<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Chow Times &#187; Hong Kong</title>
	<atom:link href="http://chowtimes.com/category/dining-out/asian/hong-kong/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://chowtimes.com</link>
	<description>Suanne and Ben&#039;s Food and Travel Adventures from Vancouver, BC</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:11:52 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>Excelsior Restaurant on No 3 Road, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=19967</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Excelsior had always been there for as long as I remember. Or at least I think it had always been there for a long time. I don't really know.

For some reason we had not gone to the Brighouse Square strip mall for anything other than the rare trip to Staples or pickup some pastries from the New Town Bakery.

<a rel="attachment wp-att-19978" href="http://chowtimes.com/?attachment_id=19978"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-25" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-25-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a>

I could be wrong but I assumed that Excelsior is a long timer in Richmond. It opened in the days when there were more HK immigrants.

What I find strange is that there is only ONE review on Excelsior (<a href="http://yumorama.blogspot.com/2009/03/review-excelsior-chicken-noodle-house.html">by Yum-O-Rama</a>) and nothing on Dinehere.ca, Urbanspoon or Yelp. And yet when we stand in front of the door, we see impressive age-faded newspaper reviews showing high-end food. Those must have came from their glory days.

The place was absolutely full. It was so unexpected. The first thing they asked is if we had a reservation. When we said no, they hesitated for a moment and then showed us to the crappiest three-seater table by the corridor which connects two separate dining areas.

