Lucky Joy BBQ

It is time for our annual Alaskan King Crab family dinner! Of course, being in the industry, Daddy Lam always know the best place to go for a top notch dinner with great value. We held our AKC family dinner at Lucky Joy BBQ Chinese Restaurant last year and it was amazing. The fresh king crab still lingers in my memory since. Definitely excited to share a whole king crab for the six of us!

Last year, we had a 13.7 pound king crab, 3 entree dishes, and a dessert. It was definitely way too much food. We had to pack most of the entree dishes to go. This year, we decided to focus our dinner mostly on the king crab. We will be having it cooked three ways: steamed, fried, and baked with rice.

Starter Soup
Average clear soup served in Chinese restaurant.

Our Alaska King Crab this year is 12.2 pounds!

King Crab 3-Way: steamed king crab legs
The legs of the king crab are opened and steamed to perfection! It is topped with fried garlic and green onion. I love garlic and this was really good! It is not overwhelmed with pungent garlic flavour; you can definitely taste the fresh sweet juicy flavour of the king crab.

King Crab 3-Way: salty-peppery fried king crab
Light salty-peppery batter on pieces of king crab. Very delicious. Despite it being deep fried, the batter does not overpower the fresh sweet taste of the king crab meat itself. My parents actually found the fried king crab to be cooked better.

King Crab 3-Way: baked king crab pieces over rice
The remaining pieces of the king crab is mixed with a curry sauce and baked over rice in the shell of the king crab. Great presentation and great taste too!

Fresh Noodles: 'sang mein' cooked with the king crab broth
When we finish devouring the steamed king crab, there are king crab broth/liquid that leaked from the legs. Often, people will cook it in noodles for the fresh king crab taste. We choose to cook it in two fresh noodles (sang mein). Slightly too much flavour, we should have cooked it in three fresh noodles.

Seasonal Vegetable: garlic 'gai lan'
After a hearty king crab meal, we definitely need some vegetable in our diet. We ordered garlic 'gai lan' as our final dish. I enjoyed it, as it was not overly salty like most other Chinese restaurants.

We were all very satisfied with Lucky Joy BBQ Chinese Restaurant. Especially if Daddy Lam is satisfied, it is a good indication of quality food. Definitely a restaurant I will recommend for an Alaskan King Crab dinner. This time, we ordered the right amount of food for 6 people! If you are coming with a party of 10, I will suggest getting a 14 pound king crab and 3 entree dishes. The 3 entree dishes includes dessert in the end as well.

Food: My whole family loved it! Great flavours.
Service: Not much service provided. We had to ask for our dishes to be exchanged and to have our tea topped up.
Price: The total came to $290 with tax for six people.
Recommended? Highly recommended for Alaskan King Crab.

- Hippo


Lucky Joy BBQ Restaurant
11780 Thorpe Road
Richmond, B.C.
Phone: 604-303-8172

Tung Hing Bakery

If you walk down Kingsway in Vancouver, it is a strip of Vietnamese and Banh Mi heaven. We were in the area and I suddenly started craving for a Banh Mi snack. Of course, we were traveling in the wrong direction, so Meko made a quick U-turn and stopped at Tung Hing Bakery. When we got there, they actually ran out of bread. This was actually a good thing! They started to bake fresh bread in the oven. We had to wait for 15 minutes for the buns to be done. And it was definitely well worth the wait. Nothing can compare to a delicious-fresh-out-of-the-oven sandwich bun!

Within the 15 minute we have been standing and waiting. A line up actually started to form behind us. It may be deceptive when you walk into this empty bakery, but Tung Hing is actually a high traffic bakery. The service is quick with customers stepping in and out.

Tung Hing Bakery features Chinese/Vietnamese style fresh buns and pastries. They also have a Banh Mi bar, where they make your sandwich right in front of you (similar to Subway). These Vietnamese submarines are delicious! Banh Mi, which directly means 'bread' consist of your selected meat and vegetables (cucumber, pickled daikon, carrots, cilantro, and pepper).

