A Cheesylicious Farewell - The Cheesecake Factory

March 11, 2012
The Cheesecake Factory, Seattle WA
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[Whole Wheat Bread]
Bang - Bang Chicken and Shrimp
Luau Salad
Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake
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After a week back home, it was time to leave for college again and again, I flew through Seattle. Mom and I were so excited for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in downtown Seattle. Last time at Bellevue was a slight disappointment but I managed to convince her the restaurants in bigger cities and downtowns would be better. I was right.

I remembered to ask for only Whole Wheat Bread for their complimentary dinner bread. It is just so soft and chewy on the inside, with a distinctive but not overwhelming sweet aroma. The harder outside was chewy and good. It literally is one of my favourite breads ever. Mom's too, hands down.

Mom did not get enough of the Luau Salad from last time in Vegas. This time, the first plate they brought up had stale won ton wrappers. The oil was definitely bad. Clearly, the ones they gave us were not newly fried. That was annoying. They took it back and gave us another one. The second one had no stale oil taste. We were somewhat annoyed that a big chain like The Cheesecake Factory would serve leftover food to minimize costs. At least they gave us another one though. Mom still thinks they overdress the salad but I think the flavour is good. The mango salsa and the crispy won tons really make the dish brilliant - when made right that is.

I ordered the Fresh Vegetable Salad but did not bother with photos. It is just the same as always. Nothing really changes when it comes to greens and white cheddar. It was refreshing though so I got what I wanted. 

I suggested for Dad to order the Thai-style Bang - Bang Chicken and Shrimp. All of us loved this dish. The curry had a hint of sweetness and spice. It was very flavourful. The (baked?) coconut bits on top were sweet and really good. My favourite coconut yet - and that is saying something because as a general rule, I do not eat shredded coconut. The shrimp was a little over done, I thought. The brown rice was okay but my favourite part is still the sauce mixed with some of the sauteed vegetables. I was surprised to find cucumber in there but it was still good. I like the dish with only a little rice though. The sauce was not salty enough to call for all the rice on that dish. The sauce was just splendid though.

Finally, as decided last time in Vegas, we tried the Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake. It was scrumptious. Mom said it was better than the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle one we had in Vegas and I was all "I told you we should have picked the pineapple in Vegas!" It's nice knowing for once, I made a better decision about food than she did. It usually is the other way around but this whole night, I was right about the food. Like dead on. That pleased me a lot.

The cake was so good. The two layers of pineapple upside-down cake was nice and sweet with that hint of brown sugar and lots of pineapple bits which were so refreshing. The pineapple cheesecake in the middle was perfectly creamy and not overly sweet - just about... perfect! Mom ate the cherry on top, even though she did not know why this time they gave us a cherry until I reminded her pineapple upside-down cakes usually had pineapples AND cherries. We devoured the cheesecake like never before. Mostly, I think it was because it was not overwhelmingly cheesy and so lighter than other cheesecakes, allowing us to eat more without getting that 'heavy' feel you sometimes experience with a large slice of chocolate cheesecake.

Overall, the food was great, besides that little mishap. We will definitely be going to Cheesecake Factories every chance we get. There are still so many flavours left to try! Peanut butter next!

Dim Sum as a Staple - 钓鱼台海鲜酒家-Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant

March 10, 2012
钓鱼台海鲜酒家 - Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant, Richmond BC
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五香鸡粒咸水饺
上素三菇肠
竹叶珍珠鸡
香茜牛肉球
鱼子北菇烧卖
豉汁煎酿茄子
紫菜金菇豆腐卷
银杏鲜腐皮浸豆苗
榄菜四季豆
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So here we are, back again, except this time with two other families, both of the women my mom's colleagues. Well, at least this gives us an excuse to order more items and try them all!

