasy, so make sure you have napkins

Melo Melo Coconut Dessert

Strangely, I forgot to post about Melo Melo when I visited LA awhile back.  This is despite my almost fanatical love for it.  Maybe there was just so many things to write about that I just get to it?  No idea, but whatever, I'll post about it now.  For those who are unfamiliar, Melo Melo specializes in coconut desserts with a variety of complimentary ingredients and flavours.  They are served in glass jars that they encourage you to return (10 jars = 1 free dessert).  I got to try a variety of flavours and really wished they had a location in Vancouver (there is something similar in Richmond though).

So I actually visited 2 different locations and tried a variety of flavours.  The first visit, we had a selection that included Mango Puree, Triple Coconut and Triple Latte.   Each glass jar started off with the coconut jelly with coconut cream.  This part was light, fluffy and semi-sweet.  It was so aromatic and it was pure coconut heaven.  For me, I always have to get something with mango, hence, we had the Mango Purée.  Definitely natural tasting and balanced sweetness.  There was some real mango chunks within as well.  Went real well with the coconut cream. 

One of the more interesting flavors was the Triple Latte.  It consisted of coffee jelly on the bottom with coffee jelly and coconut jelly.  This had all of the elements of coffee but with the aromatics of coconut.  This was great for me as I'm not a huge straight-up coffee drinker.  For those who absolutely love coconut, the Triple Coconut is the one to get.  It has some refreshing coconut jelly at the bottom to go with the coconut pudding and cream on top.

2 fruity creations were the Peach Gum and the Strawberry Purée.  With peach gum on the bottom with some snow lotus seeds, the flavor profile was one of mild sweetness and some floral notes.  This was much more subtle-tasting dessert.  As for the Strawberry Purée, it was fresh strawberries blended into a fairly smooth (with a few chunks) natural-tasting puree.  It was sweet but had the balancing tang of strawberries.  Of course this went with with the coconut jelly.

So my favorite of the ones we tried was the Sunset Mango with sticky rice, mango purée and mango chunks.  This was exactly like the mango purée except with the addition of sticky rice.  That was key as it added texture and most importantly, gave out Thai mango sticky rice vibes.  That happens to be one of my favorite desserts and this had all of the same elements.  Overall, the desserts at Melo Melo are light, refreshing and mildly sweet.  Totally delicious and I kid you not, you can eat more than one very easily.  That I did and would do it again gladly!

The Good:
- Light dessert
- Mildly sweet
- Natural-tasting

The Bad:
- Is not cheap

Four Season Buffet

Way back in early January, we made our way to Burlington and paid a visit to Four Season Buffet.  Yes, we drove all the way there to eat.  I'm sure some people would like to point out that Wonderful Buffet in Bellingham is much closer and cheaper.  However, I would like to say that I've been to Wonderful many times and it is merely "okay".  I think the price is what lures people in.  So I was interested in how the slightly more expensive Four Season would compare.

Of course we would attack the Sushi Station first and there was a modest amount of sushi rolls, nigiri and marinated seafood.  This was a slightly bigger selection than Wonderful, but considerably smaller than what you'd find at Harvest Buffet in Tacoma.  Overall, this was acceptable with a balanced amount of rice for the rolls and nigiri.  The ingredient quality was good and things were constructed decently.  I liked how the specialty rolls were not all California roll based.

After grabbing our sushi plates, the next course of action is to do what we usually do - go get some Seafood!  We ended up with some snow crab legs, crayfish, mussels, clams, fried butterflied shrimp, salt & pepper shrimp, calamari and baked seafood in crab shell.  I would say the highlight was the snow crab as it was still springy in texture and briny.  The fried shrimp had a good snap texture while the clams were buttery.  Didn't like the baked crab shell as it was heavy and overcooked.  Off to the side, we also found a selection of soups including egg drop, hot & sour and wonton.  These were typical with the hot & sour being the best of the bunch.  The wontons were not very good.

Our third plate consisted of a random assortment of items that included BBQ Ribs, Walnut Prawns, Baked Mushroom Caps, Sausage, Orange Chicken, Stir-Fried Veggies and Fried Rice.  I wasn't a fan of the ribs as the meat wasn't that tender.  Nice char on them though.  Walnut shrimp was good with a sweet mayo sauce.  Orange chicken was tender but the batter was a bit bready.  Veggies were cooked properly where they weren't soggy.

