Favourite Restaurant in Victoria: Bon Rouge

If you are looking for best bang for your buck restaurants, Bon Rouge is a gem in each and every way.  Located on the corner of Courtney street, the bistro outside decor is warm and inviting.  The parisian style decor, the comfort food, and jazz music softly played have made Bon Rouge my all time favourite place to go for brunch.  

Summer features menu

Two menus are offered, the summer features and the brunch menu.

The decor

The bistro is divided into 3 sections; the patio, the bistro interior, and the restaurant interior.  Jazz music. Casual and relaxed. Friendly service.

Champaign cocktails - $5

Drinks specials are champaign cocktails for $5 until 4 pm every weekend and a glass of wine for $5 every wednesday.  Martinis are $7.50 for 2 oz. and are exquisitely named after famous French figures; Coco Chanel, Yves Saint-Laurant, Bridgette Bardot, etc.

Freshly baked french loaf, complimentary

We were already excited about the french bread as its freshly baked aroma swarmed us. As we pulled the bread apart, we could hear the crunch and the softness of the inside dough softly pulling apart.  Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Wow.

Prawn crepe $12 - Pan seared with fennel shallot and garlic cream sauce

6 giant succulent prawns nestled inside!

I do mean it when I say the prawn crepe at Bon Rouge was the best crepe I've ever had.   The giant prawns are cooked perfectly and in perfect harmony with sauteed vegetables in fennel and garlic cream sauce.  We appreciated each and every single bite.  For the sheer size and for only $12, it was truly amazing.

Croque Monsieur $12 - Baked ham and gruyere cheese on house made brioche loaf and mornay sauce, with a side of fennel soup

I've always been more accustomed to traditional Croque Monsieur with baked cheddar or swiss cheese  on top.  Instead, the mornay sauce, which is made up of half parmesan and half gruyere, offered a subtle  texture that complemented the brioche loaf.  It was light, creamy and not overwhelming.  The fennel soup was aromatic but was a bit too salty.  However, the intensity was brought down a couple notches when alternating between the Croque Monsieur or the french loaf.

French Onion Soup $8 - Gruyere on crostini

We were debating on what to order for the dessert but we kept thinking about the French Onion soup.  Since I'm a fan, I knew I would have to try.  So we ended up getting it as a dessert instead (lol).  The broth was rich and, again, still a tad too salty for me.  But if you are a cheese lover like me, you would really enjoy the thick layer of melted gruyere and added bread made up for it.   

As we stumbled out of the restaurant an hour and a half later, though I may have easily gained 5 lbs, I was ecstatic and could not wait to come back again.

Visit their website here.

What to eat in Kamakura: Doria and Curry Beef Stew

While my sister and I were travelling in Kamakura, Japan, a town famous for the great Buddha statue, Daibutsu. We were enroute from Kita-Kamakura station to Engakuji temple.  Along the way, we stumbled upon a small cute cafe shop called Cafe Sakura.  Starving and enticed by their photo of green tea mont blanc, we decided to go in and check it out.  The shop is small but very cozy and inviting with outside patio.  Decorated in white with lace and flower arrangements, there are few tables and they were all filled.  I noticed very high customer turnover during the course that we were there.  The shop does attract lots of passerby's on the street. There are only 2 women working there.  I assumed they are co-owners, one works in the kitchen and one serves and helps out in the kitchen.  There are only 2 entrees offered in the menu, doria (1,300 yen), baked rice in cream sauce and parmesan, and curry beef stew served with rice.  In the beginning, my sister and I ordered one doria to share (as a snack before lunch) since we saw their portion is fairly big.  While we were waiting, we couldn't help but glance over at the 2 ladies sitting beside us cleaning out their curry stew plate.  As we observed more around us, curry beef stewed is ordered at every table.  We realized what was needed to be done and ordered the curry.

We waited for about 20 minutes for each dish to arrive.  As we looked over, we could see the kitchen and the ladies working hard to carefully craft each order.  It was really nice to see much attention paid to each dish being served.  Once the doria arrived, I didn't hesitate to dig my spoon in and taste the creamy, cheesy baked rice.  It tasted just as good as it looked.  The rice was well seasoned with the right cream consistency.  I felt like I was eating risotto.  The mushroom and shrimp added texture and complement well.  I was about half way done with the doria when the giant plate of curry beef stew (1,000 yen) arrived.  We were arguing that we have overdone ourselves.

