There was a lot of hype about The BBT Shop located under Superstore in Richmond. The photos online of their bubble waffles looked good but there's room for improvement.

I ordered the matcha red bean waffle and took the photo from the nicer side. The bubbles on the other side of the waffle were dented and exposed red bean pieces due to lack of batter. There was only a slight matcha taste and uneven distribution of the small amount of red bean. It would have been nice if there was more red bean so that it doesn't taste like a plain bubble waffle.

Matcha red bean bubble waffle

The drink is a lavender hot chocolate and I couldn't finish it. It didn't have any chocolate taste and was much too sweet from the heavy dose of lavender syrup. We requested hot water to add to the beverage to water down the sweetness but it was still much too sweet to consume. They did offer to add more milk to the drink though, so if you're unsatisfied with your drink it seems that they are accommodating to fix it.

Lavender hot chocolate

Overall, I think there is potential for The BBT Shop as it was able to generate hype but they have to improve on the quality of their products.

Cheesecake

Memory Corner is situated across the street from the Richmond City Hall which should be a good location but it offers few parking spots. On a weekday afternoon there were spots in the parking lot behind the restaurant but several restaurants share the complex so the small lot will probably fill up quickly.

We were just looking for a snack and not a full meal so we ordered two appetizers. 

Chocolate thick toast: A generous coating of Nutella and chopped hazelnuts covered the thick toast. I liked the softness of the bread with the creaminess of the Nutella. This is great for sharing but a fair warning that it can get a little messy with the nuts falling everywhere!

Chocolate thick toast

Basil egg roll: Egg rolls were one of my favourite breakfast items when I was in Taiwan. I tried egg rolls at other Taiwanese restaurants in Vancouver but they disappointed. This one at Memory Corner came pretty close to the taste I was looking for! It's similar to green onion pancakes but with basil instead of green onion. It is then wrapped around a thin layer of fried egg, rolled up, cut and served. I wish they served a version with pork floss!

Basil egg roll

Memory Corner interior

Overall, I'd want to try actual meals and the bubble tea at Memory Corner but the two appetizers I tried were both good.

**UPDATE Nov 1, 2014**

I went back to Memory Corner to try the toast box. I called a day ahead of time to order it like they mentioned the first time I was at the restaurant. Turns out it made no difference because it still took a long time for them to prepare the toast box. Although the wait time was long, it was delicious!

There was an abundance of fruits, chocolate and ice cream. Inside the toast box, each strip of bread was coated in Nutella and chopped hazelnut. A lot of work was involved, that's why it took so long. Although I like Nutella, there was just a bit too much inside this toast box. It's still worth a try though!

Fruit Toast Box

Interior of toast box

Sometimes I don't want to eat at Taiwanese restaurants because I know that I will want to order the fried chicken (which is temptingly delicious). I did just that when we went to Pearl Castle at Richmond Centre the other day. The fried chicken thigh was battered and flavoured with simple spices then deep fried to a crunchy goodness without losing the juiciness of the meat.

Fried chicken thigh (approx. $5)

Instead of traditional milk tea bubble tea I ordered the green lattea which I love. It is called different things in different restaurants but essentially it is tea with a layer of frothy cream on top. I added pearls to my drink which was green tea based. It is so delicious! You can drink it separately with a sip of tea and a sip of cream or mix it all together.

Green lattea ($4.95 excluding pearls)

All in all, Pearl Castle at Richmond Centre is often crowded and isn't a great place if you want to sit and talk for a while but it is definitely convenient.

Uncle Lu is famous for their pork trotter but I ordered the three cup chicken meal instead. I did try a piece of my friend's pork trotter and it had a jelly-like texture with a soy sauce-like marinade.

There was a lot of chicken in my meal and I liked that they were cut into small enough pieces for easy eating. The chicken was flavourful and cooked on very high heat because some pieces were crispy.

Not pictured was my milk green tea with pearls that I really enjoyed. The milk was frothy with a hint of matcha flavour and the pearls were chewy.

Overall I may want to return for more bubble tea and this Taiwanese joint seems less catered to youth than some other ones because there were more adults eating here when I went for dinner. Though that it just a guess.

