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