Man Ri Sung

For my sister's birthday we decided to go to Aberdeen centre for dinner. We headed to the newly opened Man Ri Sung. The chef is korean but he is influenced by northern chinese cooking. So there is chinese influences in his cooking. We ordered the $150.99 combo for 8 ppl. The combo includes the peking duck, 4 kinds of side dishes (unlimited), 2pcs of wrap, cucumber and green onion. Korean BBQ LA ribs, seafood pancake, pan fried squid (which was my favorite: super tender, melt in your mouth squid, lemon chicken, boiled dumplings and duck hot pot. And we ordered the ja ja mein to share as well. Overall, a great meal. Everything was delicious. I would most definitely come back again.

Man Ri Sung
Location: Aberdeen Centre, Unit 3600, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC V6X 4J7

Rating: ☆☆☆☆/5

Sushi K Kamizato

On Bf’s actual day of his birthday I booked dinner at Sushi Kazimoto in Coquitlam. I had requested to do the $100 per person Omakase. The dinner consisted of 7 dishes to share. We had the appie which is a chicken karage, the next one is the tuna tartar with chips on the side. Next was the salmon, avocado on rice. There was a mixture of wild salmon and farmed salon. Next we had the sashimi platter of tuna and more wild salmon and the sardine from japan which was very very fishy. My least favorite dish of them all.  We had the seared tuna on ice which was smoky in flavor. It was bf’s favorite. We then we had a selection of nigiri’s. Mostly what was brought in Japan that day. Overall, a great meal, super full and I’m glad I made a reservation on a Thursday night because there is only one chef and one server.

Sushi K Kamizato

Location: 2850 Shaughnessy St, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6K5

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2/5

Nando's

My first time at Nando's. This location was in Coquitlam right across our yoga spot. We shared a platter of the medium spicy chicken, fries and rice. Overall, it was a big meal for 2 ppl. The chicken was nicely flavoured, not completely juicy aka. white meat. The fries were alright. Not as good as the costco fries. Can be crispier. The rice was probably my favourite, pactful of flavour. Overall, a nice spot for a simple meal. Not a big fan of the garlic sauce or the regular nando's sauce. I prefer my chicken as it is.

Nando's
Location: 3000 Lougheed Hwy, Coquitlam, BC V3B 1C5

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2/5

Bali 2017

For boyfriend’s 30^th birthday I decided to take him to Bali to celebrate his milestone. We left in the middle of September for approx: 9 days. I think overall 9 days was just enough time to end off our trip. We took Air China for our 14-hr flight and a layover in Taiwan. The food was delicious and on our flights we were never hungry because they just kept feeding us from fried rice, chicken on rice, meatballs, pasta (very bland and was the worst choice I made) etc. The flight back was very bumpy, lots of turbulence.  It felt like a roller coaster ride in the air. We only had a 4-hour layover in Taiwan which was great for us to stretch our legs and explore the airport. The airport was HUGE! Lots to see. The food was good too. I’m glad we got a chance to taste some Taiwanese food. When we arrived at the airport we grabbed a sim card for approx. ($30 CDN) for 12 GB, not worth it at all. We got ripped off. The service was terrible. The reception was only good at the airport. The is the one mistake a made.  And then we grabbed some rupiah for our way to our bungalow. I did my research and took the blue bird taxi. It was approx. $25 CDN so we gave the driver $30 CDN. Not bad for about a 45 mins ride to our place. When we got dropped off at the bungalow the place wasn’t too too bad. We had a shared pool which we didn’t use but our room was neat and tidy but not fancy at all. The bathroom on the other hand….it was ok the bathtub was stained very badly and looked very dirty so I had to wear flip flops in the bathtub. The water was either cold or hot not much of an in between. I got burned one time. The pressure was very weak so we couldn’t shower together but one at a time. We most definitely couldn’t take a bath either because the bathtub was filthy. The bed was nice and hard which I don’t mind. I prefer a hard bed over a soft and lumpy one. Overall an alright stay in the city of Seminyak. Seminyak is busy like Kuta but Kuta is still busier I heard. We had free breakfast everyday. They have western food and traditional Balinese food which we prefer to go for. Its usually mee goreng or nasi goreng. Which I really miss right now because you can’t get the right ingredients here to cook it properly here. I know because I tried. ☹ We stayed in Seminyak for 3 days and we attended the Ultra Festival there for 2 nights. Overall, a great experience. Would I go again? Probably not. My next goal is to attend Tomorrowland and EDC. We walked a lot in seminyak, ate a lot of different kinds of foods. From traditional nasi campur to Korean tacos and fries. The people are super humble and kind. They believe in karma: so how you treat others is how you will be treated in life. They pray 3 times a day for the food they have, the success of their business to their health. The side walks are very hard to walk in. Usually crumbled debris or unpaved roads. Most people travel in scooters, riding on roads, cutting off corners, riding on sidewalks. It’s a very busy city congested with gas smell from the cars and scooters. The noise of the traffic can get loud. But, it doesn’t seem to bother any of them because this is their daily routine.