I waited for my sister to take the first bite, and when she did, she was silent.  Her eyes may have rolled back a little bit.  "Well, how is it?" I asked. Her reply was "It's simply the best curry stew I've ever had in my life!" Of course, I jumped in and scoop a generous amount of rice and a chunk of beef in my mouth.  My palette went into overdrive as savoury and bold flavours spread all over my mouth, blending in perfect harmony with Japanese rice.  I'm not usually a fan of beef stew as they are often overcooked and have hard and chewy texture.  This time, the beef was so tender and flaky and there should've been more on the plate.  We ended up clearing both dishes in a short amount of time.  As agreed, we ended our course with a green tea mont blanc (800 yen).  

To be honest, we were both most pleased with the curry beef stew, then the doria.  The green tea mont blanc looked very appealing.  However, we couldn't taste anything else but sweet cream.  The green tea flavour was very faint and there is more cream filling inside.  I found that it was just too heavy.  Perhaps, the original mont blanc would have been a better choice.  Overall, I have to say that this little shop is a hidden gem in Kamakura.  It is a great spot to take a short break from sightseeing just to enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious curry beef stew.  

Hot girls at Shibuya 109

The majority of the girls we saw at Shibuya fall into the generic category of "brown hair, big eyes, fake lashes" look.  Having said that, I have to admit that many of them are pretty hot and props to their makeup skills to being able to stand out of thousands that are rocking the exact same look.  The trend this spring became obvious to us after almost all stores at Shibuya 109 are selling almost exact same items.  In almost every shop, sales and patrons are dressed in floral print tops with light colour denim, an oversized bow or do-rag headband, and caramel colour leather accessories. At the time, I felt a huge urge to conform and jump on the floral, big bow bandwagon. I ended up buying an outfit that looked like a school girl uniform out of spur of the moment.  Maybe because I was in Japan and I wanted to get down with the fashion culture (Kogal?) and turn back the hands of time back to my youth.  I will post the picture of the outfit later.   The store I bought the outfit/costume from is called Scandals (....), a himegyaru store.  I've always been intrigued with hime dolly looks, so it was sort of a part of the list.  In the meantime, here are some info. on Japan gyaru fashion.

How to do gyaru eye makeup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcmVUftrM50&feature=related

Cheap and good places in Tokyo

I haven't blogged on here for a while after my Japan/Korea trip and have been feeling a little bit lazy.  So for a recommendation for drinking spot in Japan as already mentioned in my other travel blog, the "270 Yen Kinokura Jr.".  All of the dishes and drinks (quite an array of selection) are less than $3.  Food is awesome, drinks are good size, it just seems almost too good to be true.  The best thing is, these joints can be found all over main areas in Tokyo, so it's real convenient.

Another convenient fast-foodish restaurant I really liked was the Tempura Tendon Tenya.  It may be a chain restaurant but the one we went to at Nippori really captured my heart.  For something that was simple and good, the prawn tempura there were fresh crispy.  Best of all, it is served with plenty of sauce (and a bottle at your table if you want to really drench it), a poached egg, the addition which makes the dish for me.  The set comes with miso soup, and udon soup for around 750 yen.  So if you are looking for something that is convenient, cheap, and good, I recommend this one as the way to go.

First Youtube vid!

I had so much time on my hand that I edited the video from last November's trip to Mexico. Xel-Ha is located in Riviera Maya and is now my favourite attractions to go to. There are many land and water activities offered in the park that it would take you the whole entire day to go through everything. The habitats and ecosystems of the river are well preserved and maintained. As many other natural attractions in the area, visitors are only allowed to use biodegradable sunscreens. Some of the fun activities I definitely will try on my next trip to Xel-Ha includes swimming with the dolphins and spending quality time with manatees.

For more information, visit http://www.xelha.com.

Another exciting attraction that I would like to recommend is Xplor. Zip-lining over 2 miles over the forest and through 2 water landings, (climbing up towers after towers, it's more tiring than you would expect!), and swimming through stalactite rivers made it quite an amazing experience. Last but not least, the buffet at Xplor, in my opinion, ranked the best from my trip to Riviera Maya. I don't know how they did it, but the buffet offered very healthy selections of fusion and contemporary cuisine. Even something simple like the teriyaki rice was perfectly seasoned and I swear it wasn't because I was hungry. Fresh fruits and vegetables are used and the dishes are low in saturated fat. The tamarind and mango sorbet are also made from fruit juices and I can't describe enough how refreshing they are. Moreover, they offered a delicious variety of fresh fruit juices as well.

Visit Xplor website here.

