A Taste of Ningbo - 宁波海鲜酒家-Ningbo Seafood Restaurant

March 7, 2012

宁波海鲜酒家 - Ningbo Seafood Restaurant, Richmond BC

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宁式酱鸭

宁波一品上素

烤杂鱼

风味炒陈村粉
[陈皮绿豆沙]

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This is a fairly new restaurant, tucked away in the corner of Parker Place. Even for the three months it had been in business though, there was barely anyone there on a Wednesday night. I guess they opted for a 'soft opening' and did not advertise much, but still, there should not be just four tables in a large restaurant filled.

Anyways, the food was exquisite. I guess there is something to be said about not many people eating so the chef can cook each dish carefully. Mom is also right in saying that in the beginning, a Chinese restaurant in Richmond (where there are just way too many Chinese restaurants) need to present superb quality dishes in order to draw the customers back. They did that alright.

We started out with the 宁式酱鸭. The sauce was a perfect blend of soy sauce and sugary sweetness. The duck was also cooked perfectly, tender and quite lean for a duck. Together, the dish was very delicious - the perfect appetizer. I can still taste that sweet soy sauce - YUM!

For our fill of veggies, we decided to try 宁波一品上素 as we wanted only Ningbo specialties. There is no point eating other cuisine at a Ningbo restaurant. I have to say, although this dish was not as flavourful, it was delightfully refreshing. A nice, mild veggie dish with the light flavouring throughout.

My least favourite dish of the evening was 烤杂鱼. I never liked just salty fish. The flavour did go through the baked fish though so I could tell it was cooked with care and very nicely done. I just never liked salted fish much. I prefer my lighter meat dishes with a sweeter flavour.

Finally, another one of my favourites, was the 风味炒陈村粉. These rice noodles were translucent, way prettier than the normal opaque kind and much more chewy. They had yellow chives and Asian celery in them as well, so a nice blend of Asian veggies with shrimp. The noodles were nicely cooked, the 'al dente' version of rice noodles.

They gave each of us a bowl of 陈皮绿豆沙 in the end. It is the first time I have tried such a common dessert but made with mung beans instead of your usual red beans. A nice change, I think, because the mung beans have a slightly different flavour in that they are more bitter and less likely to blend with the sweetness of the sugar. Overall, though, a great meal. Their lunch menu looked very promising with all the appetizers and specialties so we will definitely be back in the summer to try out those dishes!

Cheesyliciousness - The Cheesecake Factory

December 28, 2011

The Cheesecake Factory, Las Vegas NV

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Herb Crusted Filet of Salmon

Skinnylicious Fresh Vegetable Salad

Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

Low Carb Cheesecake with Strawberries

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Our second time at this particular Cheesecake Factory and again, we were not disappointed. We went a bit early, for Vegas anyways. Thus, t

here was only a 30 minute wait. Mom and I passed some time at Express. I found a shirt I liked only to find that it was $19.99 instead of $9.99. Going back to the restaurant empty handed, we were led upstairs. The setting was much more quiet and with the straw lawn chairs, the setting was more casual. It was nice all the same.

Mom saw the picture for the Herb Crusted Fillet of Salmon on the menu and it looked delicious. Only, she was surprised to see only one piece of fish - the photo she saw was for catering. Regardless, the food was still good. A few more pieces of asparagus would have been better, and the salmon was decent. The mashed potatoes were good, but there was too much we just couldn't finish it.

I decided to go with a refreshing Skinnylicious Fresh Vegetable Salad. Apples, beets, asparagus, green beans, and edamame never fails to please me. Dressing on th

e side was also a good idea. The pomegranate vinaigrette did not taste like pomegranate, just sour. There was plenty of lettuce though so refreshing it certainly was.

Dad, not feeling up to a lot of meat, decided to go with the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta, which was actually delicious. The sweet and spicy chipotle sauce was grea

t! The pasta was not overcooked, and the tortilla strips added a nice texture to the dish. The only downside was that there was not much veggies in the plate. The pasta was great though.

