Pajo's

Alright, after grabbing a Screamer from Danny's Market, we headed over to Steveston for some lunch. Yes, I got dessert before my meal. While driving along Williams and making a turn onto #3 Road, I ended up following a student driver. Great. I was following a student driver in the heart of Richmond. What did I do wrong to deserve this inhumane punishment. Luckily I was able to pass the student driver and carry on my merry way. My restaurant of choice today was Pajo's, which is known for their fish & chips. In fact, Pajo's can be seen as some sort of novelty since their location at Steveston is right on the pier (translation: tourist trap). However, despite this, I've always enjoyed Pajo's fish & chips.

Today, Viv and I decided we were only going to share a meal since we were planning to eat an early dinner. So that we could get a little of everything, we went for the One of Each, which included one piece each of halibut, salmon and cod. Included with this were fries, tartar sauce and lemon wedges. This set me back $13.00. Influenced by Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) I decided to take a picture of all the condiments while I was waiting for my order. If you look at the bottom right hand corner, there are 2 small cups of ketchup. Yes, they were mine. I decided to get the ketchup before I received my order because I knew I wouldn't be able to dispense the ketchup while holding a cone-shaped paper container. Well, for the first time in my life, as I turned around for a split second to get my order, someone jacked my ketchup! For only reasons known to the thief, they took ketchup that had already been dispensed. Suffice to say, I was a bit confounded and a bit ticked off because I had to go back for more ketchup (we were seated on the upper level of the pier).

If you look at the picture of the condiments again, you'll notice something is missing. Yes, it's the malt vinegar. Where was the malt vinegar? Well, it was actually at the table behind us. I can't believe they took the only malt vinegar and hogged it for themselves. First ketchup stealing, then malt vinegar hoarding? What has this world come to??? Despite it being quite easy, I'm not going to blame this on Richmond. In terms of the fish & chips, it's pretty decent. The fish is fresh and the batter is not too thick. Nicely fried, crispy and easy on the grease. Chips are crunchy without being oily. Not the best fish & chips I've ever had; but considering the venue, it's solid. I find the prices quite reasonable for what you get. It ain't cheap; yet not exactly gouging either. And yes, there is the novelty factor as well. You can't really beat the fact it's right on the water and especially on a nice day like today; the whole experience cannot be replicated in a restaurant.

The Good:
- Unique location
- Decent fish & chips
- Prices are reasonable considering it's a touristy location

The Bad:
- Not really enough places to sit when busy
- Aggressive crows and seagulls, do not leave your food unattended

Danny's Market

When you hear the name "Screamer", a few things might come to mind. A loud baby? A boisterous fan? A car peeling out? Miss Y? Well, the Screamer I'm referring to is the beverage and/or dessert which consists of a slushee and soft serve ice cream. Yes, it's quite a simple concoction, but oh so yummy and refreshing on a hot day. You'd think something so relatively easy to make readily available. Wrong. To the best of my knowledge, there are only a few places that you can obtain this tasty treat - Baguette Time (thanks to Five Loaves for the info) in Vancouver and Danny's Market in Richmond. Since I was heading to Richmond today, I targeted Danny's Market on my GPS as a necessary stop. The first time I had a Screamer was at the Calgary Zoo last year. I couldn't believe I hadn't tried one sooner, the thing is plain awesome. My favourite by far is Orange Crush slushee and soft serve. This is the closest thing to a Creamsicle. To give credit where credit is due, the only reason I knew of Danny's Market was because of other bloggers: Five Loaves, Yum-O-Rama and 604 Foodtography.

The Screamer itself is a bit hard to drink with a straw at first. It's best to let it melt a bit, mix it up a bit or use a spoon. Don't let it melt too much, then it becomes a mess. As Danny & Jeremy mentioned, the Screamer can be a meal in itself. Don't try this after you've eaten a really large meal. But, I do recommend that you try one, even if you live a distance away. It's that good. Add in that it's only a little over $4.00 for a large with extra ice cream, it's easy on the wallet too.

