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

Uprising Breads

We had just finished having lunch at Havana on the Drive and I was waiting at the intersection of Commercial and Venables. Looking over to my left, Uprising Breads caught my eye. Boy, this place has been around for as long as I can remember. Despite driving by it many times, I've never tried it. A quick last minute decision found me turning left instead of right. Viv was wondering what I was up to. I declared that this would be the day I actually tried Uprising Breads. Better late than never! I quickly zipped into a parking spot and away we went. On the outside, there were some people enjoying some coffee and pastries. Inside, there were people doing much of the same thing. This place is indeed quaint.

I asked one of the staff if I could take some pictures. He looked at me blankly for what seemed to be an eternity. I finally broke the uncomfortable silence by explaining that I write a food blog. Immediately after that, he seemed to break out of whatever trance he was in. There were so many yummy things to choose from, it took me awhile to decided. Finally, I decided to get 2 Cheddar Scones, a Blueberry Cheesecake Square, a Lemon Cranberry Square, a piece of Carrot Cake, a Smarties Chocolate Cupcake and a half dozen of Smuffins.

When we got home, I quickly took some pictures and then dug right into the carrot cake. Oh, this was good! The cake itself was full of carrot and raisins which was topped by a fairly sweet cream cheese icing. Then I decided to take a bite of the scone. Hmm... Okay, I needed to nuke it first for 20 seconds. Alright, much better! It was fluffy and there was more than enough cheddar to flavour the scone. I was tempted to slap on some butter; but I resisted. I ended up giving the cheese cake to my mom, so I didn't get to try it. However, she did say it was good and she knows her cheese cake, it's one of her favs!

I finally got to try the lemon cranberry square the day after and boy did it have a lot of zing. However, the tartness was not overwhelming and I could still taste the butter... mmm... buuuutter... I also ate one of the blueberry muffins and I found it a bit dry. Not dry enough to make it bad; but it was not as moist as I would've liked. Mind you, it probably means less fat which translate into a healthier muffin. I didn't get to try the cupcake because my son ate it; I'm sure he liked it. It's chocolate, has icing on it and is topped with smarties. What's not to like? I did like the items I got from Uprising Breads, they were more than adequate. I've had better, but for the prices and the quaintness of the store, it's got something that is lacking these days - character.

The Good:
- It's a neat bakery in a neat location
- Decent products
- It's got character

The Bad:
- Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was a bit expensive for what you get

Havana

Chatting with Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) on Saturday, I noticed that I rarely eat Latin food. The times I've been to the Caribbean, I regret I haven't tried more of it. I guess the lack of Latin American food in the GVRD is one reason I don't eat it enough. But the main reason is probably that I do not know where to find "good" Latin American food. Well, Kim is a good resource; maybe I should just go eat out with him more often. However, I was on a mission today, I was going to eat Latin food! So Viv and I headed over to Dona Cata for some of their famous tacos. But to our dismay, it is closed on Mondays. Undeterred, we headed over to Commercial Drive in search of Latin food. As we cruised down the Drive, we noticed that many of the Latin restaurants were closed as well. Was this a coincidence? I'm not sure, but alas, we finally ended up at Havana near the North end of the Drive. Viv's been to Havana before and she liked it, so we parked and headed over.

I've walked past Havana many times admiring their awesome patio; but just have never walked in. Let me say, walking into the restaurant brought me back to Miami, particularly South Beach. The decor and ambiance took me on a vacation without leaving home. One thing struck me while I was perusing the menu: it's not cheap here. Now I'm not saying that the prices were expensive; but for what we were getting it wasn't inexpensive. Mind you, the dinner menu seems like a better value, which is usually the reverse in most restaurants.

We decided to start with the Tostones, otherwise known as plantain chips. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was pretty full, so it will probably explain why it took 35 minutes for the chips to arrive. However, that's pretty long for an appetizer. Well, at least they were worth the wait. The chips were really crispy and fried just enough to give it a very nice colour. The accompanying red pepper aioli and green chili dip was fabulous. There was just enough heat and flavour to compliment the chips.