After all that, we made our way to the Mongolian Grill section of the buffet.  I went ahead and chose my items and then went over and presented it to the grill chef.  I also selected the sauces I wanted (Garlic and Teriyaki in this case) and waited for it to be prepared.  The noodles were nicely caramelized and al dente.  Shrimp had a sweet snap while the veggies were more or less a bit soft.  As for the beef, it was sliced too thick and hence, was on the chewier side.

Onto the Dessert Station, we found various pre-packaged cakes, Jello, mango pudding and fruit.  Nothing particularly amazing here, but it did the job.  I loaded up on the fruit because it was a refreshing way to end the gluttony.  There was also soft-serve ice cream available.  Overall, Four Season Buffet is a great value in my books.  The food is acceptable enough and the selection is pretty good for the price.  About that price (as of January 2025), well, it is quite complex:

Mon - Thurs Lunch $11.99

Friday Lunch $15.99

Saturday Lunch $16.99

Monday - Thursday Dinner $18.99

Friday Dinner $20.99

Saturday Dinner $21.99

Sunday All-Day $22.99 

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent
- Good variety

The Bad:
- Well, it is a buffet, if you don't have reasonable expectations, then some things will be subpar

Viet Time

Whenever we are in the Bay Area, I make it a point to visit my grandparents at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.  Since we were leaving for the airport, it was somewhat nearby.  Afterwards, we were pretty hungry and considered eating at the airport, but you know, it is a ripoff.  Hence, we started Googling some options in the area.  There was the Koi Palace in Daly City, but we hadn't been there in awhile and my aunt said it wasn't very good.  So we settled on something simple in Viet Time in San Bruno.

We weren't expecting too much from the place, but the mom n' pop place was welcoming.  We had both the Phở Bò Viên and Phở Dặc Biệt.  As you can see, the broth was pretty clean and clear.  It was decent with balance sweetness and meatiness.  I think that it could've been a bit more flavorful, but it was definitely acceptable.  As for the meats, the rare beef and brisket were not exactly thin.  However, they were still fairly tender.  I would've liked it thinner personally.

I really wanted the Phở Dặc Biệt but settled on the Bún Riêu instead.  We needed a little variety right?  Yah, my kids ordered the same thing and Viv kinda did the same.  Ugh...  Anyways, this was pretty serviceable with a sweet broth that had some brininess.  Although there were tomatoes present, it wasn't particularly noticeable.  Noodles had a nice bounciness to them and the meats were fair in portion size.  I enjoyed the pork meatballs with egg as they were fluffy and tasty.

So here are the 3 dishes that were almost the same (sigh...) with the first being Grilled Chicken, Pork Chop, Spring Roll and Egg on rice.  The second was the Grilled Chicken with rice.  I had to include the picture of the Grilled Chicken because it featured 2 large pieces and it was only $11.95!  Not only that, the chicken was juicy, well-marinated and beautifully grilled.  The pork chop was also tender and had a nice sear.  Spring roll was a bit average though.  Overall, these 2 plates were more than enough food for one person, if not more.

Lastly, I added a Bánh Mì Dặc Biệt with all the cold cuts.  As you can see, this was heavy on the pickles, especially the carrots.  There was also plenty of meats as well.  I would've liked to see some more pate as that is what make this sandwich in my opinion.  The bread was pretty airy with a soft crunch on the outside.  Overall, the food at Viet Time was respectable and a great value.  The people are super nice and there is lots of parking available.

The Good:

- Serviceable eats

- Well-priced

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Not the best, but for the price, I would go back if I was in the area

Telefèric Barcelona Palo Alto

It isn't often that I do a repeat visit when we are travelling to a place we've been before.  However, I've done that in Fullerton with Mr. BBQ and also Bai Tong Thai in Seattle.  This time around, we hit up the very same location of Telefèric Barcelona in Palo Alto.  Okay, I'm going to make sure everyone understands that I do not believe this place is the best tapas I've ever had, but it is a place we enjoyed the last time we were in the Bay Area.  So that is good enough for us to come back.  Ironically, we sat at almost the same table outside as last time!

To start things off, we had something seemingly simple in the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota or 38 months cured Iberian acorn fed ham.  This was melt-in-my-mouth and silky in texture.  There was so much going on in terms of flavor with a bit of saltiness, nuttiness and almost even fruitiness.  So complex and utterly delicious.  The side of buttery grilled sourdough was a great match for the ham, but we wished there was more of it!  We did ask for more though and they brought it over.

Now for the one item we had to get, the Tuna Tacos!  The kids love this so much, we actually got 2 orders since there were only 3 to a serving.  These featured a crispy and light crispy wonton shell filled with marinated ahi tuna and mashed avocado.  As you can see, they were shy with loading up each taco with the buttery tuna.  Avocado was fresh and creamy while the drops of aioli added creaminess.  Some chives on top provided some brightness.

