Long's Noodle House

After a few days of sushi cleanse, I had a huge craving for oily Chinese food. So I decided that Long's Noodle House can definitely satisfy my cravings. It was only 6pm when I got home from work; if we speed there now, we might not need to wait for a table. We dashed there, found a nice close parking spot, and went inside. Half the restaurant was full already. The two large tables were reserved. Fortunately, a small table cleared up and we were seated right away.

Long's Noodle House is a small family owned restaurant. The front end is single handedly operated by the female owner. She is the host/waitress/server of the restaurant. Very personable and have a great sense of humor. She treats all her customers like a regular and constantly make hilarious remarks.

Wine Chicken ($7.95)
Comes in this cute Asian style wine container. It is primarily the drumstick of a chicken that is sliced and drenched in Chinese "fa diu wine". The container is filled all the way to the bottom. I really enjoy the wine chicken at Long's Noodle House because the wine taste is not as pungent as elsewhere, but you can still taste it.

Hot and Sour Soup ($6.95)
Very tasty, not as hot and sour as most places. Mild in flavour. Lots of ingredients, definitely not cheaping out. Great portion for the price

Steamed Mini Pork Buns ($5.50)
Also known as: Siu Long Bao, my favourite! These steamed mini pork buns are filled with juicy soup. Be careful when picking them up with your chopsticks, if you make a hole, the soup will spill everywhere! When I poured the soup out, it filled up my soup spoon, and you can see that the liquid is nice and clear - not oily at all. The meat inside was really fresh tonight, it was surprisingly not frozen! Recommended by Hippo!!

Beef Rolls ($5.95)
In my opinion, one of the best in Vancouver. The pancake is soft and chewy - not hard and dry, like the ones you find in bubble tea restaurants. The thin slice of beef is tender and has a perfect complement of sauce wrapped in the roll. Only con with this roll is that each end of the roll does not have enough sauce, so it tends to be more bland at the ends. Otherwise, it is a very tasty and flavourful dish. Highly recommended if you are a beef roll person!

Overall, a great place to grab some Shanghai food in Vancouver. Although this is a noodle house, we actually did not order any noodle this time. The four dishes we ordered was perfect for two people for dinner. We do look forward in making another trip just for the noodles!

Location: On Main Street, north of East 33rd Avenue. You can find parking along Main Street. Always call ahead to make reservations. There was a wait / line up when we were there, and it was just a Monday. Please note: they are closed on Tuesdays.

Food: Fresh and delicious. Every dish we order was very good. No disappointments.
Service: Wonderful personable owner.
Price: The total came to $30 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Yes.

- Hippo


Long's Noodle House 小龍記麵家
4853 Main Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-879-7879

Mega Sushi

Another rainy, lazy Sunday for me. Meko and I had great intentions to spend the afternoon at the Home and Garden Show, but the rain deterred me from downtown. Instead, we headed to Point Roberts to pick up a package. And since we are in the Tsawwassen/Delta area, I recall a Japanese restaurant I really wanted to try - Maguro Sushi. When we got there, we found out they were closed on Sundays. Although slightly disappointed, I thought of Plan B - Mega Sushi. I have always wanted to bring Meko to this Japanese restaurant in Steveston, so this is finally my chance!

For those who do not live in the Steveston area, you may never come across Mega Sushi, as it is tucked away in the residential part of Steveson. Their clientele is definitely catered towards the Steveston neighbourhood. They have as many take outs as there are people dining in.

Green Tea: I love the strong rice flavour.
Very cute with the heavy teapot and mini tea cups.

Toro Sashimi: 6 pieces ($9.95)
Meko was disappointed. It was above average portion, but a poor cut of the toro. We knew the price was too good to be true. Not recommended.

Canucks Roll: avocado, cucumber, crab meat in a roll with torched salmon with three sauces and fish flakes ($10.95)
Very scrumptious. Generous portion. The salmon they used is actually wild salmon and is torched to perfection. Flavour was amazingly delicious - great job at the combination of stuffings and toppings. Recommended by Hippo!

