Nibbles and Bites of Richmond 2006

We have just stuffed ourselves silly today. I had gained 1 kg the past few weeks and it was really hard shaking it off even having biked to work almost everyday to work. I just managed to keep it down below my target weight and now here I am eating so much today at the Nibbles and Bites. Oh well, I will have to work doubly hard next week to burn off these extra calories.

The Nibbles and Bites of Richmond is a two day event in late summer (09Sep-10Sep). You can still make it for today. If you have really nothing to do this weekend, I suggest you make your way there and try out all the delicious food from some of the top restaurants in Richmond.

We went early at 11am. Already there were a lot of people milling around the stalls even before they are ready. We bought a few strips of coupons. Each coupon costs 75 cents and comes in strips of 10.

Kudos to the organizers, made up mainly of volunteers. They did a great job in making the entire event so comfortable. Although they have always setup a tent, we noticed that this year is much better — nicer looking tent and table cloth too.

Nanzaro wanted KFC. I tried talking him out of this. I mean, we should be trying more exotic food than just plain old KFC. Anyway, he can spend his tickets anyhow he wants. He spent 3 tickets on some KFC Popcorn Chicken and Fries. Does not look appetizing, it looking so dry and all.

Arkensen wanted burgers and in BC we swear there are no better burger than the good old White Spot Triple ‘O’ Cheeseburger. What makes this so special is hamburger sauce — a savory mix of mayonanaise and red relish.

The Triple ‘O’ Cheeseburger always have a strip of pickle garnishing the bun. The sauce on a juicy patty really makes this burger great. Arkensen complained that the patty was not thick enough.

The Moxie Classic Grill stall has about the longest queue of all — year after year. Their specialty is the Baby Back Ribs and Honey Roasted Garlic Sirloin. The Honey Roasted Garlic Sirloin is aged 28 days that makes it so tender. A skewer costs 3 tickets.

The Babk Back Ribs is succulent, sublime and low roasted. The meat just falls off the bones. Very juicy and full of flavour. This one costs 4 tickets.

The Mexican Fries Deluxe costs 4 tickets. Frankly, we are not really a great fan of Mexican food but the sheer color made me want to get one and try it out.

I can’t remember which stall I got this from. This is the Salmon Crab Cake and costs 4 tickets. The sauce went very well with the crabcake which had a very dominant salmon flavour. I really enjoyed this. The sauce made this dish good. I am not sure what the sauce is though — is it just plain tartar?

I also a bowl of chilli. Suanne thought it was a tad too salty but I like it. Unlike many that I’ve tried, this one is a lot more spicy hot. Lots of chunks of minced meat, very rich and yummy. The bowl is larger than I expected. 3 tickets.

Nanzaro wanted Pizza and selected the BBQ Chicken from the Boston Pizza stall. This one costs 4 tickets. Despite the name, Boston Pizza is based in Richmond and does not have any restaurant in Boston. This is described as “Signature pizza sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, fresh mushrooms and tender chicken breast tossed in our sweet smokey BBQ sauce.”

Here is another item that I can’t recall where I got it from — maybe it was the Big River Brewing Company. The Seafood Chowder was good. Lots of chuncky salmon and prawns. Yummy! Only 3 tickets.

By the time I got to this dish, there were quite a fenzy already. Lots of people waiting at the stalls and at the tables. So, I completely lost track of where I got what, save for what it’s called. The one below is called the Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding which costs 2 tickets only. The roast beef and the gravy were awesome.

Sigh, my boys does not understand the whole point of coming to an event like this. I mean, one should come and try all kinds of food but no, they always stick to what they know. They are no where like their mum and dad when it comes to food! Nanzaro ordered the Curry Chowmein from the Bamboo Express for 2 tickets.

The Boathouse took the longest to setup. They did not start BBQ’ing until 45 minutes after all the stalls started. I was waiting patiently in the front of the queue observing what the fuss were. Apparently the food inspector were somehow checking and rechecking their stall and food.

From this stall we got two items. The first was the BBQ Salmon which costs 3 tickets.

We also ordered grilled prawns for 3 tickets. The prawns were large and the flesh very “springy”. Suanne ate the most … grrrrr.

There was also a live band to keep us entertained. I was too busy buying food, eating and taking pictures to have noticed.