Triple Coconut Tree

Boxing day - the ultimate homage to consumerism at its very best and worst. Regular, calm, polite human beings morphing into hungry, ravenous shoppers early in the morning just to score a deal. They fight for parking spots. Fight for their space in a lineup. Fight to be the first to get into the store. Fight to get to the sale items first. They even fight to lineup again to pay. Hey, it's a normal day in Richmond; but on boxing day, it's everywhere. For me, the only fighting I was planning to do was to click with my mouse for the online sales. I succeeded in purchasing everything I wanted at NCIX, Futureshop and Bestbuy. For once the websites for FS/BB did not crash and the ordeal was little more than 15 minutes. NCIX was another story... I stuck with it and eventually got what I wanted. However, there was one thing I could not get online and needed to get on boxing day itself. The item? A Canon Speedlite 430EX II with diffuser. A what??? It's an external flash for my DSLR so that my nighttime pics will finally look half-decent, such as Kim and Wilson. Well, at least closer... They're still better!

There was one problem, I had to take my daughter with me since Viv was heading out to shop as well with our son. Off I went to Broadway Camera fairly early in the morning. Getting the flash was one thing, lining up to pay was another. It took 45 minutes to checkout! I was originally going to eat at Sha Lin since it was nearby; but it wasn't open so early. Thus, we headed back and met up with Viv. Remembering Kim's post on Triple Coconut Tree, I decided to give it a try. Well, that and my son usually eats Pho too... I've been to this location before; but back then it was a Chinese restaurant.

We started with the Spring Rolls, which incidentally are the real deal. However, I thought they were a bit too greasy for my liking. They were crispy though. We also got a House Banh Mi and it was a bit disappointing. If you look at the picture, you'd find more meat on Kate Moss than this sandwich. The bread itself was a bit crispy and a tad chewy. I did like the carrots though, they were crunchy and tart. Trying to sample something different, I gave the Spicy Pho a go. Honestly, it really wasn't all that spicy; but I do like my food on the spicier side. To me, it was a regular bowl of pho with some a spicy oil slick on top. On a positive note, there was plenty of meat and I did like the noodles as they were al dente.

Viv had a regular bowl of pho and curiously, the soup wasn't all that hot. Furthermore, we didn't find the broth particularly flavourful. There was not much meat taste or spices you'd normally pick out such as onion, star anise or ginger. For those who like a light broth, this one would suit you fine. The food wasn't bad; yet it was missing something. With so many pho places around, the food has to be above average to stand out. For us, this one didn't.

The Good:
- Very friendly staff
- Good amount of meat and noodles

The Bad:
- Soup wasn't exactly hot
- Regular broth was a bit too light

Steveston Pizza

You'd think with all the pizza joints that the GVRD has to offer, it'd be easy to find a great thin crust. Well, Kim, Anita and I had to travel all the way out to Ah Beetz in Abbotsford for some NY-style pizza. Of course that is an extreme case. There is Nat's, Brick Oven and Lombardo's to name a few. But one of the very best lies way out in Steveston. Of course for people who live in Richmond, that isn't really all that far away. But for me, it ain't close. Furthermore, they only open from 4:00pm. I can't stop by on the way home to grab one. Thus, this would be one of the places I'd make an effort to try, much like Ah Beetz. I originally promised Kim that I'd go with him to try it. But, Pomegranate and I just finished up an extremely late lunch at Kisamos which happens to be 2 stores down from Steveston Pizza.

Like I needed any more guilt, Kim coincidentally calls me just as I was going to leave Kisamos. I promised some pizza as a gesture for my greedy-eating. To make things worse, he was bringing back some goodies from his little trip to Seattle. Talk about guilt... I'll need to buy him a whole pizza from Steveston next time to make it up to him! So I basically waddled my way over to Steveston Pizza because I was so full from eating an entire roast lamb dinner. I'm glad my hockey game did not start until 5 hours later! With so many choices, it was quite difficult to choose one pizza. I decided that I needed to try something different from the usual meat pizzas, even though the staff told me it was their biggest seller. Ultimately, I chose the French pizza since it's not something you'd find at most pizza joints.

