Chow Times » Office Lunches

Office Lunches: Blount Lobster Bisque and Mandarin Orange

Ben — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:00:55 +0000

OK, home run. This is the last of the series on office lunches … and so glad it is over! After a while, everything is just the same thing over and over again. But still I hope you all enjoyed it.

Today, I had the Blount Lobster Bisque and a mandarin orange. The container looked big which later I found out that it was not really meant for 1 person. There is enough to easily serve 2-3 people.

Preparing this is simple. Just pop it into the microwave for 5-6 minutes. It was really hot coming out from the oven. I did not realize how hot it was despite the caution on the lid. I almost drop the entire bowl onto the floor. If it happened it would have been a complete mess and the worse thing is I would have to clean it all up myself … at home, Suanne is in charge of cleaning up spills … he he he.

It was later at home I realized that it was meant for more than 1 person. That whole bowl I finished off contained a whopping 380 x 5 calories … 1900 calories!

Despite that, the Lobster Bisque is absolutely delicious. It is as good as you will find it anywhere. And they have real lobster meat too, or at least it tastes and looked like real lobster. Really nice … you can buy it from Costco (Bellingham for sure but not sure if this is in Canada).

Back to normal programming tomorrow.

Office Lunches: Dried-Mix Noodle, Asian Pear and Kudos Milk Chocolate Granola Bar

Ben — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:00:22 +0000

I am going to make this short.

For a change, I had dried mix noodles. Soup noddles are more common but of late there are quite a lot of dried mix ones in the market. I believe this one comes from China.

Making this is so simple, I did not even have to read the instructions. I just need to pour in to the container boiling hot water until the noodles softened and then I add the ingredients in the two sachets. This one came thoughtfully with a plastic fork.

This is not too good. It’s a bit too wiry (wire-ly?) for me. I guess I should have left it to soak in in hot water a bit longer. I know it’s just me but I am quite wary about these Chinese products. Maybe I had been reading too much about the safety records of Chinese products and how some of the manufacturers uses unsafe substances. * shrugs*

Office Lunches: The Boss Restaurant in Metrotown

Ben — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:00:24 +0000

Fridays had always been a good time to go out for lunch for some reason. Two Fridays ago, I went out for lunch with my friends from my old workplace. I am glad that even after having left the company for more than 2 years now, I am still remembered.

Since, I am eating out, Suanne just packed grapes and a handful of prawn cracker for me. I still need my snacks.

The Boss Restaurant is located inside the Metrotown mall. It is located near Zellers in case you want to know where exactly it is in the large mall. The Boss is basically a HK-Style restaurant and is almost always busy.

Wait times could be very lengthy during lunch time and more so since it is a Friday afternoon. We had a total of 12 people and since I was the nearest to the restaurant, I went there earlier to book a table. The wait was 30 minutes which was not too bad.

We had to split up to two separate tables since it is quite next to impossible to get so many people seated together seeing how busy it was that day. We talked about table setting and that Asians tables normally have a spoon and a fork while for other Canadian restaurants, it is common to have only fork and knife.

Even after so many years in Canada, I still prefer just spoon and fork as it is more practical when it come to rice. I can use a fork for rice but it feels odd to me. Asians normally eat with the spoon and uses the fork to help scoop food onto the spoon.

On our table we had six people and decided to just order four different dishes to share. The chow mein was served on a hot pan. For those of you who had never tried this before, this is like having two fried noodles in one. The noodles are by itself crunchy and after a while when the sauce get soaked through the noddles, they get soften … giving an entirely different texture.

The Grilled Pork Chop with Onion is a delight to those who had never tried it before. This is always served in a very very hot pan. You have a choice of sauces which you pour over the food into the pan giving a real sizzle which if you are not careful, you could get sauce splatter on your clothes. It came with a sides of either rice or spaghetti.

I would not say that this is great but it sure is fun, especially for those who had never had this before. $9.50 is quite a good deal.