Finally, they brought back the 五香鸡粒咸水饺 after it was removed from their menu a long time ago. This was my favourite dish of the day. I used to love this and I clearly still do! The frying is just perfect, crispy on the outside and perfectly sticky on the inside. There was a decent amount of chicken in the inside and very nicely seasoned. You can taste the savoury sauce and the chicken but it does not take away from the sweetness of the sticky rice shell.

The 上素三菇肠 was also wonderful, as good as it looks. The soy sauce was nicely flavoured and the mushrooms were great. They always have great rice noodle wraps. We also ate the old favourite with Chinese donut and pork fluff, which was just as good as last time. Oh, I just cannot get enough of the rice noodle wraps.

The 竹叶珍珠鸡 was again a disappointment. This time even more so because not only was it not flavourful, there was less filling of meats and egg yolk on the inside. I do not think I will order this dish again, even though it has been my favourite for so long. It is really very sad but they might have changed either their chef or their recipe. Now I will just have to go and hunt down another dim sum place with good chicken and sticky rice in bamboo leaves.

We had tried their 香茜牛肉球 before, and it did not change much. It was nicely seasoned and the beef was very tender but there was nothing special. The  鱼子北菇烧卖 was actually quite good. I do not remember eating it before but this time, it was certainly memorable. There was a nice seafood taste but also the richness of the beef and the lightness that comes from steaming the dish.

The eggplant dish, 豉汁煎酿茄子, was actually surprisingly nice. It tasted way better than it looked, although it was not particularly a standout. The eggplant was sweet and lovely but the shrimp was more or less just a regular blob of shrimp. The shape also did not appeal much to me.

Since one of Mom's colleagues is vegetarian, we had to order vegetarian dishes. The 紫菜金菇豆腐卷 was mediocre, nothing special but not bad either. The mushrooms in there were good and the tofu puff was nice and juicy but the dish to me was a bit on the bland side. The seaweed was a miss for me.

I loved the 银杏鲜腐皮浸豆苗. I have always loved snow pea leaves. They are just so lovely and green. While not a fan of the bean curd wraps, I absolutely loved the gingko nuts. I do not recall ever eating them, though that's probably just my memory playing tricks. I only heard the term 'gingko nut' this year though, while watching Chopped at school on the Food Network. They are so chewy and lovely! The dish was also very very light and refreshing.

The final dish was 榄菜四季豆. I was fairly pleased with this dish, one of the best 四季豆 I have had in restaurants in quite a while. I know I have never tried  and I absolutely love the flavour. The beans were nicely fried, just the right way. The flavour was deep and savoury but still had the freshness of the string beans. A very nice end I have to say.

Overall, Fisherman's Terrace is still great. I should note that I particularly love their little plates. They are not just your generic white plates. Each is different. Two of the same dishes will come in different plates. They are all the nice, delicately painted and designed Asian-style plates. I have my favourites clearly, but there are definitely more things on their menu I want to try and dishes I would definitely go back for.

Best Dim Sum in North America - 钓鱼台海鲜酒家-Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant

December 23, 2011

钓鱼台海鲜酒家 - Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant, Richmond BC

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南翔小笼包

山根蒸凤爪

竹叶珍珠鸡

肉松炸两肠

蜜汁叉烧酥

发财莲藕煎鱼饼

鲜虾瑶柱韭菜饺 

椒盐鸡膝

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I was so excited to go for dim sum. This is our favourite place for dim sum ever. The taste is just really appealing to us for some reason. Very nice flavours time and time again. I also just finished renewing my learner's license so I was pumped to go eat.

Cousin Jason was hungry so we started with the 南翔小笼包. That was just like any other restaurant, nothing special. 山根蒸凤爪 is also not one of my favourite dishes in general. I am just not ahuge fan of chicken feet. It's good, but not one of my favourite foods.

What I do love are 竹叶珍珠鸡, 肉松炸两肠, and 蜜汁叉烧酥.

Sticky rice and meat with eggs and mushrooms in bamboo leaves is just such a great combination. This time was a little disappointing as the flavour was not as deep as previous times. Perhaps it is just a one time flaw (hopefully!).

