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Chowtimes Back On-Line
2008-11-26 04:46:00
You have no idea. You have no idea how stressed both Suanne and I were when chowtimes account was suspended for two agonizing hours this afternoon.  After a frantic call to our web host support line, we were told that the account had been suspended because a traffic spike had frozen the MySQL database.  They refused ...
More About: Back , On-line , Line , On Line

Breka Bakery & Cafe on Fraser St, Vancouver
2008-11-25 16:00:00
Polly and I met up again for our sweet fix. It's been a challenge for us to find a new place in Richmond as there are not many of such places for us to go.
More About: Vancouver , Dessert , Bakery , Cafe

Barley Chicken Stew
2008-11-24 16:00:00
It’s Mona and my turn to demonstrate in the South Arm Community Kitchen. Mona made a German dish called Barley Chicken Stew for the main dish while I made Malaysian Fruit Rojak for dessert. I had blogged about the Fruit Rojak here. The Fruit Rojak was accepted well even though it is a little ...
More About: Recipe

Gypsy Rose Crepe Cafe in Vancouver
2008-11-23 16:00:00
Polly and I had wanted to try something other than cake. When we drove down Granville St, we always noticed a Crepe Shop and had wanted to try it but never got to do it. A few weeks ago, I saw a small write up in the newspaper about a Crepe Cafe and it said that it's one of the best crepe shop in town. So, Polly and I decided to try out this Gypsy Rose Crepe Cafe.
More About: Vancouver , Dessert

Flying United Airlines from Vancouver to Altanta (via Chicago)
2008-11-13 15:00:00
I put in my travel request to Atlanta and was routed through Chicago . Seeing I had never been to the third largest city in the US before, I made a quick change of itinerary to include a few days stop in Chicago. So ... this is the series on my trip to Atlanta (again) and the Windy City, Chicago. As usual, the flight to Atlanta means a very early start. I normally opt for the first flight of the day which is about 6AM. I like early morning flight because by the time I land in Atlanta, it will just be 5PM'ish and that leaves me a lot of time to settle down and prep for the next day.
More About: Airlines , Vancouver , Flying , United

Vassilis Souvlaki Greek Taverna on Kingsway, Burnaby
2008-11-12 16:00:00
We had a little celebration for a the successful execution of the project by having a lunch at Vassilis. Timing was bad such that we had been given directive that cost cutting is to strictly enforced because of the expected downturn in the aviation industry viz the meltdown of the financial sector in the US. Going to an Asian place is out of the questions because the white blokes would end up eating nothing. So, we eventually settled for Greek . It narrowed down to either Minoas or Vasssilis. We eventually decided on the Vassilis Souvloaki Greek Taverna. Vassilis is located on 6558 Kingsway in Burnaby. That is at the almost eastern end of Kingsway. Parking is plentiful in front of the building and you will not miss it along Kingsway.

Carrot, Orange and Poppy Seed Bake
2008-11-11 17:00:00
Frank, Paul and June teamed up to make a side dish called Carrot , Orange and Poppy Seed Bake. This recipe requires lots of cutting. While Joan and Joyce teamed up to make the Cranberry Fruit Compote, Joyce decided to help this team to do some cutting as her recipe is fairly simple and Joan can watch over it by herself.
More About: Vegetarian , Recipe

Fettuccine with Roasted Pepper and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
2008-11-10 17:00:00
For the main course, Minoo and Mona made Fettuccine with Roasted Pepper and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors. This is kind of a vegetarian pasta dish.
More About: Recipe , Pasta

Lentil Soup
2008-11-09 22:00:00
In this week's Cooking Club for seniors meet, Hugh shared with us a Lentil Soup recipe. He made this Lentil Soup for his son at home. The Lentil Soup is rich with vitamins and fiber from the vegetables and the lentil a rich source of protein and fiber too. Karen and Santosh helped Hugh with all the peeling and chopping for this recipe.
More About: Recipe

Post #1001
2008-11-09 17:14:00
He he he … I just found out that we had posted our 1000th blog posts yesterday.  This calls for a little celebration of our little milestone.  I thought this milestone warrants a little post entry of it’s own.
More About: Post

Japanese Squash (Kabocha) and Tapioca Dessert
2008-11-08 17:00:00
Ade made a wonderful dessert with Japanese squash and tapioca pearls. Japanese Squash is also known as Japanese Pumpkin or Kabocha. Japanese Squash is rich in beta carotene (as in all red-orange colour fruit), iron, vitamin C and potassium. It also has small traces of calcium, folic acid and minute amounts of vitamin Bs.
More About: Recipe , Dessert

