Beecher's Handmade Cheese (Seattle)

                    Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a pretty famous Cheese store, and the make their cheese in store. However, their prices reflect this, but the food isn't too expensive. They are located around the Pike Market, a popular tourist attraction.

           This is the grilled cheese, and it wasn't too great. While it was ok, it could have been better, as it was plain. 3/5.

                 This is the World's Best Mac and Cheese, and it was very good,   but had the same problem, and while it was creamy and cheesy, it could have been better with a little something more. A 4/5.

                   I forgot the name of this Mac And Cheese, but I felt that it was oddly better than the one they considered the World's Best. It had a bit of a kick with some veggies that just made it better, with the same al dente pasta and creamy cheese. I would rate it a 4.5/5.

Bottom Line: Overhyped but Good Cheese
Tips: Try the Spicy One
Overall: 4/5

Royal Seafood Restaurant

           One day, we met up with some relatives for dim sum at Royal Seafood Restaurant in Richmond. This is a newer restaurant located in a strip mall. You can't miss the large sign. The location is in a residential area if I recall correctly, but don't quote me on that. The mall has plenty of parking, although the restaurant is on the second floor. You can either go up a grand stairway which looks as it it would be used for wedding pictures, or take a shady looking elevator up the side. Your choice. The dining space itself is not large, but you have a fantastic view of the parking lot and some (albeit not a lot) elbow room. The prices are normal, in line with most other places, and the portion sizes are average though. However, it may be a pain to order as most of the menu is in Chinese. 

           The first steamer we got after placing our order was the Haw Gow at what I think was $5.50. These were above average, with a bit of sesame oil with the shrimp which tasted fresh. The only downside was that the wrapper was a bit think and that made it hard to remove from the steamer. However, it still ends up with a 3.5/5 rating. The next steamer were these things, which I don't remember very much about. My mom said it has something to do with beans, and some kind of mushrooms but these were not memorable and I wouldn't order these again if I

had the choice. Mostly because I didn't enjoy the mushy texture and the odd taste. I would give it a 2/5. 

           The next dish was some offal, more specifically, the Beef Offal. I enjoyed these, as they had a bit of crunch to it, and had enough flavour to make it self sufficient. It was salty, crunchy, moist, and there was a surprising amount on the plate. However, one thing that I did not enjoy very much was the puddle of grease at the bottom, and while the offal on the top had no issue with it, the stuff on the bottom was coated in grease. Still a 4/5 though. This was followed up with the shrimp spring rolls, which did not have a grease problem. They were very crispy, and the shrimp inside was moist and juicy too. This made for a good bite when combined with the gingery sauce that is served with the plate on the side. The sauce wasn't needed though, as the shrimp had a nice flavor by itself. However, it these sat around too long, they would soften, although that is a problem with everything. In the end, it still gets a 4/5.

          Next up was the Plain Rice Noodle Rolls, with their sauce poured on top of them. They were decent as well, and while not good enough to blow me away, there was nothing wrong, which is why they get a 3/5. Their description was very accurate: plain, and the sauce was the only flavoring agent. We also had the beef balls, but I didn't try them but still took the picture, which is why there is a picture but I have no idea what they were like. Everyone else at the table seemed to like it though. One of the last few dishes

we had were the Eggplants Stuffed with Fish Paste. These had a good salty flavor with a nice texture. I think these had a nice texture, being soft but not mushy, while the fish paste was firm, although the flavors did have an MSG taste.They get a 3/5 as well.

          Moving onto the final dish of the day, which were the Sticky Rice in Lotus Wrap, or Lo Mai Gai, which was a filler item. These were decent where the rice was cooked properly, and everything inside was cooked well too. They were not overly large or little and there was enough filling. Nothing was amazing, but it was acceptable. I would give it the average 3/5.

Bottom Line: Average Dim Sum
Overall: 3/5

Bubble 88

     Bubble 88 is really hard to find. I'm talking really hard to find, since I've lived here for years and only learnt about it late last year. Heck, I only know about it because my mom told me about it. After a couple of visits, I finally decided to do a blog post about it. This Taiwanese spot is hidden in a strip mall behind the RBC bank in Whalley. The prices are decent, although the drinks are slightly expensive, but not insanely high. However, the food is pretty good, and the serve people of all ages, although there are a lot of students around. 