Dragon Roll: avocado, cucumber, crab meat in a roll with whole grilled BBQ eel ($14.95)
This is one of the best dragon rolls I have had. Did you know Hippo considers herself a "Dragon Roll / Caterpillar Roll" connoisseur? I travel everywhere in search of the perfect dragon roll!! Anyways, this roll was awesome. When they said a whole grilled BBQ eel, they weren't joking. They did not cheap out on the unagi (BBQ eel) at all. Not only was it a thick piece, the flavour and quality of the unagi was superb! Only thing I want to change is that I prefer more avocado in the roll; but other than that, this is rank pretty high on my specialty roll list. Recommended by Hippo!

Spicy Tuna Roll ($3.95)
Their specialty rolls completely outshined their regular rolls. This was actually good. Large pieces of fresh tuna, drizzled with spicy sauce and spicy mayo. Although, I rather fill my belly with the specialty rolls first.

Interior of Mega Sushi

Overall, I was really impressed with both specialty rolls that we ordered. If I lived closer, I will definitely be back more often. Nonetheless, I will drive out there just to enjoy the amazing rolls again, and of course, to enjoy the scenic Steveston village. Mega Sushi is highly recommended by Hippo!

Location: On the corner of Chatham Street and Sixth Avenue. Best way to get here is to head south on No. 1 Road, right on Chatham Street, and continuing driving down past the business area and towards the residential area. There are 5 parking spots at the front and 7 parking spots at the side. You can always park on the street. They are closed Mondays. Side note: Mega Sushi Richmond and Mega Sushi Coquitlam has different owners. Hence, they are actually different.

Sock Monkey in their ladies washroom!

Food: Mega Sushi has a excellent value, but not the cheapest. Their specialty rolls are a must try.
Service: Standard.
Price: The total came to $45 with tax for two people.
Recommended? I love this place.

- Hippo


Mega Sushi Richmond
#100 - 3131 Chatham Street
Richmond, B.C.
Phone: 604-447-0773

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Four words: Best Ramen in Vancouver! Whenever I crave ramen, I think about Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. From the delicious broth to the unforgettable toroniku, it keeps you wanting more. As of today, I've been to a few of the ramen shops in downtown. As for the Robson Street and West End area, I will rank my ramen satisfaction in the following order:

1. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
2. Motomachi Shokudo Ramen
3. Kintaro Ramen
4. Benkei Ramen

*I will soon write a review on each of the them explaining why I gave them the corresponding rankings.

Anyways, back to Santouka Ramen. You will almost always have to line up. I have been there countless of times and every single time, there is a wait. The worse time to go will be from 7pm to 9pm. Try to go before every gets off work or a weekday. When you step into this ramen shop, there is a communal table that seats approximately 15 people. This time, I went with a group of 4. We were quite lucky as we were seated in the inner dining room with our own table.

The service was quite speedy. Moments after ordering, here's what was on the table:

Miso Tokusen Toroniku Ramen ($14.50)
I absolutely loved this. You have a choice of Shio, Shoyu, and Miso flavour. The miso broth was amazing; flavourful but not salty. The ramen noodles were cooked perfectly - not too soft, not too chewy. And I love the fact they serve the toppings on the side so you can add to your liking. I personally don't like green onion, so I didn't put all of them in. Lastly, the toroniku... it was to die for. Every person who enjoy ramen needs to try this at least once in their life! So what is this toroniku cha-shu? Well, it essentially pork jowl - the lower part of the cheek. It has a very rich flavour due to the high content of marble fat. I like to dip it in my miso broth then let it melt in my mouth. Recommended by Hippo!!

Tsuke Men: soy sauce flavour ($11.45)
Meko wanted to try this. The cold noodles are on a separate dish because it is meant to be dipped in the soup broth, then consumed. I thought the portion looked enormous and it was. The noodle is twice the amount of a regular ramen order. Meko really liked it. He was really bloated after finishing it. Although, I did share some of my delicious toroniku with him.

You only live once, so please try the Tokusen Toroniku Ramen! Both the toroniku and the ramen noodle itself was great! Absolutely fell in love after my first few bites. The only cons about this place is the long line up it can have at times. The waitresses do try their best to accommodate the seating of each party, but with the small spacing, it can be difficult to satisfy everyone.

Location: In downtown west end - on Robson Street, off Bidwell Street. There is paid street meter parking on Robson. Very rarely do you find the free 2 hour parking spots.

Food: Outstanding! A 10/10 for the food we order!
Service: Industry standard. Most Japanese ramen shop have friendly waitresses.
Price: The total came to $59 with tax for four people.
Will I come back? Yes! Highly recommended!