House Special Banh Mi ($3.25)
Includes 3 different Vietnamese ham/meat and vegetables in a 12" French baguette. Really good!

I watched the employees freshly prep all the ingredients behind the counter. She was shredding the garlic chicken. It is real chicken breast pieces! Not a mix of dark, white, intestinal pieces. I was very impressed! Great quality for the price you are paying.

 

All the Banh Mi prices are taxes in. Please note that starting April 2, 2013, they actually have a slight price increase of 25 cents on all their Banh Mi submarines.

Food: Great! We tried all of the different variety of Banh Mi at Tung Hing Bakery and none of them disappointed us! Our recommendations are the House Special and also the Honey Garlic Sausage.
Service: Courteous bakery clerks and quick preparation of the sandwiches.
Price: Each Banh Mi are very reasonable at $3-$4 each, taxes in.
Recommended? Yes!

- Hippo


Tung Hing Bakery 同慶餅家
1198 Kingsway
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-875-3394

G-Be Izakaya

Happy Birthday Jodie ❤ It is my bestie's birthday weekend and she chose G-Be Izakaya for a casual dinner with the girls. Don't let the restaurant name fool you - it is no longer izakaya. Last time I visited G-Be Izakaya was over a year ago when it was still an izakaya restaurant. I actually did not know it changed owners until she told me; G-Be Izakaya now only serves hotpot! The owners are Chinese but the employees remain Japanese. I was quite shock. From my memory, the old G-Be Izakaya was decent, but pricey. I assume there isn't enough market and attention in the Grand Villa Casino area for it to prosper.

I usually dislike all-you-can-eat menus. It has been years since I've been to one, since it is often overpriced for the quality you are getting. For $20-$30, I can get much better food else where! But of course, it is the birthday girl's call. Plus, I love trying new places. Despite my initial opinion, I will still judge the food from a fresh pair of eyes. I am always ready for a surprise.

From the menu, you can see that the soup broth are Japanese inspired. We chose the Hokkaido Miso Broth.

There are also three hotpot sets you can choose from:
1. SuperSave All-You-Can-Eat Hotpot: $13.99
This includes all the SuperSave snack and hotpot items.
2. Deluxe SuperSave Upgrade: +$5
For a $5 upcharge, you can get everything in the SuperSave snack and hotpot items, PLUS all the Deluxe SuperSave snack, handcone, and hotpot items.
3. Premium SuperSave Upgrade: +$8
For a $8 upcharge, you can get everything in the SuperSave and Deluxe SuperSave, as well as the Premium SuperSave items. The Premium SuperSave includes all-you-can-eat sashimi. And includes unlimited canned beverages.

 

 

 

After we started cooking, I've actually forgotten to take the remaining dishes we ordered. I was not impressed by the food. It was poor cut of meats. You can not choose specific vegetables, you must choose the assorted vegetable plate. The curry tasted potato fries were popular in our table though. We added the $8 to upgrade into the Premium SuperSave, so that we can order the sashimi. The salmon pieces were the size of a quarter. The tuna was still half frozen. Another restaurant that serve hotpot and sashimi item is Toyotomi in Richmond. For similar pricing, I rather head over to Richmond and have all-you-can-eat at Toyotomi.

Post Dinner Celebration
We headed over to a friend's house to cut the birthday pie! I had to include this in my post since it was so amazingly delicious! This is homemade. Special thanks to Sarah for this delicious melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate and Nut Pie.

My creation! Topped with chocolate/vanilla marble ice-cream.

Back to G-Be Izakaya...
Location: Next to Grand Villa Casino, at the end of Dominion Street. You can find parking at the lot next to the restaurant or head to the casino parking lot at south building parkade.

Food: Not very good. Fusion of Japanese and Chinese hotpot.
Service: Slow. They were not low on staff, but was still no where to be found. However, they were nice and courteous. They notified us 5 minutes prior to last call to our 90 minutes dining limit.
Price: The total came to $157 with tax for 6 people.
Recommended? No.

