Mr. Red Cafe

So I finally get to try this place out before bf leaves to Whistler for the weekend. We visited the Kits location. We got there around 6:30pm and the place wasn't busy at all. We ordered the regular Pho Bo Dac Biet (house special): beef noodle soup with flank, shank, beef balls and sliced rare beef. The broth was very clean but the broth was on the meatier, saltier side. I prefer the sweetness in pho broths but I think that's what msg does. Bf got the Bun Bo Hue which is a spicier beef noodle soup with pork hock, sliced beef and vietnamese ham. The broth is super clean as well and I love the flavours of it. One of the best Bun Bo Hue's we had. We also decided to try a non noodle dish which is the sticky rice with pate and mung beans. This dish was small for the price of $8.00. The noodle soups were both $10.00. So this place is definitely much pricier then the regular pho shops we go to. Overall, alright. I will definitely try the special family set meals that is only offered on the weekends.

Mr. Red Cafe
Location: 2680 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G3
Rating: ☆☆☆/5

Dhaliwal Sweets

Decided to have a siblings get together at home for dinner and I decided to order something local. So I googled a place on zomato that had a 3.4/5 rating. I ordered 1 lb of vegetable pakora $6.49, 3 vegetable samosa’s for $0.80 each, fish vindaloo (fish cooked with garlic, ginger and fresh vindaloo sauce), the lamb tikka masala (boneless lamb cooked with fresh onion sauce, bell pepper and spices), butter chicken (boneless chicken marinated in special sauce, cooked in garlic, ginger, cream and fresh tomatoes), prawn goa curry (prawns cooked with ginger, garlic, onion and coconut milk sauce), and 4 garlic naan. The price came up to be approx. $77 for 4 ppl. We had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. Overall, the butter chicken was great the white meat was dry though, everything was a medium level spicy but the lamb was spicier then the rest of the entrees. The pakoras were old, probably fried beforehand. Wasn’t fresh and there was no dipping sauce with it. Usually I have it with a red sweet sauce. There was barely any meat in the lamb, prawns and chicken dishes. Mostly sauce. The portions were ok. Overall, the flavors were good and I would come back again to try the other things.

Dhaliwal Sweets
Location: 6555 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5X 3T4
Rating: ☆☆☆1/2/5

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Went to the Icebreaker Merino wool sale downtown with bf and afterwards decided to grab something nearby. So we waited for about 15 mins in front of Santouka. Never tried this place before bf said it was good. I ordered the Shoyu ramen. The broth was super flavorful. So much depth and impactful flavors. My only concern was that it was super fatty so at the end my tummy wasn't feeling very well. But it was the best ramen broth I had so far. The noodles were just right and a large is bigger then it looks. I was super full and I couldn't finish the rest of my meal. Bf had the Kara ramen which was the spicy version. I wasn't a big fan of the spices. Tasted like Chinese seasoning over ramen and it wasn't spicy at all. Bf said he will get mine next time. He wasn't a fan either. I preferred mine much more. Overall, a great place to visit. I would most definitely come back again if I can ask them to reduce the fat for me.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Location: 1690 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7
Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2/5