Drinks

Oak+Cru Social Kitchen & Bar

This is a consolidated review for 3 of our visit to Oak+Cru Social Kitchen and wine bar. We had experienced the different aspect of this restaurant. As a restaurant within hotels go, Oak+Cru is fairly priced at $30 per person for breakfast. The food is not the best, but above average. The service is pretty good, but staff seems to be confused by the different promotions. Awesome atmosphere and view. If you live in the hotel. Oak+Cru is going to be the most convenient location for you.

BlackBall, Taiwanese Dessert in Richmond

The first thing I noticed was the droopy grass jelly covering the crushed ice. They are black and shiny like a mirror. It is the most jiggly grass jelly I have seen in Vancouver. When eating, the grass jelly has a noticeable herbal taste. The soft texture makes it the highlight of this dish. The crushed ice is course but not sharp. They are soft to the bite. Unlike Icy Bar’s Razor Sharp Ice, there is no unpleasant texture. There are condensed milk and brown sugar added to the crushed ice. I could taste a strong flavour of cane sugar, which is also quite pleasant. Taro Balls and Yam Balls are being called “TaroQ” and “YamQ” at BlackBall. To be honest, I am a little disappointed in these. The bite to them has no bounce. I understand this means that there is not much starch powder added, but it is not the texture I was looking for. Flavour-wise, they are not really sweet but has a good natural flavour of taro and yam. All these beans are perfectly cooked. Adzuki bean and Mung beans are cooked until their skin starts to peel. This made the interior very starchy. Sugar was added to the cooking process and very noticeable. The Kidney Beans are larger beans. The structure is more intact. I could still feel the pop when I bite into them.

Micha Asian Fusion Kitchen

As soon as I walked in, it is evident the restaurant had been renovated. The front curve that direct customers towards the left have been replaced by two straight walls. This is a much more efficient use of space. The tables and chairs have also been changed from ugly, cheap (it was the theme before), and down to earth style to the Zen-like Japanese style decoration. The feature wall on the left has been kept. You cannot tell it’s an old wall. Overall, it is a much appreciated transformation aesthetically.

Boston Pizza Grandview Highway

For $21 per person, Boston Pizza is an expensive restaurant that serves mediocre food. However, if you look at it as a sports bar, then things become justifiable. The drinks are also on the expensive side for $7 a pint. But remember, you are not paying for just the drinks, but also the environment. Boston Pizza is not really a restaurant. It’s more like a gathering place for friends.

Egg & Co. Brunch

I apologize for having to be so blunt and straight forward. The hashbrown is simply dreadful. The exterior is not crunchy. It feels like they have been fried and left aside for a while before it’s served. The interiors are all dried out. I could almost choke on them. Of course, the expensive and non-refillable coffee did not help. Ikea makes better hashbrowns than Egg & Co. I love hashbrowns, and it is very rare that I cannot finish the hashbrown.

Via Tevere Pizzeria Napoletana

Margherita pizza is my favorite Neapolitan pizza. If we see the process of making pizza as the merging of art and science, then Margherita is at Neapolitan pizza’s purest form. I like how every ingredient is fresh. Their distinct taste becomes very prominent. The acidity of tomato sauce laid the base of a good pizza. It’s not overly sour to dominate other ingredients, but it’s a taste that’s always there to give the other tastes a lift. You can pay attention to the fresh basil, and then indulge in the salami’s saltiness with the more laid back mozzarella taste. You can also take a bite and let all these flavour merge and complement each other. A well made Margherita Pizza is simple but never boring. The crust was airy and sturdy. The slight burn marks all around is a good indicator that this pizza is carefully monitored during the cooking process. Turns out, this pizza is perfectly cooked. The dough at the bottom was less than 2mm in thickness. Also, it has an even thickness. There were no unpleasant surprises with too much dough. I have had instances with Neopolitan pizza where my jaw got tired halfway through a pizza. Via Tevere’s dough was sturdy, but easy on the jaw.

Dole Pineapple Pop, Healthy Popsicle

For $8 per 8 in one package, this is $1 a pop (definitely pun intended). 100% pineapple juice make this a healthy snack for all ages. Next time I find these, I’m definitely going to stock up. I assume a lot of people will have the same thinking as me.

Rocky Point Ice Cream Port Moody

After standing under the harsh sun for some time. It is a pleasant feeling to finally get into the store. Even though there is still a small line up, Rocky Point Ice Cream has hired enough staff to make the line move quickly. we can see the display of waffle cone options. The staff remained friendly under pressure of the long line and remembers my request with ease. I ordered Earl Gray with Honey flavour. The taste of honey is not very noticeable. Eating this ice cream feels like drinking bubble tea. I really like it. I asked for the cone to be put in a cup because the weather was really hot outside. The staff was very nice to do this for all of my orders.

The Gray Olive Cafeteria, Best Brunch Burnaby

This plate of beautifully presented pulled pork benny is plate-licking good. Everything on this dish is delightful. The hash brown is the best I have ever had. It’s fresh out of the fryer. The crunchy exterior that is not too hard to cut my mouth. The interior is so soft that it almost melts in your mouth. It is also perfectly seasoned. I already said the hashbrowns are the best I’ve had, but this pulled pork benny is also the best I’ve had. Seriously, I took a bite and can not stop myself from eating it. The pulled pork, coleslaw, and hollandaise sauce are in perfect harmony. Using cornbread as the base is genius. The cornbread crumbles to the touch, not lingering like English muffins. This takes away the frustrating part of eating benny away for me. The bottom is brown with a slight crisp. The texture variation makes this more enjoyable. The two eggs on top are perfectly poached.

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