- Hippo


Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 山頭火
1690 Robson Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-681-8121

Haroo Homestyle Korean

This little cute Korean restaurant is tucked in the corner on the top floor of a building in Richmond. Easily missed, as the front of the restaurant is only a door for entrance. But when I found it, the interior design really impressed me. From a shabby building, you enter a cozy and warm Korean house. It feels like going to grandmother's home, very sweet atmosphere. The man who I believe is the owner, is very friendly and welcoming. You are seated and immediately served with a big pot of tea. For tea lovers, I definitely recommend coming here for the tea! It is no charge, but very delicious. Their tea is light with a strong rice flavour. Calming, and not bitter nor pungent.

Shortly after, we were provided with complementary appetizers. A small salad to share, two bowls of congee, and a small dish of flavourful fish to pair with the congee. The owner explained to us this is the traditional Korean starting dish.

We were then served the Korean side dishes. Each very tasty! And great portion size for two.

Tteokbokki: korean rice cake with meat and vegetables in spicy sauce ($13.95)
Great flavours! Spicy, but not overwhelmingly destroying your taste buds. I really enjoy the sweet spicy sauce, very addicting. I usually can't eat spicy, but these rice cakes were really good!

Seafood Fried Udong: udon noodles with seafood and vegetables ($9.95)
Lots of small seafood pieces mixed in the udon. Sauce does not taste like msg and had a subtle hint of seafood flavour. However, I found it a little too moist. It still tasted really good nonetheless.

Overall, it was a great experience. From the superb service to the home-style decor, I will definitely return to Haroo Korean for another delicious meal. I look forward to trying other items on their menu and leave another foodprint!

Location: On Alexandra Road, off Kwantlen Street. On the second floor, near the elevator. There is parking the second floor. Please note that the parking lot is usually packed, it may take a while to find a parking spot.

Food: Very yummy! Recommended by Hippo!
Service: Fantastic. Very welcoming staff.
Price: The total came to $27 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Definitely.

- Hippo


Haroo Homestyle Korean
2nd Floor - 8580 Alexandra Road
Richmond, B.C.
Phone: 604-284-5596

Suika

It is double date night! My bestie with her boyfriend along with Meko and I met up at Suika Snackbar in Kitsilano for some food and drinks. As we all grow older, we started to drift away from the clubbing scene and began to enjoy each other's company with tapas and alcoholic beverages. Suika is the perfect place to hang out and grab a bite!

With a house full of a Japanese staff, you get the true experience of an izakaya restaurant. From the welcoming shouts by all the waiters and chefs, to the speedy way of communication by yelling to the chefs as you order. I personally love it. It gives a close-knit friendly feeling.

Suika's Special - Oysters: royal miyagi ($19.80 per 12 pc)
Very tasty!

My Ebi Mayo: deep fried cilantro battered tiger prawns with chili mayo ($7.80)
I enjoy the huge prawns.

Deluxe Suika Box: deluxe appetizer box, nine kinds ($10)
When we ordered this, we realize that it is hard to share. Lots of vegetables for a healthy snack.

Suika's Special - Assorted Aburi Nigiri: lightly seared and dressed with savoury sauce
Really good!

Suika's Special - Toro Battera: lightly seared pressed fatty tuna sushi with seaweed sauce and sesame soy dressing ($12)
This is Meko's favourite! A delectable pressed sushi - it was very flavourful and delicious.

Suika's Special - Salmon Carpaccio: thinly sliced sockeye salmon with sesame soy dressing, yuzu zest, garlic chips, and wasabi mayo ($7.80)
Recommended.

Earl Grey Tea Creme Brulee ($4.80)
I love Earl Grey, and this was amazing.

Matcha Creme Brulee: frozen matcha creme brulee with fresh whipped cream and red bean sauce ($4.80)
This was surprisingly good! Must order!

Strawberry Soda - left: fresh strawberry, vodka, 7up, soda, and lime ($6.50)
Suika Soda - right: vodka, fresh watermelon puree, calpico, soda, and lime  ($7.00)
All their drinks are really, really good! I recommend all of them! Especially their Suika Soda! I mean, they are called "Suika", which means watermelon, for a reason. Side note: Meko actually prefers my Suika cocktail over his beer :)

Overall, a great place to hang out with friends.  Like a traditional izakaya restaurant, the food portions are all very small, as it is meant to be accompanied by drinks. So be prepared to order more beer to fill your stomach up!

