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