       The first item we got was off the drink menu, the passionfruit slush for $5. It was acceptable, not great nor awful.  The ice was fine and it was drinkable, although the flavors seemed artificial, but what do you expect in rainy Vancouver. It can be hard. This probably wasn't the best thing to order, but hot off our tropical vacation, we decided why not? 

     






 Moving on to the appetizer, which was the Popcorn Chicken. These little morsels were tender and moist on the inside while boasting a nice crispy exterior. The flavors were there, and it didn't overpower the chicken in anyway. They kept the skin on, which I personally enjoyed. However, it is not the way all people like the dish, so be wary. The portion side was good for $5.50, although it does not seem like it in the picture. I would give it a 4/5. 

        Since no one was particularly hungry, we decided to share only 2 entrees. The first was the Deep Fried Porkchop in Curry at $9. There was a decent amount or rice, porkchop, and potatoes under all of that sauce. The sauce itself was very good, and had some spice to it, while still letting you taste the curry flavors. It went well with everything under it, despite the rice which ran out quickly. The porkchop was a disappointment, being overcooked and lacking crunch after being under the sauce. Despite the curry's attempts to moisten it up, it was stringy and hard to bite. the potatoes were average, being like normal boiled potatoes. Still, they went well. At 3/5 in my book. 

        The next entree ended up being the customizable Noodles with Black Pepper Sauce for $11. Actually, you don't actually need to get the Taiwanese Noodles or Udon, as there is also a rice option. You can also chose between beef, chicken, deep fried pork, or deep fried fish. We went with the beef and Taiwanese noodles. This dish comes on a large plate with lots of sauce, and meat on top of the noodles. This was disappointing, as the  beef was rather overcooked, being stringy and tough. The noodles were well cooked, but the sauce it was covered in tasted as if it were canned, and didn't go well with everything. This unmemorable dish earned it a 2/5.

Bottom Line: Hit and Miss
Tip: Meats are Overcooked
Overall: 3/5

Fish Market Maui

         One bright Maui day, everyone was hungry after some driving along the marvellous west coast of Maui. Thus, we stopped by The Fish Market on the way back to the hotel for some seafood. Located in a strip mall on a street parallel to the main road, it was a bit hard to find but was noticeable if you knew which way to look.  The place was really busy, filled with both locals and tourist who were all looking for some fresh food to eat. After asking someone what was good, they told us everything was good. It was a bit expensive, but along the lines of other Maui eateries. Thus, we ordered 3 items and proceeded to the park across the street for the a nice place to sit along the sea so we could see where our food came from. You can find their menu here.

        The first of 3 was the fish and chips for $14, and included some fries and 3 pieces of panko encrusted Mahi Mahi. The fish was expertly cooked, nice and flaky with the nice crunchy crust. The fish didn't make the crust  soft, which made it a very nice bite. Very good fish if a person prefers more batter and more crunchy batter, which I do like. There was enough fires on the side, and they were pretty good too. While not very crispy, they were nice and potato like on the inside. The two items had the same seasoning: simple salt and pepper. Combine it with the creamy tartar sauce, and you have a nice combination. I would give the Fish and Chips a 4/5. 

         Let us move on to the Seared Ahi Steak, which was also priced around $14, which we got cooked medium rare. The Ahi steak came medium rare too, nice and tender. It also came with a scoop of rice and a scoop of Macaroni Salad. Encrusted with furitake, the flavours were there, except there wasn't enough. Still, a very good tasting piece of fresh fish. Moving on, the Macaroni salad wasn't the greatest, with the sweetness overpowering all other flavours, which are practically nothing. The sauce on the side was a bit of Wasabi Mayo, which was practically mayo with wasabi in it, and it was pretty good although not the greatest with the fish. In the end, I would give the  Seared Ahi Steak a 3.5/5. 

             Finally, we ended up with what I think was the Macadamia Nut encrusted Mahi Mahi at $14. There were some pineapple on top, which added a nice tropical feel. The fish was cooked perfectly, and was flavoured sweetly. This was further amplified by the white sauce on the left, which was coconut flavoured. So in the end, it was very sweet, should a person add or not add the sauce. Same problem with the Mac and cheese, while cooked well it was too sweet. All the rice was normal rice, no issues. While cooked well, the flavours weren't good on the Mac Nut encrusted Mahi Mahi, so it has a 2/5. 

