Snack – Page 6 – Elsie Hui

August 26, 2015

G-men Nan Chu – Richmond, British Columbia

I’m actually very confused about the name of this restaurant, but the name on the recipet says the restaurant is called Ramen Bar at NanChuu Japanese Izakaya, however it seems to be called G-men and you don’t see that name as the “dominate” name.

We were brought here by my sister-in-law and her husband, and this place was pretty decent! We started with some Gyozas which as usual, is my dish to order when I’m in the mood for appetizers at a Japanese restaurant. The skin here was really thin, and the filling was amazing! They pan-fried it to perfection!

The other appetizer we ordered was something I’ve never had before, and they call it Okonomiyaki which is Japanese Cabbage Pancake, which is shredded cabbage mixed into a batter and made into a “pancake”. The toppings here was pretty basic as I believe it was just bonito flakes! The dish was pretty amazing and it’s going to be something I’ll order more often!

For ramen, I ordered their Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen and this bowl of ramen is massive! It’s got lots of everything, so make sure you come with an empty belly!

We also ordered their Dan Dan Men which didn’t cross my mind as a japanese dish, as I’ve always associated as Chinese or Sichuan. But, regardless, we ordered a bowl, and it was full of flavour and spice! It was different from what I associate Dan Dan Mein to be, but it was a nice change from typical Ramen – although we were at a ramen place!

Overall, an amazing place! The place is pretty busy and pretty small, so be prepared to wait! But, it really helps build up your appetite as you wait so you can finish everything! Food is quite good, and the prices are very good too!

G-men @ Nan Chu

1160-8391 Alexandra Road
Richmond, BC
(604) 276-8391

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015

Toad n Turtle Pubhouse & Grill – Calgary, Alberta

We felt like a patio this one afternoon, and found ourselves going to Toad n Turtle on 130th Avenue SE, and there, we got seated on the “side patio” instead of their roof top patio as apparently it was closed. There’s tons of parking especially after hour when the home construction store is closed. We weren’t too happy with the side patio as it’s right next to the street and it wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been, however our experience was still great!

We ordered a few appetizers with drinks, so we started out with my Virgin Caesars which was alright here. The drink wasn’t too spicy yet it wasn’t watered down, so it was fine!

We then got an order of their Rib Bites, which were bone-in pork ribs with salt and pepper seasoning. The ribs were really good and there wasn’t a lot of them either. But, they were really nicely prepared! We were expecting dry ribs, but the sauce wasn’t bad at all!

The other appetizer that we ordered was their Coconut Prawns, and there were 8 coconut coated Tiger Prawns and it came with a delicious ginger/garlic dipping sauce.

Overall, the food and the “inside” environment was really nice. I’m sure we would have really enjoyed their rooftop patio instead of inhaling the vehicles exhaust while having a quiet afternoon. The food although was delicious, we thought the portions were a little small. The service was good, so we don’t have much to complain about!

Toad n Turtle Pubhouse & Grill

5155 130 Ave SE,
Calgary, AB
(587) 387-2635

July 6, 2015

Home Restaurant – Salmon Arm, British Columbia

We were traveling home from Vancouver this one day and we figured we should stop halfway and grab some lunch. We stopped in Salmon Arm and basically drove to whatever was opened as it was a late Sunday afternoon. We stumbled into Home Restaurant which turns out to be a small chain in BC!

Once we sat down as there was a little bit of wait, they told us the soup of the day was their Seafood Chowder and coming from a place where I had lots of seafood, it was what I wanted! I ordered a bowl of their seafood chowder and although it wasn’t the heartiest, it was really filling and it hit the spot. I really enjoyed the flavours and texture of this chowder.

For the actual meal, I couldn’t get my mind away from having their Fish and Chips and this amazing classic specialty comes with 2 pieces of their fried fish with a mountain of fries and coleslaw! You really get a large meal for the small price! It was amazing as the fish was fresh and fried to perfection! Tender and juicy fish with a really light and crispy coating!

The last thing we ordered really didn’t go with my “seafood” theme, but it’s alright – it was pretty awesome anyway! We had their Schnitzel Champignon which was pork schnitzel with mushrooms and it is one of my husbands all time favorite schnitzel! This mushroom topping was made from fresh mushrooms and a gravy on top, with a side of mashed potatoes and more gravy! It was really amazing and the gravy made the vegetables seem extra amazing!

Overall, we left here feeling so full and satisfied we felt like that was the perfect meal to end our road trip! Sometimes just randomly stopping into places you find hidden gems and we lucked out here!

Home Restaurant Salmon Arm

2801 – 10th Avenue N.E.
Salmon Arm, BC V1E 2S3
Tel (250) 832 9991

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015

Barbs Fish and Chips – Victoria, British Columbia

While we were in Victoria, we decided to go find their wharf as often on weekends, I tell my husband “I want to go to the wharf to eat”, but sadly there’s none in Calgary. I liked out here when I said that as we found ourselves at their wharf with floating restaurants and we randomly went to one and picked Barb’s Floating Seafood Restaurant which must be known for their Fish and Chips as everyone was getting some!

This was only a little snack, after a large lunch, we didn’t actually need to eat, but figured it was something we should experience. So, we ordered their 1 Piece Halibut Dinner and their side order of Seafood Chowder. They make everything to order and even when your buzzer goes off, they’re still preparing your meal at the window! The food was amazing, the fish was a large piece, seasoned, and fried to the most perfect piece of fried halibut I’ve had! The portions were huge and we haven’t had such fresh seafood in a long time!

The soup was full of seafood with some potatoes and was very tasty! There was a lot of seafood in the chowder without a lot of filler or potatoes. The overall meal here was amazing and we’ve been bragging about our experience here in Victoria. We’re glad we made this fish and chip stop even though we didn’t actually need to eat!

Barbs Fish and Chips

Fisherman’s Wharf
1 Dallas Road
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-6515

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015

Afternoon Tea: The Fairmont Empress Hotel – Victoria, British Columbia

We’ve been talking about having afternoon tea at all the Fairmont Hotels and when we got to stay at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, we tried to join them for afternoon tea without a reservation as we had no idea what time the ferry would bring us in at. We were really luck and got a spot, and it was a nice spot near the window too!

Once we were seated, we were brought the tea that we choose from a waitress that made this experience very memorable. She was absolutely amazing and we even wrote her a recognition card! But in conjunction with our tea arriving to the table, we were brought Fresh Strawberries with Empress Cream, which was really refreshing! We were pleasantly surprised as we didn’t think strawberries were in season just quite yet!

Right after we got our fresh berries, we got a beautiful 3 tier tray of food which was all amazing! We rank our Fairmont afternoon experiences and this was a really close runner up to the best! The food was amazing, the service was top-notch, and the atmosphere was breathtaking!

This amazing presentation had their sandwiches on the bottom tier, scones with empress cream and jelly on the second tier and topped with their dessert tray! I really enjoyed their delicate desserts and freshly made sandwiches. The scones were quite spectacular, but I think I enjoyed the empress cream the most!

So next time you’re in the area, be sure to talk through these doors and enjoy a wonderful and memorable experience of afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress! It’s definitely here to impress!

Fairmont Empress Victoria – Afternoon Tea

721 Government Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-8111