The Good:
- It takes a slushee to a whole new level
- It's reasonably priced
- They don't skimp on the soft serve

The Bad:
- It's actually quite filling, not really something you want to have if you're full
- Not really a negative, but there are not many places you can get this

Lhy Thai

*This post is 3 years old, apparently things have changed, take it with a grain of salt*

A bright, warm and beautiful sunny day; it inspires us to be happy and relaxed. For me, it inspires me to go find somewhere to eat. Wait, I don't think the weather has anything to do with it. I'm always inspired to eat! Even when I was badly stricken with the stomach flu back in March, I still continued eating (including cream puffs!) Well, today was a nice day and I was in search of eats. I briefly considered Hon's, but I regained my senses and decided on something else. No offense to Hon's but there are better choices. My choice today was Lhy Thai on Edmonds in Burnaby. If you've never heard about this place, I don't blame you. I drove right past it without noticing it. I had to look up the address again on Urbanspoon with my Blackberry (what a plug!).

Seating arrangements at Lhy Thai are a bit tight to say the least. The people next to us were having a conversation and I felt like I was a part of it. In fact, the gentleman next to me was raving about a Greek restaurant on Davie that served large portions at low prices; but he couldn't remember the name. I couldn't help myself and blurted out,"Stepho's". I'm not sure if he was appreciative or creeped out by my sudden interjection into their conversation. Sheepishly, I continued looking at the menu. With much excitement, Viv and I were impressed with the prices. Nothing was over $6.95; in fact, looking at the dinner menu later, only 2 items are over $10.00.

Viv ended up choosing Combo #2 (Green Curry) for her meal and I went for the Combo #3 (Red Curry). No, there was no Combo #5 like the time at Kam Wah. We added a Phat Thai Gai (Chicken Pad Thai) for good measure. Included in our combos were rice, spring roll and pork satay (Viv's)/fish cake (mine). First and foremost, the veggies in the curries were fresh, crisp and aesthetically pleasing. Flavour-wise, the curries were well-balanced with the red curry being a bit sweeter than the green curry. The spring rolls were crunchy and light tasting; but a bit on the oily side. The satay and fish cake were pretty standard, nothing much to say about them.

Everything was quite good until we got to the Phat Thai... It was fabulous! One of the most flavourful Pad Thai's I've ever had. The al dente rice noodles were caressed (nice word eh?) by sweet tamarind and spicy chili. The picture doesn't do it justice. The colour of the dish was a deep red, rather than the neon red you'd find on run-of-the-mill versions of Pad Thai. The flavours were both intense and rich. Furthermore, the dish was packed with dried tofu, preserved turnip, green onion, sprouts, egg and crushed peanuts.

I've read some comments regarding Lhy Thai and they have been quite negative concerning their portion sizes. Well, first of all, look at the prices, I think the portions are fair for the dollar value. Moreover, much like pasta sauce or curries, you don't need a tonne of it for your rice. You only need enough. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Lhy Thai and the service was friendly and attentive. I would categorize this place as definitely a hidden gem.

The Good:
- Authentic Thai Food, they even have a certificate proving it!
- Excellent prices
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit cramped

Pasta Polo

After picking up DT (we'll call him Rich Guy from now on) from the airport today, I made the long trek from Richmond to Coquitlam. For my troubles, he gave me a really big bag of Cornick. I looked at it all confused. What the heck is Cornick? The only other Filipino snack I am familiar with is Clover chips (which rock by the way). It turns out Cornick is somewhat similar to Corn Nuts; but they are not as hard. Not wasting a second, I dug into the bag and I couldn't stop eating it. Rich Guy suggested I save some for Viv. I promised that I would try. One side effect of eating too much Cornick is that you'll have garlic breath that's radioactive! Having just returned from a really long flight from the Philippines, I figured Rich Guy would not have anything at home to eat for dinner. Mind you, even if he did, he'd probably still go out to eat. Right there and then, we decided to meet for dinner at Pasta Polo in Coquitlam. On my way to Pasta Polo, I saw the sign right on Lougheed at Lansdowne; however, when I turned in, I totally missed the entrance. If you look at the picture, you'd miss it too. The main door reminds me of a nightclub.

We decided to get a variety of dishes which included Mussels Marinara, Avocado & Shrimp Salad, Italian Sausage Penne, Meatballs Florentine with Linguine and a kid's Pepperoni Pizza. Arriving steaming hot, the mussels rested on a white wine marinara sauce. Each one of the sweet mussels were open, welcoming in the broth. Stunningly colourful, the salad arrived with a bevy of greens, avocado, shrimp, strawberries, tomatoes, kiwi fruit and prawns. Wild berry herb dressing and mozza toast was served on the side. I realize it's difficult to get excited about a salad; but this one was a winner. After the first 2 dishes, the food so far was very good; yet, surprisingly, once the pastas arrived, the meal began to fall flat.