Bottom Line: Decent Seafood

Tip: Stay away from sweet items?

Overall: 3/5

Ululani's Shave Ice (Lahaina)

           While walking down the Front Street of Lahaina during a hot Maui afternoon, we went to find some shave ice. The most highly rated place was Ululaini's Shave Ice, which has 2 storefronts within 2 blocks. Both were rather hard to find, as they were not on the street and the signs were very small. The first location we found was closed too, which was weird. Anyways, the place is rather famous for using real fruit syrup and having good shave ice. While it isn't as famous, old, or as cheap at Matsumoto's, it still is very good. Anyways, the price is rather high for shave ice, but it isn't ridiculous, and the portions are pretty big. The service was slow, but they made the ice in front of your face and the people who worked there were nice, even having a conversation with customers. There are a ton of flavours too, 

                  We ordered a large shave ice to split amongst everyone (notice a common theme here?) for $6.25. A medium was $5.25, and a small was $4.50, although both were still rather large. 3 flavours were added to our 's Shave Ice, which were Tiger's Blood (a coconut-like flavour), watermelon, and passion fruit. The tiger's blood flavour was oddly named, and the only flavour I could really pick out was coconut. The watermelon was pretty good, tasting just like the real fruit. Some with the passionfruit. However, the most important thing was the ice, and it melted in my mouth practically instantly. Nothing wrong, so it gets a 4.5/5, as it didn't blow me away but was very good. 

Bottom Line: Great Shave Ice

Overall: 4.5/5

Aloha Mixed Plate

         During our 1 week in Hawaii, we spent 3 days on Maui and 4 on Oa'hu. On our second night in Maui, we decided to spend an afternoon on Front Street in Lahaina on West Maui. We returned the next day for dinner too, and to the same restaurant too. In the end, we ended up at Aloha Mixed Plate twice for a multitude of reasons. The first was the food, which was obviously good, the second was the price, and the third was the location: right on the water. While it wasn't healthy, it was good, and we were on vacation anyways. It really isn't much of a restaurant, but rather an open air dining area with two sections, one by the water and one a bit higher up, because they can't have intoxicated people in the place close to the water. There really isn't a lot of tables, but the waits are relativly short. If only there was more parking though. Moving on to the menu, it was reasonably priced with the stuff you would expect on a plate lunch menu, with some seafood for the specials of the day. I forgot to take a picture of the menu, but you can see it online here.Now let us move onto the actual food.

         We started the first meal with some Furitake fries just because we felt like we wanted some fries. Anyways, these were actually very good with the combination of seaweed, sesame seeds and whatever else was there. Nothing wrong here, as there was lots of seasoning which provided flavour without any grease. The fries were crispy and potatoey, and was a nice start to a meal. I would give this a 3.5/5 as they weren't anything particular, but were decent none the less. Moving on to the Hamburger Steak which was pretty simple and cheap at $10. Basically it was 2 hamburger steaks with gravy, mushrooms, and onions, completed with 2 scoops of rice and 1 scoop of Mac Salad. This was pretty large, but it did definitely not take away from the taste. The gravy had the perfect amount of salt, especially when eaten with the 2 massive beef patties. The patties tasted pretty fresh, and went well with the perfectly grill mushrooms and onions. The rice was normal, but the Mac Salad was actually pretty good. At least it wasn't mushy like the one we had at Rainbow Drive-In. Pretty good food, so I will give it a 4/5. Moving on to the other entree: the Monchong special for ~$17. It was a bit pricier than all the other dishes, but you could see why. It was fresh Monchong, and they didn't have it the next day which was a good sign for us. The dish came with the usual rice and mac salad, but there was a good amount of fish, with 3 reasonably sized fillets. The fish was cooked perfectly, and there were no bones or anything. There was nothing wrong, although they could have maybe been a bit more creative. Still, very good, and well deserving of a 4/5.
     