We were not unhappy about it really. Just glad that they gave us a table. Boy, was this restaurant popular!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Excelsior had always been there for as long as I remember. Or at least I think it had always been there for a long time. I don&#8217;t really know.</p>
<p>For some reason we had not gone to the Brighouse Square strip mall for anything other than the rare trip to Staples or pickup some pastries from the New Town Bakery.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19978" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/excelsior-richmond-25/"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-25" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-25-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>I could be wrong but I assumed that Excelsior is a long timer in Richmond. It opened in the days when there were more HK immigrants.</p>
<p>What I find strange is that there is only ONE review on Excelsior (<a href="http://yumorama.blogspot.com/2009/03/review-excelsior-chicken-noodle-house.html">by Yum-O-Rama</a>) and nothing on Dinehere.ca, Urbanspoon or Yelp. And yet when we stand in front of the door, we see impressive age-faded newspaper reviews showing high-end food. Those must have came from their glory days.</p>
<p>The place was absolutely full. It was so unexpected. The first thing they asked is if we had a reservation. When we said no, they hesitated for a moment and then showed us to the crappiest three-seater table by the corridor which connects two separate dining areas.</p>
<p>We were not unhappy about it really. Just glad that they gave us a table. Boy, was this restaurant popular!</p>
<p>A lot of their customers are families. Many of them are multi-generation families out for a family dinner.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19968" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/excelsior-richmond-1/"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-1-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="290" /></a><a rel="attachment wp-att-19969" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/excelsior-richmond-2/"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-2-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="290" /></a></p>
<p>Excelsior is decidedly Cantonese. I just can&#8217;t classify them properly. The decor, tables, chairs and even the bowls shows their age and had seen better days. At a glance, they are like any HK Style Cafe. But they don&#8217;t serve the normal HK Style Cafe fare.</p>
<p>Their menu was exciting. At least to us it was. There were so many new things that we had a hard time deciding. Looking at the variety on menu, Suanne said that it looks like we are going to come here several more times. The prices are on the higher side compared but quite affordable.</p>
<p>We discarded the main menu and focused on the two that says &#8220;Chef Recommendations&#8221; and &#8220;Special Stylish Dishes&#8221;. That is their more popular dishes. We took an awfully long time to decide what we wanted. We shortlisted EIGHT dishes but forced to narrow it down to three since it was just three of us at this dinner.</p>
<p>Service was OK. It was fast &#8230; rushed and somewhat impatient. After all, it is a HK restaurant. What do you expect. At least they were not rude. They are not really good with English for sure. We ordered with the English names and they had to cross check it with the Chinese name at the back of the menu.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19970" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/excelsior-richmond-3/"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-3-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>They came by with free soup. I am not sure how it works and if everyone gets this regardless of what is ordered. I see every table getting this.</p>
<p>It was a nice touch. Not many restaurants does this anymore. The soup was flavourful. It even had boney pork pieces in it.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19973" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/excelsior-richmond-20/"><img title="Excelsior-Richmond-20" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Excelsior-Richmond-20-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Most tables ordered this. We figured this must be their specialty.</p>
<p>This is called Steamed Chicken with Soy Sauce. We had the smaller portioned half-chicken ($13). The whole chicken is $24.</p>
<p>It was simply the best we had ever tried. Bar none. Such simplicity &#8230; such simplicity that they don&#8217;t even care to &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/">Excelsior Restaurant on No 3 Road, Richmond</a> (516 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2010. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/#comments">10 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/25/excelsior-restaurant-on-no-3-road-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ho Yuen Restaurant on Hazelbridge Way and Capstan Way, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:14:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=19380</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let me share with you an invaluable a tip.
This is particularly for those of you who are not conversant in Cantonese.
I remember a discussion on chowtimes on why non-Chinese customers felt that they do not get equal treatment in Chinese restaurants, particularly HK Style Cafes. I think it is more because of the waitresses inability [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me share with you an invaluable a tip.</p>
<p>This is particularly for those of you who are not conversant in Cantonese.</p>
<p>I remember a discussion on chowtimes on why non-Chinese customers felt that they do not get equal treatment in Chinese restaurants, particularly HK Style Cafes. I think it is more because of the waitresses inability to communicate effectively in English as the root cause more than anything else.</p>
<p>Here is the tip. You just need to learn two simple phrases. The two phrases are &#8220;Lang Jai&#8221; and &#8220;Lang Looi&#8221;. If you need anything, just say &#8220;Lang Jai&#8221; and pause for a second before you ask. This is only valid if the waiter is a he. To a waitress, just say &#8220;Lang Looi&#8221;.</p>
<p>It works all the time. Trust me. It even works in any settings &#8212; you can even use it on your Cantonese colleagues and they will do anything you ask of them.</p>
<p>Try it the next time you go to a HK Style Cafe and I am very sure you will be very pleased with the response. Just remember you learn this on chowtimes.com.</p>
<p>Let me repeat &#8230; &#8220;Lang Jai&#8221; for the he-server and &#8220;Lang Looi&#8221; for the she-server.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19399" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-26/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-26" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-26-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Last weekend Suanne suggested we go check out that restaurant in the Union Square on Capstan Way. She can&#8217;t remember the name of the restaurant but just that one that has the big portraits of the owners on the window.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t know if there is a story behind the portraits or if they are famous or something. We can&#8217;t help but feel that doing this will just open themselves to ridicule. But then on the flip side, this makes the restaurant easy to remember. When Suanne said the restaurant with the husband and wife portrait, I immediately know which one she is saying.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19392" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-12/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-12" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-12-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The restaurant is called Ho Yuen. I think they had just changed ownership or something. The name remained the same.</p>
<p>The restaurant is large and takes up two shop lots. There is a sign that this place can take a maximum of 96 customers.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19381" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-1/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-1-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The interior is very typical HK Style Cafe with no frills decor. To lend to that Hongkong&#8217;ish feel, they have black and white photos of the famous urban areas in HK.</p>
<p>It appears Ho Yuen is popular. It was already half full of customers even though we were there before peak dinner time.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19400" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-menu-1/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-1-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="140" /></a><a rel="attachment wp-att-19401" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-menu-2/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-2-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="140" /></a><a rel="attachment wp-att-19402" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-menu-3/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-3-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="140" /></a><a rel="attachment wp-att-19403" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-menu-4/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-4" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-Menu-4-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="140" /></a></p>
<p>Service was very fast. They set us up with drinks and menu instantly. We did not have to use the &#8220;Lang Jai&#8221; / &#8220;Lang Looi&#8221; technique.</p>
<p>Like in all HK Style Cafes, they have a large selection which came in several menus &#8212; with a variety of combinations. Everyone in our family like this because there is always something that each of us will like.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19382" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-2/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-2-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Like in all HK Style Cafe, there is the Iced Milk Tea which normally comes along free with the combo. Ho Yuen uses exactly the same type of mug that <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/04/07/kingspark-steak-house-in-richmond/">Kingspark</a> uses (we hate Kingspark because they not only have bad service, it is also rude!).</p>
<p>You know, I find that more and more HKSC is charging these beverages. It used to be free but they now charge $1 if you want it with ice. That part I don&#8217;t understand because it is not like you get more tea/coffee if you just add ice cubes in it.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19383" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-3/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-3-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>I ordered from their Make Your Own Favourite Combo. With this you could pick two main items for $8.75 or three items for a dollar more. The three items is the better deal and so I got that.</p>
<p>My three choices were the steak, short ribs and deep fried chicken wings. I went with spaghetti over the other choices of rice or fries.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-19384" href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/ho-yuen-restaurant-4/"><img title="Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-4" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ho-Yuen-Restaurant-4-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The meat were really greasy but I must say that they are not bad. That is sort of saying it is not great but certainly more than edible.</p>
<p>The short rib tasted good but I find it a bit too tough. I am not complaining because after all this is &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/">Ho Yuen Restaurant on Hazelbridge Way and Capstan Way, Richmond</a> (637 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2010. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/#comments">36 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/chinese/" rel="tag">Chinese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2010/01/13/ho-yuen-restaurant-on-hazelbridge-way-and-capstan-way-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>36</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Copa Cafe on Cambie and W 23rd, Vancouver</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:07:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vancouver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=18180</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[o we went to the Copa Cafe, finally. You all probably know that our boys like Hongkong Style Cafes (HKSC for short, shall we?). That is because they know HKSC always have salted fish and chicken fried rice.

For Suanne and I, we wanted to check out the <a href="http://www.ipanda.ca/2009/09/copa-cafe/">Prawn and Avocado Croissant that iPanda wrote about</a>. Moreover, we did not even mind the long drive because we wanted to check for ourselves how good Copa is. You see, they had just won the <a href="http://chineserestaurantawards.com/index.php?option=com_staticxt&#38;staticfile=newsflash2010.php&#38;read=185">2009 Chinese Restaurant Award</a> under the Diners' Choice category of 2009 Best Hongkong Style Cafe.

Copa Cafe is located on Cambie by West 23rd. It is just a few doors away from <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/02/17/corner-23-on-cambie-vancouver/">Corner 23</a>, a Taiwanese eatery.

