Noodles In A Box

The first time I talked about the restaurant noodle box with my friends, I was mentioning that I had leftovers from noodle box. The first response from my friends was "you have noodles in a box? why are you so excited about that?" They didn't understand that noodle box was a restaurant, not some noodles my mom packed me in a box for lunch. However, that's exactly what noodle box is (if you're taking out anyways.)

My mom had stumbled across this restaurant with her co-worker and insisted that she took me and my sister too it. I'm not huge on trying new things, but this was totally worth it. Noodle Box is a South East Asian restaurant that has a very laid-back vibe to the restaurant. The food is excellent; with a variety of appetizers, stir-fry, soup and curry. The noodles are my personal favorite with a great blend of spices, sauce, vegetables, and meats. The best part is, is that you have the freedom to choose the spice, the sauce, and the meats - they even have the alternative of tofu for all you vegetarians. My personal favorite is the teriyaki box with beef and tofu. One of the most interesting parts on my first time was the fact that you chose your own spice level. Now, this might not seem all that interesting since most of the time you have the choice of mild, medium, and hot; however, at noodle box you have the widest range of spiciness it's amazing. Most people walk into noodle box thinking that the medium is the regular not so spicy taste that most restaurants give, but at noodle box there medium can make you be chugging lots of water (that is if you aren't use to spicy foods.) The good thing about the employees though, is that they'll warn you and double check that you've tried that level of heat before because if not, you could be left with a loss of feeling in your tongue. My other personal favorite about this restaurant is that they give out the good old glass bottles of coca-cola and sprite.

Now for all the eco-friendly people. This restaurant is definitely the place to eat. The Noodle Box is all about saving the earth with their eco-friendly recycling system. They have systems in their restaurants that have certain bins for recycling and garbage. They're take home boxes are also recyclable - by simply taking off the wire hanger they're good to go in the blue box.

I found that their prices are quite reasonable for the amount of food you are getting. Luckily, for all those math haters out there that are like me, their prices already include taxes; in other words, when it says $15 on the menu, it means it's only $15. So for all those change scramblers looking for the loose change in the bottom of their purse, stop searching! All prices are even numbers at the noodle box, you no longer have to search for those $0.99 or worry about tax at the end of the total.

The inconvenience for many of us living in Coquitlam is a way to get there. Unfortunately, The Noodle Box is located in Vancouver on West 4th Ave right by Granville Island. Now, if you plan on bussing, DO NOT follow the instructions on translink. I made that mistake once, and made me and my friend walk a few blocks to finally get there. Let's just say, he wasn't too thrilled with me when he found out he knew a way easier way to get there, that required a lot less walking. So for all those translink goers, you take the millennium line to VCC-Clark and get off there. You then hop on the 84 bus and get off at the Burrard St. stop. Go to your left and The Noodle Box is a few stores up. It may seem like a lot of work, but honestly the food there is totally worth it. I recently just found out there is one on Homer St in Vancouver as well, but I haven't yet had the chance to check it out. I'm sure it's just as amazing.

I can't really express how much more incredible this restaurant is. Honestly, you just have to check it out yourself. The customer service is great, the prices and food portions all reasonable, and the food is absolutely delicious. It's definitely by far one of my favorite restaurants and I would recommend it to all my friends, in fact, I already do! If you want to learn more or look up the menu check out the website for the one on West 4th Ave at: http://thenoodlebox.net/kits/

Just some random restaurant...

“Can we please just go to some random place?”

It was with these words that my dad decided to park in front of some random Chinese restaurant, and of course with my luck, the busiest one. (Great. Definitely not getting my food anytime soon.) Located near the “downtown” of Surrey was Lee Yuen Seafood Restaurant. From the outside, it looked puny, but judging by the mass of cars taking up every single existing parking space, I guess you could say it was a tad busy. Skeptical about what was to come, we were seated rather quickly by a very bubbly man who spat out a variety of recommended dishes – smoothly putting in a couple of jokes here and there – as soon as we had sat down. We ended up ordering hot and sour soup, beef lettuce wrap, sweet and sour pork, and beef gai-lan. (Might I first point out that Chinese restaurants are AMAZING for their ability to quickly make and distribute the food; we received ours with lightening speed! ) True to our waiter’s words, his recommended meals were absolutely fantastic.

