We met up with Angie’s family for lunch on a Saturday. We actually got to know each other through chowtimes. We are still amazed even today how we had gotten to know so many people through the blog.
We decided to go to Vogue for lunch. Vogue is a popular Taiwanese restaurant located in the Continental Mall in Richmond. That mall, located on Cambie and Sexsmith, has quite a lot of eateries.
We were early that day. Vogue opens at 11:30AM but we were already there about 15 minutes early. They were nice and asked that we come in and allow them some time to setup. Needless to say, the place were empty at that time. By lunch time, the place were absolutely packed.
They have one of the more trendy and modern decor among Richmond restaurants. Not too fancy but really neat.
For me, I like places where they pay attention to the details. The bowls, plates, cups and chopsticks were logo’d. This is the kind of place where you are better off ordering dishes for sharing.
You know what I hated most eating out with people who knows I am the Ben behind chowtimes? They think I know so much about food that everyone leaves the ordering to me! Frankly, I did not really know what I was ordering and went by just the name. It turned out that all the dishes I ordered came out to be almost the same stuff. :-)
The Ma Po Tofu above was $8.25. I ordered that because I know what it is and was feeling like tofu that day.
I also ordered their Spicy Organ Stew. They are supposed to come with pork blood but we don’t eat blood and had that substituted with tofu. There were tripes and intestines but cooked in about the same type of sauce with the Ma Po Tofu. $9.50. The intestines were good.
A lot of poeple swear that Vogue San-Pei-Jee is simply their best dish. San-Pei-Jee is mandarin translated to Three Cup Chicken. I learned from someone at work today that the reason why this is called 3-Cup Chicken is that it is cooked with a cup of soya sauce, a cup of cooking wine and a cup of sugar. $9.50 for a pot. Very nice and goes extremely well with steamed rice. This is one dish you MUST order when in Vogue.
Then I ordered the Sweet Chili Shrimps. LOL! This one looked exactly like the Ma Po Tofu and Spicy Organ Stew except that this one is with shrimps. Same sauce different ingredients. You see now how good I am in selecting dishes?
Oh … this sweet chili shrimps were really great — large and springy is the way I would describe it. You will like it but just don’t order that with Ma Po Tofu or Spicy Organ Stew. This is a bit more expensive … $15.00 but then all seafood are more expensive.
We also order the Chinese Green Onion Pancakes because Angie’s kids loves pancakes. But this one is really not as good. We expected this to be flaky but it’s a bit too dry and bland. $4.50. Don’t order this … order something else.
The total bill came up to $62.00 include tax and tips. Not bad for two familie, huh?
BTW, they accept cash only. Weird … for a place like this. If you want to bring guest or friends our for a meal, Vogue is a great place to do that.
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Hi there,
I found your website when i was googling beard papa’s in aberdeem… and I love it! I have not yet read through everything, but I would certainly like to and there are already many places on my “to-try” list…
i am a fan of desserts and that’s one of the first categories I browsed through, I just thought i would i would tell you about a few places that I’ve come to love.
since you seem to be a fan of cheese cake, i wonder if you have tried this place already? it’s called cheese cake etc…
http://www.cheesecakeetc.com/Cheesecake,_Etc./Home.html
i’m actually not a fan of cheesecakes but I love this place. The selection is small but the cheese cake (especially the original with strawberries) is fantastic.
another place that i really like is benny’s bagel on west broadway (i think it’s around Macdonld). I know it’s a bagel place, and i love their bagel malts, but my craving is always for their strawberry waffles (just writing about it makes my mouth water) :D They are opened 24 hours on weekends, so when i stay out late and need a bite to eat, that’s the spot i would hit. http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=764
There’s not much ambiance there since it’s more like a joint for students, but it’s perfect for something casual like breakfast or brunch.
Another spot i would suggest for cake meet would be the Thmas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=1025
My friends brought me to this place on my birthday, and between the three of us, we tried 6 different kinds of desserts. It was so heavenly especially since we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun. It’s in quite a strange area of North Van, right beside a high school. I’m very bad with directions so I have no idea how to get there, but it’s right by the waters and it was a nice little escape from the city. I thought the cakes were quite similiar to SEN5ES that closed down in downtown.
Lastly, there’s another cafe on north road in burnaby that I would to recommend to you, but I cannot recall the name. It’s near the MacDonld’s on North Road near Austin, but it’s really discrete and I didn’t even realize it was a dessert/ice cream place until my friends took me there. I will check out their store name the next time i swing by and i’ll let you know later :)
that’s all my input for now… thx for doing up a great blog… have a great weekend ^o^
Hi Choco, thank you for all your recommendations. In fact, Thomas Haas is on our waiting list of places to try.
Just stick to his chocolates and patisserie goods! His chocolates, especially, are excellent. (Stay away from the sandwiches, hehe.)
http://eatingclubvancouver.blogspot.com/search/label/thomas%20haas
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