Finally, you can't go to The Cheesecake Factory without eating cheesecake. I wanted to try the original - after all, it's traditional and therefore must be good! Their low carb option was even better. Mom did not enjoy it as much since it was too creamy and rich, just a big slice of

cheesecake, but the strawberries were nice. Although, I was disappointed that they were not glazed like the ones on the non-low carb slices. The few pieces in the glass bowl just did not do it for me. It was not the best cheesecake ever, so I guess traditional is not always good.

To everyone's delight, though, their whole wheat bread is always delicious. Slightly sweetened somehow, very rich, whole wheat flavors... we took some to go for breakfast the next day. Mom and I have a soft spot for it, that's for sure! Overall though, the price is decent, much more worth it than many other casual dining restaurants.

Merry Christmas - Hugo's Cellar

December 25, 2011

Hugo's Cellar, Las Vegas NV

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New York Strip Char-Broiled Steak

Salmon Sauce Nantua

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After landing in Vegas, renting a car, checking in, and driving to downtown Las Vegas, thanks to Yelp, we decided to give Hugo's Cellar a try in the Four Seasons Hotel. It was Christmas so I did not want some casual diner, like the one beside Hugo's which had open seating. $8 mediocre chicken was just not my kind of Christmas.

We discover though that the menu came in set dinners so considering there was no way I can eat a whole meal myself, we decided with two entrees. The perfect amount actually. Yeah, it was a little awkward but again, it's not our problem the restaurant did not allow for individual dishes.

Dad had a New York Strip Steak and Mom and I ha

d the Salmon Sauce Nantua (crab sauce with shrimp). I personally prefer medium rare steak, not medium well. The salmon was nicely done, though. The sauce was flavoured very well and grilled salmon is always nice as long as the seasoning and flavouring is done right.

I was kind of disappointed that the sides were all very similar. I do not usually eat mashed or baked potatoes, but I did have the stuffed tomato. The white asparagus was also a new veggie for me but I like it a lot. It had more of a entree side feel than the green asparagus, maybe because it was just thicker.

They also had crisps in the bread basket. Those were good. The butter was in a rose shape. Very pretty. The dessert was dark chocolate dipped strawberries, milk chocolate dipped dried apricots, and white chocolate dipped figs. Needless to say, being a fan of white chocolate and figs, that was my favourite. The strawberries were huge and sweet too. Mom and I also got a red rose each. A very merry Christmas in Vegas!

Spiced Up Evening - 峨嵋山庄-Emei Restaurant

November 24, 2011

峨嵋山庄 - Emei Restaurant, Philadelphia PA

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担担面

干煸四季豆

水煮鱼

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So when it comes to Chinese restaurants, there tends to be many many dishes on the table, all meant for sharing. Thus, it leaves me too many photos and too many posts if I am writing about individual dishes. Therefore, I shall resort to reviewing everything in one post - if I can fit it in!

峨嵋山庄 started out 小菜（花生米&泡菜） with for everyone. Kind of cute, if you ask me. It was the most formal Szechuan restaurant we could find in Chinatown and the few reviews it had were quite positive.

Their 担担面 was, according to Dad, quite authentic - as authentic as you can get with Philadelphia anyways. The spice and numbness of the sauce was great, and the skinny noodles slippery and tender. I would have preferred more vegetables, though. And more of the meat and sauce. This is usually the case with noodles in a restaurant.

Their 干煸四季豆 was not authentic, partially because it is not really a Szechuan dish. Nonetheless, they fried the beans and it was not spicy which pleased Dad.

Finally, their 水煮鱼 was not authentic either.

It had bok choy and celery on the bottom, instead of the usual yellow bean sprouts.

The soup is supposed to be watery with spicy chili oil but this was more spicy sauce and corn starch. The fish was fried too, instead of boiled. Regardless of authenticity, however, the fish was tender and the flavor was good. Who really cares whether it is authentic, as long as it tastes good right?

I have to say, reading reviews online helped so much in picking restaurants for the day. After three months of non-real food, this day was a huge improvement. Very spicy and satisfying.