Asian Baked Freshness - 大统华面包坊-T&T Bakery

March 9, 2012
大统华面包坊 - T&T Bakery, Richmond BC
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豆沙饱 (Black Bean Bun)
台式菠萝包 (Pineapple Bun (TW))
蛋糕堡 (椰丝) (Cake With Coconut)
三宝包 (Taro Custard & Red Bean Bun)
蛋皮肉松卷 (Dried Pork Omelet Bun)
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T&T is definitely not cheap, but Mom and I think that for the quality of their buns, they definitely do not overprice their items. The bread is always freshly baked each morning, which means they are sold at discounted prices every night. That's when we normally go to buy them. They get to around 50% off and it is not like we would buy it and eat it right away anyways. They make great breakfasts for the next two or three days. Only, when they are discounted like this, they come in packs of seven randomly selected buns depending on the availability each night.

Picking out a bag with as many of your own favourites as possible without any labels of what each bun is is a definite art. Mom, my aunt, and I each have our way of figuring out what we have in our bag, whether that is by paying attention to the person packaging them up or to the different things on the outer layer such as sesame seeds or almond slices. After dinner with Chris, I decided to go and get some. Here is some of the ones I returned with (he took some and some were squished and thus the photos turned out horrible but I'll get around to those sometime).

First off is the 豆沙饱. Though this is one of the cheaper ones originally in the bag, I wanted to eat it. I love the simplicity of bread filled with red bean paste (or is it black bean?). The most traditional but still one of the best when the bread is soft, moist, and chewy and the red bean paste sweet but not overwhelming. The flower shape added that sense of quality to it. These buns really ought not to be refrigerated, just so the bread will remain moist and chewy - just the way I like it. Dry bread is flavourless with a bad texture - the light sweetness somehow is not as pronounced once it dries up.

This was my first time trying their 台式菠萝包. I have always had filled pineapple buns and not the plain kind. The last time I had a plain one was probably years ago from Maxim's Bakery. The pineapple topping was nice and sweet and again, the bread is good when it is moist and chewy. This was a little dry when I tried it the next day. That is probably just because I left it too long. However, with no filling, the bun is bland, even with the hint of sweetness in the dough. I find that it is too big of a bun to be without filling as the topping does not provide enough flavour compared to the volume. Ahhh, that lovely surface area to volume ratio!

Next came the 蛋糕堡 (椰丝). It is by far my favourite Chinese sponge cake ever, minus the shredded coconut on top. The red bean cream is better than regular cream, not as overwhelming and with a nice red bean aroma. It can get a bit too much sometimes, though, so I generally leave the filling parts for Mom. Instead, I much prefer just the cake part. It could be a bit sweeter, but the lighter taste is definitely more refreshing. Often, I eat this too fast and start choking on the cake. That is usually uncomfortable, but the cake is clearly just too good to resist.

I brought the 三宝包 to school with me. This is only the second time I have had this bun. I have to say that although the concept is quite simple, if you break up the three little buns, each is just a simple mini bun with filling: taro, red bean, and custard. However, each of these pastes is one of my favourite bun fillings. T&T makes the sweetness level just right and there is a decent amount in each bun. I could definitely do with a lot more filling but it is better than some bakeries. The three stuck together is not the most creative either but there is just something about simplicity. It definitely adds to the cuteness factor for this bun. The bread for this manages to remain moist and chewy, even once I got back to Philly. I squish it a bit before eating the dough to bring out the sweetness and chewy-ness but it is definitely one of my new favourites.

Finally, my absolute favourite Asian bun of all time (at the moment at least and for the past year): 蛋皮肉松卷. I brought this with me to school as well, and ate the last half of it on the morning of my math midterm. I had left it in the fridge but because of the egg and Asian mayo, the bread remained generally moist and chewy. A bit more moist than usual, actually, which made it even better! The mayo (or maybe egg white sauce of some sort?) remains a mystery to me. I know it is used in Asian sandwiches but I have never managed to find it on any shelves available for purchase. Maybe T&T makes it themselves. In that case, I'm out of luck. The pork fluff with the mayo and egg is just so good. I cannot even begin to describe how nice a mix of savoury and sweet it is, together with the different textures and levels of chewy-ness. Absolutely gorgeous and a definite must-try!

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!

Nostalgic Place and Taste - 美心饼店-Maxim's Bakery

March 9, 2012
美心饼店 - Maxim's Bakery, Richmond BC
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栗子包 (Chestnut Bun)
吞拿鱼丹麦酥 (Tuna Fish Danish)
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This bakery has been here since we came to Canada I think. At least I do not remember it ever not being there. We used to get curry buns and egg tarts and my old favourite, the pineapple and cherry danish, from there when we lived in our rented townhouse. Ahh, those good ol' times. They closed down a couple of years ago but reopened and every now and then, Mom and I would drop in to take a look as we got tired of shopping and looking at clothing racks.

This time, I especially was not in a shopping mood so off we went inside the bakery. What did we find? Some nostalgic, new bakery items that are absolutely scrumptious. Well, at least these specific ones were not available at T&T, where we get most of our delicious Asian bakery goodies.

First, we spotted the 栗子包. Chestnut paste cake was what we started with (along with Black Forest Cake) in T&T bakery way back when. Chestnut paste is just good. End of story. However, Auntie discovered last year that Maxim's had a better cake than T&T. This time, it was not a cake but a bun. Moist and chewy break rolled up with my favourite chestnut paste in a butterfly shape. It looked delicious and tasted great, too! I can just never get enough chestnut stuff!

Next, Mom wanted to try the 吞拿鱼丹麦酥. I am still not a big fan of tuna, but the way the made the tuna salad with canned tuna and mayonnaise is exactly like what Mom used to make ten years ago. It tastes good now because it reminded me of something so long ago, even though I didn't care for it much back then. The glaze on the top gave it a nice sweetness, though I have never been a fan of layered pastry dough and danishes (I like danish fillings, not the dough). Perhaps this is not close to my favourite bakery goodies but it was nostalgia seeping through and through.

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!