And speaking of 肉松炸两肠, their sauces are delicious. The sweet and savouriness of the dish is just absolutely amazing. One of my all time favourites at dim sum and at Fisherman's Terrace, it is especially tasty!

While I'm not a huge fan of layered pastry dough, the flavour of the filling in 蜜汁叉烧酥 is amazing. Perfectly sweet, not too fatty, with a nice honey aroma. Some of my favourites left me happy.

发财莲藕煎鱼饼 and 鲜虾瑶柱韭菜饺 are two other dishes Mom ordered. I never cared for fish or other meat pastes. They just do not appeal to me.

I'm not a huge fan, but chives are always good. I find steamed dumplings to be hugely overrated for dim sum. Although, when you do get a very chewy outside dough wrap, it is good. I find them, in general, though, on the bland side.

We had to wait so long for 椒盐鸡膝. I swear they forgot about it at least two or three times. After talking and waiting for over 30 minutes, it finally came, nice and hot, fresh out of the pan. My absolute favourite at this place, along with the sticky rice dishes - something we get every time and has yet to be disappointed!

Homecoming Dinner - 聚-Dinesty

March 3, 2012

聚 - Dinesty, Richmond BC

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小笼汤包

京酱肉丝＋薄饼

镇江骨

栗子鸡煲

丝瓜毛豆面筋煲

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Home sweet home! Of course, Mom had to take me here - her new casual Shanghai cuisine restaurant. The price of the food they serve is absolutely amazing. They do not have the most exquisite food but definitely more home-style and definitely more than reasonably priced.

The 小笼汤包 is supposedly the best in Vancouver. It's true. The wrapper is thin and chewy, perfectly steamed. The pork filling is not fat yet the soup inside was very tasty. It is definitely the best 小笼包 around, only I was never a huge fan of it, regardless of where I eat it.

A traditional Beijing dish, the 京酱肉丝＋薄饼 was not up to my standards. The sauce was not bold enough. There was not enough fresh scallions, and traditionally, there should not be any cucumbers. At least the pork was tender. The pancakes were good though - perfectly chewy and thin with that nice white flour aroma.

The next course, my favourite dish - as Mommy knew - was 镇江骨. The sauce was extremely well flavoured - perfectly sweet and sour. Mom found it a bit salty but I thought it was just about perfect. The sesame and pine nuts added a nice hint of flavour, and the spareribs were perfectly fried. The outside nice and crispy, soaking up flavour, and the insides nice and tender. It was definitely the best I have had ever, hands down. I would go back any day just for this one dish.

The 栗子鸡煲 was a bit salty for my taste. The dates and chestnuts in the pot were good, except the chestnuts were slightly undercooked for me. I like them a bit mushy, so they can melt in your mouth. The sauce was basically just salty, nothing special there. A bit too much salt led to lots of water once I got home. The chicken was at least nicely cooked and tender.

Finally, the 丝瓜毛豆面筋煲 was a nice end to the meal as it was not salty - nice and refreshing and light. The loofah was not bitter so I consider it good. Well, it always has a nice and moist texture. I've always had a soft spot for good loofah. Edamame is just the same old edamame as always. The gluten was chewy too. It was a bit on the bland side but a nice balance to the salty chicken dish.

Overall, their food is homey but very reasonably priced. I would like to go back once more to try a few more dishes, including their stinky tofu. But one thing's for sure, I will definitely go back for the 镇江骨!

From the DP Dinner Plate - The Inn at Penn

January 21, 2012

The Inn at Penn, Philadelphia PA

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Classic Caesar Salad

Parmesan and Herb Crusted Boneless Chicken

Chocolate Dome

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First time attending the DP Banquet, I was totally underdressed so I had to rush back and change. At least I had a thick enough dress, and paired with leggings and boots, I was not cold and shivery on that snowy evening.