               Later, we headed to Ubud for the rest of our stay. Ubud is a much quieter area in Bali. Its were the rice terrace and forest is located. We stayed in our own private village suite. This was an upgrade to where we were before. We had our own pool, kitchen and sleeping area. My only complaint was the ants falling from the roof. I did say something to the staff but the problem wasn’t fixed so I had to shower in the bathtub where the ants weren’t falling from. So, me and bf couldn’t shower together again ☹. Another very awesome thing we did was hire a driver for our trip to Ubud. His name was Agunk Torres. He was a great driver. He knew what he was doing. It wasn’t expensive approx. $50 a day and he showed us to the gems of the city. We went to the coffee/tea plantation where we got to sample a lot of different kinds of teas and coffee. We went to hike the waterfalls which was the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen in my life. Pictures cannot recreate the memory of my experience there. The power of the pressure of the water was intense and overwhelming I could hardly breath. We met a very friendly tour guide who showed us the ways to the waterfall and shared his personal experiences with us and shared the local food they eat there and the place he lives. We went to see how the traditional clothing was made there. Our driver was kind, and very honest. I asked him if I should give money to the poor on the street and he told me no because the money goes to a boss who they give it too. He told me not to buy from the street stalls for souvenirs because they are poorly made but he showed me where the best places to buy souvenirs. His english was very good so communication came through easily. Overall, hiring a driver was one of the best ideas that made our trip so much better. He even showed us where to eat the best duck in Bali. It turned out to be the best duck we had ever eaten.  Boyfriend ate with his hands to really embrace the Balinese experience.  We made friends in Bali our local dog, Lily and gecko bro. Overall, our experience in Bali was unforgettable to the food to the people and to our experiences. Would I go back again? Most definitely! I would love to do a Asia trip and have a couple day stop in Bali. Thank you to all the kind people we have met there and thank you for letting us share your beautiful culture and the love you have for your city. 

Japolo Sushi

We were both craving for pho and sushi so we decided to go to Japolo for a little bit of both. The pho was alright, small in size for a large. The meat was very tender though overall way better than pho capital I must say.  Baby ordered the Bun Bo Hue which is alright, the shrimp flavours were more dominate in the broth and it wasn't spicy at all. Pho 99 on schoolhouse is much better. I had the regular house special pho. I like the broth on the saltier side than the sweet side. I guess less msg. We shared the california roll and the negitoro roll. The sushi wasn't fishy at all but my only complaint would be the rice. It wasn't fluffy and smooth but edible I guess. Overall, and alright place to go. But the pho was enough to keep us full. We were stuffed when we had to finish off the sushi.

Japolo Sushi
Location: North Road Square, 218-3355 North Road, Coquitlam, BC 3J1P1

Rating: ☆☆☆/5

Chambar Belgian Restaurant

Me, my mom and bf decided to go for brunch before the Phantom of the opera. I wanted to take them to Jam cafe but the line up was about 45-1hr wait. So we decided to go to Chambar which was next door. This is my first belgian experience. I ordered the moules and frites Congolaise in a tomato coconut cream broth with cilantro, lime and smoked chili. It was delicious. The mussels were super plump and juicy and super fresh. The fries were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Bf ordered the special of the day. Omelette with brussels sprouts with a side of focaccia bread and salad. He said it was light but filling. My mom ordered a side of spicy potatoes, fruits and 2 waffles with raspberry caramel sauce and dark chocolate syrup. Overall a great meal. The place is big enough to hold a lot of people. I would definitely come back for dinner sometime.

Chambar Belgian Restaurant
Location: 568 Beatty St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2L3

Rating: ☆☆☆☆/5

Sun Sui Wah

A friend of ours gf came to visit Vancouver from Australia and since she wanted chinese food we went to Sun Sui Wah on main for dinner. We ordered the king crab cooked in three ways: steam with garlic and butter, deep fried and fried rice. This was the most enormous, delicious and creative ways of cooking king crab. The flavours were great not to salty not to bland. But an immense amount of food for 4 people. We had a 7 lbs king crab first time ever in my life. Never eaten so much king crab. We ordered stir fried pea shoots and to start off a piece of squab. Overall, a great meal with great company.

Sun Sui Wah
Location:
3888 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N9

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆/5

Al Porto Ristorante

Went for a stagette party last weekend for dinner we visited Al Porto. I ordered a virgin ceaser and a vongole pasta. The ceaser was spicier then expected but it was still tasty. The vongole pasta was overly seasoned with salt. The pasta was al dente but apparently we had to wait about 2 hours for our food. Fortunately I arrived late so when I ordered my order came right away. Overall, a great place to have pasta for a cheap price. My bill alone plus gratuities was $30.07. Not bad for downtown.

Al Porto Ristorante
Location:
321 Water St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1B8

Rating: ☆☆☆1/2/5

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

This place is situated on Victoria. My uncle recommended this place to my mom who recommended me this place. They are known for there fish cake soup. I got the hot and sour seafood soup which consists mostly of squid and prawns. It was neither hot or sour mostly overly salty. Apparently my family said it was an off day for them. The flavors were impactful but nothing over the top. We also had the spring rolls (it was ok I prefer the Vietnamese wrapping over the Chinese wrapping). And we shared a plate of wings which was nicely battered but lacking in flavor. My brother ordered the fried fish which was great. Delicate in flavor but soft and moist. Overall, a place I probably won't go back to. This place is small and usually filled with people.

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen
Location:
5083 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5P 3T9

Rating: ☆☆1/2/5