Downtown

Downtown Vancouver

Share Tea, Under-advertised bubble tea franchise in Vancouver

Aside from the things I have said about the bubble tea served in Share Tea, I quite enjoyed my stay here. I think that is the princess within me talking. The tea is actually not bad once you get past the sweetness. As long as I know the taste profile for Share Tea is over-sweetened, I can customize my drink according to my taste anyway. That is not a big deal. The $4.80 for a large cup of bubble tea is very affordable, considering other places are serving $7 per cup. I was also very happy that the credit card machine didn’t even have a tipping prompt. I would recommend Share Tea but perhaps ask for half sweet with extra ice.

Meiji Milk Ice Bar

Biting into the ice bar reveals the consistent texture of the interior. I could feel the slight icy texture, but that actually provided a little bit of the refreshing sensation. The taste is wonderfully designed. This ice cream bar has a very rich taste of milk. The sweet taste is complemented by some savory taste to make each bite interesting.

Chatime, The bubble tea franchise that started it all

Chatime’s drinks cost are considered average compared to most other bubble tea places. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea costs $5.85 each. The Brown Sugar Pearls Fresh Milk cost $6.35. Most of the tea served here are pre-made and kept in different casks. They might not be the best bubble tea place, but the taste really entice my palate.

Chang ‘An Restaurant, Best Chinese fine dining in Vancouver

Chang An Restaurant is also called Taste of Chang ‘An. Since Chang ‘An used to be the capital of 13 dynasties, the food from there can represent China the most. They are also one of the most expensive Chinese food around Vancouver. Even though they are considered fine dining by cost. Their portion is quite large. You can make sure you’ll go home with a full stomach. Unfortunately, the cost is close to $90 per person. I understand this price point is not for everyone. If you have important guest to entertain, Chang ‘An Restaurant will not disappoint.

Pokérrito Poke Bowl

Pokérrito is an acceptable poke restaurant. Think of it as an Asian fast food restaurant. The counter has the staff side and the customer side. Trading money for a bowl of poke is your only interaction. After the trade, you can either take your food to go or enjoy it at the space provided. The dining area seating is limited and modernly uninviting, so don’t stay here for too long. For $12.50, I got a bowl of poke that is high-average but not above average. I’d say it’s equivalent to A&W, so $9.50 – $12 for a combo should be fair. Not recommended if you enjoy no-stress ordering experience. I did not enjoy the ordering ritual at Pokérrito. I noticed most of the Poké places operated by Korean will limit the number of sides you can ask for with your bowl. Pokérrito limits the number of side dish to 2. They also institute extra cost for certain popular sides such as avocado. This was my first time at Pokérrito so I only noticed the extra cost item when I picked them. When the server asked me “this cost 50 cents extra, is that okay?” What was I supposed to say? It is understandable to charge extra for wild salmon, but these petty charges on the sides just feel a cheap shot. I agreed on the extra charge and left paid with a bad aftertaste in my mouth. It would be appreciated if I can have a more relaxing ordering experience.

Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar

The meat was ground sirloin meat that is cooked to be slight pink on the inside and it is quite juicy. There were literally meat juice flowing down the side of the burger as I eat. The smoked bacon was sturdy, but could be a bit more crispy. I’m not a big fan of lettuce, tomato and pickles in my burger, but they do make the burger more interesting to eat.

Freshslice Pizza

I ordered two slices of pizza for $4.90, one “basic”, one “feast”. The serving speed was instant. I even received a smile from the staff. The topping are not overly generous, but acceptable. Nothing taste out of the ordinary. we can see the crust rise evenly, an indication of a yeast with grease premixed dough. The texture is consistent. Nothing too hard to bite. The bottom crust has good structure. I was able to pick up the pizza by the crust without much dipping down. The bottom is not soggy. This is a decent pizza for its price.

Dolpan Seoul BBQ

Dolpan Seoul BBQ has good customer service. The ingredients look fresh and beautiful when they are raw. I like how I can enjoy the company of my friends without having to cook my own Korean BBQ. For $50 per person, it is very expensive. I hope they can pay more attention on the cooking because over-cooking these beautiful ingredients is such a waste.

Bubble Waffle Cafe, Cantonese Food Stand

The first bubble waffle cafe I tried was the one in Landsdowne Mall. I considered it a high-school kids operated food station at the time. Their bubble waffle are too awful to call themselves the “Bubble Waffle Cafe”. Obviously, their business model took off with all the people whose only consideration for food is the price. Bubble Waffle Cafe can now be found in most malls in the lower mainland. Bubble Waffle Cafe calls themselves “Hong Kong and Taiwanese Cuisine”. I can tell you right now that Bubble Waffle Cafe may give their food Taiwanese names, but their food are not Taiwanese cuisine. Their food has lots of carbs. It is similar to Cantonese Style Cafe food, so I guess it is Hong Kong Cuisine.

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