<a rel="attachment wp-att-18185" href="http://chowtimes.com/?attachment_id=18185"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-1-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Before you read the rest of this post, just hit the PLAY button and sing along to the lyrics below.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Her name was Suanne, she was a housewife<br />
With yellow apron on her hips and a dress cut down to there<br />
She make d&#8217;meringue and make bo-bo-cha<br />
And while she tried to be a star, Ben always want to eat out<br />
Across a crowded blog, they worked from 7 till 10<br />
They were young and they had each other<br />
Who could ask for more?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">At the Copa, Copacabana<br />
The hottest spot north of Havana<br />
At the Copa, Copacabana<br />
Milk Tea and Fried Rice were always the fashion<br />
At the Copa &#8230; they fell in love</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-18196" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/copa-cafe-vancouver-24/"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-24" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-24-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>So we went to the Copa Cafe, finally. You all probably know that our boys like Hongkong Style Cafes (HKSC for short, shall we?). That is because they know HKSC always have salted fish and chicken fried rice.</p>
<p>For Suanne and I, we wanted to check out the <a href="http://www.ipanda.ca/2009/09/copa-cafe/">Prawn and Avocado Croissant that iPanda wrote about</a>. Moreover, we did not even mind the long drive because we wanted to check for ourselves how good Copa is. You see, they had just won the <a href="http://chineserestaurantawards.com/index.php?option=com_staticxt&amp;staticfile=newsflash2010.php&amp;read=185">2009 Chinese Restaurant Award</a> under the Diners&#8217; Choice category of 2009 Best Hongkong Style Cafe.</p>
<p>Copa Cafe is located on Cambie by West 23rd. It is just a few doors away from <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/02/17/corner-23-on-cambie-vancouver/">Corner 23</a>, a Taiwanese eatery.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-18185" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/copa-cafe-vancouver-1/"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-1-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Unlike many older CCT, Copa is visibly cleaner and bright colors. I don&#8217;t know but I think they are new, maybe been in operation only the past year or so.</p>
<p>Having thought that this is a new school HKSC, we would have thought the service will be a refreshing change. But no. The service is aloof and fast &#8230; or should I say rushed. I guess they pride themselves as being efficient. After all, Copa is a really busy restaurant.</p>
<p>Moment after we sat down, the menu and the drinks landed on the table.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-18186" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/copa-cafe-vancouver-2/"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-2-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>We were taking our own sweet time pouring over the menus. Yeah, like most HKSC, they have several menus.</p>
<p>But the serious-faced waitress kept coming over with the pen poking the notepad asking us what we wanted to eat when we were still reading the menu. Maybe many of their customers are regulars and already know what they wanted. For us, we need time. You see, there is always a negotiation process we had to go through with the boys who always wanted the same time. Suanne and I kept telling them they cannot have the same fried rice. And they will keep asking why not. And we always say that we are bloggers and we must have different things. We go through this all the time and Copa need to understand that we need time to resolve this amicably.</p>
<p>The waitresses and waiters are well dressed and well groomed. So this is a difference compared with many HKSC.</p>
<p>We like the menu, as bewildering as it seems. They have lots of combos to choose from. What we like especially is that they have both expensive and cheap items. You could find $6 pork chop up to combos that is $13.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-18187" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/copa-cafe-vancouver-3/"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-3-400x600.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>The drinks above came with the food we ordered. I notice we all always ordered the same thing. Suanne will always go for the hot milk tea. Arkensen will stick with the simple and predictable cold milk tea. Nanzaro will opt for something different from everyone, lemon tea. The boys almost always never finish their drinks. Suanne almost always will end up drinking all of them because she hate it to be wasted.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-18193" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/copa-cafe-vancouver-21/"><img title="Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-21" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Copa-Cafe-Vancouver-21-600x400.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>This is it &#8230; the Prawn and Avocado Croissant that Suanne read about and wanted so much to try. This is $7 and came with a side of mayo-drenched salad of fruits. In that salad there are potatoes, melon, cantaloupe and pineapple. If only their hands is a bit lighter with the mayo, it would have been a perfect feel-good meal.</p>
<p>The croissant is toasted and is unbelievably &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/">Copa Cafe on Cambie and W 23rd, Vancouver</a> (698 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/#comments">14 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/vancouver/" rel="tag">Vancouver</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/29/copa-cafe-on-cambie-and-w-23rd-vancouver/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Barry-Manilow-Copacabana.mp3" length="3752855" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ming Tak Hongkong Style Restaurant on Granville and West 67th Ave, Vancouver</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:29:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vancouver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=16740</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you yearn for your comfort food, why type of restaurant do you normally head to?

For us it has to be Hong Kong Style Cafes. With large menus, free beverage and cheap prices, these restaurants does not require much planning.

I know that each time I suggests going to a Hong Kong Style Cafe, both Arkensen and Nanzaro would agree instantly. I know what goes on in their mind. To them, Hong Kong Style Cafes means that they have Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. They can eat this fried rice everyday but Suanne just refuses to stir fry salted fish at home.

<a rel="attachment wp-att-16771" href="http://chowtimes.com/?attachment_id=16771"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-26" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-26-600x400.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-26" width="600" height="400" /></a>

A couple of weeks ago, Marvin facebooked me out of the blue. I used to work with him when I was in Best Buy. Although I thought we had already went on our own way when we both left Best Buy, it was a pleasant surprise to learn from him that he had been reading chowtimes faithfully and silently the past few years. Chowtimes get 5000-6000 pageviews everyday and we often wonder who all our readers are. For every reader who comments or emails us, there are at least dozens who are just contended lurking on the site. Seriously, Suanne and I love to interact with and learn from our readers as we got a lot of great tips.