With a slice of Iberico Ham on top, the Ham Croquetas were a nice little bite.  These one or two-biters were crispy and light on the outside with very little greasiness.  Inside, they were creamy and none too dense.  Seasoning was on point where the croqueta itself was rather mild with some nuttiness and aromatics but the slice of ham on top provided the necessary saltiness.   A dollop of aioli added more creaminess and of course some chives too.

We didn't stop with just he ham croquetas as we also added the Crab Croquetas after the fact.  Although these were similar, they ate remarkably different.  Naturally, with crab nestled in these fried little bites, there was a bit of fluffiness as well as some subtle brininess.  They were crispy on the outside while topped with tuna sashimi and spicy aioli.  Since the tuna was more of a textural thing rather than the saltiness of the ham, the flavours were more mild.  However, the spicy aioli did add a slight creamy kick.

Whenever I go for Spanish tapas, there is no doubt I will order the Patatas Bravas.  Although I would've preferred a more spread out plating, this dish was still good.  Underneath the mess of aioli and brava sauce, we found little cubes of fried potatoes.  Inside, they were creamy while the outside was a bit soggy.  Since all of the sauces were on top, it was a bit awkward to eat.  A larger plate would've allowed for more customizable amounts of sauce for each bite.

Onto our next dish, we had the Pulpo Telefèric or Galician octopus with truffle oil & 'pimentón' potato purée.  This was a composed dish that was nicely plated.  The octopus tentacle itself was tender while still sporting an appealing chew.  It was a bit crispy on the outside with a nutty and light truffle earthiness.  As for the puree underneath, it was creamy, smoky and zesty.  Great for dipping the pieces of octopus!  

 

Attempting to get some veggies into this meal (yes, a pathetic attempt at that...), we had the Cali-Flower consisting of crispy fried cauliflower "pops" with tangy romesco glaze.  The cauliflower florets were still firm but cooked all the way through being tender.  On the outside, there was some crispiness as well as some caramelized nuttiness.  As for the sauce, it was indeed tangy with some sweetness.  Adding more aroma, we found fried garlic chips and some fresh chives.

Adding just a bit more vegetable, we had the Grilled Salmon topped with snow peas and crispy Ibérico ham.  The salmon itself was prepared properly being flaky and barely cooked-through.  It was nicely salted and stood quite well on its own.  However, the ham did add a richer saltiness to the dish.  Crunchy snow peas kept things bright while the cauliflower cream underneath provided a robust sweet creaminess that went well with the salmon.

Of course we were going to get a Paella right?  The one we chose this time was the Ibérico Pork Paella.  This featured an entire acorn-fed bone-in pork chop with pieces of pork belly strewn throughout as well as chicken and mushrooms.  The thin layer of rice was still chewy while a socarrat did form on the bottom.  I would've liked it to be every crispier though.  The rice was delicious, soaking up all the flavors from the pork and chicken.  Nice aroma and background saffron notes.  The pork itself was tender and appealingly fatty.

We not only added another order of croquetas to your meal, but also the Burrata Bowl.  So as you can see, it was actually a plate, not a bowl.  However, it was full of plump tomatoes and sweet strawberries.  The creamy burrata was topped with basil pesto and chopped pistachios.  Lots of things going on here despite the appearance of simplicity.  We had nuttiness with herbaceousness along with the sweetness of the strawberries.  Tang was provided by the juicy tomatoes.

Dessert was the usual in the Churros con Nutella.  As its description said, these were deep fried sticks of dough filled with Nutella and coated with cinnamon sugar on the outside.  Pretty standard stuff here with the crunch from the outside giving way to melty and sweet hazenut-chocolate spread.  This was quite sweet, but that is the point of it all!  Overall, Telefèric Barcelona delivered once again.  Tapas were appealing and presented in fairly good portions. 

The Good:

- Solid tapas

- Good service

- Lively atmosphere

The Bad:

- Once again, the potatoes could've been crispier

Fusion Delight

Rounding up all the relatives for one meal, we ended up having a party of 16 people.  Now we all know that means only one thing...  We met for Chinese food!  One of my cousins suggested Fusion Delight out in San Leandro.  She had recently attended a wedding there and was impressed with the food and the spacious dining room.  As its name suggests, there are some fusion elements to their cuisine.  As you can see in the picture, it was pouring rain...  I guess we brought that to Cali from Vancouver in December...