The catered meal was average. The Classic Caesar Salad was less than ideal. I did not even get any croutons on my plate. It was just a couple of tossed leaves staring up at me. No cheese, no nothing. After the somewhat bland rolls, it was not surprising.

The entree was Parmesan and Herb Crusted Boneless Chicken. I was still in my 'plain chicken breast for protein' phase so I was glad it was a large lean chicken breast. The crust was almost tasteless, the herb and cheese extremely bland. So, I got rid of that, only eating the chicken breast and sauteed spinach. The potatoes were bland too so I didn't really touch it.

The dessert was definitely the best part of the meal, though far from ideal. The chocolate cane on top was good, the white and milk chocolate mix. The chocolate mousse was alright and the raspberry truffle centre was quite good. The biscuit on the bottom though was again a bit bland. At least this was visually appealing.

Overall though, I guess catered meals just don't compare with single entrees at restaurants. But to get a free ticket to the event, and finally learn what the DP is all about, it was a good evening.

P. F. ZHANG's - P. F. Chang's

December 29, 2011

P. F. Chang's, Las Vegas NV

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Double Pan-Fried Noodles

Kung Pao Chicken

Stir-Fried Eggplant

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This is Mommy's restaurant. The last name matches. Then we realize the initials is Mommy and Daddy combined. Huh. Nice job. Dad first suggested going here for Chinese food made by non-Chinese. Surprisingly, it is quite decent. Not authentic, but delicious all the same.

The Double Pan-Fried Noodles - it took Mommy and I quite a while before we figured out it was the equivalent of 两面黄 - were a bit on the salty side. We asked for veggies and shrimp and they only charged us for one of them... unless we got less than usual. But the menu had said specifically that two ingredients would cost more. That was nice. The shrimp were tender and really good. The crispy parts of the noodles were also good. Just a little salty.

The Kung Pao Chicken was not exactly superb, just mediocre. It was more like fried chicken cubes rather than stir-fried mini cubes. The sauce was a bit on the sweet side, not spicy enough. The peanuts were good though.

The Stir-Fried Eggplant was my favourite dish, not just because I love eggplant. The garlic sauce was nice and sweet, and the eggplant was fried slightly so the dish was generally pretty good. As long as the sauce is good, and that there is enough sauce on the plate, the dish will be good.

Overall, very decent Chinese food for Vegas. This was the one near the strip, not the one in Planet Hollywood. We decided it would be more quiet and a more relaxing atmosphere, more spaced out. Finally acceptable Chinese food by non-Chinese chefs!

Satisfy Those Cravings - Hard Rock Cafe

December 27, 2011

Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas NV

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Hard Rock Nachos

Cobb Salad

Hickory-Smoked Bar-B-Que Duo Combo

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After seeing Hard Rock first in Los Angeles, then in Orlando, Philadelphia, and Vegas, we just had to give it a try. The music is not particularly what any of us listens to but regardless, the atmosphere is quite unique - a twist on the traditional restaurant setting, that's for sure!

Mom was craving nachos for two days. So, to satisfy her taste buds, she ordered the nachos - I loved the cheese and jalapenos! So spicy, so nice. I prefer lots of cheese but Mom and Dad seemed to prefer the crispy, un-cheesed chips. The cheese made it soggy after a while but I liked it that way. Salsa was good but I was never a big fan of sour cream.

I had the Cobb Salad and boy it was huge! Just a regular salad, nothing too fancy. It was not bad but there was nothing remarkable.

Dad's hickory-smoked bbq duo of ribs and chicken was, on the other hand, great. I loved the bbq sauce. It was amazing. The ranchero beans that came with it was heavenly for me. I haven't had traditional beans like that for so long! They remind me of our early immigration days, back in my first elementary, and then the canned beans I used to get from Superstore. The ribs were so tender and perfectly done.

I don't think we'll go back to Hard Rock, just because their menu does not offer a lot of variety. Cheesecake Factory is definitely better in their selections. Not a bad dinner, though.