The Quest for the Best Hainanese Chicken

Hainanese Chicken is a fairly popular dish in Vancouver, and there are definitely many opinions when it comes to which one's the best. To be honest, I already have a favorite when it comes to Hainanese chicken, so I came into Cafe D'Lite with high expectations after hearing over and over that theirs is the best.

Half Hainanese Chicken ($12.99 + tax)

This is half a chicken, with a bowl of chicken rice. The chicken was deboned, and had a drizzle of soy sauce, which was nice. It was also very gelatinous, and not too meaty. Overall, the chicken was not bad, but not as good as I expected. While most places give their sauces separately, Cafe D'Lite's came mixed. I thought the chili sauce was nothing spectacular (a bit bland even), but it seems to be popular since I saw packaged bottles  for sale! The chicken rice was moist and flavorful, but not as fluffy as I expected. For $12.99 (not including the rice)  the portion is quite small.

A Taste of Mama's Dumplings

Not having to live at home is great and fun, but I'm sure many of you would agree with me that not having mom's home-cooked food sucks. But don't get me wrong, living away from home is definitely a great experience and hey, restaurants like Mother's Dumplings can (temporarily) make up for the lack of homemade food!

Pork and Bak Choi Pan Fried Dumplings  豬肉白菜鍋貼 $6.95 

I used to wave off the idea of eating at dumpling restaurants because I feel like when I go out to eat, I want to go for food that I cannot make at home. The dumplings at Mother's Dumplings definitely changed my thinking. The thickness of the skin was just right and the meat inside was juicy. The dumplings and other pastry dishes are all hand made in their open kitchen, which is probably why they taste so good.

Poutine Eh?

I have never been especially fond of fries, but I have always been a huge fan of poutine. The gravy and cheese combination just makes poutine completely irresistible! I love it when my fries are soggy from the gravy.

It's not hard to find poutine in Canada, they're served at fast food chains, bars/pubs and sometimes even trendy restaurants. However, I feel like it's not that easy to find GOOD poutine.
A friend told me about Smoke's Poutinerie way back, but I never got to visiting because it's in an area that I don't normally go to. Finally, I decided to trek there in the heavy rain and boy was it worth it!

Smoke's Poutinerie has several locations in Toronto, but I picked the one closer to me. It was my first time there and I swear it took me literally 10 minutes to decide on my choice because all of them seemed so delicious! I actually thought it would be more customizable in the sense that you can choose your own ingredients on top of your poutine, but I was happy with the choices given anyway.

What Kinda Pasta? Some Kinda Wonderful Pasta!

Who wants to eat UBC's SUB food everyday? Not me. Whether you're on a tight schedule or have a longer break, the Point Grey Village on W10th is just a few minutes away by bus.

The first time I tried Some Kinda Pasta was actually somewhat of an impromptu decision. It seemed like a cozy little place, and I was so impressed with it that I came back again! Here, you can pick from their wide range of sauces and type of pasta to create your own meal. 

Pictured above is the Chorizo Sausage with penne ($10.95 + tax). I'm not a big fan of creamy pastas, and prefer my sauces to have a strong tomato flavor. This sauce was great-- very tasty, chunky and just a little bit spicy. The sausage was also very good, and had a smoky flavor to it. Their portions are fairly large, above is actually a half order! 

Nothing Beats Sunday Morning Brunch at EggSmart

My perfect Sunday starts like this: I sleep until the clock hits eleven (usually later) when the warm sun is shining on my face, making it too bright to sleep. After some snoozing, I get up but stay in the bed with my Macbook in my lap and laze around some more. Finally when my stomach is growling like mad, I hop out of bed and get ready to go to Sunday brunch, which is no doubt the best part of my weekend. 

Despite being 3 minutes away from where I live, EggSmart was never my usual brunch place. I ended up at EggSmart because, like always, I was planning to go to another place, but the rain ruined my plans and I had to opt for something close. This place is small and tables are very closely placed so I felt a little cramped.

100% Delicious

After a not-so-filling dinner, I visited 100% Healthy Dessert in search of something to satisfy my sweet craving. The shop is small and I've never had a problem with lineups and waiting to get a seat. Their menu is quite extensive for a small place, with lots of creative desserts.

The most tempting thing on their menu was probably their wide variety of shaved ice with different combinations of toppings, fruit, etc. But since it was a chilly day, I opted for their sweet soup instead. Pictured below is their Mango GiGi (楊枝甘露)  and Strawberry Soup with mango and noodles.

The Mango Gigi was very nice, served cold and with fresh mango chunks and tapioca. It was a good blend of sweet and sour. Now you're probably all wondering...noodles? In a dessert...?

An Unnoticed Gem: Manpuku Modern Japanese Eatery

I randomly came across this restaurant when I was actually planning on going to another place. I decided to try out this place because I remember hearing good things about it and I figured, why not try something new instead of always going to the same place?

curry don カレー丼   $6.99 + tax

I call Manpuku an unnoticed gem because it is a relatively small restaurant hidden in the corner behind the food court in the Village by the Grange complex. Of the two times I've been here, the restaurant has been fairly empty, but I think it would be crowded with maybe even line ups during school days since the complex is connected to the Ontario College of Arts and Design. The restaurant is authentic and the Japanese waitresses are also the chefs who make your food in a semi-open kitchen.

Deer Garden Signatures

If you ever decide to check out Deer Garden Signatures, remember to come early, because this place will be packed! Out of the three times that I've visited this place, there were always massive lineups at the door, even at twenty minutes after opening. Anyways, they are supposed to be a Hong Kong Style Cafe (according to one of their awards on the wall), but I believe most people go for the noodle combo.

Basically, you choose your own soup base, type of noodles and two toppings. The result...?