We kicked things off with the BBQ Pork with honey BBQ sauce.  On looks alone, this was completely legit.  The bark was so charred and caramelized that we could smell it.  Of course, that meant not only an intense smokiness, there was nuttiness and impactful sweetness.  If that wasn't enough, they made sure of things by drizzling a good amount of the honey BBQ sauce on top.  It wasn't overly sweet since it was a mixture that included maltose.  The meat itself was a mix of lean and fatty portions, so it was juicy and tender.

Since all of the kiddies enjoy Peking Duck, we had no choice but to order it.  Turns out the adults loved it too!  the skin had an appealing rich mahogany hue while being crispy and low on the fat.  Beyond that, it was also aromatic and flavorful on its own.  Underneath, the meat was tender and juicy with a mild brine.  Rather than the usual steamed flour crepes, we found steamed bao instead.  These were fluffy and provided a nice contrast to the crispy skin.

One of the most expensive items we had was the half of a Suckling Pig for $158.00.  I guess it was worth it because it was a significant portion and at first glance, it looked to be roasted beautifully.  That it was when we bit into the crispy crackling.  It was so light that it broke apart on contact.  Really great texture and aromatic.  As for the meat underneath, it had a balanced amount of fat where it helped keep things moist and provided natural flavor.

Keeping the meats coming, we had the Braised Short Ribs.  These were majestically plated with the meat sliced off the bone and presented on the bone.  With the meat being fatty in the first place, it was a good start in terms of the flavor and juiciness department.  Combined with a proper braise, the meat was fall-apart tender.  To literally top things off, a sweet, garlicky and sticky glaze was poured over the meat.  Really delicious and highly-recommended.

To get the obligatory veggies into the meal, we had a pair of dishes in the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic and the Stir-Fried Yau Choy with Garlic.  As you can imagine, the flavor profile of both dishes was very similar.  There was enough seasoning in both so that the veggies has some salty sweetness to them as well as the aroma of seared garlic.  Naturally, the pea shoots had a different texture with tender leaves with a crunch.  The yau choy had a slightly more robust texture with more moisture.

One item we ordered sounded great even before we got it.  The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings also looked great when it hit the table too.  Many times, this dish has all the promise, only to fall down flat due to a variety of factors.  Those didn't happen there as the amount of salted egg yolk sauce was enough to properly coat each wing and to provide that unmistakable salty, nutty and aromatic flavor.  Futhermore, the skin was crispy and slightly rendered while the meat inside was juicy and also seasoned.

Continuing the same theme, we also had the Whole Garlic Fried Chicken.  This was a variation of the classic Cantonese dish where a whole brined chicken is deep fried until crispy while the meat is still juicy.  The brine on the chicken is the key as it not only flavors the meat, it keeps it from drying out.  This was exactly the case here with rendered crispy skin with an added element of fried garlic as well.  A nice and simple twist of a common menu item.

So far, we hadn't tried any seafood, but that all changed when the huge piece of French Baked Sea Bass Fillet arrived at our table.  The picture doesn't do it justice as it was massive.  It was also perfectly cooked despite being so thick.  The meat was flaky and buttery with plenty of moisture.  On the outside, it was seared and slightly charred.  Hence, there was a good contrast of textures and flavors.  The outside was smoky and somewhat sweet.

So we got back on the meat wagon with the Peking Pork Chops.  Yep, this was the for the kids too and hey it was pretty solid.  Each pork chop had enough meat so that it was still tender with moisture while the outside had some crispiness.  As you can see, there was just enough sauce to coat each piece without leaving a goopy messy on the plate.  The sauce was balanced being tangy and sweet with some smokiness.  Only wished there wasn't an oil slick on the plate.

In a roundabout kind of way, we got more vegetables in the form of Wok Fried Pork Cheeks and Chives.  As you can see, this included both chives and flowering chives.  Hence there was a different in texture and taste.  These were still crunchy and vibrant from the high heat wok hei.  Good aroma and no residual moisture on the plate.  As for the sliced pork cheek, there was caramelization and proper amount of seasoning.  It had the usual bouncy tender texture.

To end things off, we had the Classic Special Fried Rice.  This rice had a little bit of everything including seafood, cured sausage, egg, tobiko and green onion.  There was good wok hei where the rice was nutty and chewy (in a good way).  Lots of aroma and enough seasoning.  In the end, we thought the meal was pretty good, especially for the portion sizes and price.  Service is a bit hit and miss since the place is super busy.  Also a bonus is the large parking lot, you will probably find a space.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Decent eats

- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:

- Service is hit and miss