Foodie Trip #3: Ebi Ten

Chicken craving = SATISFIED!

After reading The Food Queen's blog post about That Barista Thing, I was really excited about it! Knowing Ronald has an interest in latte art, I asked if he wanted to go. Since the event was taking in Vancouver Public Library, I suggested to give Ebi Ten a visit as it has been a while since we went.

Ebi Ten is a Japanese fast food restaurant. The way the restaurant works reminds me of a cafeteria. So first you would pay for your meal. Then you get your receipt with a number on it. When your order is ready, they will call your number!

Menu

Layout of store

I finally remembered to take a picture of the store! As you can tell, there are not much seats available. If you are going with a friend, I suggest you to take turns to purchase your meals.

Sushi and snacks fridge

A) Ebi Ten Bowl ($8.25)

This Ebi Ten bowl was definitely catered to my preference *drools*. I was having a chicken craving (as always), but I also really like tempura shrimps! The amount of batter for the tempura was perfect; they were definitely not drenched in batter before frying. I quite enjoyed the teriyaki sauce. It was not too sweet like some teriyaki sauce I have tried; it was just enough to bring out a savoury taste.

Salmon Sushi Rolls

Ronald's salmon sushi rolls! They were probably made in the morning. So, it didn't taste really fresh.

8) Buta-Mayo
Gingered stir-fried pork on rice with cabbage and mayo

Ronald's again! At first, I thought it was just pork with cabbage because I didn't see the rice. Ronald thought it was just "okay". He said he expected "chunks of meat instead of slices". So this didn't really fill him up.

I wouldn't recommend getting their sushi. But, try the Ebi Ten Bowl!! It was delicious :) 

Ebi Ten is great if you are in a hurry but still want to grab a decent lunch!

Ebi Ten

388 Robson Street 

Vancouver, BC V6B 2B2

Foodie List for October

Can't believe it has been a month since I came back from Hong Kong! With so many assignments/quizzes/midterms coming up, I came up with a foodie list (basically a list of restaurants/cafes I want to try) as my motivation :P

So, here it is!

1. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Cafe

http://www.49thparallelroasters.com

I wanted to try this after seeing my friend's cup of latte on Instagram. The latte art was probably the most beautiful one I have ever seen. Apparently, it is owned by the same people who founded Caffé Artigiano!! So astounded when I found this out! 

I am a big fan of Starbucks but sometimes I find their coffee to have a sour aftertaste. I am no coffee connoisseur but the sour aftertaste is so displeasing! I prefer Artigiano's coffee as it doesn't have a sour aftertaste. Too bad they don't have any stores in Richmond!

2. Jethro's Fine Grub

http://www.jethrosfinegrub.com/

Jethro's have been on my list for the longest time (probably since April)! Their Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread French Toast sounds amazing! Scratch that, actually everything sounds good on their menu!!

Jethro's Fine Grub was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. And I trust Guy Fieri's recommendation after trying out Meat & Bread!

3. Miku Restaurant

http://mikurestaurant.com/

I found out about Miku while browsing on Urbanspoon. Their Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi caught my attention right away. They are firmly pressed into a rectangular shape! Some bloggers say it is the best salmon sushi they ever had! 

But, I probably won't get to Miku in October...if not, I will definitely go in November or during Christmas break.

That's all on my October Foodie List!

Foodie Trip #1: Hapa Izayaka on Robson

Finally got to try Hapa Izayaka yesterday after seeing so many friends post pictures of the food on Facebook! I bought a Groupon in July ($15 for $30 worth of food, good for 2 to 4 people). So I ended up going with bf and his mom :)

We made a reservation for 6:30 p.m.. and the restaurant was quite full already!

Exterior of Hapa Izakaya

Ebi Mayo
Deep fried shrimp, tossed in a spicy mayonnaise sauce

Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps
Crispy pork belly, apple jam, pickled onion, butter lettuce

Ebi Mayo - This was my absolute favourite! The ebi mayo was the first dish that arrived, so it sort of set a standard for the dishes that were coming along. It was sort of like shrimp tempura but covered with a sauce that resembles the sweet and sour sauce. The batter was on the thick side, but the sweetness of the shrimp was still shown through.

Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps - I thought this was just alright. This reminded me of the Peking duck lettuce wraps. The down side was it did not come with enough lettuce for each pork belly. There were two pieces remaining that was just eaten on its own. But pork itself was seasoned nicely!

