canada – Elsie Hui

August 16, 2020August 16, 2020

DAGU Rice Noodle – Calgary, Alberta

One of my best friends recently had to put down their dog and for me it was very tough so a lot of effort was made to be there for them. We went to Chinatown for lunch and the place we wanted to eat at had a 45 minute wait and we’re both girls that get hangry so we walked into DAGU which wasn’t busy!

I ordered a huge bowl of noodles, their “A2” on the menu which was Pickled Cabbage Rice Noodle Soup with Fish Slices and as bizarre as that sounds, I love pickled cabbage! It comes in a bowl of steaming hot soup and you put your noodles in there and of course you slurp and enjoy!

The other soup noodle we ordered was their “B1” which they have as The Original Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodle and yes – not even I know what that is by the name!! It also comes in a bowl of steaming hot soup and you put everything in the noodle soup yourself! It’s so strange because it’s like cooking yourself. It’s pretty fun and the noodle soups were delicious!

Another fun thing about here, you can get a FREE extra portion of the rice noodle, but make sure you order it when your soup is still relatively hot. I’m sure it’s not the same at the very end. Overall, it was fun, and just a side note, the bathroom is scary.

DAGU Rice Noodle

310 Centre Street SE
Calgary, AB
587-352-0088

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019

Whistlers Inn – Jasper, Alberta

I made it to this hotel randomly. After learning my sister company replaced both the fireplaces in the lobby and dining area of Whistlers Inn, I thought I would just go check it out! I was so impressed with the massive fireplace that’s in their dining room! When we stayed here, there was something going on as it was completely full and constantly busy so I didn’t find the time to talk to the staff here.

The room we got was very standard and tucked away as they were trying to accommodate teams at the hotel to be together. It’s got it’s old charm and character, so it was nice!

We were able to get our little day bag in the room with spare space, so this room does work! It definitely work work if you’ve got children or anything like that! The only thing that I found tricky was the step up to the bathroom. It’s definitely a tripping hazard for me.

There really wasn’t much to the room, but it’s got all you need! It was just the 2 of us and after a day of travel with a hike and dinner, we came back to crash. The next morning, we got showered, ate, and started the journey back home. The hotel and the room did it’s job, we did ours!

It was a very pleasant stay! There isn’t a lot of parking spots on the property, but we were able to get street parking very close by! So, we lucked out there. It was a cozy and fantastic stay at the Whistlers Inn!

Whistler’s Inn

105 Miette Avenue
Jasper Alberta
780-852-3361

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

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015

Travelodge Hotel Vancouver Airport – Richmond, British Columbia

We got to stay at the Travelodge Hotel Vancouver which is right by the airport of Richmond, and it’s pretty strange of a location as it seems like the highway exits to this hotel from one side only – or we haven’t figured it out. Either way, the hotel is in a conveniently location as it’s near one of their main traffic arteries and near the airport.

We booked a 1-night stay here in their 1 King Size Bed Room and the room was quite nice! It was a corner unit/room that looks the front of the hotel so it wasn’t noisy or anything. The room was a little run down, but there’s tons of space and the hotel and room was really clean.

The bathroom offered their standard hotel amenities and if you needed more, you can always ask their front desk for some amenities if you forgot any during your stay. The interesting thing about this room was the coffee maker was actually in the bathroom – which is only strange as there’s a lot of room in the actual room! But I’m thinking they were short on outlets, or they’re trying to make it easier as you get water from the bathroom tap!

Our overall stay was very enjoyable! It was quick, but it was nice and comfortable. The bed wasn’t as bad as it looks and the parking turned out to be complimentary! So, it was a great place to crash for a great rate!

Travelodge Hotel Vancouver Airport

3071 St Edwards Drive
Richmond, BC
604-278-5155

June 24, 2015January 6, 2019

Dutch Bakery and Diner – Victoria, British Columbia

We got up really early the morning we were driving home and found a place called Dutch Bakery and Diner which wasn’t too far from our hotel. We decided to try them, and it worked out great as street parking was free still when we went!

We sat down and we were greeted by the friendliest staff, and it felt like you were in an old town diner once you got there. It was fantastic!! The menu wasn’t extensive, but the selection was still great!

I decided I would have their Uitsmyter which sounded “Dutch” to me, and I tried to get it as traditional as possible. Turns out, I ordered a giant silly face – ham and egg open faced sandwich with some hashbrowns! It tasted great and it was fun to eat the entire face up!

We also ordered something more standard to our culture, their Full Breakfast which was either ham or bacon, and in our case it was bacon, with eggs, hashbrowns and toast! Just because it sounds simple though, that’s where it’s important to have a good recipe and skills making it and they did an excellent job here!

Our breakfast was so amazing, we decided to grab a few treats for our ferry back to the mainland!! The bakery was a lot of fun, like any bakery really, but this one had so much stuff! I got a Chocolate Croissant to go and I actually ate it at the ferry terminal. It didn’t make it on board as it looked and smelled so amazing! It was delicious and the chocolate they used was decadent, but not so rich where I don’t like it! The texture was pretty good too, and I’m sure it would have been better had I enjoyed it at the diner.

We got another croissant as well, a savoury one, their Ham and Cheese Croissant and we got this as it was unique. Instead of plain or cheese, it had ham in it. It was actually amazing and as I’m writing about it now, I kind of wish I had one! The texture of this croissant was better actually, and with the ham and cheese, it was perfection! It doesn’t look like much, but she’s a gooder!

The final thing we bought on our way out was what they called a Flying Saucer Cookie and I got it because of the name. I took a bite of this and I fell in love! There’s nothing called “Flying Saucer” on the internet as I wanted to know more about it or prehaps try to make it. It’s got almond on it and a little filling. It was absolutely amazing, unique, and special! I really enjoyed it! So, be sure to stop by here for some flying saucers!!

Overall, this was one of the best and unique bakeries I’ve been to as it’s a bakery and diner mix! The food and service was amazing, the prices was fair as I found everything in Victoria just a tad more expensive. But the memories of the food we had here and the experience of flying saucers, it was worth it!

Dutch Bakery and Diner

718 Fort Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 385-1012