Cranberry Fruit Compote
2008-11-07 16:00:00
We had another great cooking session in the South Arm Community Kitchen. Membership has risen this year from just a few people to more than ten people now. Minoo made a Turkey Chilli and a Cranberry Fruit Compote while Ade made a Japanese Squash and Tapioca Dessert. I had blog about the Turkey Chili here before.
More About: Recipe

Prima Taste in Vancouver Downtown
2008-11-06 12:45:00
We met up with Angie and her kids for lunch over a weekend … oh … more than a month ago.  You can see how behind I am in my dining out blog posts. Angie is to us a really good cook.  You should check out her food blog which mainly focuses on recipes with a ...
More About: Vancouver , Downtown , Taste , Prima

Tenhachi Japanese Restaurant in Shaugnessy Village
2008-11-05 15:00:00
We met up with Kim Ho for dinner last month. Kim Ho had been a prolific commenter on chowtimes and he also had a blog which he calls it Words of Wind. He recommended a Japanese restaurant Tenhaci which apparently is one of those places that had been blogged about many times by local Vancouver food bloggers. Tenhaci is located in the ground floor of a bed-and-breakfast place unlike the B&B that most people are accustomed to. Firstly, despite the name Shaugnessy Village it is not anywhere like the tony Shaugnessy neighborhood. Shaugnessy Village is more like a cheap hotel more than it is a B&B.
More About: Restaurant , Japanese restaurant

Bombay Bhel on Hastings in Burnaby
2008-11-04 15:00:00
However, of late, they are beginning to feel confident of their own opinions and that means that there are a lot of disagreement that they will stand up to. So, when I suggested that we drive all the way to north Burnaby to try one of the best Indian cuisine, they vehemently protested saying that I am exaggerating! The nerve of them! Since I am still the king of the household, I have direct veto power and the authority to force the boys to endure the long drive. I told them it will be worth the drive and for them to trust me. "Yeah, right!" they said.
More About: Bombay , Hastings

El Bulli ? Best Restaurant in the World
2008-11-03 15:00:00
Some of you foodies would know that the best restaurant in the world is a restaurant near Barcelona, Spain called El Bulli. Suanne and I had tried to get a reservation last year but failed to get one simply because we put in out reservation way too late. So, this year, we marked it down on our calendar and put in our reservation request on the day and hour the reservation booking is opened for 2009. We waited ... and ... waited ... and just a few days ago, they responded.
More About: World , Restaurant , The World

Where Did Hai Jun Go?
2008-11-02 15:00:00
I might as well just post about this little restaurant we like so much ... even though it is now closed! Every now and then Suanne and I get emails from chowtimes readers recommending a restaurant they like. We love recommendations like that because it takes the brainwork out of having to decide where to eat. Jacqueline recommended Hai Jun to which was located on the Asian mall called Pacific Plaza on McKim Way and Odlin. We visited Hai Jun in late September but when we went back again two weeks ago, we were surprised to find that in the location is now a Japanese fusion restaurant. It was such a bummer because we love the food in Hai Jun so much. So, I am posting this again in case someone out there knows what happened to Hai Jun. I hope that they had just moved somewhere else.
More About: Chinese , Richmond

Cactus Club Cafe in Richmond
2008-11-01 17:00:00
Polly has a desire for red meat this week. She felt that she is deficient of iron or protein as she was feeling tired the past week. So, we decided to go Cactus Club Cafe in Richmond instead of going for our sweet treat.
More About: Western

Tour to Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta
2008-10-31 16:00:00
Arzeena organized a field trip to the Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta for the Greenhouse Social Club which is part of the Richmond Fruit Tree program. The tour is to visit the facilities and get a tour of the farm.
More About: Tour

Tapioca Pearl Tart
2008-10-30 17:00:00
Heidi made a Tapioca Pearl (Sago) Tart for dessert. The Tapioca Pearl Tart is best eaten cold as the tapioca will be more chewy when chilled.
More About: Recipe , Dessert

Thai Flavour Pork Cheek Salad
2008-10-29 17:00:00
Heidi shared two recipes in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. Heidi made a salad and a dessert. It is always a pleasure to have Heidi demonstrates in the kitchen as her recipes are always very original.
More About: Recipe , Thai , Salad , Pork

Shat Kek Ma
2008-10-28 14:30:00
A dear friend brought this back from Malaysia for my family. It's a popular snack food in Malaysia. The snack is called Shat Kek Ma. To me, goodies from Malaysia which I cant find in Vancouver are precious commodities. I am so thankful to friends who made their trip to Malaysia and come back with such priceless gifts.
More About: Snack