After we finished the chips, almost another 20 minutes passed before we got our mains. Suffice to say, I don't care how busy the restaurant was. If I do not get all my food within 30 minutes during lunch, it's too long. Viv had ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich and at first, I was wondering what's so special about it. Well, upon closer inspection; in addition to the fried chicken, there was pickled cabbage, green chili mojo and jerk mayo. All the flavours really worked in this sandwich. You got spicy from the chilis, tartness from the cabbage and salty-sweet from the mayo. For myself, I chose the Media Noche which is supposed to be a smaller version of the Cuban sandwich. However, in this case, the main deviation from the traditional sandwich was the bread. It was served on a Ciabatta and was not pressed. Despite this fact, I enjoyed the sandwich. The combination of ham (Black Forest in this case), roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles was very tasty. Viv remarked that the bun probably detracted from the sandwich.

Despite the painfully long wait for our food, we enjoyed our visit to Havana. It helped that we weren't in a rush. We were just soaking up the nice weather and atmosphere. Again, the only thing that bothered me was that each of our sandwiches were $14.00 each. Hardly expensive; but it just seemed like we didn't eat $14.00 worth of food (operating costs and raw materials withstanding). However, the 4-course dinner for $25 seems like a fabulous deal, maybe I'll need to try that someday.

The Good:
- Really nice decor and atmosphere
- Nice patio
- Something a bit different

The Bad:
- Really sloooow kitchen (could be this time only?)
- A bit pricey for what you get
- As always, parking is hard to find

Alvin Garden

Last time we had a blogger's dinner, Ben (Chowtimes) organized it. While at the that dinner (@ Long's), he suggested that I should organize the next one. Reluctantly, I agreed. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy organizing things, I seem to be doing that all the time anyways. However, I certainly couldn't invite everyone, I don't think they made tables that large. I actually ended up giving Ben a call for some advice. He really had no solution for it either, you can't really please everyone. Well, I ended up inviting as many as I felt comfortable with and we ended up with the following participants: Kevin (604Foodtography), Jessica & Mark (Yum-o-Rama), Gigi & Jenkins (Ho Yummy!), Drea (TBDFBTI), Christina and ET (Doesn't TaZte Like Chicken), TS (eating_club Vancouver), Wilson (La Petite Vancouver) and Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!). It was actually Kim who suggested Alvin Garden and we'll see if his recommendation makes him look good or not. See how I like to pass the buck?

From the outside, I would have never known that the inside was actually quite nice and clean. However, the tables are situated quite close together, so everything is a tight fit. We took quite a bit of time trying to decide what to order because frankly, we weren't familiar with most of the dishes. You see, Hunan cuisine is not very common in the GVRD. The dominant Chinese cuisine is Cantonese food. Thus, we just randomly ordered items off the menu with a little help from the server. We found out at the end that our dishes may have not been the right ones to order. Oh well, it just means we have to come back and do it all over again! While we waiting for our food, we got into the typical banter about food and my favourite topic - Richmond. One person posed the question which parking lot was worse: Aberdeen or Crystal Mall. Well, my personal choice would be Crystal Mall because why would you design a lot that is a big circle with only one entrance/exit? Futhermore, as a result of this circle, each parking spot is shaped like a pie slice. Imagine the difficulty for someone trying to use the lines as a guide to park straight! No joke, I once watched someone spend 10+ minutes going back and forth trying to park in one spot.

The food actually arrived pretty quickly; mind you, we really didn't get to eat until much later. Imagine 7 cameras taking turns snapping photos of EACH dish. Kevin was getting a little impatient because he appeared to be very hungry. I guess we got a taste of our own medicine since people who eat with me have to suffer the "don't touch it, let me take some photos first" procedure. Curiously, 5 dishes arrived before we even got the large soup we had ordered. It appears that they do not have a food expediting system present. The first dish was the Hunan-Style Braised Pork. Essentially, it was pork belly stewed in a mostly sweet soy broth. It was enjoyable to eat, while the dish itself was nothing special. The next dish, Duck Braised with Beer was quite spicy. By just tasting the sauce, you'd never know that there was beer. I guess all the alcohol had been cooked away or that the spice overwhelmed any other flavour that was present. Although I enjoyed the sauce with my rice, the duck itself was chopped into really small pieces. Therefore, it was tough to find any pieces with any meat on them. I mostly got bones in every spoonful.

