With the nice spring weather, Polly and I decided to go for a picnic at Stanley Park for our cake meet. Spring is the cruise ship season and we saw one just cruise by the Burrard Inlet. We would love to go on board one day.
We parked ourselves near the light house. There were several picnic tables and we got one just under the shades. During our stay there, we saw may tour buses passed by, every 2 or 3 minutes. The visitors must be from those cruise ships.
We got some snacks from Osaka Supermarket at the Yaohan Center for the picnic. The above is Fish Ball with Rice Puff. The rice puff gives the fish ball some crunchy texture. Kids will certainly love this. It is served with sweet chili sauce. These were $2.50 for 6 at the time of promotion as a new item.
We also bought some Taro Cake and Radish Cake or Turnip Cake which were $2.50 for 4. We had two pieces each and just right for Polly and I to share.
The Water Chestnut Cake is cool and crunchy. It is a nice dessert item after a meal. It is also $2.50 for 4.
For western style dessert, we had some Fruit Tart. They are filled with custard and fresh fruit like kiwi, strawberry, grape, cantaloupe and peach. These came in a box of 8 or 10 (cant recall) for $4.99.
We also bought some fruit for the picnic. We found the king and queen of fruit of Malaysia which is durian and mangooseteen. We wont be able to crack open a durian in the park, so we bought some mangooseteen instead. It’s been so long since I have a mangooseteen. The flesh of the mangooseteen is snowy white, tender and sweet and lightly tangy.
 This is how we deal with the mangooseteen. I have to forewarn you not to get stain by the mangooseteen and the stain is very difficult to remove.First, you remove the stem and cap. |
 Squeeze the fruit between your palms to crack open the fruit. |
 Once you split open the fruit, you will see the seeds with a thick layer of white pulp and the purplish thick fibrous shell wall, where the stain comes from. |
 It is the whitish pulp around the seed that you’ll enjoy. Just suck the pulp and spit out the seed.The mangooseteen is pretty expensive here. It’s sold at $7.99 per pound. The four mangooseteen costs us $7.43. |
We also bought some lychees for the picnic. They are sweet and the flesh is quite thick. The lychees are sold at $5.99 per pound.
For comparison, here is the seed from the lychee. They are long instead of round like the longan and the lychee flesh is also thicker than the longan.
Of course, we also bought a drink for the picnic. The Aloe Vera Drink is lightly sourish and has bits of aloe vera in it.
We enjoyed our picnic at the Stanley Park. After we picnic, we walked around the seawall to enjoy the nice spring weather.
Wow, mangosteen in Vancouver is expensive. It’s $4.99 in Calgary and I thought that was expensive. That’s why I try to eat as much as I can when I’m in Hong Kong, cheap and good!
Woah! Suanne, where are you getting your mangosteen!? $7.99 per pound is ridiculous. I get mine from Chong Lee Market on 22nd and Rupert, or 47th and Victoria. Their mangosteens are only $4.99 per pound, and lychees are $1.99 per pound. The mangosteens are from Thailand, and lychees are from China. Check them out if you have time!
When is a good time to go to Vancouver for mangosteen? Thanks!
Hi Mai: We don’t grow mangosteen in Vancouver. It is a tropical fruit which we can buy from places like T&T Supermarket. Sorry, we don’t know when it is in season. Ben
Oh how I love mangosteen, it’s my favorite fruit. I use to eat loads of this fruit back when I lived in Thailand.
Hi
I hope that you are enjoying your holiday in Spain and get a chance to picnic in many of spain s scenic spots.Try their hams and cheeses with rioja wine
Hi PinoyGourmet: Having a blast in Barcelona. As a matter of fact, we bought a sandwich known as the ¨best in the world¨by New York Times and had at as a picnic on Montjuit this afternoon. Today we tried to eat like a Spaniard … six meals a day! Four down and two more to go. Thanks for all the tips … it is coming in handy now.
Ben
Hi Ben Glad to know you are enjoying Barcelona,Try the assorted Tapas at the wine bars and When you get to Seville,Be sure to try the Roast Suckling Pig Cochinillo and Paella Spanish Rice sort of like a Biryani But not spicy and more stuff Enjoy Spain