Location: On West Broadway, off Fir Street. We paid meter parking on Fir Street. However, my friends mentioned to me that there are free parking if you are willing to walk further.

Food: The food all tasted excellent and the drinks were very well made!
Service: Good. They bring out each dish one at a time, so as you finish one, you start on the next.
Price: The total came to $145 with tax for four people. This includes alcohol.
Recommended? Yes! Perfect for casual dining with friends.

- Hippo


Suika Snackbar
1626 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-730-1678

Yo Sushi

So I am slowly running out of places to grab sushi. But Meko still managed to surprise me with this newly opened sushi restaurant in North Burnaby. What use to be Bombay Bhel / Bombay Beat Indian Cuisine is now Yo Sushi! The dining area of this restaurant is quite large and spacious. The two of us was seated in a booth that can fit 6-8 people. Everything is newly renovated, so the seating is very comfortable.

Salmon Nigiri and Toro Nigiri
Tasted average. The salmon and toro pieces appear large, but it is actually thinly sliced. Overall, the fish quality was average and the rice was a bit too sticky.

Black Dragon Roll: prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado topped with BBQ eel and unagi sauce ($11.95)
I think this roll can taste better. The unagi did not have much flavour, so most of the flavour of this roll was derived from the sauce. There also was very little avocado in the center. Adding more will definitely improve the roll.

Red Dragon Roll: prawn tempura, crab meat, cucumber topped with spicy tuna, crumbs and spicy sauce ($9.95)
This roll was surprisingly good! There were two pieces of prawn tempura that was fresh and meaty. It was topped with a generous amount of spicy tuna with spicy mayo! The tempura crunch was a very nice addition. Very delicious! Recommended by Hippo.

Yaki Udon: thick white wheat noodles with chicken ($8.95)
Well made, great flavours. No complaints :)

Overall, I think Yo Sushi has potential for growth, but definitely need improvement in some of their dishes. They are still new, so hopefully they will make some changes in the near future and be successful. Quite a decent sushi place for the neighbourhood.

Location: In North Burnaby, on Hastings Street and Madison Avenue. You can park on Hastings after 6pm. There is also street and lot parking on Madison. Should not be a problem on a weeknight, may have a little more trouble during weekends, as Anton's is just next door.

Food: Currently average, need some improvements.
Service: Great. Very pleasant staff members.
Price: The total came to $43 with tax for two people.
Recommended? If you are in the area and is craving sushi, then definitely. But there are a lot more options when you head towards Vancouver and the Downtown area.

- Hippo


Yo Sushi
4266 Hastings Street
Burnaby, B.C.
Phone: 604-299-2500

The Cannibal Cafe

Step into a 60's rock 'n' roll diner at The Cannibal Cafe. We were welcome by a friendly waitress who told us we were welcome to sit wherever we like. So we wandered to the back of the restaurant. Very neat decore all over the walls. Totally hipster. We enjoyed the fact they were playing Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles on TV. Haven't watched that in ages!

This burger joint features a "Build Your Own Burger" and also have a wide selection in their House Specialty Burgers. For $13.95, there are choices of Montreal Smoked Meat, Vegetarian, Farmhouse Turkey, Local Salmon, and even Korean BBQ! However, this time we both opt for the classic burger.

Build Your Own Burger: dill pickle, sliced fresh tomato, onion, iceberg lettuce, house ketchup, stone ground mustard, and mayonnaise ($9.95)
You also have a choice of patty: Two 3oz Patties OR One 6oz Patty.
I opt for the one 6oz patty, cooked at medium. The two 3oz patties are only cooked in medium-well. We found that the one 6oz patty was a little dry. Perhaps it was because the meat was so thick. The two 3oz patties was quite tasty though.
Note: toppings are additional. We each added American Cheddar for $0.75. Definitely worth it to add cheese to the burgers.

Each burger comes with a side of hand cut fries and a small fresh salad. This is quite nice, since most places require an extra charge for salad. The fries were great. The salad had a bit too much oily dressing.

My first few bites! You can see how thick the burger patty is.