Now the next dish was really good. The Dong Ting Broiled Fish in Chili Soup was a symphony of flavours. The sweetness of the fish combined with the spicy and salty broth was absolutely delicious. Continuing on the spicy theme, the Pan Fried Spicy Chicken was quite an intimidating dish. The small pieces of chicken were hidden in a mound of fried red chilis. Although the dish itself wasn't incredibly spicy, the chilis made it look spicier than it really was. The chicken was very well-seasoned; but yet again much like the duck, it was cut up into little pieces. By now I was starting to sweat; but I think Kim was sweating much more than I was. Luckily he brought his own towel (smart move). The Ma Po Tofu looked spicier than it tasted; however, it was very well spiced. Another great dish to go with a big bowl of white rice.

Alright, someone tell me why we got the soup as our 6th dish? As mentioned before, the expedition of dishes was quite odd. I guess they merely brought out stuff as the kitchen cooked it. But soup in the middle of the meal? The soup we ordered was the Daily Soup which happened to be Corn and Pork. It arrived in a really large pot packed with corn and slow simmered pork. I really liked the soup, it was not very salty; in fact, it was rather sweet because of the corn. From sweet, right back to the spicy, the Pan-Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork had just enough heat. Combined with the sweetness of the crunchy beans and the saltiness of the minced pork, this was a balanced dish. Next up was the Double-Cooked Pork with Garlic and Chilis. I bet they buy their chilis in bulk at Alvin Garden, because they used them like there was no tomorrow. In this dish, the fatty pork appears to have been stewed first, then sliced and pan-fried; thus the double-cooked moniker. This was a solid dish, with many different textures and flavours.

Alright, here we go with the incorrect order of dishes once again. We got the sweet Pumpkin Cakes filled with red bean paste too early since there were a couple more dishes yet to arrive. Suddenly I felt like I was having Cantonese Dim Sum because of the randomness of the dishes. The pumpkin cakes were not really that sweet, even with the red bean paste. I liked the texture, it was very similar to that of a Lo Po Beng; however, the cake itself was rather bland and a bit oily. Now, from dessert, back to the entrees! The Steamed Ling Cod Head with Hunan Chilis was another intimidating looking dish. It was topped with a large amount chilis; yet, once again, it was not as spicy as it looked. In fact, the flavours were quite nice being a bit spicy and sweet. However, since it was Ling Cod head, it was boney and a bit hard to eat. I would have much preferred that they didn't cut up the head into little pieces.

Bringing down the spicy quotient was the Steamed Egg with Mince Pork. This is somewhat of a "home-cooking"-type dish that is usually very light in texture and flavour. For those who don't normally eat it, it could be misinterpreted as being bland. It was alright; but it was a bit on the watery side. The last dish of the meal was the Corn Cakes and it arrived in a big steamer. Once the lid was removed by our server, it revealed cone-shaped pastries. The consensus from the group was that the cakes were not very good. In fact, Jessica's boyfriend probably summed it up best - "it had the texture of Playdoh". This is not a ringing endorsement for the corn cakes. At the very least, they showed up in the proper order.

I generally enjoyed my meal despite the awful expedition of the dishes. I liked some of the dishes more than others; but that would be my personal preference. One thing I didn't like was the fact they cut up some of their meats into really small pieces. This is not good for eating or the actual cooking process itself. But really, Kim said it best. The main focus is enjoying each others' company. We had a blast chatting about our common interest - FOOD. Thus, the dinner almost became secondary. Mind you, some of our dishes seemed grossly overpriced such as the duck for $16.98, Ling Cod head for $19.98 and the soup for $14.98. After our meal was over, we looked around and noticed that we didn't order some really good looking dishes at other tables. I guess that alone warrants another visit.