Good article on Izakayas in Vancouver

Izakaya, known to me as a joint that serves japanese tapas and beer, has been a popular staple amongst Vancouver locals for quite a few years now. Its reputation and popularity with visitors coming in the sample the much talked about menu has also grown immensely. As more Izakayas open up, Japanese tapas are becoming like Dim sum but for dinner, instead of brunch. I stumbled across an article about Vancouver Izakayas on Chow.com which has a good overview and listing of Izakayas in Vancouver area, covering famous ones such as Guu and Gyoza King. If you love japanese cuisine and never been to an Izakaya, I recommend going to Guu on Robson. It offers a unique experience with their chaotic yet upbeat atmosphere, and most importantly, their cocaine-for-your-palette tapas.

Read the article here.

Pictures taken @ Guu, Aberdeen Centre, Richmond BC

Okonomiyaki (japanese pizza)

Tuna mousse to be wrapped with nori

Beef Carpacio

Good Eats in Vancouver

I'll update this post often as I go to Vancouver a lot , solely for the food.

Wo Fung Dessert Aberdeen Centre, Richmond, BC



I was extremely heartbroken when Little Bean which had the crispiest and juiciest fried chicken wings no longer serve chicken.

Then, I heard rumours that the best fried chicken wings are at the food court and Aberdeen Centre. It took me a couple trips before I found where this joint was located. Finally, one day when as I was making another hunt for chicken wings I came across something peculiar. While other food joints were waiting for one customers to come and order, only one had a lineup of about 10 people. I quickly observed to see what people are ordering and behold, fried chicken wings are flying out of the kitchen. It seemed to be the only thing patrons are ordering from Wo Fung Dessert. I think the "Dessert" part is what threw me off and why I never found this hidden treasure. Anywho, I took one bite of the freshly fried wings and I think one single tear of joy came out. It was crispy, juicy and the skin and the meat are perfectly seasoned and marinated. There's tons of flavour but not over powering and you can just taste a hint of ginger.

Frappe Bliss

If you walk a few steps over across the food court you will find a shop called Frappe Bliss which offers all different kinds of shaved ice dessert. It may sound too simple but their secret ingredient lies in the shaved ice which is made of milk, a combination fresh ingredients and milk, or yogurt. The texture of the shaved ice is very smooth, almost velvet and has creamy flavour. Aside from the different flavoured shaved ice you can also pick different toppings to go on the dessert. It's very different from all the other shaved ice desserts and extremely refreshing even after a full meal. I didn't find their website having a lot of information but you can click here to see their selections and reviews.



Steveston Pizza Co. Steveston, BC



Steveston Pizza Co. is a small shop on the corner of Moncton and 3rd Ave in Steveston and only does takeouts. In the summertime, it's a perfect spot to stop by and picnic by the beach which has a scenic harbour view. Steveston Pizza Co. is well known among the locals for using fresh and gourmet ingredients. It's hard to make a selection from the menu when everything sounds fantastic. My favourite is the simple Margerite One but I'm still making it my mission to sample everything on the menu.

Cheesy leftover!!

Tenku Richmond, BC


I call it the giant takoyaki, but the apprporiate name is actually "Bakudanyaki". The giant ball is sold at 500 cents a pop and is consisted of rice cake, shrimp, calamari, cabbage, quail egg, and different toppings. Look for a Tenku stand when you are hungry for bakudanyaki at 7100 Elmbridge Way (in a parking lot) from 11-8 pm everyday. Here is the website for the delicious menu and location.

Gmen Ramen Richmond, BC



G-Men Ramen is achain of Gyoza King and is known as Kintaro's biggest competition in Vancouver. The key here is the broth; shoyu, torigara (chicken) shoyu, and miso; all of which are rich and packed with flavour. Cheese lovers should try the Miso, Cheese & Kimchi Ae Soba. Aside from ramen, there are also donburi (rice) dishes such as bbq eel, salted cod roe, or marinated pork on rice. The only downer is that the space is extremly limited and there's always lineups. If you are planning to go with a bigger group of people, all party must be present once your table is available, otherwise they'll give up your table. Inside the restaurant, the decor is kinda cute. They make the kitchen to look like a street vendor, reminiscent of authentic ramen stands in Japan.

Japadog downtown Vancouver

Located on Burrard street, (one location on Burrard and Smithe, the other on Burrard and Penderstreet, Japadog is probably the most famous hot dog stand in Canada, having been aired by CBC, Global, and CBC, not to include published in various magazines. some of the past clients include Steven Seagal, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ice Cube. The lineup on any regular day may be long but nobody seems to mind the wait. You can find all sorts of people from businessman to tourist sitting down on the pavement and enjoying the delicious fusion between Japanese flavour toppings and a North American staple. The most popular being the Terimayo, which branches into different types, and the Oroshi. Patrons can check on their website before embarking on the search for Japadog as they maybe opened or closed depending on the weather.