With the hot and sour soup, your taste buds will first notice the definite spiciness, but then Mr. Sour comes along and sneaks up behind that spiciness, giving you a surprising, yet refreshing taste; it was like a match made in Heaven.

Next was the beef lettuce wrap. Now, you have a choice between chicken and beef, but we chose the beef; it gives it more texture! What this is, is a melange of vegetables and beef (the filling) which you wrap with a fresh, crisp leaf of lettuce, topped by a small dollop of Hoisin sauce. This was and is still my favourite dish, by far. Having the filling by itself is rather salty and quite oily, but the lettuce just smoothens out that oiliness while adding another level of crispy texture for you to enjoy. And just when you thought you had everything, the Hoisin sauce majestically reveals itself, making the meal just that much better.

Third: the sweet and sour pork. The name basically describes it all, it’s sweet and sour. The pork, which is breaded, is covered with a red sauce and also has chunky slices of pineapples. It’s the pineapples, in my opinion, that serve a big role in this because they are both sweet and sour! (The sauce probably has something to do with it too, but who knows.) A rather simple dish presents amazing flavours in your palette.

And last, but certainly not least, is the beef gai lan . This is the simplest dish out of all, but it is definitely not in the last place. Gia lan is a long green vegetable that is very crunchy; it almost resembles the rigid structure without the potent smell of a celery. The gai lan itself, when eaten alone, is a tad bitter, but with the sauce (I'm assuming it's a mix of oyster sauce and something else...) it works quite well and it tastes very good. The sauce does not make the gai lan soft or soggy in any sort of way, so the crunchiness of the gai lan is existent and the beef slices are also very tender.

Overall, the entire experience was absolutely fantastic and I had absolutely no complaints at all. The food came out quick, the waiters were absolutely awesome people, and with all this food for a price ranging from the high 40s-50, I am definitely not complaining.

So Lee Yuen's Seafood Restaurant this weekend, anyone?

Opa, anyone?

I absolutely love Greek food; there are many unique and satisfying flavours. Recently, I ate at Paros Taverna, located at the Burquitlam Plaza, on the corner of Clarke & Smith.


The atmosphere as you enter the restaurant is very authentic, with dim lighting and candles illuminating every table. Me and my parents were greeted right away by some friendly waitresses and lead to a table. After scanning the menu for several minutes, we ordered our food; a kalamari dish starter, chicken souvlaki for me, and a lamb shank for my parents.

The kalamari was very good, with lots of texture and taste. The small side of tzatziki just added to the flavor, giving it a nice, tarty zing.

Chicken souvlaki is one of my favourite Greek dishes, and it was quite good. My only complaint of the meal would be the rice pilaf, which came along with the souvlaki; it had small pieces of diced raw onion, which isn't exactly my favourite vegetable. My parents also let me try some of their lamb, which was great. Lamb is unique to other meats, being very tender and almost "melt in your mouth" like when you eat it.

After our meal, we had to wait for about fifteen minutes until our waitress came and got our plates. She was kind enough to give us a slice of baklava, due to us having to wait. I really enjoyed the baklava. It satisfied my sweet-tooth, being drizzled with honey and topped with whipping cream.


Though Paros Taverna wouldn't be my number one choice for Greek, it was quite satisfying and I would recommend for others go to there and give it a try.
I would rate it 3.5/5 stars.

http://www.parostaverna.com/index.html

My Favourite Restaurant

I've been going to The Tomahawk pretty much my entire life, and it is without a doubt my favourite restaurant in the world. 