It consisted of chicken breast, mushroom, white onions, asparagus and single cream brie drizzled with a light pesto. Not wanting to wait until I got home, I immediately opened up the box and took a bite. Steaming hot with a remarkably light crust, the pizza was flavourfully mild (if that can exist). What I meant was that every flavour component did not overwhelm each other. It was creamy, subtle and exhibited various tastes much like French food! Personally, I would've preferred if they had added the basil after baking. Other than that, it was a fantastic pizza which you will never find from a chain pizza operation.

The Good:
- Plenty of interesting pizzas
- Nice thin crust which is still a bit soft, not crunchy
- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- Isolated location for most people
- Limited operating hours

Kisamos

Sometimes I really wonder if top 10 lists are of any use. After all, it is only a general statement of what we perceive as good. I've been struggling with trying to put together a top 10 list of my favourite restaurants to no avail. I'm still not sure if I will do one. For now, I am sometimes in utter confusion why some restaurants make it on the top 100 list on Urbanspoon. I'm sure there is a method to the madness and everyone has personal favourites; but I leave scratching my head after visiting some of the restaurants on that list. Today, Pomegranate and I were in Ladner for a meeting. With it's relative close proximity to Steveston, I decided to satisfy a long-standing goal of mine to try Kisamos Greek Taverna. I was curious to see why this small little restaurant could hold down such a good rating.

We made it out to Steveston rather late in the afternoon and I wasn't even sure if it would be considered lunch anymore. I wonder what we would call a late lunch/early dinner? Dunch? Linner? Lupper? Sunch? Dunno... Unlike other reviews I've read, I did not find the service rude or poor. We were greeted warmly by the server and she was quite pleasant throughout our meal. Being that Pomegranate loves Calamari, we got an order to start along with the Humus with pita bread. Arriving as a pretty large portion, the calamari was a bit odd. Some pieces were tender while others were quite chewy. Naturally, the bigger pieces were not as crispy as the smaller ones. This variation within the same dish made it strange to eat. This I realize is a personal preference; but we both agreed that it was a bit too chewy for our liking. We also felt the Tzatziki could've been more aggressively seasoned with more lemon and garlic. The humus was pretty good; however, it had a bit more tahini than we are used to. Thus, it was heavier on the sesame taste. I took the lemon from the calamari and squeezed it into the humus and that made it much better.

Being quite ambitious, I went for my personal favourite - the Roast Lamb. For some reason or another, the large portion of lamb was smothered in a fairly salty and greasy sauce. I don't remember the last time that my roast lamb came swimming in sauce. The lamb itself was fork tender and quite gamy (just how I like it). I suspect the sauce is actually the leftover liquid from the roasting; hence the greasiness and heightened lamb flavour. I really liked the rice as it was firm and modestly seasoned. The lemon potato was only passable. Texturally, it was excellent; but it could've stood for more flavour. Curiously, our very fresh Greek salad was completely flavourless. It also seemed like there was no dressing on it. Pomegranate had the Lamb Souvlaki and I thought it was cooked up nicely. A tad chewy, it was flavourful with strong hits of garlic and lemon. He felt it could've been a bit more tender. Again, this is probably just a matter of personal taste. On that note, we both agreed that the meal was alright; but quite uneven. To me at least, the food seemed more "home-style" with a little less refinement than other Greek restaurants I've been to. That could be the draw for some people since it would be quite authentic. Again, I didn't dislike the meal, I guess it just didn't live up to the hype or expectations due to its lofty ranking.

