November randoms

Ah. It is December already and it's that time of the year.... FINAL EXAMS.  My exam schedule isn't that bad and I don't end on the last day for once which I am quite happy about (YAY)  I have more than a month off after my exams because I will be moving to Montreal for about 3 months for a co-op work term.  I got this job last minute and from what I hear, it is going to be unbelievably cold in Montreal in Jan-Feb but I am still excited! I will keep you guys updated in Montreal but until then.. I still have to suffer through two more exams.  

But... I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I would do another randoms post.  

Beef roll @ Peaceful restaurant. 

 It was good but I prefer their dumplings..

Homemade bibimbap

My recent inspirations

October randoms

 Bel Cafe

they have cookies & cream flavoured macaron!

Santouka miso ramen

Santouka ramen is good... but I can't get over the nanashi ramen from Shibuya... :(

 Green tea shaved ice from Midam (in Coquitlam)

Lips

Food from Japan

 First morning in Japan.  I think I had the hardest time picking out onigiri from convenience stores because I am unable to read kanji..

tuna don -Osaka

salmon+ shrimp don -Osaka

Autumn

My favourite season is back!  I love the smell of cool air in the mornings, colourful autumn leaves, sweaters, hot chocolates that can warm my frozen hands and everything that's listed below except sunny days because that doesn't exist in Vancouver during autumn.

Last weekend was Thanksgiving and I had a lovely thanksgiving dinner with friends.  We baked a huge turkey for about 15 people, made stuffing (my fav), mac and cheese, salad, and mashed potatoes.  For desserts, I baked oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies and apple dumplings.

 cheesecakes, apple dumping, cookies, red & white wine.

Come to Korea with me- 3

Seafood is my favourite protein and I would rather eat fish than meat anytime.  No ryang jin (노량진) is the main Seafood market in Seoul and it has many vendors and it's gigantic as you can see in the photo below.  If you're want a different food experience in Seoul, don't forget to visit No ryang jin.

My dad and I arrived around 10 am and we didn't really feel like roaming around so we just found a restaurant first and went to the vendor that was closest to the restaurant.  So what you have to do is purchase your raw fish from the vendors and take it to the restaurant and they will provide you with sauce and cook 매운탕 (Meh-woon-tang) which is a spicy soup made from left over fish parts such as the tail, head, bones and etc.  The vendor will take the live fish and cut it up for you and give you the left over parts in a black plastic bag so you just give this bag to the restaurant.

Come to Korea with me - 2

The weather has cooled down around the time I arrived in Korea so it was around 28 degrees but I still thought that it was extremely hot due to the humidity and also because I am used to living in cooler weather.  It was definitely not easy coping with the weather and it made me realized that I tend to become really impatient and frustrated when the weather gets too hot... (stay away!)  Good thing air conditioner exists almost everywhere in Korea but apparently last year because air conditioner was on max, the power source of the city was turned off.  After that incident, people are trying to save energy but providing less air conditioner in public places such as the subway stations.

 I decided to go to Insadong on this day to visit my uncle who has a clothing store on the main street and also to experience Korea culture.  Even though I was born in Korea, I always find traditional things interesting and Insadong is a perfect tourist place to come if you want to buy/ eat and experience Korea traditional culture.

 There was a Samul nori performance at the entrance. Samul nori is a genre of Korea traditional percussion music

 random vendor

My uncle, aunt and cousin went to grab lunch and I think this was my first and last naeng myeon of the trip.   I personally am not a big fan of these noodles because they are hard to chew.  The noodles are usually made from flour and starch of various ingredients such as potatoes, sweet potatoes or buckwheat.  When I do order naeng myeon, I order the spicy version of it like the one in the photo.  You can also order a non-spicy version and it is served in a cold soup.  (naeng myeon is always served cold)

Come to Korea with me -1

The 11 hour flight to Korea was dreadful, I even thought to myself that I will never come back.  Holy moly, I don't know how people do it because I was just dying inside in my tiny chair for 11 hours, unable to sleep.  So when I arrived at 8pm I was exhausted and wanted to just sleep right away without unpacking but I needed to unpack in order to get my things out of the suitcase and afterwards I couldn't fall asleep because it was morning in Vancouver.  Aiyahyah....I've been in Korea for 3 days and I've finally overcame my jet lag. 

I haven't been to Korea for 4 years and a lot has changed since then for example  I was suppose to meet my friends at Shinsa station on the 2nd day of my stay but I had no clue where that was... I had to look at the subway map and managed to embarrassed my friends slightly by acting like a tourist (they usually look it up on their phones).  I don't think I am 'acting' like one.. I am one..   Everything in Korea feels new and slightly awkward to me because I've lived in Canada for a long time.

 Saying my goodbye to moosey at YVR

  $10 (left- the men on the bill is King SeJong, creator of the Korean language, Hangeul), $50 (right- Shin Saimdang  who was a famous writer, artist, calligrapher, noted poet in the 1500s.)