It's been around since 1926, and the original owner's son runs the restaurant now.  The Tomahawk is in North Vancouver, not far from Lonsdale Quay.  It's known for all the different burgers, which are each named after different Indian chiefs, and especially the Skookum Chief burger, which is the biggest burger on the menu with onions, lettuce, an organic ground beef patty, Yukon bacon, an egg, aged cheddar cheese, a sliced wiener, tomato, and Tomahawk special sauce.  I don't think I've ever seen more than 4 or 5 people eat the whole thing.  If burgers aren't your thing, they also have salads, sandwiches, soups, gigantic breakfasts, and the pies are to die for.  Trips to The Tomahawk are a family tradition for us, and it's one that I will definitely pass on to my own family.
http://www.tomahawkrestaurant.com/index.html

Insider for restaurants

http://www.onyxsteakhouse.ca/location.htm

Working in a restaurant has giving me insight on what the waiters are really thinking during the course of your meal. When you are at a guest at a restaurant it seems like everything is moving at a smooth pace and everything is running accordingly, but in fact, that is not the case.
Waiters have very stressful jobs, they must remember specials, ingredients, returning customers, tables, seat numbers, and prices. They have a lot of pressure on them to make a good first impression.
The waiters at my restaurant work for tips, This means they have to make the experience flawless, to work for their tips they can automatically tell when the customer is enjoying their hospitality at the restaurant or if they aren't. In many asian countries they do not require a tip and it is out of the ordinary, in restaurants it is a common occurance that ethnic customers do not tip, or leave a very small tip, even if their experience was enjoyable.

Being behind the scenes you get to witness the reaction to the waiters experience with certain customers.. sometimes they aren't so great.

Most serves tend to not enjoy having a table of young girls, because they often order appetizers, lowering the average cheque cost, and they do not the correct way to tip. Servers also do not like a large table with many small children who are unable to eat, thus lowering the average cost of the bill.

The BEST Apple Pie

This Christmas for my family was amazing. The tables were stacked with plate fulls of different appetizers, main courses, and wait for it.. dessert!! I personally didnt make the desserts but my Aunt did. The best part about it was that they were all made from scratch! Though, she needed help finding a recipe for a new apple pie, and thats where i came in. I searched on google and opened the first bolded print. Luckly for me, it was exactly what i was looking for. The pie was superb. The crisp of the crust broke tenderly as you took a bite. Then, thats when it happened.. The most amazing, flavourous, soft, gooey, chunky filling ive ever tasted sweetly oozed between the cracks of crust in my mouth. As you can probably tell right now, this pie was no ordinary pie. It was full of love and warmth made from the actual hands of my talented Aunt. NOT some plastic store bought brick.





The next time you decide to bake a pie or know anyone who would like to try, look up this recipe and you will be satisfied!!!!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pats-Rose-Apple-Pie/Detail.aspx

Tied into Thai - Sang Thai Restaurant review

Culturally rich, vibrant and exotic, thai food at Sang Thai Restaurant is a must-try.

Located right on the corner of Shaughnessy and Lougheed, this thai food heaven is not too far away. I went to Sang Thai's for the very first time with my teammates from track and field during my winter break. Although I had heard great things about it, having been to several asian cuisines, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Once you go through the entrance doors, the first thing you notice is the sudden change in atmosphere --- one second ago, you were in downtown Port Coquitlam, and the next second, you find yourself on other side of the world. The interior design is very exotic and fitting to the 'thai' image of buddhist statues, fine detailed silk decor, and warm tones of red, gold and brown. Even then, there is a very sophisticated, modern look.

We were then shown the way to our seats. The servers and hosts are very welcoming and sincerely kind, coming by every now and then to check how we were doing. In addition, there were traditional thai musicians performing, making the occasion feel that much more special.

Once the very kind and sincere servers escort you to your seats, it is time to order.

Although every dish was very delicious, my personal favourite is the Chicken Pad Thai. The dish is presented very beautiful with colourful ingredients and sophisticated garnishes. The taste? Out of this world. It contains the chicken and sauce's umami, the refreshing zest of the lime and the combination of soft noodles and crunching peanuts. Not only wonderful to look at and taste, the Chicken Pad Thai includes all the nutritional values one may need --- a very healthy option for those who are making an effort. Mmm, yum! Note that the food servings are quite large and should be shared among the table, and that way you can try numerous dishes.