Yaki Udon
Thick udon noodles, stir-fried chicken, vegetables
(vegetarian version available upon request)

Ishi-Yaki (already mixed)
Rice, minced pork, flower chives, egg, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, served in a hot stone bowl

Yaki Udon - Second favourite! :) The portion was quite small. It was enough for around 4-5 bowls. The only down side to the udon was I thought it was sort of wet for fried noodles.

Ishi-Yaki - Before heading to Hapa Izakaya, I read on various blogs that this was one of their best dish. So, we decided to give it a try! It was very similar to the Korean stone bowl rice. When it arrived at our table, it wasn't thoroughly mixed. All the ingredients were laid on top of the rice (just like the Korean style ones). The waitress helped us mix it...for some reason she had to flatten out the rice after all the mixing (not sure why :P)

Renkon Gyoza Tempura
Minced pork layered with lotus root, tempura

Crab Croquette
Dungeness crab, corn, Japanese BBQ sauce

Renkon Gyoza Tempura - We ordered this and the crab croquette after we finished the rice! This was definitely an interesting dish...that being said, it was something you can probably make at home if you are willing to invest in the time. There was lotus root between the gyoza wrapper and the batter. It added an extra "crunch" in addition to the fried batter.

Crab Croquette - This was probably the most disappointing dish we ordered. My first reaction was: "what?! only 3 pieces?!". But after finishing one piece, I was SO full. Inside has a thick creamy filling. I couldn't really taste the crab though. 

Rating: 3.5/5

We thought the portions were on the small side but we were kind of expecting it to be a light dinner! Though I have not tried other Japanese Tapas, Hapa Izakaya has definitely got me interested in the whole Japanese Tapas experience! But if it wasn't for the Groupon, I probably wouldn't have tried out the restaurant due to its price.

Location: 1479 Robson Street      Vancouver, BC V6G 1C1

World Wrap Place

I decided to take a stroll in Gastown after my volunteer shift in North Van. I came across this wrap place on Water Street! It isn't exactly a restaurant but a booth on the street with two tables and a couple plastic chairs. I actually wanted to sit down in a restaurant and have a quick lunch...but I thought I would give this a try ;)

World Wrap Place Menu

World Wrap Place - info sign

Small Mexican Chicken Wrap (without red onions)
Chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh hot Jalapenos, sliced mushrooms, salsa and lots of Mozzarella

Half eaten small Mexican chicken wrap

I ordered the small Mexican chicken wrap because most likely I won't be able to finish a large...I wasn't sure of their portions. I opted out of the red onions...the raw onion taste is so displeasing :( Then the man (probably owner) who was making my wrap asked if I want medium or very spicy; I ended up getting medium! He popped the pita bread in the microwave to warm it up. While it was heating up, he went to the rotating spin to cut the donair meat (first time trying this :D!)

I was quite shocked about how generous they were with their portions. I thought the wrap that I got was probably considered "large". The chicken was marinated very nicely. The spices were quite different...never tried anything like this before. I had to take out the Jalapeno peppers after eating half of the wrap...it was too spicy!

Rating: 3/5
Definitely something interesting to try! I wish they had more seats outside the booth though. But if you are in the area and looking for a quick lunch, give this a try!

Location: 68 Water St  Ste 101         Vancouver, BC V6B 1A7

Kintaro Ramen

This is hands down the best restaurant for ramen! I have been having a ramen craving for the longest time, so I nagged my boyfriend to go with me :P

I have been reluctant to try other ramen restaurants because I believe nothing can beat Kintaro! The restaurant is very very small (probably fit 30-35 people max), so there is always a long line up! There used to be a Kintaro in Richmond across from Richmond Public Market...why did it close down :( I am kind of glad it did actually, otherwise I will have ramen everyday!

Outside Kintaro - line up

Inside Kintaro - open kitchen

Menu 

Shio Ramen (fat pork with rich soup base)With onions, bean sprouts, eggs, and bamboo shoots

The soup base comes in rich, medium and light. The pork is available in fat or lean. My favourite combination  of all time is Shio ramen with fat pork and rich soup base. Words cannot describe how good it tastes. I believe the soup is made from broiling pork bones. I always pick rich soup base because it has so much more flavour compared to medium or light bases. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

All in all, Kintaro never disappoints me. If you are in the downtown area and craving for ramen, go to Kintaro!! The wait is definitely worth it! You will know what I mean :D

Location: 788 Denman Street  Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5