 My first breakfast in Korea.  

L'abattoir in Gastown

So I've been trying to go to L'abattoir for about 4 months now.  It didn't work the first time because we thought they don't take reservations (silly us)  and the 2nd time, my friend made a reservation on a wrong day.... ha... ha... We were even deciding on what to order on our walk over to L'abattoir on that day... We did end up going to Bao Bei, hence my previous post and my friend who made the mistake got crapped on my a bird on our way to Bao Bei.  XD (karma?)

I finally got the chance to make a reservation just before my departure to Korea.  I really wanted to sit in the atrium so I wrote it down in the little blurb while making the reservation through Opentable and we did get the seats in the atrium!  L'abattoir is beside Blood alley and it was originally the site of Vancouver's first jail.  In the 19th century, the restaurant apparently supported the city's meat packing district hence the name L'abattoir (The slaughterhouse).

The menu

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie

My friends and I've been trying to go L'battoir in Gastown for awhile and it seems like the universe is against this idea and we somehow failed twice.  Instead, we decided to go to Bao Bei in Chinatown which is about 10 minutes walk from central Gastown.  Luckily, we were able to get seats right away even though the place was packed with happy customers.  

I've  heard of Bao Bei long time ago and I never thought of the place to be like what I saw.  I guess I expected it to be a typical Chinese restaurant with spinning tables but when you walk in, you would have never guessed that Bao Bei serves Chinese food other than from its name. 

The interior design is modern yet vintage with a cozy feel to it.  It's full of dark woody colours and vintage wallpaper, photos and quite a big bar and a mini waiting area near the entrance.   As you can tell from reading my blog posts, the ambiance of the restaurant means a lot to me XD.  I think it makes the dining experience complete.

*I apologize for the mixture of photo qualities.  I had to use my iphone in between because my camera battery was running out.  

 cute plants at the entrance of the restaurant

 Interior. I think it will fit about 50 people.

 Vintage wall paper, photo 

Miura Waffle Milk Bar

I personally really like waffles but it's unfortunate that Vancouver doesn't have that many of places that sell waffles.  I used to go to Michi waffles on Robson but they closed down last summer so the only places I can think of are WE cafe on Robson and Cafe Medina.  I don't think they are not that great and it has always been a challenge for me to find a decent waffle place. 

 In Korea, there are street waffle vendors that sell waffles simply with syrup and cream in the middle for like $2, (refer to the photo below) and it's the best thing in the world... I miss them sometimes :(

Street waffle

My friend told me about Miura Waffle Milk Bar which is on Davie and I've heard good things about this place.  It's owned by Japanese people and they sell savory and sweet waffles.  The price range from 5.99-7.99.  Check out their website if you're interested! 

Hot choco

It was a warm day but I wanted to drink something hot because of my cold

June randoms

Ahhh

I apologize for disappearing for so long.  I just finished my first summer course about a week ago and working, commuting, just... trying to enjoy summer and it's been hard to blog consistently.   Also, the weather has been horrible and it doesn't feel like summer yet even though it's already almost July.  I am hoping that July and August will be super warm and gorgeous.  

This month, I got a chance to explore and discover Richmond.  I am not familiar with Chinese cuisine and I usually don't know where to go when it comes to food in Richmond even though I am sure there are many amazing places to go to.  That's probably the main reason why I haven't tried to find out more about what's happening in Richmond.  I guess it really helps when you know someone that knows the area quite well. 

Anyway,  I am going to try to cook something up this week or do a review of a restaurant but for now... Here are my June randoms :)

Noodles from Deer Garden

I recommend EVERYONE to visit this place.  Affordable, delicious and you can pick and choose your noodle and soup.

Some riesling with mexican salami and smoked gouda cheese at Olivi's house

Baking- Lemon bars

I have about 20 recipes I want to try this summer and this recipe from Smitten Kitchen was near the top of my list. I love citrus fruits and any dessert with lemon is definitely a must for me.  When I read this recipe, it looked simple and easy to follow so I decided to try it.

Photo Diary- May 6th

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday so Erica and I thought it would be perfect to go down to the beach.  I love sandy beaches just like the ones in California but we definitely don't have that where I live.  I still think it's nice to come out for a walk and grab an ice cream cone and it's beautiful during sunset.

sandals- ASOS, River Island

Nail polish- For Audrey from China glaze

Tanks- Brandy Melville, Skirt-Zara, Belt- H&M, Jacket-no name

Cooking- Apricot-Whiskey BBQ chicken

This Saturday, I met up with Marie, Albert and Aaron to try out a recipe that's on The Pioneer Woman.  This woman is amazing and she has great recipes with simple explanation and great step-by-step photos. I have around 10 recipes that I want to try out and post this summer and let's hope that I can get around to it!
 I first saw the recipe for peach-whiskey barbecue chicken last year and have been wanting to try it out.  We decided to meet up last minute to cook together because we haven't seen each other for awhile.  The original recipe uses peach jam and Jack Daniel whiskey but the store nearby didn't carry peach jam so we went with apricot.  Also, we didn't want to purchase a new bottle of whiskey so we just went with Crown Royal that was in Albert&Aaron's house.  It says on the recipe that any whiskey will work so you can substitute Jack Daniel to any whiskey of your preference.   For the original recipe, please press "peach-whiskey barbecue chicken".  My friends and I tweaked the recipe a bit by using chicken legs and thighs because chicken thighs alone were $5 for 3 pieces and we didn't want to spend that much. I'll bold the ingredients we've altered underneath.