The Good:
- Dishes that you would probably not find at other Chinese restaurants
- If you like it spicy, this is your place
- Service was a bit hectic, yet it was still friendly and helpful

The Bad:
- Some of the dishes seemed a bit overpriced
- They like to cut up their meats into little pieces
- Proper expedition of dishes was non-existant

Business Hours:
11:30am - 9:30pm (Mon - Fri)
12:00pm - 9:30pm (Sat & Sun)

Ki Sushi

Alright, I think for the very first time, my son actually decided where we were going to eat tonight. We asked him if what he wanted to eat and he insisted on udon noodles in soup. That pretty much narrowed down our choices; thus we headed off to Ki Sushi in New Westminster. I've been meaning to try the place out for awhile and since we needed udon, I guess this was as good as any time to try it out. When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full, so we had to circle around a bit until we found a spot on Columbia. We figured out why the parking lot was full when we entered the restaurant - there was a lineup. No matter, it didn't take long to get a seat. Fortunately for us, the table was fully enclosed into it's own little room. This was good since the kiddies could do there thing and not bother anyone. Also, I could take many pictures and no one would even notice. We overheard the servers chatting in Mandarin amongst themselves. So I guess this is not a Japanese-run restaurant? No matter, for me if the food is good, I don't give a damn who is making it.

The first thing I noticed about the menu were the prices - they are very reasonable. Taking a peak at what other people were eating, it also appears that the portions are good as well. This looked promising. Viv and I decided on the Dinner for 2 which included Assorted Sashimi, California Roll (6pcs), Kappa Maki (6pcs), Sushi (4pcs), Prawn & Vegetable Tempura, Oyster Motoyaki or Chawan Mushi, Kara-age, Sunomono, Miso Soup and Ice Cream for $34.95. We added a Vancouver Roll and also a Chicken Udon for the kiddies.

The sashimi and sushi arrived on one platter and they were quite good. Each slice of sashimi was fresh and quite large. We particularly like the wild sockeye salmon sashimi; it was deliciously sweet. I must mention that there was very little rice in every one of the rolls - a very good thing. The Tempura was also very good. It was perfectly fried and the batter was ever so light. It wasn't particularly oily either. The same goes with the boneless Chicken Karaage. Outside was not oily and very crispy; but the inside was tender and juicy. Included in the meal was a choice between Oyster Motoyaki and Chawan Mushi. We couldn't decide on either, so we had one of each. The motoyaki was a bit different than I am accustomed to. Rather than a whole oyster baked in sauce, it was diced-up oyster, mushrooms and spinach mixed in with sauce. For me, it was alright; but I wouldn't want to eat another. The mushi was very light and velvety. I really liked eating it and was a bit amused by the happy face created by the edamame beans and shrimp on top.

The Vancouver Roll was a bit of a disappointment. The roll itself was prawn tempura, avocado and masago on the inside. It was topped with more avocado and unagi with sauce on the outside. This is similar to a Dragon Roll found at other Japanese restaurants. Yet, compared to other places such as Toyotomi and Tomoya, the Vancouver roll here at Ki was not as good. It was generally flavourless and seemed a bit empty inside. Definitely not worth the $10.00 price tag. However, the meal in general was solid and I certainly enjoyed eating it. The portions were generally pretty good and the prices make Ki Sushi a good value. Service was generally quite attentive and friendly; if not a bit absent minded. It took us 3 tries to replace a dirty bowl. Not the best Japanese food I've ever had; yet still a solid choice in New West.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Good portion size
- Pretty decent food