One of the things Marvin wrote about is comfort food and that his favourite is Ming Tak which is located on Granville and 67th in Vancouver. I must have driven past this restaurant hundreds of times already and yet I were not aware of this place.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you yearn for your comfort food, what type of restaurant do you normally head to?</p>
<p>For us it has to be Hong Kong Style Cafes. With large menus, free beverage and cheap prices, these restaurants do not require much planning.</p>
<p>I know that each time I suggest going to a Hong Kong Style Cafe, both Arkensen and Nanzaro would agree instantly. I know what goes on in their mind. To them, Hong Kong Style Cafes means that they have Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. They can eat this fried rice everyday but Suanne just refuses to stir fry salted fish at home.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16771" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-26/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-26" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-26-600x400.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-26" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>A couple of weeks ago, Marvin facebooked me out of the blue. I used to work with him when I was in Best Buy. Although I thought we had already went on our own way when we both left Best Buy, it was a pleasant surprise to learn from him that he had been reading chowtimes faithfully and silently the past few years. Chowtimes get 5000-6000 pageviews everyday and we often wonder who all our readers are. For every reader who comments or emails us, there are at least dozens who are just contended lurking on the site. Seriously, Suanne and I love to interact with and learn from our readers as we got a lot of great tips.</p>
<p>One of the things Marvin wrote about is comfort food and that his favourite is Ming Tak which is located on Granville and 67th in Vancouver. I must have driven past this restaurant hundreds of times already and yet I am not aware of this place.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16765" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-5/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-5" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-5-400x600.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-5" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Ming Tak is a small family run Hong Kong Style Cafe. It is just OK kind of clean but does look very cluttered. The picture above says it all. Obviously neatness and organizing is not one of Ming Tak&#8217;s strength and that is not good.</p>
<p>But besides that, service was genuine, polite, patient and soft-spoken.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16766" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-20/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-20" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-20-600x400.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-20" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Like the rest of the restaurant, the menu was rather disorganized too. While we had the normal printed menu, we quickly put it down and tried to figure out the ones that had been haphazardly pasted on the wall. Some of them are computer printed with lamination while some are just hand written on a piece of coloured paper. The unfortunate thing is that they are all in Chinese although some with pictures do help.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16761" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-1/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-1-400x600.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-1" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>As in all HK Style Cafes, most of the dishes came with a beverage. However, Ming Tak beats all others in size by far. Needless to say, our boys were very happy to see drinks this size. They tasted good too. We had thought that they might water the Iced Milk Tea down but nope, they are good.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16762" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-2/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-2-400x600.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-2" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Just as Marvin told us, his favourite dish here is the hot pot, particularly the Sea Cucumber and Chicken with Vermicelli Hot Pot. A lot of their customers were eating hot pot too as we noticed. So I ordered that &#8212; it is $10.</p>
<p>The hot pot is a large serving and could easily be shared between two people.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-16767" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/ming-tak-21/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Ming-Tak-21" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ming-Tak-21-600x400.jpg" alt="Ming-Tak-21" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>It is a Chinese herbal soup with &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/">Ming Tak Hongkong Style Restaurant on Granville and West 67th Ave, Vancouver</a> (381 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/#comments">7 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/chinese/" rel="tag">Chinese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/vancouver/" rel="tag">Vancouver</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/12/10/ming-tak-hongkong-style-restaurant-on-granville-and-west-67th-ave-vancouver/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sensus Bistro on Capstan Way, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=15770</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We had passed by Sensus Bistro many times before.

But the thing is that we had never had the urge to go in and check it out ... until now. You know what I think? I think it is because they have dark windows throughout the frontage that firstly you cannot see what's in it. For us, we were a bit hesitant too because we were not sure what this place is. With a name like Sensus, who knows it's like a bar or something which we do not normally go.

<a rel="attachment wp-att-15778" href="http://chowtimes.com/?attachment_id=15778"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-8" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-8-600x400.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-8" width="600" height="400" /></a>