                After the great meal, we left satisfied expecting that it would be our last impression of the place. However, we made an attempt to go to Star Noodle, which is also owned by Sheldon Simone who was a former Top Chef contestant. The issue was the hour long wait, which would have taken us to 8 pm.since we arrived at 7. So we came back to Aloha Mixed Plate. On the second visit, we skipped the appys and went straight to 3 main plates. The first was the Aloha Mixed Plate, which consisted of the usual fillers, shoyu chicken, fish, and teriyaki beef. This was a pretty big plate, just like all of them, and it was ok too. The shoyu chicken wasn't anything special, as it wasn't tender, or flavourful. Not great, but the fish was much better. I think it was Mahi Mahi, and it tasted really fresh while being nice and firm while tender. The flavours were simple, but there really is nothing wrong with it. Meanwhile, the beef suffered from the same issue as the chicken: untenderness. It was flavourful though. s that it didn't taste very fresh, and it wasn't too flavourful. A 1.5/5.

The next dish was the Mochiko Chicken. It was basically pieces of boneless chicken with batter and syrup. It was too sweet, and was not very crunchy due to the liquid. It wasn't great, so I would give it a 2/5. The final plate was the tofu stir fry, which was a weird choice but I didn't have one. Consisting of tofu, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and onions. It wasn't very fresh, and was rather overcooked. Personally, I didn't like it at all and I will give it a 2/5 too. So in the end, the dishes are rather hit and miss, as you could see with the difference between the two visits.

Bottom Line: Hit and Miss
Tip: Check Out the Specials
Overall: 3.5/5
             

Nico's At Pier 38

         One day, the family was on our way for lunch at a nearby lunch spot. However, this was an epic fail as the restaurant wasn't even open on weekends. Luckily, I had a backup plan, which was the nearby Nico's at Pier 38. This is what some people call a tourist attraction, others a place for good food. Well, we were going to find out either way. This place is really located in an industrial area, but people still tend to find it. It really is open air dining, since the building has open windows and a patio, and consists of a restaurant and a store. The restaurant serves food cafeteria style, so you order and  they prepare your food quite slowly, but give you an electronic buzzer so you can pick up your food. The other section is a store where you can pick up very fresh poke and pre-packaged sushi. The prices on both sides are very fresh, behind in a fishing area, an prices very reasonable for what you get. Oh, and Guy Fieri visited this place too on Triple DDDs.

         The first plate we got was the Furitake Encrusted Ahi (Tuna) which was about $13. Everything was about $13 dollars, and since I forgot the prices I'll just say everything is under $15. This was cooked medium rare, just like a steak, and all I can say is that this is the best way to get it. It was cooked perfectly, very tender and juicy, and the Furitake was very flavourful. Nothing to complain about here, as the salad and rice were good too.However, they only had 1 scoop of rice for some reason, since the normal seemed to be 2 scoops. However, this was still a fantastic 4.5/5 plate of fish and food. We also got 2 deep fried dishes, which were the Beer Battered Mahi Mahi and the some other fish. that was on the daily specials. They were both $13, and the batters were both perfect, crispy but not greasy nor heavy. The fish was flaky and juicy, which meant that every bite was a delight. It also came with a tartar sauce was absolutely perfect, and the tanginess of the sauce was great and went along with the fish. Personally, the mahi mahi was lighter than the other fish, and was great. Moving on to the other part of fish and chips: the chips. They definitely know their way around a deep fryer, as the fries were crispy and not greasy.  I would give both of them a 5/5 as everything was perfect, along with the salad lathered with mayo. Both perfect 5/5 dishes. Would recommend both of the deep fried plates and the ahi to anyone. You can't go wrong with the fish on the menu.

           The other part of the building was the store part, where they sold the sushi and poke. While the raw ahi looked very fresh and was reasonably price, we decided against it. Instead, we went for some poke because everyone liked poke. I forgot the prices, but it was about the same as all other places. We got 2 different containers of shoyu poke and spicy poke, and the response was mixed. I personally liked it better at Ono Seafood because this one was rather chewy in a bad way. It was also less firm. However, my mom and sister liked it so what do I know? The shoyu poke was not very flavourful, and the fish didn't seem as fresh as it looked. MEanwhile, the spicy poke was slathered was mayo and tobiko and onion. The whole works, and the mayo covered the odd scent. Not that it was that noticable, but just something I noticed. In the end, I would give the pokes a 3/5, so it was decent but not the greatest. The meal wasn't bad for a backup plan, at a 4.5/5.