When I saw the sign for Strike I always thought it was a pool joint but apparently it served Taiwanese food. There were photos of scenes in Taiwan on the walls but otherwise the interior is simple with rows of tables and chairs.

I got the teppanyaki beef steak with mushroom sauce and rice. These hot plate dishes usually overcook the beef but it wasn't here although the meat was marinated so thoroughly that it lost any beef taste. The mushroom sauce was flavourful and mixed nicely with the egg.

Overall it is a good location for a large group and their service is quick but it is similar to many other Taiwanese restaurants.

After eating Din Tai Fung for the first time in Taiwan this summer at the Taipei 101, I was eager to try the one closer to home in Bellevue. Din Tai Fung started in Taiwan and many friends asked me if it was comparable to which I will have to reply no but that does not mean our meal was not delicious. You just have to try the ones in Taiwan to understand why they're so famous. The service of the Taipei 101 one was top notch because they even kindly mix the sauces for you.

It was a weekday evening but the place was completely full. We waited around 15 minutes until we were seated, during which I observed the chefs making the dumplings. They all fit into a cramped small room but the Taipei 101 location had a large open style kitchen (with windows) where each chef had much more room to make his or her food.

Chefs busy making dumplings

Xiao Long Bao: These steamed dumplings is a must have at Din Tai Fung. These came warm instead of hot but still tasted good. The skin was very thin and the pork was juicy with the soup spilling out.

Xiao Long Bao

Dan Dan noodles: This noodle was comparable to the one I had at the Taipei 101. The noodles sit in a thick peanut sauce and is addicting to eat because it is aromatic scent-wise and taste-wise. The use of sesame oil is probably what makes this bowl of noodles so good. There is only a slight spiciness to it.

Dan Dan noodles

Rice cakes with pork: This was least impressive dish. The rice cakes were stuck together or overcooked. They were over-boiled so there were little craters on the supposedly smooth rice cake surface. The dish was overly oily and only tasted like soy sauce. I wouldn't recommend this.

Rice cake with pork

Overall, the service was friendly but be prepared to wait if you're eating here during peak meal times. Most of the food offered at this out-of-Taiwan Din Tai Fung location was still good but does not deserve the best status of the Taiwan locations that won this restaurant its famous name.

Din Tai Fung (Bellevue)

Long time no blog! I actually haven't been eating out much hence the lack of restaurants to blog about but here's a fiery new post (literally fried).

The Pearl Castle in Surrey is open and looks very similar to the Richmond Centre branch. On a Saturday afternoon the tables were about 70 percent filled. Since it was that awkward time in the late afternoon but close to dinner time, we opted for some snack items.

Milk and almond thick toast: Mmm this was so delicious! The bread was toasted until slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The topping was sweet and aromatic with the almond slices. Highly recommend and inexpensive, too.

Milk and almond thick toast

Fried abalone mushroom: This is a dish that I have been craving since I last had it at a nightmarket in Taiwan. Abalone mushrooms are bigger and more firm making them the perfect fried snack. The fried outer layer is accompanied by the firm and hot inner mushroom. Pearl Castle makes it quite well.

Fried abalone mushroom

Fried chicken chop: Taiwanese food is famous for their fried chicken (does anyone know why?) and this fried chicken chop was up to par. The meat was juicy, tender, and quite flavourful due to the seasoning.

Fried chicken chop

Mint chocolate bubble tea: This drink is presented nicely but only tastes mediocre. If you like mint chocolate icecream, that is exactly what this tastes like. It is only sweet and lacks chocolate flavour.

Mint chocolate bubble tea

Pudding and avocado milk: This drink is interesting and not like the typically bubble tea drinks you order so I recommend trying it. It is made from a mixture of avocado, milk, and pudding (the sweet jelly yellow kind). The consistency is thick and not oversweet. I didn't get pearls with my drink because I knew it would be too filling.

Pudding and avocado milk

Overall, the food and service at Pearl Castle Surrey were solid albeit I wish the snack menu had more choices than fried ones. Currently there is 10% off if you show them that you liked their Facebook page!

Soho Tea Room was all filled up even on a weekday evening, so we had to wait around 15 minutes before we were seated.