The Good:
- Good portions
- Quaint location
- Friendly service (my experience at least)

The Bad:
- Food wasn't bad per se; but wasn't great either

Wah Lun

Usually, there is not much choice for eats when it comes to Christmas day. There are the occasional fast food joints and possibly a supermarket open. Leave it up to the Chinese restaurants, which are open practically every holiday, to save the day. This morning, the whole family including the folks made it over to the old Harbour Pacific, now remodeled and renamed Wah Lun. It's under new ownership and they did what the previous owners couldn't do - remove all the remnants of the old Dragon Inn. With a fresh new interior, staff, menu and washrooms, I was anxious to see if we finally have a decent Chinese restaurant in the
neighbourhood. Of course the place was the usual "lineup at a Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum". I hate these lineups with a passion. But we had a "reservation" for 11:30am and that only resulted us in waiting for a table when we got there. Reservations at a Chinese restaurant are not really reservations. The table we ended up with was very cramped and against a wall. Oh well, better than no table right?

We got down to ordering on the little checklist and had to hunt someone down to enter it into the computer. We waited... and witnessed everyone around us get their food. Feeling a bit suspicious we hunted down a manager and asked if our order was entered in or not. Guess what? They didn't. It was just sitting there. Lovely. So we waited for 30 minutes for nothing. I know they're busy, but WTH? We did get an apology; but in Chinese restaurant tradition, nothing else. To add insult to injury, they charged the kiddies for tea, even though they don't drink it. At the very least, they took it off the bill when we complained about it. Starving and a bit peeved, we finally got our first dish - Pea Shoots with bean curd stick and ginko nuts. Completely cooked while still being a bit crisp, this dish was a winner. More often than not, this dish is overcooked; but not in this case. The pea shoots still exhibited a nice "bite" while being completely cooked. The dish was very light tasting to the point of bland; yet, no worries here. This is the exact flavour profile we are looking for due to the broth.

Next up were the Beef Meatballs, which were quite large. Okay, let the jokes begin... There was a proper amount of minced water-chestnut and green onion to provide flavour and texture without overwhelming the beef. A little heavy on the baking soda, these meatballs were very soft with little-to-no meat texture left. I guess it's personal taste; but I like them with a little chewiness. On that note, the spareribs in the Sparerib and Chicken Feet Rice were a bit too soft as well, bordering on mushy. Probably suffering from too much baking soda as well. A bit bland, I would've liked a bit more salt and garlic flavour. Otherwise, the rice was pretty good by being firm holding up to the moisture from the ribs and chicken feet. The most important dish when it comes to Dim Sum is the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. These were stuffed with plenty of cold-water shrimp which were sweet with a slight hint of sesame oil. It's really a pity that the dumpling wrapper was mushy and stuck to the bamboo steamer. These were probably over-steamed, also causing the dumpling skin to expand becoming a bit thick.

The other go-to dish for Dim Sum is the Sui Mai or Pork & Shrimp Dumplings. Consisting of mostly pork, these were not visually appealing. However, they were better than they looked. The pork was slightly chewy (not over-processed) while seasoned moderately being a bit sweet rather than salty. As you can see in the picture, they were quite large too. Predictably, we got one each of the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll and Beef Rice Noodle Roll. Dim Sum doesn't seem like Dim Sum without it. Besides, this is one of the few things that my son will eat. They were soft while not being mushy. However, both noodle rolls could've stood for a tad more filling.

Deviating for the usual, we got the Shredded Chicken and Jellyfish. Despite what looks like a flavourful dish, it was incredibly bland. If it weren't for the pickled greens, there would be
little else than the aroma of sesame oil. This was crying out for salt or soy sauce. Texturally, it was pretty good with crunchy jellyfish, crisp pickled veggies and slightly chewy chicken. For the kiddies, we got the Seafood Congee. Well, at least for my daughter, she eats the seafood. The congee broth itself was a tad thin, you wouldn't confuse it with Congee Noodle King or Congee Noodle House. But it was a decent effort (considering this is not their specialty) and it was not salty while still exhibiting flavour. There was plenty of big pieces of shrimp, scallops and fish hidden in the broth. All were cooked correctly and did not taste fishy.