Sensus Bistro is located in Union Square on Capstan Way in Richmond. This is the place where <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/02/16/lius-taiwanese-restaurant-in-richmond/">Liu's Taiwanese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/01/12/han-ju-tofu-hot-pot-in-richmond-revisited/">Han Ju Hot Pot</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/12/17/pho-queen-restaurant-in-richmond/">Pho Queen</a> and <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2006/01/07/richmond-sushi/">Richmond Sushi</a> is, to name a few.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We had passed by Sensus Bistro many times before.</p>
<p>But the thing is that we had never had the urge to go in and check it out &#8230; until now. You know what I think? I think it is because they have dark windows throughout the frontage that firstly you cannot see what&#8217;s in it. For us, we were a bit hesitant too because we were not sure what this place is. With a name like Sensus, who knows it&#8217;s like a bar or something which we do not normally go.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15778" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-8/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-8" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-8-600x400.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-8" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Sensus Bistro is located in Union Square on Capstan Way in Richmond. This is the place where <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/02/16/lius-taiwanese-restaurant-in-richmond/">Liu&#8217;s Taiwanese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/01/12/han-ju-tofu-hot-pot-in-richmond-revisited/">Han Ju Hot Pot</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/12/17/pho-queen-restaurant-in-richmond/">Pho Queen</a> and <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2006/01/07/richmond-sushi/">Richmond Sushi</a> is, to name a few.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15787" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-menu-4/"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15787" title="Sensus-Bistro-Menu-4" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-Menu-4-400x600.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-Menu-4" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>When we walk past this time on the way to @Ease, we notice the poster above pasted on the entrance. It looks like it is a Hongkong Style Cafe in the likes of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/">Bauhinia</a> &#8230; an upscale, more expensive type of HK Style Cafe. We thought this would be a much better idea than @Ease and decided to lunch here instead.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15779" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-20/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-20" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-20-400x600.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-20" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Don&#8217;t be misled by the empty looking restaurant above. We were there early for lunch as we normally do (i.e. it was just after 11AM). So they had just opened and the lunch crowd had not started trickling in. By noon, the place was packed. Sensus is obviously a popular restaurant and we had not heard of anyone talking about them before.</p>
<p>The decor is modern &#8230; OK, relative to all other HK Style Cafes. It is clean and well maintained. We had a good feeling about this place. If we had not pushed opened the door and walked in, we will have never discovered this place. If you ask me, the dark windows should go.</p>
<p>They have a relatively large menu with the same kind of offerings you find in Bauhinia. It is in color and have selected dishes pictured on it too. I had taken a few pictures of their menu and put them way down this post. Check that out.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15784" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-menu-1/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-Menu-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-Menu-1-400x600.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-Menu-1" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>On the table was this thingy above showing their special. I already know what I wanted. I had always wanted to try this (at Bauhinia). It is expensive though &#8230; $18 but on Thursday it is a special of the day at $14.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15775" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-5/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-5" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-5-600x400.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-5" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>It sure is a mouthwatering chunk of meat isn&#8217;t it?</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15781" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-22/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-22" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-22-400x600.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-22" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>I ordered this with spaghetti on the side. The spaghetti is very well made &#8230; not too soft and firm to the bite.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-15777" href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/sensus-bistro-7/"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Sensus-Bistro-7" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sensus-Bistro-7-600x400.jpg" alt="Sensus-Bistro-7" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>While it is really nicely deep fried and crispy on the outside and the meat is tender and juicy inside, the pinkishness of the meat really puts me off. As for the taste &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/">Sensus Bistro on Capstan Way, Richmond</a> (449 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/#comments">3 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/chinese/" rel="tag">Chinese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/11/20/sensus-bistro-on-capstan-way-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lido Restaurant in Richmond, Revisited</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:02:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=13136</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Lido is always busy.  There is always a line during peak dining hours.  You gotta leave your name with the waiters who doesn't not even issue you a number.  So, you gotta have your ears peeled in case they call you.

<a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10-400x600.jpg" alt="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10" width="400" height="600" /></a>

Lido's specialty is their Pineapple Bun (known as Bolo Bau in Cantonese).  If you have never tried this before you must order this.  This is so popular that you gotta order this when you leave your name for a table.  This is because they are almost always taken the moment they take it out of the oven -- serious, I am not kidding.

And the Bolo Bau is best eaten hot out of the oven.  I dare to swear that they have the best Bolo Bau in Metro Vancouver ... and maybe even the best outside of Hongkong too.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is going to be a quickie post.  Am posting this since we got pictures taken and did not want it to go to &#8220;waste&#8221;.</p>
<p>We had been to <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/01/14/lido-restaurant-in-richmond/  ">Lido</a> numerous times ever since we first discovered this place almost two years ago.  As a matter of fact, this is our favourite restaurant if we do not need to go eat at a new place for this blog.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-7" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-7-600x400.jpg" alt="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-7" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>We like Lido because it is cheap and serves good food too.  So, the day after we returned from our Spain vacation, we went to Lido for good old comfort food.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-13137" title="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-1-600x400.jpg" alt="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-1" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Lido is always busy.  There is always a line during peak dining hours.  You gotta leave your name with the waiters who doesn&#8217;t even issue you a number.  So, you gotta have your ears peeled in case they call you.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10-400x600.jpg" alt="Lido-Restaurant-Richmond-10" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Lido&#8217;s specialty is their Pineapple Bun (known as Bolo Bau in Cantonese).  If you have never tried this before you must order this.  This is so popular that you gotta order this when you leave your name for a table.  This is because they are almost always taken the moment they take it out of the oven &#8212; serious, I am not kidding.</p>
<p>And the Bolo Bau is best eaten hot out of the oven.  I dare to swear that they have the best Bolo Bau in Metro Vancouver &#8230; and maybe even the best outside of Hongkong too.</p>
<p>Lido is a Hongkong Style Cafe and that means &#8230; <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/">Lido Restaurant in Richmond, Revisited</a> (271 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/#comments">4 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/chinese/" rel="tag">Chinese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/08/30/lido-restaurant-in-richmond-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bauhinia Restaurant on Granville Ave and St Albans, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=11914</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I never quite figure out why it would cost $1 for cold milk tea.  I mean, it is just adding ice cubes to the glass and the volume of milk tea in the glass is just a little more, if not the same, with the cup.

<a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-42.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Bauhinia-42" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-42-400x600.jpg" alt="Bauhinia-42" width="400" height="600" /></a>

Suanne ordered the Seasoned Prawns with Curry Rice.  The dish alone is $15 but we ordered the Combo version ($18) which included soup, dessert and a beverage.

