Hanlin Tea House serves very good and refreshing bubble tea. It is such a pleasant surprise that they also serve high-quality afternoon tea desserts. Paying $20 for a plate of 6 bite-size snacks is a little expensive, but you get to try most of what Hanlin Tea House has to offer. If you share this order with another person and order a drink, the $15 per person visit to Hanlin Tea House is actually quite reasonable.
For $10.90 per chicken breast cutlet, this large snack is going to fill you up. I was most impressed with the thickness and the juiciness of Monga Fried Chicken’s chicken meat. It is one of the best deep-fried chicken cutlets Vancouver has to offer.
Fragrance’s salted egg fish skin cost $7.99 for a small bag. I think this is more expensive than Stip’s Chips Salted Egg Potato Chips, but it is reasonable because we are comparing fish skin to potato chips. Texture-wise, they are both crispy thin that tastes salty. The fish skin adds more flavour, but it’s less sweet. They are both quite good, but the subtle flavour difference caters to different foodies.
A bag of Stip’s chips salted egg potato chips weighing 200g cost $11. This is a lot of money to be spending on a bag of chips. Regardless of what I think, people are still buying these chips because it provides such a unique flavour. It feels like a lot more work has been put into making these chips compared to regular chips, so I can somewhat justify the price. I enjoyed the bag I purchased, and I think the flavour is very addicting.
We purchased a small chestnut cake because they did not have the sliced versions. Our cake was beautifully layered with fruits and whipped cream. The extravagant chocolate decorations look like abstract art. We cut it open to reveal the layered sponge cake and chestnut filling. The sponge cake has good springy texture, and they are not dry at all. I enjoyed the chestnut filling because they are not too sweet. Most of the sweetness comes from whipped cream. The flavour profile is very balanced.
If I was the emperor to receive this cup of tea as a tribute, I would have wiped out their civilization really quickly. Perhaps my expectation was set too high after reading Gong Cha’s business philosophy. Unfortunately, they did not live up to the standard they have set out on their own website. Today, I have had a cup of tea that fails at the forefront of the tea’s body, the topping, and even the size. I cannot think of any reason to recommend Gong Cha.
We were really happy to find this luxurious treat from Whole Foods Market. The sample size cost more per unit, but the cost for larger quantity at $10.99/lb is actually not that bad. This added truffle flavour may not be for cheese experts as I do find the flavour getting boring after a while. However, the Klare Melk Truffle Gouda would definitely impress your friends who haven’t tried them. It would be perfect for a cheese party or even pot luck.
Yes, Kikyouya Shingen is popular in Japan, and the Kikyouya Shingen Mochi Popsicle tastes very good as well. However, the candy version did not live up to my expectations. The most essential part is the mochi, but the texture was ruined in exchange for shelf-life longevity. The package cost $2.99 for 16 candies, which is a convenient way for the taste of Kikyouya Shingen. That’s about the only value I see in these candies. I don’t really recommend them.
My Frosty’s bingsoo has very high quality in terms of flavour and insulation of the shaved ice. A lot of the other bingsoo I have tried elsewhere have the ice melting as soon as it’s made. My Frosty’s shaved ice retained its form. It took me 12 minutes to finish my bingsoo, and the shaved ice remained reasonable flakiness until the end. A large bingsoo cost $14, and I would recommend this to everyone. Just make sure you don’t come here when they’re busy.