Cranberry Sweet Potato Soup
2008-10-27 17:00:00
The soup which the seniors made in the South Arm Community Kitchen is called Cranberry Sweet Potato Soup . Soup is just great for the colder fall weather. Moreover, most soup can be frozen in small batches for up to 2 months. Reheat the soup on the stove gently and you can have a bowl of hearty soup anytime. October is the harvest time for cranberries and Richmond is the top producer of cranberries in BC. Cranberry is a superior source of nutrition and vitamins. It is an excellent source of antioxidants which helps to protect against cancer, heart disease and bladder infections. Cranberry juice is also rich in polyphenol content as in red wine which makes it a heart-healthy drink.
More About: Recipe

Southern Apricot Chicken
2008-10-26 17:00:00
The South Arm Community Kitchen for Seniors met again for another cooking session. This week, the seniors made three dishes, a chicken dish, a soup and a dessert. I love to watch the seniors at work. They are always working in teams and they worked in harmony. It is a great place where they get great company and make delicious food. They always have food to take home too. Some of the seniors are living by themselves and it's very hard to cook for one or two people only.
More About: Recipe , Chicken , Southern

Nat?s Bistro & Convenience Store
2008-10-25 18:00:00
Polly and I met up again for our ladies' get together. We have change our cake meet day from Tuesday to Friday. This time we went to Nat's Bistro & Convenience Store .
More About: Dessert , Richmond

Ma Lai Ko Cup Cakes
2008-10-24 18:00:00
The next dessert which Ming made is Ma Lai Ko Cup Cake s . I had blogged about two versions of Ma Lai Ko here and here but Ming's recipe is slightly different. Ming's version of Ma Lai Ko is steamed in paper cup and it only takes 10 minutes to steam. This recipe is very handy when you have unexpected guests.
More About: Recipe

Little Bowl Cake (Seow Wor Tou)
2008-10-23 18:00:00
Ming made two desserts in the South Arm Community Kitchen after Andrea finished with her German dishes. The first dessert is Little Bowl Cake or Seow Wor Tou in Mandarin.
More About: Recipe , Cakes

Mak’s Noodle Restaurant in Richmond
2008-04-15 11:00:00
I know I am soooo behind in my blogs but I just realized how behind I was. Well, we went Mak’s in January and it is until now I got down to blogging about it. Frankly, I find so little time to do the things I enjoy these days. But anyway, I only have this entry and tomorrow’s to go before I get started on the Seattle Spring Break series. For today, it’s about Mak’s Noodle Restaurant . We only got to know about Mak’s when Erick commented that they have one of the best wonton noodles in Richmond . Erick is from Seattle and he comes over to Richmond every now and then just for food! So, I guess being a true-blue foodie, he knows where the great food is. We would not have found Mak’s on our own. It is sort of tucked deep in a strip mall along Alexandra Rd, the “eat street” of Richmond. The address if you are interested is 1200-8580 Alexandra Road. It is a Cantonese restaurant and their specialty is wonton noodles. Table condiments...

Da Hong Yun Shanghai Restaurant in Richmond
2008-04-14 11:00:00
Have any of you ever been to this Shanghai nese restaurant right across No 3 Road from the Richmond Centre Mall? For some reason, they had been changing hands several times over the years. I am not sure why because they seem to do very well as evidenced by how packed it is all the time. It is now called Da Hong Yun but I remember they used to be called Shanghai Wind and at another time it was called Chen’s. We went there because we were enticed by the Live Crab banner that they put up outside. The restaurant is smallish with something like 10 tables at the max. It’s so cramped that it was hard to move around once all the tables were filled. Decor wise, there is nothing much to it (why they even have Chinese New Year decorations still hanging in the store even today). This is a very traditional Chinese restaurant which means that they cater to mainly Chinese customers. It’s because there is only one waitress who could barely managed to communicate in English....
More About: Restaurant

Michigan Noodle Shop in Richmond
2008-04-12 11:00:00
I can almost swear that this place is new. Well, not new-new but new as in about 4 months new. We had been eating around Alexandra Rd every other weekend but it never quite notice it until recently. You know, with a name like Michigan , we can almost guess this is another HK Style Cafe. Suanne and I still have not figured out why so many HK Style Cafes are named after American Cities. The Michigan Noodle Shop is located at the eastern end of Alexandra Road. It is actually on the same strip mall as Zen Chinese Cuisine and across the road from Coco Chili. You won’t miss, not with that bright yellow signboard in an otherwise drab looking strip mall. Parking might looked to be very limited but just so that you know, you could actually drive up the ramp and park upstairs. We really thought that this place is one of the more expensive restaurant especially with their decor and expensive cars parked outside. It turned out that it’s a very traditional Chinese restaurant...
More About: Richmond