Both pastas were served on deep dish plates; thus, there was more pasta than met the eye. Incidentally, all the pastas are organic and freshly made. We found the Meatball Florentine with Linguine a bit bland. Although there was plenty of fresh tomato flavour; there wasn't much else. Moreover, the linguine itself was a bit mushy. However, the meatballs were pretty good being packed with lean meat and spinach. Conversely, where the linguine fell flat, the Italian Sausage Penne was a bit more flavourful. There was a bit of spice to the sauce due to the spicy sausage, peppers and onion. But yet again, the sauce still managed to be a bit bland and the pasta was a bit soft. The texture really didn't make me want to eat more of it.

Where the pasta fell flat, the pizza did not. Since my son is not a big eater, we all sampled his pizza and it was pretty good. The thin crust was crunchy and not oily at all. Taste wise, it had just enough sauce and there was plenty of mozzarella cheese. I went away from the dinner at Pasta Polo a bit conflicted. Many people have recommended this place to me; yet I wasn't blown away. Did I have unrealistic expectations? I had asked Rich Guy and Viv during the meal about their thoughts. Both thought it was okay, but nothing really incredible. When I'm on the fence regarding a restaurant, I ask myself - did I want to eat more of the food? The answer was: "some of it". I did want to eat some more Cornick though... Therefore, I'll file this under the indifferent category.

The Good:
- Very reasonable prices
- Friendly service
- Some good dishes

The Bad:
- Pasta was far from al dente
- Pasta sauces were a bit weak/bland

Doña Cata

*Now closed*

Viv and I tried to eat at Doña Cata on Monday; but we had a brain cramp and didn't check if they were open before going. Undaunted, we tried again today because we are so committed in our culinary pursuits. No, not really. We actually wanted to try the Dim Sum at Western Lake across the street; however, they were crazy busy. I'm not sure when they do not have a lineup. You know how I love lineups. Therefore, we looked across the street and figured that we should eat at Doña Cata instead. Joining us for this meal was Whipping Girl. She had the week off and was available for lunch. I first tried Doña Cata's tacos at EAT! Vancouver and came away impressed. Today, we were going for the very same tacos and some other goodies as well.

For those who have only considered Taco Bell or Taco Time as your only source for Mexican food, be prepared to experience the real deal. Much like confusing Manchu Wok as Chinese food, Taco Bell is a poor representation of the cuisine. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with eating at Taco Bell (well, for some people at least), just don't call it authentic. Adorned in salmon, green and and purple, the dining room is not very big and modestly decorated. The late Doña Cata (Catalina Espejo Munoz) is enshrined in a portrait right in the centre of the south wall of the restaurant. Her granddaughter is now the current operator of the restaurant. Arriving at our table, as we were settling in, were complimentary tortilla chips beautifully present on a wonderful Royal Chinet plate. At any time, you can help yourself to the 9 different sauces. This is where you can customize your meal by experimenting with the sauces. I personally liked the Avocado which was a good combination of smooth and spicy.

We ended up ordering 3 pulled pork tacos to start. Unfortunately, they were not as good as the ones at EAT! Vancouver. Some pieces of the pork were dry and stringy. Compounding the problem was the copious amount of pork fat cascading down our hands from the tacos as we ate them. At the very least, the soft taco shells and the overall flavour were very good. Viv and Whipping Girl decided to get the Alambres. Viv settled on the Ballena which was a combination of Pastor, Bisteck, Carnitas, tomatoes, onions and peppers. Whipping Girl had the Dona Cata Special which consisted of Pollo, Longanzia, tomatoes, onions and peppers. Both dishes had a good helping of filling accompanied by their choice of tortilla. Flavour-wise, the fillings were pretty good; but didn't stir any excitment. Again, the true attraction here are the sauces. This is where you can make your meal into something outstanding.

Once again, I went for a completely different dish for variety purposes (for you Drea!). I went for one of their breakfast specials - 2 Chicken Enchiladas (which included a glass of OJ). As it arrived in front of me, I initially couldn't even see the enchiladas. They were buried beneath a whole lot of lettuce, cheese and sour cream. Taste-wise, the whole dish was a bit bland, despite a good deal of sauce. I think next time I'm going to add a whole bunch of chipotle sauce to give it a kick. Overall, the food was good, service was friendly and prices were reasonable. Bottom line - Doña Cata is a solid choice for authentic Mexican food.

The Good:
- It's authentic
- Many different sauces to choose from
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Nit-picking here, but the washroom entrance is difficult for anyone with a wheelchair or walker

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