We ended up with 3 more dishes: Shrimp Spring Rolls, BBQ Pork Bun and Egg Tarts. Packed with plenty of garlicky shrimp, the spring rolls would've been a winner if it wasn't soaked with oil. If you look in the picture, you can see it just below the crispy first layer. The BBQ pork bun was good with a nice fluffy exterior while having a sweet and savory filling that was not too fatty. The egg tarts did not look that good, especially with the really large shell and smallish looking custard centre. I would say they were only passable since the filling was a bit on the stiffer side. It should be soft and melt-in-your-mouth and the thick shell was not appealing either. Overall, we thought the food was decent for the price. We liked the renovations, the place is no longer a dump. However, they really need to work on the service. Hurried, indifferent and lacking any emotion, this is one way to alienate customers fast. An ominous sign was that I recognized one of the former managers at Yan's Garden. I'm not sure if he has changed places of employment or this is run by the same people. Whatever the case, I hope the service doesn't go down the same road.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Food is generally decent
- The place is no longer a dump

The Bad:
- They tried to maximize the small space with tables everywhere
- Service needs a bit of work

Blueberry World

*This is now closed*

Fads, they come on strong and eventually fade away (or morph into something else). That's why we call them fads since they really have no staying power. I must admit that I originally thought bubble tea would be a fad that would ultimately lose its luster; however, by combining Taiwanese food with a modest tea shop has seemingly revived the genre. One thing that is gaining popularity is froyo (frozen yogurt). Well, it has already exploded in California some time ago; but we are a bit slow to adapt here. Qoola and Tuttimelon are a few places that come to mind in the GVRD. Blueberry World is another. We had just finished up our meal at CRU and were looking for dessert. Seeing how Blueberry World is only a block away, we decided to try it out.

At first, we weren't even sure it was open since it looked deader than NBC's late night lineup. However, upon further inspection, it was indeed open. Viv and I ended up sharing a medium froyo with kiwi, mango and blackberries. First off, the froyo was not all that appetizing. It was icy and lacked any creaminess whatsoever. Not to mention, it was extremely soft, melting very quickly. Furthermore, the toppings were not fresh. The kiwi pieces were translucent-looking and the mango turning a shade of dark that was a bit disturbing. For Viv and I, this had to be the worst froyos we've had in the GVRD so far. Albeit a bit more expensive, Qoola would be a much better choice. I'm not sure if this was an off-day since the one staff member seemed disinterested. However, if this is any indication of their overall product, they're in a lot of trouble when competing with the likes of Qoola, Scoop! and Tuttimelon.

The Good:
- Not too pricey
- Simple menu (can be good for the undecided, but bad for the ones who want options)

The Bad:
- Froyo is icy and bland
- Fruit is old looking and not fresh
- Uh... where are the blueberries???

Scoop!

Earlier in the day, we were on West 4th heading over to the Candy Aisle after Temaki Sushi. I parked my car across the street and as we were walking over to the crosswalk, I passed by Scoop! frozen yogurt. I suggested to Viv that we really should try it. She was quite adamant that we should not. Guess who won that argument? A bit disappointed, I kept wanting to try it. So fate would have it, we headed to Scoop! after dinner at L'altro Buca. We arrived at a bit earlier than Costanza and Elaine. Rather than waiting for them, I decided to go ahead and order. Yah, some friend I am eh? Hey, it's food we're talking about here! I can't wait! The premise behind Scoop! is that you can choose your own toppings from their "buffet"-style display. Much like U-Grill, they weigh your froyo before and after to determine how much you pay.