- Hippo


G-Be Izakaya
4331 Dominion Street
Burnaby, B.C
Phone: 604-435-6002

Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant

Congratulations to my cousin! Last night was the celebration of her new baby boy's first month. In the Chinese tradition, it is a big deal. It is time for friends and family to gather together and congratulate her and the new born. She held a dinner at Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant for over 40 people, which took up half the restaurant. The exterior of the restaurant looks quite shabby. But when you enter and get seated, the interior is actually quite grand looking.

Each table is meant to seat ten people, hence the following dinner is designed to feed a table of ten. But of course, knowing my cousin, she does not cheap out and always ensure everyone leaves with a happy full belly.

1^st Course: Cold Appetizer Plate
The food was not chilled. It was warm, so it was probably left on the counter for an extended period of time prior to serving. Certain pieces (ox tongue) were bland, and certain ones (squid) were too salty.

2^nd Course: Shrimp Ball with Crab Claw
Standard. The size is actually larger than most other restaurants. It was served steaming hot - fresh off the deep fryer.

3^rd Course: Stir-fried Scallops, Prawns, Celery, and Beans
Great decor. However, I found it a bit too oily.

4^th Course: Asian-style Thick Soup
Although not much ingredient, this was actually very tasty! I still do prefer ones with more quality ingredients.

5^th Course: House Special Stir-fried Crab
This is probably one of the better tasting dish the entire night. There are two crabs on this dish. Very good flavour with the stir-fried garlic and green onions. The crab itself is actually not very fresh. But overall, the strong house special flavour overpowered the original flavour of freshness. A dish I may order again when they have quality crab.

6^th Course: Chicken over Sticky Rice
Chicken flavour was average. Slightly dry and they did not use free range chicken. The flavour of the glutinous rice was good, but I found it too sticky. It did not go down my esophagus well.

7^th Course: Steamed Fish Topped with Mui Choi
Tasted like home-made. Mui Choi is a preserved mustard green that you can find in Asian markets. It comes in a can and is very salty. For those who never tried, it is actually very tasty.

8^th Course: Sala Porkchop
This was below average. It is deep fried pork chop with Asian-style salad dressing.The pork chop itself was very fattening. The coating was too sour and too moist. A good sala pork chop should have a dryer sala sauce to prevent greasy texture when consuming.

9^th Course: Fried Rice
This was surprisingly good! It was topped with a lot of fried garlic, so if you love garlic, this is the fried rice for you! The flavour was taken from the House Special Stir-fried Crab. A delicious salty and peppery and garlicky taste! It is was the only dish that 'wow-ed' me tonight.

10^th Course: Fried Noodles
After trying the fried rice, the fried noodle was really bland. It is yee mein - which is a noodle that is generally served at large Chinese dinner at the end of the meal. It should have been served first, since the fried rice completely overpowered it.

Dessert: Baked Taro and Mango Pudding
This was not bad, but many people on my table complained that it has taro and not enough mango tapioca. The crust was too thick, so the entire Baked Pudding was too dry. Also, there was too much taro and not enough mango to balance the moisture.

A very filling 10-course Chinese dinner. This set menu did not include much vegetables. It was all seafood and meat, which I do not mind. I am quite carnivorous when it comes to stir-fried crab. Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant is not bad for Chinese dinners. I have had better, but it is still passable in my books.

Location: On the south side of Marine Drive and Fraser Street. Easily accessible if you are traveling eastbound. Can be tricky if you are coming from Burnaby, due to the island divider on Marine Drive. There are parking in front of the plaza. Can be difficult to find parking during the dinner rush hour.

Food: Passable. Generous portions, good flavour, but below average quality.
Service: Average.
Price: Since this is a family dinner, I did not need to pay for it. But from overhearing the discussions with my cousin, at least $500. My guess for the portion and the quality of the food, approximately $600 per table.
Recommended? No.

- Hippo


Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant 豐澤樓
620 SE Marine Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-323-1318

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