The Seafood Congee costs $5.75. Congee is considered a poor man’s food. In many parts of Asian long time ago when rice are scarce, people do make congee by adding more water to make a bigger meal.

The Love Bird Fried Rice is sort of an uncommon-common food you see in some Cantonese restaurants. Underneath it is the normal fried rice but over it, there are two types of sauces … poured over in the shape of ying-yang. I had absolutely no idea what the sauces are. They are quite good.

Overall, it was a pretty fun lunch out. I get kicks out of introducing food to people who had not had this before. I think everyone liked it. We split the bill and it came out to $8.50 each for the five of us at the table.

Office Lunches: Nazook Armenian Pastry, Krispy Fruit and Asian Pear

Ben — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:21:24 +0000

OK, I admit. I am mighty bored now with this series on office lunches. After a while, they all look the same. So, this weekend, I am going to post all of it and be done with office lunches. He he he … Suanne is so annoyed because she had not prepared her posts yet. She thought that she still have a few more blog-free days.

There is something new for lunch today. Suanne found some new type of pastry called Nazook. I don’t think it’s really called Nazook but it’s a brand name. More about that later.

I think you would have seen this several times already. I like this snack as a pack is more than enough to stave off hunger. There are three different types … this one is called Island Mix and contains 230 calories. Anyone know why this is called Island Mix?

All I know is that the pastry above is a sort of an Armenian pastry. We got this from Costco and the packaging just said that it’s Nazook. It was quite doughy, dry-ish and somewhat dense but otherwise sweet. It was recommended that it’s best microwaved for 20 seconds to soften it a bit. It is just fine eating it without microwaving it. Each small piece contain a whopping 290 calories.

I am hoping someone can share with me about Armenian culture and pastries. I did some research and apparently it is a custom in the Armenian culture that visitors are almost always offered coffee and pastry.

Office Lunches: Jimmy Dean’s Ham and Cheese Croissant Sandwich

Ben — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:48:10 +0000

Lunch today consists of more sesame snaps, a Dole Fruit Bowl and something new … a ham and cheese croissant from Jimmy Dean.

There is nothing more to say about the sesame snaps and the fruit bowl other then the fact that we still have lots of it left in the storeroom.

We got the Jimmy Dean Ham and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches from Walmart. This costs $4.98 for a box of 6 Croissant Sandwiches. The Jimmy Dean brand is part of Sara Lee’s brand. One thing about Sara Lee … although they are well known for their food products, they are also the company behind non-food brands like Brylcreem, Kiwi show polish, Ambi Pur air refresheners, Playtex and Wonderbra. Interesting, huh?

It’s simple preparing this … just pop it into the oven for less than a minute and you’re done.

The Jimmy Dean’s Croissant Sandwich does not really taste like a croissant. Although it looked very much like a croissant, texture-wise it is more bready and does not have the flakiness of real croissant. Still, it was quite a tasty sandwich.

BTW, did you know that the name croissant came from the word crescent because of its distinctive shape?

Stouffer’s Smoked Turkey Club Panini, Asian Pear and Cheese on Crackers

Ben — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:00:02 +0000

Today’s lunch has a cheesy theme to it.

What I had was an Asian Pear, some cheese on crackers and for the first time ever, Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Panini.

Of all types of fruits, I love the Asian Pear. I think sometimes this is called the Ya Pear or the Chinese Pear … or even the Korean Pear … or perhaps the Japanese Pear. I think the Asian pear is the most apt name.

One thing that somewhat surprises me is that most white Canadians does not eat this at all. Maybe it’s just my perception from the fact that the few people I talked to about this had NOT eaten this before. This has very high water content and is lightly sweet.

We came across some bread crisps in the stores that reminded us of the cheese platter we had in Gastropod recently. Suanne gave me some Tillamook Pepperjack cheese (my fav). The moist cheese turned the bread crisp all soggy. Lesson learned … separate the cheese from the bread crisp next time.

The biggest surprise is the Smoked Turkey Club Panini. It was absolutely delicious and simply the best I had ever had. This panini is part of Stouffer’s range of product called the Corner Bistro.