Sweet & Sour Fish Meal: I ordered the sweet & sour fish meal which came with a bowl of white rice and two side dishes. The fish dish was pretty flavourful but a little bit too sour for my liking.

Sweet & Sour Fish Meal

Honey Toast Box with Condensed Milk: This toast box tasted better than What8ver. Each piece of bread inside the box was coated with honey and bread mixed with ice cream was delicious. The dessert wasn't too sweet and there was lots of it to share!

Honey Toast Box

Chocolate Lava Cake: This lava cake was baked too thoroughly, causing the middle to be only mushy and not melted chocolate lava. Despite the lost lava texture, the cake came hot and tasted strongly of ooey-gooey chocolate served nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Overall Soho Tea Room serves pretty good food, especially the desserts!

Shang Noodle is in a convenient and inconvenient location. Convenient for pedestrians because it is next to the Brighouse Skytrain station and diagonal from Richmond Centre. Inconvenient for drivers because there are few parking spots and you must register your license plate inside the restaurant to avoid getting towed.

Maybe it was that particular time of day (late afternoon) but all the tables around us had babies in baby carriages!

I ordered a ramen meal and upgraded the complimentary drink to a blueberry Calpis. Honestly, did not really like the taste of this drink because it was overly sweet and tasted more like synthetic grape.

Beef tendon and brisket ramen: It tasted pretty good since the beef was marinated in spice. The ratio of brisket to tendon was probably 10 to 1 meaning that there was only one piece of tendon in my bowl! More tendon would be nice.

This fried cutlet pork chop was pretty delicious with its crunchy shell and tender meat. No need to wait in line at Aberdeen's Saboten for good pork chop!

Overall, I will be visiting again for the inexpensive bubble tea and to try the different snacks!

Totoro Cafe in December opens at 7:00pm and we were one of two tables in the restaurant at 7:30pm. It does not have great ratings on Urbanspoon and the name of this restaurant has been around for eight years. However, around two months ago Totoro Cafe changed owners so the previous reviews were based on a different management. 

The decor of the restaurant was colourful with cats everywhere. There were tables along the wall and couches for larger groups.

We ordered a Pork Floss and Seaweed Waffle which was pretty soft whereas I enjoy my waffles with a bit more crunch on the outside. All the plates and cups we used had cats on them!

This thick toast does not look as delicious as the waffle but it was! It was hot with a layer of butter and sugar baked on top.

The Chicken Gyoza was evidently bought from the store and not self made so they were just the typical ones you can find in the freezer section.

I really liked the cat mug that contained my hot Ovaltine with Pearls. I appreciated the amount of pearls that the drink came with because I love chewing them on their own.

Below is another photo of the cute cup and teapot that this restaurant is full of! I think Totoro Cafe's decor and cat decorations outshines it's menu items. The food and drinks served here can be found at many bubble tea restaurants but if you appreciate cute decorations then it is worth a visit!

You can't tell in the following photo but coincidentally I was wearing my cat paw earrings when I ate at this cat decor filled restaurant!

In the Le Riz post I mentioned that I originally wanted to try out What8ver and a few days later I did! It was a Tuesday night but the small restaurant was almost fully seated. We had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. Although it was not busy in the restaurant and it was fully staffed with at least four people, the service was slow. 

On recommendation by a friend I tried the Passion Fruit Cream drink which tasted exactly like the one I got at Nikkoffee before it closed down. The white layer is a frothy, sweet cream and the bottom is just tea. I liked it as an alternative to the usual bubble tea.

Finally I have my own infamous toast box photos! When What8ver first opened and these photos were all over my Facebook news feed, I really wanted my own photos.

We ordered the Strawberry Toast Box complete with strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries, and butter blended with sugar (yellow swirls).

Taiwan is known for its toast boxes and my Taiwanese friend told me that the ones at What8ver taste even better than the famous one in Taiwan! The inside is filled with nine strips of bread each dusted with a layer of sugar then toasted individually before being assembled back into the box. This is definitely a dessert but it is not as sweet as it might look in photos.

Overall I do recommend trying this out despite the slow service. Just remember to go on a weekday and not during busy hours because we tried to call ahead of time to make reservations and they did not pick up the phone.