The Bad:
- Small parking lot, fills up quick

Pied-à-Terre

Wow, we haven't dined with M&M since Dine-Out at Hart House! No, we didn't go pick up some chicken wings, a flat of Sheppard's pie and apple blossoms from M&M on our way to Hart House. Rather, M&M are 2 friends of ours whose names happen to start with the letter M. Too bad they didn't name their kids M names. Otherwise they'd be mini-M&M's (lame joke, I know...). Tonight, we were all childless and decided to try out Pied-à-Terre on Cambie. There are so many of these small moderately-priced French bistros popping up all over the place. French food is becoming more accessible and affordable. We arrived promptly at 6:30, however, due to some extenuating circumstances, both M&M were late. We'll refer to the wife as Bubbly because she has enough energy to run a small town. Also, we'll refer to the husband as Chill because nothing ever seems to faze him. Bubbly was stuck on the Oak Street bridge for almost 20 minutes. Second, Chill was stuck behind some bike parade in downtown for about the same time. It was almost like fate was working against them for this meal. No matter, the staff at Pied-a-Terre were extremely understanding and professional about the matter. When Bubbly did arrive, she hijacked my camera and starting snapping photos like there was no tomorrow. She is an avid photographer and I have to give her credit for some of the pictures. She's definitely got an eye for the artistic flair. One thing I do know is she made me look normal for once, because she was taking more photos than I would normally. So that's how someone appears when they are madly snapping photos of food. No wonder people stare at me!

Viv and Bubbly both decided to have the Table D'hote which gave them a choice of appetizer, main and dessert for $31.00. Viv chose the Terrine Maison to start. She figures it was pork terrine with some bacon. She thought it was pretty good because it was well-seasoned. The sweet figs, horseradish cream and sour cornichons complimented the Terrine really well. Bubbly got the Fennel Cream Soup for her first course and it was luxurious in texture. There was only a slight fennel taste to the soup. I opted for the Steamed Mussels to start and it was a decent portion. Bathed in a white wine and onion broth, each mussel was opened and very sweet. I got extra bread to soak up every last bit of the
broth.

Viv went for the Coq au Vin as her main. The perfectly stewed chicken rested on a rich red wine sauce with carrots, peas, onion, lardons, and mashed potato. I tried some and the chicken was tender and the wine had penetrated nicely into the meat. Bubbly had the Onglet Steak & Frites with a Marchand du Vin sauce. The server gave the heads up that it was a hanger steak and it could be a bit tough. Normally, a hanger steak cannot be cooked past medium-rare and should be cut against the grain. I tried a piece of the steak and although it wasn't tender, it was not overly tough either. It definitely had plenty of flavour due to the cut of meat and the sauce.

Chill had the Rib Eye Steak & Frites with Marchand du Vin as well. His steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare and was predictably tender. The fries were very crispy and light. He was quite hungry and plowed through it. All I could get out of him was that it was "good". I was going to have the steak as well; but seeing that 2 people were already having steak, I went for the Muscovy Duck Confit with Cassoulet Beans. The duck leg was beautifully cooked with an extremely crispy skin. Normally, I'm not really into eating skin or fat of any kind; but I enjoyed every piece of the duck skin. The meat itself was melt-in-your mouth tender (due to being simmered in duck fat). It was a bit saltier than I would have liked; however, salt is an integral part of duck confit. However, eaten with the orange slices, it did balance the flavours. Although the beans were a side to the duck, I personally thought they were the star of the dish. The soft, haricot beans were prepared beautifully.

For dessert, Bubbly decided on the Chocolate Mousse and Viv got the Creme Caramel. Simply presented, the creme caramel was absolutely divine. It was silky smooth with a rich caramel finish. Viv remarked that there was a hint of orange as well. Bubbly thought that the mousse was the better of the 2 desserts and I will agree on that. At first, I didn't enjoy the mousse as much because I'm not really a big chocolate lover. However, the mousse was fluffy and full of chocolate flavour without being too sweet. Good food aside, the rest of the dining experience was very positive as well. The staff were quite efficient and very knowledgeable. The ambiance was cozy and warm, partly because the restaurant itself is quite small. Value-wise, it was very good. The prices were reasonable and the portions were more than adequate. Pied-a-Terre is another great bistro among many in the GVRD.

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Food is spot on
- Reasonably-priced
- Quaint
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Make reservations, it's a small bistro, walk-in diners will not get a table