Finally for desert, don't forget to try out the deep-fried banana with ice cream. Simple, yet very savourous, it is a great way to finish of a meal. Best part yet --- all of this is generous to your wallet, having a very reasonable price range of $10.00 - $15.00.

For more information, visit: http://www.sangrestaurant.com/index.html

http://thaifood.about.com/

Bon Appetit!

Fantastic chinese food restaurant!!

I want to introduce a good Hong Kong style restaurant, called COPA, which is near the Coquitlam center. It is one of my favorite restaurants in Coquitlam. I sometimes go there with my family on the weekend. It is a kind of Chinese restaurant however it serves not only Hong Kong-style Chinese cuisine but also some western food such as steaks and fries. I recommend the mini set in the afternoon as well as at night after 9:00 pm because it is sufficient for lunch and most importantly it is cheaper than the regular hours. The price range for mini set order varies from $6.99 to $9.99. I seldom go there at dinner time so I do not know the price for regular menu. I like its baked rice meals and fried rice and I usually order ice tea with the meal. There is a special HK-style drink I recommend which is a mix of coffee and milk tea. Overall, it is worth going. If you are a fan of Chinese food or interested in HK-style food, do not miss COPA!

LINK: http://www.ipanda.ca/2009/09/copa-cafe
http://www.ipanda.ca/2009/09/copa-cafe

Is junk food like cocaine?

Scientists have been studying the effects of drugs and unhealthy foods for a while, but who knew that these two seemingly unsimilar things have more in common than you think. In a recent study on rats, they found out that when rats ate high-fat, high-calorie foods it had the same effect as when they were exposed to cocaine. How can this happen? Well, doing drugs or eating unhealthy foods turn on the "pleasure" center in your brain, a temporary artificial, happy feeling, which results in a crash later, causing you to crave more harmful things to your body. Another surprising fact I found out was that when people eat more unhealthy foods it builds a tolerance, requiring more junk food to get a "high". Humans have always had cravings for sugars and fats, however we have changed what we eat considerably now to what our ancestors have lived on. For example for sugar we ate fruits and for fats we ate heart healthy omega-3's, found in fish. Now the avearge diet includes man-made trans fat, a fat our body is not used to, which is why when we eat to much of this , over 2 grams per day, we heighten our risk for getting heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/28/fatty.foods.brain/index.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-02/fatty-foods-addictive-as-cocaine-in-growing-body-of-science.html

Tasty Haven in the Ghetto

All I wanted was to have some tasty butter chicken for dinner, but walking in the most dangerous part of Nanaimo on a cold rainy night was something I had not planned for. My best friend and I had wanted to go out for Indian food, and the only Indian restaurant happened to be in the middle of the sketchiest part of town. Drug dealers, crime ridden, prostitution, all that fun stuff. We headed out from a quaint coffee shop, and after roughly half an hour, we realized we had no clue where Gateway to India was. “Wonderful,” I thought. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, with no Gateway to India in sight, and I will probably be mugged any second now.” But just as I was starting to despair, I looked to my left and saw the blessed sign of a safe haven amidst the downpour. When we got in, a spirited young Scottish lady took us to our table, and immediately served us glasses of water. Throughout the whole night, she seemed to read our minds with her superb service and diligence of making our stay as enjoyable as possible. The food was absolutely delicious. For our appetizer, Braedan and I had naan bread with mango chutney which was mouth-watering, but nothing prepared us for our butter chicken, chicken masala and basmati rice dishes. The atmosphere was dimly lit, with background traditional Indian music hinting in the background, perfect for conversation. Overall, Gateway to India exceeded my expectations, with its exceptional service, quality of food, and relaxed atmosphere. The only objectionable aspect was that its location was challenging to find. Gateway to India congrats, I rate you Five Stars. Well done.
http://http//gatewaytoindia.ca/
http://gatewaytoindia.ca/menu