It came with what they called a revolutionary grilling tray which I think is what makes the difference. During the grilling in the microwave, it smells nice. It is a bit greasy though. The texture was great and does not taste at all like most other frozen sandwiches. 360 calories.

Highly recommended … very highly recommended.

On the inside of the box, are instructions on how one could redeem for rewards.

I logged in … there is nothing much to it. You could redeem for a shelf stereo system, a portable DVD player or a $100 Amazon gift card. I could not be bothered. I probably need to eat dozens of these Paninis to stand a ghost of a chance to win any of these stuff.

Office Lunches: Roasted Chicken Thigh, Mandarin Orange and Doritos Nacho Cheese

Ben — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:00:13 +0000

You know … I am beginning to think that this series on Office Lunches are getting to be boring! So, I am going to try to speed up by making two postings today.

Today’s lunch is more protein and something I have a problem with. Well, it has to do with left over food.

Suanne packed a mandarin orange, a packet of supposedly healthier Doritos and a day old roast chicken thigh. It does look totally charred from this picture, doesn’t it?

The mandarin orange was really fresh and juicy. Buying mandarin oranges is so much a hit and miss for us. We had no way of really telling how fresh the orange is sometimes. This one was fresh and you know why? When I peel off the skin, I got a bit of the juice squished in my face.

We got the roasted chicken from Costco. I bet you notice that almost all supermarket chains where they sell an entire roasted chicken for something like $8 or so. You find it everywhere, in Safeway, Safe-On-Foods, and Superstore. I think I know why all these stores sell these roast chicken and why they are so cheap. I really do think that it’s a way for these supermarkets to sell chicken which is almost past their due date. Instead of throwing away unsold chicken, they roast it on premises and sell it cheaply. You think my theory is right?

I had never quite like Doritos. What’s your favourite chips? I like the ones called Kettle-something. I can’t recall the name but will recognize the packaging when I see it. I like Lays too. Doritos, well, is not quite my favourite. The only reason I had that is because Suanne picked that because the packaging said Zero Trans Fat and 100 calories.

Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup, Pringles, and Mandarin Oranges

Ben — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:00:05 +0000

How much time do you spend for office lunches anyway? I have been wondering ever since I started writing this series. Do you bring lunch from home or do you go out to eat? In my office, it is split 50/50, despite the convenience of the office location to all kinds of eating places. I can’t think of anywhere other than Kingsway/Metrotown that has such a concentration of restaurants in the Lower Mainland.

Suanne packed for me a small cup of Pringles, a mandarin orange and a Campbell Chunky Soup. Looking at the Campbell soup, I knew it will be a filling lunch.

Well, bet not many people know that Pringles are made by a shampoo company. The unique saddle shaped snacks are recognized world wide and comes in dozens of regional flavours. They are well known for their packaging in tubes but of late, they are now selling it in smaller cannisters. I think it’s because of the recent trend to consume lesser of such unhealthy snack.

Suanne bought the Chunky Sirloin Burger soup from Safeway when they had a 2 for $5 promotion. Oh yeah, Suanne is a coupon clipper. Anyway, she thinks that you can actually get the same price from Real Canadian Superstore at their regular price.

Campbell’s is famous for their soup and it goes without saying that they are the world’s largest soup manufacturer. Their Chunky brand is their flagship product. Most of them comes in cans but the one I had is different … it came in microwaveable bowls. Can’t beat this convenience … just pull the lid off and microwave.

I’ve always enjoyed this a lot.

BTW, the weather in Vancouver had been very good lately. The rain’s gone and we have been having warmer weather. Earlier this week, the entire city was enveloped in mist in the morning. It is beautiful don’t you think?

Office Lunches: New York Deli Style Philly Cheesesteak, Sesame Snaps and Dole Fruit Bowl

Ben — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:00:30 +0000

I don’t really care much about lunch. I know I should have proper lunches but I really cannot stomach a full lunch everyday. Even with all the running that I am doing these days, my weight would still hover around the 4 kg overweight region. I know what the real problem is … I pig out during the weekends.