Bottom Line: Really Good Seafood
Tip: Make The Trip Out
Overall: 4.5/5

Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken

Located in A Tent

Look at all those chicken!

Cruising down the main strip of Haleiwa, we came across one of the biggest clouds of smoke outside of China I have ever seen. When we left our car, we smelt a smoky flavour coming from Ray's Kiawe Chicken. It was one way to find a place we planned to eat at. Walking up to the tent, there was a massive grill outside, grilling  the contents of a chicken coop cooking over some wood. Of course we had to buy a whole chicken, and it was a very wise choice indeed. They have a couple of other items such as adding some special sauce, pineapple coleslaw and some other items. This place is located in the parking lot of what I think was a grocery store. Thus, you have to get it take out, and find somewhere to sit. However, this was no problem because there are a bunch of beaches a minute or two away. Once you have waited for the guy to grab your chicken, and chop it up, you are now the owner of a Kiawe Broiled Chicken. Personally, I find it really weird that they chop the chicken up behind a cover, like they don't give you the whole chicken.

Chicken + Secret Sauce $10

The Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken costs ~$9.50 for the Whole Chicken itself, and $10 for the chicken and "secret sauce". We start with the secret sauce, which  tasted like soy sauce and vinegar. Those were the only 2 flavours I could pick out, and went well with the chicken. I would give that a 3.5/5. The chicken, however, was pretty damn good. It was very juicy, with some nicely rendered skin. Said skin had lots of flavour, and was crisp in a chinese barbecue way. Probably because the people that made the chicken were Asian. Very delicious though. The smokiness was very subtle, but you could taste it along with the salty flavour of the chicken. I would rate the chicken a 4/5, because it isn't perfect, but very nicely prepared. 

Bottom Line: Good Chicken

Tip: Get the Sauce

Overall: 4/5 

Waiola Store (Mokihana)

Storefront and Menu

           After freezing at Hanauma Bay, the sun On our way to Ono Seafood, we made wrong turns on wrong turns and by some virtue had ran into Waiola Store, which specializes in shave ice! Maybe luck was on our side after all...  This was actually the second store to open, and now they have 3 different locations. If you didn't know this, Waiola Store is a Hawaiian institution famous for their shave ice. If you don't know what shave ice its, essentially it is like a finely shaved snow cone with all sorts of sweet syrups. Actually, they are a store that sells a couple of weird goods and Waiola Shave Ice merchandise.  Pretty cool, but I was here for the Shave Ice. You can see them making it, and there was only one person in the store making shave ice. This made it so there was a long wait, but you could see them take the blocks out and take their time. That was a good sign.

            

Rainbow Shave Ice with Azuki Beans and Ice Cream $4

         I purchased a large rainbow bowl with Azuki Beans (red bean like beans) and ice cream. This is supposedly the way locals get it, and have to trust the locals, right? Anyways, the rainbow bowl cost $3 and the toppings each cost 50 cents, so our bowl came to $4. This was ages above snow cones, with the smooth finely shaved ice and everything, Too bad the syrups were just the normal stuff, as this could have been a really good bowl if it had more real fruit flavour. The syrup was overly sweet and used lots of bright colouring agents and artificial flavours. Not good at all, in comparison to Matsumoto on the North Shore. Still, this was a decent dessert for a hot day in Hawaii. The ice cream on the bottom made the bowl really good when you got both the things in your mouth, with the creaminess and flavours making an impact in your mouth. Azuki beans seemed pretty normal, but I don't know beans so I can't say much. They went well with the shave ice though. All in all, this was a good bowl of shave ice, although it didn't blow us away. Should they have used better and less artificial syrups, the fineness of this ice could have been really good. In the end, this syrup really messed up the Shave Ice, so I give it a 2.5/5. Too bad, hopefully this isn't what the original store is like...

Bottom Line: Mediocre Shave Ice

Tip: Get the Ice Cream and Azuki Beans

Overall: 2.5/5