Bob's Submarine Sandwiches

Wow. Bob's Submarine Sandwiches is the perfect place for a carnivore! Unlike most healthy sandwiches joint, Bob's Submarine is a meat eater's heaven. For example, Subway features a large piece of bread and focuses on the add-on fresh vegetables. The meaty ingredient is often the more expensive component of a sandwich. Bob's Submarine managed to overflow the sandwich with delicious meat for a very reasonable price.

Please note that the sandwiches are huge! I definitely recommend sharing with a friend. I will probably not devour a 12" submarine sandwich all to myself, despite how delicious it is. My stomach will not be happy with the overwhelming amount of meat they include. We purchased two submarines, 6" and 12". We were only able to finish the 12" and we both felt stuffed and satisfied. It does get quite messy after a couple of bites. I am glad we got take out and I can happily enjoy this at home with my fork and knife.

Pepperoni and Salami 6" Submarine ($4.90)
Vegetable toppings include: lettuce, tomato, mushroom, caramelized onion, and cheese. As you notice from the photo, the quantity of meat they used is monstrous. The pepperoni and salami is very tasty, although it may get a little salty when too much is devoured. It is tender and moist - cooked just right. Very satisfied. Recommended by Hippo!

Super Sub 12" Submarine: salami, pepperoni, capicolla, steak ($11.80)
Another one of their hot submarine sandwiches, topped with the same vegetables as the previous one. This one has all their variety of meat. We actually found the steak slices too dry and lacking flavour. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it, as it complemented the salty salami and pepperoni. My sandwich actually began to fall apart after my first few bites. Prepare to get your hands greasy and eat like an animal! There is no getting out of it, no matter how neat you are. 

Each 6" sub is approximately $4-$6. Each 12" sub is approximately $8-12. Very cheap for the quality and quantity you are receiving. Plus, it flows quite well with my attempt on a low carb diet (which can be difficult, I love bread and rice too much!). Forget Subway; I am going to always head to Bob's Submarine Sandwiches for delicious, fresh, and cheap sandwiches!

Location: On Cook Road and No. 3 Road. In the plaza across from Richmond Center. A couple minutes away from the Brighouse Canada Line Station. There is parking in front of the restaurant.

Food: Very good for the price paid. Quality and quantity both achieved. Note: eating may be very messy!
Service: N/A. We ordered take out. Meko noticed they were all Korean, not sure if that matters.
Price: We spent a total of $16 including tax for two people.
Recommended? I really enjoyed this cheap eat place! I will be trying their breakfast sandwiches on my next visit.

- Hippo


Bob's Submarine Sandwiches
6390 No. 3 Road
Richmond, B.C.
Phone: 604-273-6710

La Belle Patate

It is a casual Saturday night, just chilling with the boys. Of course, these bottomless pit guys are always starving. So at like 1 am, someone thought it was a great idea to consume some carbs and fatten ourselves up with some poutine. "Did you know La Belle Patate directly translates into the beautiful potato?" is the first thing Panda said to me when he suggested heading downtown for a late night snack.

Honestly, I have yet to dine at a specialty poutine restaurant. Does New York Fries count? Probably not. La Belle Patate serves authentic Quebecois cuisine. I was half excited and half worried that I will turn to a big pieces of fat the next morning. Nonetheless, I am always down for food - despite the time and place. Knowing that it is almost 2 am, I most definitely will not be finishing a whole plate of poutine to myself. I opt to share with my friend and asked him to surprise me.

La Belle Poutine: smoked meat, beef ($12)
There are two options for sizes with this specialty poutine (medium or large). I believe this is a large size. My goodness, it was HUGE. It was packed with fries in the bottom mixed with gravy. Then topped with cheese curds, smoked meat, and beef. It was so good! The smoked meat was delicious. The fries were fresh and crunchy. The gravy tasted fantastic! I personally prefer melted cheese, but cheese curd is the way to go for poutine. Very impressed!

The rest of the guys each ordered their own poutine.

If mine was large, I assume this is the medium size. This is in those container you find for most take out Chinese restaurants. It is massive and one of my friends actually finished it. He felt so disgusted when I showed him a picture of what he ate the next day! I liked how they serve it in a takeout container, since most people usually can not finish it in one sitting. Another one of my friends ate a few bites and packed it home. He microwaved the poutine the next day and said it still tasted great.

Location: On Davies Street, between Bute Street and Jervis Street. There are paid meter parking on Davies Street. I like the fact that it opens late every night.