And of course, we had to order milkshakes! Hard to tell from the photo, but we ordered a Chocolate Milkshake and a Strawberry Milkshake ($4.99/each). Both decent. Not too sweet, a little too creamy.

Location: On Commercial Drive and 2nd Avenue. There is paid parking on Commercial Drive.

Food: The burgers were average. Does not really stand out from other burger joints. I will suggest the double patties over the single.
Service: Good. Friendly and talkative.
Price: The total came to $35 with tax for two people.
Recommended? It is alright, quite pricey. So probably not. 2.5/5

- Hippo


The Cannibal Cafe
1818 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-558-4199

Fable Kitchen

Happy Birthday Meko ❤ I wish you all the best this upcoming year! I realize that every year I always have a difficult time selecting a restaurant for his birthday dinner. I personally dislike restaurants that participate in DineOut Vancouver; they always undermine their service and overprice their food during this event. So after considering over a dozen options, I finally narrowed it down to Fable Kitchen!

It was a great surprise, Meko had no idea where we were going. Parking was hard to find though, especially with all the construction on 4th Avenue. Anyways, when we got to Fable Kitchen, there was a line up! Good thing I made reservations early, so we were seated right away. When you get inside the restaurant, you are welcomed by an open kitchen, where the staff cooks right in front of you. There is a bar-style area that over looks the cooking surfaces. In the back, there is a cozy small dining room - dimly lit. Perfect for a date.

For those who don't know, Fable is a farm-to-table concept by Canada's Top Chef: Trevor Bird. He is passionate about fresh food and knowing his farmers to obtain full knowledge about the ingredients he is using in his recipes. By knowing the source, you will know the quality and freshness.

Pork Croquettes: gribiche mayonnaise and pickled onion (part of $35 pre-fixe menu)
This was delicious. It was amazing!! Everything from the flavour of the sauce to the crisp of the croquette. The pork was surprisingly not dry. I loved it. Recommended by Hippo!

Canned Tuna: albacore tuna, lemon, potato nugget ($12)
This appetizer is a feature of the restaurant. Cooked in a sealed jar and served with crostini. Tuna had a nice soft texture. Be sure to give the canned tuna a good stir, but do NOT puree it! This is like a high class canned tuna. Definitely not like the dried out ones you buy at the grocery store.

Roasted Ling Cod: winter vegetables, black bean glaze, mussels, miso ($26)
Meko enjoyed this. I was actually worried about this, since usually with fishes, it is a hit or a miss. Roasting can also over dry the fish. But in this case, it is a hit! Very light dish, but still flavourful with the sauce.

Beef Braised Stiletto: spaetizle, winter vegetables, mushroom puree (part of $35 pre-fixe menu)
Generous portion of beef. Great flavours, not too salty as compared to other places. The spaetzle was great - if you like gnocchi, you will love this! But my favourite part is actually the mushroom puree. However, it is just another beef braised dish, just a lower sodium version.

Gorgonzola Cheesecake: caramelized pears (part of $35 pre-fixe menu)
Who loves Cheesecake as much as I do? This is so exquisitely different and amazing. Not the traditional cheesecake. The gorgonzola cheese make its more savoury. Paired with mascarpone and caramelized pears as the sweetener. Very heavy and rich when eaten alone. Great to share with a friend.

Overall, Fable gave us a very nice dining experience. Our waitress was always present for our needs. Each of the staff was also very knowledgeable when we had questions.`I just found that our table was too small, as I always have to put my camera and cellphone somewhere.

Interior of Fable Kitchen

Location: In Kitsilano, West 4th Avenue and Burrard Street area. Currently undergoing construction, so it is heavy traffic during rush hours. There is paid parking along 4th Avenue - I believe $1 for 40 minutes (will update when I confirm).

Food: Entree was very typical, just less salty compared to other restaurants. Highlights were the appetizers and dessert! The 'from farm-to-table' concept would be nice if they educate the diners more on it.
Service: Excellent. Definitely recommended for special occasions and casual dates. Not a formal, fine dining kind of restaurant, but very nice ambiance. Note: reservations recommended. We went on a weekday and people had to wait for a table.
Price: The total came to $97 with tax for two people. This included an alcoholic drink.
Recommended? Yes!

- Hippo


Fable Kitchen
1944 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-722-1322