For me at least, I think this novel idea works. When food becomes interactive, people tend to like it and ultimately pay for it too. If you look at the picture, you'll noticed that each bowl does not contain a large amount of each topping. I believe that this helps keep the items fresh. Unlike the big vats at Blueberry World that looked disgusting, the fruit here was indeed fresh and colourful. So, Viv and I ended up selecting the Raspberry froyo. There was also plain and green tea available. The toppings of choice were mochi, strawberries, kiwi and coconut jelly. The blended froyo was pretty smooth and not too sweet. As you can tell in the picture, the fruit was vibrant in colour and fresh. Even the mochi was fresh, it was pillowy soft.

While we were waiting for Costanza and Elaine to arrive, we grabbed a Connect 4 from their stack of board games and entertained ourselves. In addition, there is a Foosball table at the back as well. When they finally arrived, we grabbed Scrabble and had an impromptu game. It's amazing how many dirty words you can make in this game! Makes for some humourous fodder though... I guess the only complaint about the froyo would be that it is blended. That means if you chose anything but plain yogurt, it needs to be manually mixed with the flavouring agent. This tends to make the froyo a bit soft and it ultimately melts faster. Other than that, not much to complain about, it was fresh and tasty.

The Good:
- Interactive toppings (you can choose your own)
- Smooth, nicely balanced froyo
- You get to play board games!

The Bad:
- Blended flavours suffer from over-handling leading to a quickly melting froyo

Temaki Sushi

It sure seems like I eat Japanese food almost every week. Well, there are a few reasons for this. First of all, my son hates almost all types of food except for udon and tempura. Scratch that, only the tempura batter. Second, I convinced myself that Japanese food is healthier. I guess Tempura, Agedashi Tofu and the sort do not qualify. Luckily there seems to be a Japanese restaurant on every other block in the GVRD. Despite the fact there are many to choose from in our neighbourhood, we headed all the way to Kits for our eats today. We actually attempted to eat at Temaki Sushi a few weeks ago to no avail since it's closed on Sundays. We were with Guy Smiley and Girl Smiley last time and they joined us again this time to finally try this place out.

We started with the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi. Presented nicely on a long glass plate, everything looked nice and I particularly liked the fried spot prawn heads. I practically ate the whole darn thing except the razor sharp portion, it was hurting my mouth. All the sashimi on the plate, as you can see, was fresh and nothing was mushy. A real nice beginning to the meal. Served piping hot, the Agedashi Tofu was quite crispy on the outside and decently soft on the inside. I would've preferred a silkier texture; but decent nonetheless. Not resembling tempura batter in texture and appearance, the Tempura itself was actually quite crispy and light. However, with the strange looking batter, it a tad too crispy and didn't take the dipping sauce too well. They Beef Yakisoba arrived on a sizzling hot plate. It was on the saltier side; yet was pretty good. The noodles were just the right chewiness and it was a pleasant eat. The Plain Udon (guess who this was for?) was your typical udon in soup. The soup was a bit plain with no real taste of dashi or mushroom. Although, the noodles were the right consistency in between soft and a bit chewy.

We got 2 specialty rolls to try out which were the Dragon Roll and the Chef's Roll. The Dragon Roll consisted of a California Roll with BBQ eel on the outside. The Chef's Roll had mango, tempura bits and cucumber on the inside while tuna and masago resided on the outside. The best way to describe both rolls is that they were not bad. Nothing particularly exciting about them; however, ingredients seemed fresh while the rice had a nice resistance. The last item was the Sushi Combo which consisted of a Dynamite Roll and assorted Nigiri. As you can see in the picture, the rice looks pretty good and each item is prepared carefully. Again, nothing mind-blowing; but solid nonetheless. Essentially, that sums it up pretty much. Decent food at reasonable prices. Staff seemed interested in providing good service and the place is decently clean. Mind you, I wouldn't pass up Ajisai, Shiro, Fuji or Toshi in favour of Temaki; but I wouldn't be opposed to visiting again either.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Not great, but decent food
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Portions could be a bit bigger