Twisted Fork Bistro

I met Olivia and Stacy last week and we were just wandering around Downtown and we couldn't decide on where to go for dinner. We didn't feel like going to our usual izakayas and then I thought of Twisted Fork Bistro on Granville.

 Twisted Fork on the menu

The menu at Twisted Fork is divided into No Forks (appetizer), Small Forks and Big Forks.  Small Forks are basically small portion of food so you can share with other people and big forks are main meal size.

There were so many choices to choose from and it all sounded delicious. 

It's not big inside and the biggest table they have is for 4 people.  I think they do put tables together to accommodate bigger groups.

Mini haul- Laura Mercier hand cream, J.crew, Zara

I went out shopping with Oliva and Ben last weekend!  I haven't shopped in ages because I stayed in my tiny room for final exams for about 3 weeks and also I didn't have money to do so.  My last exam started at 7pm on the last day  (Hooray!) and I realized that I had a fever when I was writing my exam.  Oh boy. What a great way to start the summer.  Thankfully, my cold got better and I was able to go out to roam around.  

My first stop was Holt.  Last weekend they had a special event where 15% of what you spend on cosmetics and 25% on clothes will go towards a gift card.  Quite a neat deal!  I went to holt with the sole purpose to purchase Laura Mercier's Crème de Pistache Hand Crème.  

 

Crème de Pistache Hand Crème and J.crew bangles in the background

When I first smelled it, I absolutely hated it.  I was like "UGH what is this super strong and creamy scent!!!" it  definitely was not the type of smell that I liked.  After about a year, I was at Holt with Olivia and I decided to smell it again. Strangely, it wasn't as bad as last year and after about an hour of putting the hand cream on, I couldn't get the smell out of my head.  A week later I still thinking about the smell which meant that I had to get it... (just so I can smell it again of course).  Crème de Pistache Hand Crème has grape and olive oil so

Après-Midi Teahouse (Closed)

THIS CAFE IS CLOSED NOW 

My friend brought me to this place last time but I didn't end up ordering anything because I was in a hurry but I've always wanted to come back for a cup of tea.

 This place is definitely special.

 I don't drink coffee very often and I would describe myself as a tea person so I was quite happy to find a place like this.  It's in the middle of gastown and it's quite difficult to find at first because you have to go through several alleys but if you come straight through the Blood alley, you'll find it easily.

Après-Midi has over 80 kinds of loose leaf tea from all over the world and people working here were very knowledgeable about their teas.

Variety of choices

You can open these cans and smell the tea leaves and choose the one you like.

My favourite type of tea is rooibos or red tea.   Everywhere I go, I always get rooibos tea.  Rooibos is Afrikaan for red bush and it originated from South Africa.  The rooibos plant is used to make herbal teas which pertain high levels

Acme cafe

I have been a hermit for about 2 weeks now and it felt great to go out for a day and hang out with my girls.  We decided to grab brunch at Acme cafe which had great reviews on urbanspoon.  I really wanted to order breakfast but we went to the cafe at 3 o' clock and I was disappointed assuming I won't be able to get my eggs and potatoes.  Fortunately, Acme serves breakfast all day on weekends!  Lucky me!

 

The menu

The ice cream float and milkshake sounded good but we wanted to go grab dessert somewhere else.  

Acme cafe has a cozy feeling it to it with white walls.  Loved the minimalistic/ diner interior design.

 

Random photo of Olivia and I with our gorgeous mustache

April randoms

Another random post with random photos from different places!  Let me know if you want a review for any of them.

Ddeokbokki made from an instant package purchased from H-mart- with vegetables and cheese

If you don't know what Dduk bo ki is, check it out by clicking the name!  Despite these being packaged, it was delicious!  The vegetables definitely made a difference but overall, not bad.  I ate this around 11pm with a friend and I didn't regret it at all. (I can work out the next day right?)  We also put some cheese on top which makes it less spicy and the melted cheese really goes well with the dish.  Please do try it with the cheese if you cook it at home!

Korean spicy hotpot - Bu dae stew.  This dish has spam, tofu, sausage, some vegetables and green onions.  Bu dae stew is basically a cheap man's dish because it's made from