The presentation of the dish is very nice with a pleasing balance of color.  The center piece of the dish has to be the 8 big prawns arranged around the plate.  The prawns were flavorfully seasoned with curry powdered and tasted fresh and springy.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Everyone in the whole family loves HK Style Cafes.  We thought that we had been to all of the HK Style Cafes but there is one that was completely not on our radar.  We only found out about this reading <a href="http://eatnabout.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/bauhinia-restaurant/">Wendy&#8217;s post on Eat N About</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Bauhinia-9" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-9-600x400.jpg" alt="Bauhinia-9" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>We had passed by Bauhinia many times before.  We thought that it was just a fancy and expensive Chinese restaurant never thinking that could have been a HK Style cafe.  You see, HK Style Cafes are not supposed to be this nice looking.</p>
<p>Bauhinia is located on Granville and St Albans.  Parking in front of the strip mall while plentiful, is always a challenge because there are two very popular restaurants located in the same row.  Many people may not realize that there are parking too around the back of this strip mall which you access from St Albans.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11915" title="Bauhinia-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-1-600x400.jpg" alt="Bauhinia-1" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Bauhinia is certainly more cleaner and organized than most other HK Style Cafes.  They are upscale HK Style Cafe as evidenced by their pricier menu.  There are a lot of items with the words steak and lobsters in it.</p>
<p>Even the customers here dress up better than you see in places like Lido and Kam Do (where it is not uncommon to see customers with uncombed hair).</p>
<p>Service was polite and very Cantonese.  We spoke in English and while the waitress understands English perfectly, she spoke mostly in Cantonese.</p>
<p>It was Father&#8217;s Day when we visited here &#8230; it was MY day and the boys said that the lunch is on them!</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-40.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Bauhinia-40" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-40-400x600.jpg" alt="Bauhinia-40" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Like all HK Style Cafe, there is the common Milk Tea.  Maybe it is my perception that this place is more upscale, I swear that Bauhinia&#8217;s Milk Tea is richer and stronger than other similar places.  Hot Milk Tea comes together with the meals we ordered but it costs $1 extra for cold ones.</p>
<p>I never quite figure out why it would cost $1 for cold milk tea.  I mean, it is just adding ice cubes to the glass and the volume of milk tea in the glass is just a little more, if not the same, with the cup.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-42.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 0px initial initial;" title="Bauhinia-42" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Bauhinia-42-400x600.jpg" alt="Bauhinia-42" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Suanne ordered the Seasoned Prawns with Curry Rice.  The dish alone is $15 but we ordered the Combo version ($18) which included soup, dessert and a beverage.</p>
<p>The presentation of the dish is very nice with a pleasing balance of color.  The center piece of the dish has to be the 8 big prawns arranged around the plate.  The prawns were flavorfully seasoned with curry powder and tasted fresh and springy.</p>
<p>The yellowish curry powder flavoured rice is additionally flavoured with <br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/">Bauhinia Restaurant on Granville Ave and St Albans, Richmond</a> (535 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/#comments">4 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/chinese/" rel="tag">Chinese</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/07/06/bauhinia-restaurant-on-granville-ave-and-st-albans-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Boston Steakhouse on Alexandra and Hazelbridge, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=11295</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sometimes I don&#8217;t even know how to explain this.
At times, Suanne and I do not balk at spending $100 for a dinner for two.  But for some reason, we can never bring ourselves to spending half that much in a Richmond restaurant.  I don&#8217;t know why.
We passed by Boston Steakhouse virtually once a week but [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sometimes I don&#8217;t even know how to explain this.</p>
<p>At times, Suanne and I do not balk at spending $100 for a dinner for two.  But for some reason, we can never bring ourselves to spending half that much in a Richmond restaurant.  I don&#8217;t know why.</p>
<p>We passed by Boston Steakhouse virtually once a week but we had never wanted to visit that place.  It was because we thought it would be overly expensive.  That was until Wendy and Boyfriend went and <a href="http://eatnabout.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/boston-steakhouse/">blogged about it</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-38.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="boston-steakhouse-38" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-38-600x400.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-38" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The Boston Steakhouse is located right at the intersection of Alexandra Rd and Hazelbridge Way.  Parking is quite limited here because most of the parking spots are marked reserved for the neighboring businesses.  There was this guy at the carpark who signaled to us to just park anywhere.  Even though it was on a Saturday evening where all business were closed, we did not want to chance it and waited for an empty spot to come free.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-30.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="boston-steakhouse-30" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-30-600x400.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-30" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Boston Steakhouse is very much like a Hongkong Style Cafe except that it is a tad more neater and they serve primarily steaks.  The decor was modern but otherwise quite uncoordinated.  Why &#8230; they even use plastic table cloth here.</p>
<p>Service wise, we like it better here compared to the other HK Style Cafes.  They came with water very quickly and then proceeded to point to us their specials of the day.  It was written on a chalkboard and all in Chinese.  We said we can&#8217;t read and the young waiter translated slowly to us each and every item on the board.  Such patience is something you don&#8217;t find in a lot in Richmond restaurants.  LOL!</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11296" title="boston-steakhouse-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-1-400x600.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-1" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>As in all HK Style Cafes, you get free buns, drinks, soup and sometimes dessert with the main dish.  At the Boston Steakhouse,we were given the typical buns.  These type of sweet and soft buns are called charn bau, or literally translated as dinner buns.  I like that they served this warm because it melts the butter the moment you spread them on.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11296" title="boston-steakhouse-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-2-400x600.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-2" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>For drinks, I opted for Yinyong, a delightful cold mixture of Coffee and HK Style Milk Tea.  Boston Steakhouse had a few more variety of drinks.  Suanne selected the Honey Kumquat with Lime.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-31.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11296" title="boston-steakhouse-31" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-31-600x400.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-31" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>For the free soup, we had the Borscht soup.  This is HK style Borscht soup where it is more like tomato soup.  It was rich and tastes good.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-32.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11305" title="boston-steakhouse-32" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-32-600x400.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-32" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The other soup they had was the Cream Soup.  It was a bit too runny and quite bland to us even though it had quite a bit of ham pieces in it.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-5.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11296" title="boston-steakhouse-5" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/boston-steakhouse-5-400x600.jpg" alt="boston-steakhouse-5" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Now &#8230; this main is interesting.  Boston Steakhouse calls this Kobe Beef Stone Grill.  For a Kobe Beef this is $29.  I could not believe it is Kobe beef, certainly not at this price.  I had to ask the waiter exactly what kind of a Kobe Beef this is.  I had a chuckle when he said it is the type that is from Kobe, Japan.  Anyway, I just had to try this.  Moreover it came served in a hot stone grill.</p>
<p>The waiter brought it to the table and I was looking at it and for a while did not know what to do.  There was a big slab of beef rolled up and resting on top of some onions rings.  I was not sure if it will just cook like that on the stone grill (don&#8217;t laugh OK, I had never tried this before!).</p>
<p>So I swallowed my pride and asked the waiter &#8230; what now?<br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/">Boston Steakhouse on Alexandra and Hazelbridge, Richmond</a> (485 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/#comments">18 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/06/17/boston-steakhouse-on-alexandra-and-hazelbridge-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Delicious Cuisine on Alderbridge Way, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2009 12:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taiwanese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=10040</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you know how many Richmond area restaurant reviews we had done so far?  145.  One would have thought that pretty much covers all the major restaurants.  But no ... I won't be surprised that for every one we had reviewed, there are perhaps 10 which we have never step into before.