For today’s lunch, the appetizer was sesame snaps, the entree was the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and dessert was the Dole fruit bowl.

I had sesame snaps yesterday too. That is the big problem about shopping in Costco. Almost everything we buy comes in bulk packaging and that means that we end up eating the same stuff for a while.

We came across the Raybern New York Deli Style Hot Sandwich while shopping in (where else?) Costco. It came in very bright and delightful packaging that one cannot miss. We bought the Philly Cheesesteak but they also have others such as:

Pastrami and cheese
Italian Chicken Club
Chipotle Southwest Steak
Chicken Bacon Ranch

Preparing this is simple … just pop it into the microwave and it’s all ready.

There are six in a box and each sandwich carries 420 calories. It was much much better than I expected form frozen deli sandwiches. As a matter of fact, it really tastes like the real stuff although texture-wise, I could really tell that this is not freshly made. As a frozen sandwich, I’ll rate this 4.5 of 5. I am not sure if they do have this in Costco Canada though, as we got it from Bellingham, WA.

I enjoy the Dole Fruit Bowl. They come on several types. The one I had was mandarin oranges. I am amazed how they managed to peel the membrane off so cleanly. I am pretty sure the membranes are removed mechanically because if they were done by hand, it would not be that perfect and would have costs a lot more.

Office Lunches: T&T in Metrotown

Ben — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:08 +0000

LOL!

I see I had busted some myth about myself with this series on Office Lunches. Oh yeah, David … it is true … I eat these stuff and they are not bad too.

I had planned to run after work again sometime last week. So Suanne gave me a bowl noodle soup to bring to work. She threw in a mandarin orange and sesame snaps. I don’t quite like this bowl noodle but at least it is convenient.

I like Mandarin oranges and like it more than any other type of oranges. Tell me how you eat this. For me, I pick off every single vine and split the segments. It is Chinese New Year season and we see a lot of these in the Asian stores these days. BTW, did you know that China produces half of the world’s supply of mandarin oranges?

I’ll be having sesame snaps for a long time to come. Suanne just bought a big box of it and from the looks of it, it will last us at least a couple of months. I would think it is pretty healthy, after all sesame seed does have calcium and some nutrition. Taste wise, it is quite sweet. Actually it is more sweet than it is sesame.

You can get this in pretty every store and price wise, there are very little else that can beat sesame snaps. You will find it many times in the check out counters.

Well, I did not eat the bowl of noodle soup. Grant asked if I wanted to go out for lunch and seeing that I am running today, I thought why not since too I have no meetings for the rest of the day. It’s good to get out once in a while.

I reasoned that at least if I eat more than usual today, I’ll burn them off during the run. That way I don’t have to feel so guilty. We went across Kingsway to Metrotown. Hey, I heard that Metrotown is the second largest mall in Canada, is that right?

We decided to check out the new food section in the T&T supermarket. This place used to be a small food court until T&T took over this place and made it a to-go food court. If you have never been here before, you absolutely must check it out. Although you see T&T’s all over Metro Vancouver, this place is simply the biggest of them all and no where else beats them in terms of variety.

Although most people buy them to-go, there is a small section for people who choose to eat-in.

I bought myself a BBQ Mackerel Lunch Box. I absolutely dig this stuff. And it costs only $4.99. I like the way the rice is cooked, not soggy but dry. That piece of mackerel too was a tad too dry but otherwise quite tasty. On the sides were carrots, eggs, rolls and some vermicelli.

You know what is the secret ingredient here? It’s the Kikoman Soy Sauce, I kid you not. There are no better soy sauce than Kikoman’s and at home, I insist on buying only Kikoman’s sauce. T&T gives only 1 pack of the soy sauce. Additional ones are 10 cents each … that is daylight robbery, if you ask me. Soy sauce should be free, just like ketchup in a burger joint.