Food: Great poutine. For the price you are paying, you are actually getting quality food. Unlike the junk you receive in fast food chains. I suggest sharing.
Service: Very quick. Despite being served in a take out container, they came out to our table and asked whether there is anything we needed.
Price: Approximately $6 to $13.50 for a poutine.
Recommended? Yes! I look forward to try their Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich on my next visit.

- Hippo


La Belle Patate
1215 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-569-1215

Motomachi Shokudo Ramen

On this beautiful sunny day, I thought it will be the perfect day to force Meko to go downtown for some shopping! I usually dislike heading downtown, due to the inconvenience of parking spots. But of course, there only two things that will bring me to downtown: Ramen and Holt Renfrew. Which both requirements were satisfied today. Yay! Our first stop was Pacific Centre. Then around 1:30pm, we walked to Waffles and Berries for a snack. When we got there, we found out they sold out of waffles for the day. Slightly angry and immensely hungry, I suggested Motomachi Shokudo for some ramen!! It's been a while since we have been there; I needed a refresher before I write this blog post.

Exterior of Motomachi Shokudo

Inerior of Motomachi Shokudo

As Meko and I walked down Robson Street, we passed by Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, which had a short line up. And Kintaro Ramen had a long line up as usual. The line up is one of the reason why I prefer Motomachi Shokudo. You don't need to wait in the freezing cold first for a very tasty bowl of ramen at a good price! The current hype for ramen in Vancouver is Santouka Ramen and Kintaro Ramen, whereas Motomachi Shokudo is not as well-known. It is tucked closer to Alberni Street, so most people will not walk pass it unless you are heading to Stanley Park.

Motomachi Shokudo feature ramen with a lighter broth. It is not as thick and rich as the ones you will find in Kintaro Ramen. Even the "light" ramen in Kintaro Ramen is comparatively more rich. This is because Kintaro Ramen's broth is all pork based. The broth in the ramen of Motomachi Shokudo is actually chicken based. Pork is generally fatter and create a richer and more flavourful taste in soups. The usage of chicken is healthier, as it is not as fattening.

New Generation Miso Ramen ($9.45)
Blend of four types of miso. This bowl of miso ramen is topped with Japanese leek, green onion, bamboo shoots, corn, a lot (I mean A LOT) of bean sprout, and a single piece of cha-shu. The noodles has a good chewy bounce to it. The broth itself is flavourful, yet not heavily greasy.

Extra Cha-Shu Miso Ramen ($11.45)
Cha-shu is BBQ pork. Very reasonably priced. For $2 more, you are getting 4 extra pieces of cha-shu (shoulder and back rib) and seaweed. I actually like the cha-shu from Motomachi Shokudo the most when comparing with other ramen shops (excludes toroniku from Santouka Ramen). It has a better marble blend of lean meat and fat, hence it is not too dry and not too overwhelmingly fatty in certain bites.

Light Miso Broth Ramen

Recall my previous post. For the Robson Street and West End area, I ranked my ramen satisfaction in the following order:

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

Santouka Ramen has my number one vote because of the delicious melt-in-your-mouth toroniku (pork cheeks) and tasty pork broth. However, their regular cha-shu is actually inferior when comparing it to Motomachi Shokudo's cha-shu. If I only had $10 to spend on a bowl of ramen, I will head over to Motomachi Shokudo. Otherwise, a bowl of Tokusen Toroniku Ramen will make me very happy, costing $15. I personally find Kintaro Ramen a bit too rich and greasy for my taste, but I do have my occasional craving for their yummy Cheese Ramen! It is all personal preference, so leave a comment stating which is your favourite ramen shop :)

Extra charge for green tea.

Location: On Denman Street and Alberni Street. Just a few stores north of Kintaro Ramen. Generally has a short line up (approximately 15 minutes). The whole store only seats 18 people. Please note: they only accept cash and debit. There is also a $1 charge for green tea.

Food: Delish light ramen that is a healthier-option. Cha-shu is very good.
Service: The waitresses were not very attentive. However, the kitchen was speedy; we received our ramen shortly after ordering.
Price: We spent a total of $26 with tax for an afternoon lunch snack.
Recommended? Yes! Read above regarding my comparison of downtown ramen shops.