Who knows, right?  Maybe Richmond has the highest concentration of Asian restaurants in North America.

<a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-10.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-10" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-10-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-10" width="600" height="400" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Do you know how many Richmond area restaurant reviews we had done so far?  145.  One would have thought that pretty much covers all the major restaurants.  But no &#8230; I won&#8217;t be surprised that for every one we had reviewed, there are perhaps 10 which we have never step into before.</p>
<p>Who knows, right?  Maybe Richmond has the highest concentration of Asian restaurants in North America.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-10.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-10" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-10-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-10" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Delicious Cuisine is one of those places we had always know about but for some reason we have never step into it before.  Come to think of it, we had always kept our eyes peeled on the east side of No 3 Road and had pretty much ignored anything on the western side.</p>
<p>Delicious Cuisine is located on the strip mall on Alderbridge Way and No 3 Road.  If you are looking for the signboard that says Delicious Cuisine, you will not find it.  The sign outside is actually Zephyr in the Sky &#8212; that is the old name.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-9.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-9" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-9-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-9" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>We were kind of confuse too.  The sign outside the restaurant and behind the bar area shows that it&#8217;s called Zephyr in the Sky.  All other things like the menu and even the paper mats says Delicious Cuisine.</p>
<p>So we asked the really friendly waitress why the two names.  She explained that it&#8217;s the same restaurant &#8230; the same chef, the same owner and same staff.  They started to change their image and name about one month ago and the makeover will take some more time.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-1-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-1" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>It was pretty quiet when we were there.  That is despite that it was lunch time on a weekend.  The place was spacious and had a lot of different seating configurations.  There were private rooms, areas with sofa and U-shaped booths.</p>
<p>Service was great.  We always enjoyed it when the waitress do not mind us asking questions.  As a matter of fact, she was quite eager to speak to us.  It helps too since the restaurant was not that busy.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-2-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-2" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>They had a new menu along with the new image and name.  The menu is a mix of Taiwanese and Hongkong Style cafe food.  They told us they are also trying to introduce dim sums in their restaurant too.</p>
<p>We like this kind of menu &#8230; they have pictures along with English names.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-3-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-3" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>We placed our orders on the order form.  Despite it being in Chinese, we just need to cross-reference the numbers on the menu and select what we wanted.  Prices are indicated on the order form.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-4.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-4" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-4-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-4" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>We had Pu Erh Chinese tea with chrysanthemum flavor.  It was really thick.  We like this because of its purported healthy properties in lowering cholesterol and weight loss.  High quality Pu Erh tea leaves could cost hundreds of dollars.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-20.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10051" title="deliciouscuisine-20" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-20-400x600.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-20" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Nanzaro ordered the less healthier modern tea &#8230; the Mocha Milk Tea.  This is about $4.50 and came in a very tall glass.  The glass was at least 10 inches tall.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-5.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10041" title="deliciouscuisine-5" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-5-600x400.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-5" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>The boys chooses to have their own dishes.  They don&#8217;t like sharing dishes.  We let them decide what they wanted for themselves but for Suanne and I, we went to choose two &#8220;zhong&#8221; (is that how you spell dishes in Cantonese?).</p>
<p>The first dish was the House Special Smoked Duck.  I was more drawn to the words &#8220;House Special&#8221; because that indicates it is their specialty.  The Smoked Duck was good but I do wish they had a more meatier cut and lesser bones.  It was quite boney and you perhaps can imagine how sharp duck bones are compared to chicken.  The taste and smell of smokiness is pronounced.  They did this very well and is $8.  Rice are extra though ($1 each).</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-21.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10051" title="deliciouscuisine-21" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deliciouscuisine-21-400x600.jpg" alt="deliciouscuisine-21" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>The other dish we had was even better.  It is called the Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk.  Surprisingly it is just $6.75.  Both Suanne and I loved the creaminess from the egg yolk.  It is the egg yolk that makes this stands apart from the normal Deep Fried Shrimp dishes.  The prawns were both succulent and quite fat too.  They are deep fried so well that even the shells are edible.</p>
<p>The really best part of this dish is &#8230;</p>
<p><br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/">Delicious Cuisine on Alderbridge Way, Richmond</a> (252 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/#comments">6 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/taiwanese/" rel="tag">Taiwanese</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/05/08/delicious-cuisine-on-alderbridge-way-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cattle Cafe on Alexandra Road, Richmond</title>
		<link>http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hong Kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richmond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant Review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://chowtimes.com/?p=9827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was telling Suanne that Vanessa (who we had never met) is like our eating consultant.  This time she brought to our attention of a new Hongkong Style Cafe in Richmond.