- Hippo


Motomachi Shokudo 元町食堂
740 Denman Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-609-0310

Hawker's Delight

Hawker's Delight has got to be the cheapest Asian fast food restaurant in Vancouver. At $5.40 per plate, not even the regular meals at McDonald's can beat that. This restaurant is quite shabby looking, but have caught attention of many Vancouverites due to their solid cheap food. You order the food with the cashier at the counter in the back, take a number, and grab a table. There are not much table space and it is generally quite cramped with the in / out flow of people ordering food and grabbing take out.

When we stepped inside, Meko's friends immediately spotted us. Coincidentally, this couple is always at every restaurant that Meko and I head to! While they were chatting away, I have settled my heart on Hainese Chicken. Meko's friend suggested us to try #11: Mee Siam. They also recommended us to try the vegetable fritter, so we grab those too. The lady at the counter has poor command of English, but was very friendly. From the counter window, we can look right into the kitchen.

Vegetable Fritter ($1.15 per two pieces)
The vegetable fritter was pre-fried and was under a heat lamp ready to be served immediately. A sauce, similar to fish sauce, was drizzled over the crunchy fritters. I took a few pictures and consumed it right away before it got too soggy. It was actually pretty good. The best I can describe it would be a deep fried dough batter with vegetable pieces. Very reasonably priced, I will order again.

Hainanese Chicken ($5.90)
Very generous portion. The chicken itself is average - moist-dry texture, not much chicken flavour. The rice however, was really good. A large bowl of delicious oily rice went well with the chicken. The dish is accompanied by a dip that was very tasty; you do not need to add much for a nice strong sweet and sour flavour. I have had better Hainanese Chicken elsewhere, but I can't complain much for the price I am paying.

Mee Siam ($5.40)
This dish consists of thin rice noodles in a spicy, sweet, and sour sauce. I found the tamarind flavour too tart for my taste, but Meko said it was not bad. There is no meat in Mee Siam, only a boiled egg. It does not look like much food, but Meko claims he is full from the noodles. Ultimately, we both prefer the Hainanese Chicken over the Mee Siam.

The last time I visited Hawker's Delight was well over 3 years ago. I actually wasn't very fond of the food during my last visit. Perhaps the flavour of the cooking has an authentic flare that is not well suited with my taste bud. We did not particularly enjoyed it as much as our friends.

Location: On Main Street, south of East King Edward Avenue. There is paid meter parking on Main Street for $1 per hour. When we drove down the street, we did see someone checking the parking meter. It was also a Tuesday when we visited the restaurant. Usually free parking after 6pm if you are willing to park further.

Food: Below average, but it is reflected upon the price paid.
Service: Friendly. They brought the food out to the table when you dine in.
Price: Cheap. The total came to $14 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Food does not suit my taste buds.

- Hippo


Hawker's Delight
4127 Main Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-709-8188

Sushi Nanaimo

So it is another Tuesday night, Meko and I were just debating where to head for dinner. I suggested an inexpensive place, since I just order some snowboarding gears. Meko was really craving sushi, though he insisted that we will both be poisoned by mercury one day from our high level of raw fish consumption... I hope not... haha. I simply love sashimi too much!!

One of our favourite cheap eats is Sushi Nanaimo! Great service and great food. Perfect spot to get our daily fixtures of large pieces of sashimi, california rolls, etc. I think this place is very comparable to Sushi Garden. But I personally prefer Sushi Nanaimo for dinner since the wait time is less and it is easier to find parking.

Salmon Sashimi, 9 pieces ($8.95)
Mmmm... your classic quantity over quality sashimi! I don't always eat expensive, I still enjoy my cheap sushi eats.

California Roll ($2.95)
They have used a good amount of mayo. I enjoyed it.

Spicy Chopped Scallop Roll ($3.75)
It was alright, but not my favourite roll. Not very fresh.

Yaki Udon, panned fried with beef and vegetable ($7.95)
Very good flavour. Their yaki udon is more moist than other places. They don't cheap out, there is a lot of beef and green onion. But I love my carbs. I ended giving most my beef to Meko and ate most of the udon.

Location: Nanaimo Street and Hastings Street. There is a bus stop right in front of the restaurant. For those who are driving, there are parking on Nanaimo Street. Be careful of the no parking times. Note: they are closed between lunch and dinner.

Food: Solid, cheap sushi eat.
Service: Excellent. Every time I leave the restaurant, one of the waitresses always held the door for me and thanked me for coming in.
Price: The total came to $26 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Great for a quick, cheap dinner. I am almost a regular here. We visit this restaurant at least twice a month. Great to dine in and take out.

- Hippo


Sushi Nanaimo
350 Nanaimo Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-876-9200