Come to think about it, we had not come across any new Hongkong Style Cafes for quite a long time.  It is like Hongkong Style Cafes out of fashion these days along with Vietnamese Pho and Taiwanese Beef Noodle Houses.  Instead there are more and more mainland Chinese restaurants, particularly Shanghainese and Szechuan.  I think it is due to the shifting demographics of the Chinese immigrants to Richmond the past few years.

<a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-11.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9836" title="cattlecafe-11" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-11-600x400.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-11" width="600" height="400" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was telling Suanne that Vanessa (who we had never met) is like our eating consultant.  This time she brought to our attention of a new Hongkong Style Cafe in Richmond.</p>
<p>Come to think about it, we had not come across any new Hongkong Style Cafes for quite a long time.  It is like Hongkong Style Cafes out of fashion these days along with Vietnamese Pho and Taiwanese Beef Noodle Houses.  Instead there are more and more mainland Chinese restaurants, particularly Shanghainese and Szechuan.  I think it is due to the shifting demographics of the Chinese immigrants to Richmond the past few years.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-11.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9836" title="cattlecafe-11" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-11-600x400.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-11" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>Cattle Cafe is located on the Alexandra Road in Richmond.  Alexandra Road is the &#8220;wai sek kai&#8221; of Richmond.  Concentrated on this block is some of the better restaurants ranging from cheap eats to high class restaurants with chandeliers.  The parking on this street is impossible especially during dinner time on weekends.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9828" title="cattlecafe-2" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-2-400x600.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-2" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Cattle Cafe is new alright.  Everything is so sparkling clean and new.  The decor is bright with clean lines &#8230; certainly a lot better looking than the oldies like <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2006/08/15/kam-do-restaurant-and-bakery-in-richmond/">Kam Do</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2007/10/09/silver-tower-cafe-restaurant-in-richmond/">Silver Tower</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2008/01/14/lido-restaurant-in-richmond/">Lido</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2007/10/04/e-canteen-in-richmond/">E-Canteen</a> and such. The place is not too big, perhaps half the size of Kam Do.</p>
<p>It was quite busy when we were there and had to wait for a table.  Talking about tables, BOTH our tables were unbalanced and shakey for the good part of the time we were there.  For as long as I remember, I had not come across having an unbalanced table, let alone two.  I blame it on their relative newness and oversight.  No big deal but it was downright annoying when one is having noodle soup.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-10.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9836" title="cattlecafe-10" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-10-600x400.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-10" width="600" height="400" /></a></p>
<p>You gotta love these type of new places where everything is new.  Even the cutleries are shiny.</p>
<p>Service too was very quick and eager &#8212; we like that and does feel our patronage was appreciated.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9828" title="cattlecafe-1" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-1-400x600.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-1" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Their menu is where they are different from all the other Hongkong Style Cafes.  Instead of huge menu itemizing every single combination possible, Cattle chooses to do it choose-and-mix style.</p>
<p>For instance, their Self-Pick Noodles Combo allows you to assemble your own noodle by selecting a soup base, choice of two toppings, the noodle type and a beverage.  You may sort of upgrade for a price.  It is not just combo for noodles but also for congee and toasts too.  It&#8217;s a good way for their customer to have their food the way they need it.</p>
<p><a href="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-3.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-9828" title="cattlecafe-3" src="http://chowtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cattlecafe-3-400x600.jpg" alt="cattlecafe-3" width="400" height="600" /></a></p>
<p>Suanne is getting smarter these days.  You see, there is an unwritten rule that we cannot order the same food &#8230; this is because we are bloggers and we want to try as many different ones as possible.  She used to end up with the short end of the stick after the boys and I get all the better ones first.  Suanne is fast these days &#8230; she will &#8220;chop&#8221; the signature dishes before we even get the chance to say what we wanted.</p>
<p>So Suanne ended up with the Self-Pick Noodle Combo &#8230; which is just $7.  I think it is a good deal.  She had the Szechuan Spice Soup Base.  I tried to influence her to get the Laksa Soup Base because I see a lot of other people having that.  No deal, she said.  For toppings, she had pork intestines and fish puffs.  For noodles, she had rice noodles (I thought egg noodles is a better combination).  Hot Milk Tea was her choice of beverage.</p>
<p>The bowl was big.  Certainly more than enough for one person.  The soup base was spicy and flavourful but the best thing is &#8230;</p>
<p><br/>More after the jump.  Click to read the rest of <a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/">Cattle Cafe on Alexandra Road, Richmond</a> (332 words)</p>
<hr />
<p><small>© ben for <a href="http://chowtimes.com">Chow Times</a>, 2009. |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/">Permalink</a> |
<a href="http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/#comments">6 comments</a> 
<br/>
Post tags: <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/hong-kong/" rel="tag">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/restaurant-review/" rel="tag">Restaurant Review</a>, <a href="http://chowtimes.com/tag/richmond/" rel="tag">Richmond</a><br/>
</small></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://chowtimes.com/2009/04/28/cattle-cafe-on-alexandra-road-richmond/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
