Little Bird Bistro

The leaves have turned golden brown and fallen off the trees, the wind blowing, and rainy days. Fall is definitely here. So what do Michael and I do? Run away to Portland again. Visiting the Oregon city has become something Michael and I really enjoy, a yearly routine for us. One of the biggest reasons is the great dining in Portland.

When we were looking for somewhere to eat dinner, everything we came across sounded so wonderful but unfortunately we arrived in to Portland late, and we could only dine out for only one of the nights we were there.

Because of our minor delay we got up bright and early to make up for the lost time in Portland. I did my usual stops in downtown, and of course Michael sat in his boyfriend chairs and waited for me. While he sat there patiently he did some research on where we could dine at. Michael has always had a fascination with birds since he was a child and when we came across Little Bird Bistro he got pretty excited. Since the bird bistro served French cuisine, he thought this place had something to offer for the both of us.

Luckily, we got a table after a short wait

When the evening approached us we were starting to get second thoughts of the place. What if there's a lot of people? Was it too late to make a reservation? Michael went back to the drawing board but we still went back to the bird. We made our way down to the restaurant on that cold night, it was a long walk from our hotel but we finally made it to the restaurant. Good thing there wasn't much of a wait.

Little Bird Bistro is a two story restaurant. I felt that it looked really cozy and the restaurant reminded me of cafes in southern France. There were blackboards up above in the wall that showed the specials and a big window where diners could watch the city goers walk by.

Gnocchi

 
Michael and I were seated on the main floor and our tables were pretty tucked in there side by side with other diners. I got hungry during my shopping day so I got tempted by a pretzel from the mall, but Michael suggested that we would get an appetizer to share. Michael knew that I love gnocchis  and decided to order the goat cheese gnocchi with ox tail, served with caramelized orange jus and peppers ($14). Yummy!

Biting into the gnocchi was like chewing in to lumps of clouds. There were such strong aromatic flavours from the ox tail with a lighter balance from the jus. I didn't try any of the ox tail myself but eating just the gnocchi's were just amazing. I loved that there was sprinkles of goat cheese to the dish, which added a nuttiness to the light flavours. Michael said that the ox tail was like melt in your mouth good. There such natural flavours in the ox tail with a touch of light seasoning.

Chicken fried trout

Michael was feeling a little ill that day and wanted to eat something light and easy on his stomach. He wanted to get the chicken fried trout with herbs, pickled vegetables, gribiche, and radishes ($22), but I thought that sounded pretty delicious and I wanted to eat that. Michael was nice enough to let me order it and he would order something else. Unfortunately, the chicken fried trout was completely different from what I thought it would be. I thought the dish was really heavy because the trout was fried, and now come to think of it the title makes sense now. There was a creaminess present from the gribiche that tamed a little bit of the friedness. I really liked that there was sprigs of dill and different herbs on the plate. Not only did it make the dish have an additional flavour but it also added interesting presentation. It was a bonus that beneath the batter the fish was very soft, smooth and silky. I decided it was a bad idea to have the mall pretzel in the end, I regretfully didn't finish the fish.

Pork pot au feu

Michael, meanwhile, got the light dish he was looking for. He ordered the pork pot au feu, which a stew with bone marrow and potatoes on a broth ($28). Michael just gobbled that sucker up because it was soupy, non greasy and not fried. Exactly the kind of fancy for-sick-people dinner he was looking for. He has never had bone marrow before so it was definitely an adventure for him. He was the pork itself was very soft another melt and he loved dipping the morsels in the broth and marrow. 

Even though I was really full from my fried trout I kept stealing Michael's potatoes. They were so tasty. I love that the seasoning on the potatoes wasn't overpowering and it was just prepared very simply. Michael's broth added the perfect amount of flavour. So very tasty.

Macaroons

Even though I didn't get the dish that I had anticipated on, I would be more that happy to return to the bird bistro to try other dishes off their menu. The kitchen definitely knows how to cook and I am super eager to return to try their other dishes. The server also gave us small macaroons with the bill, which was a nice touch.

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Pike Place Chowder

Nothing beats a little sisterly love in my favourite city, Seattle. I was down in Seattle with Micheal and my best friend a little while ago as a farewell to summer. We went to walk around Pacific Mall, where my all time favorite department store is located. After shopping we went upstairs hoping we can get a light snack. Our trio came across a quaint little area called the Pike Place Chowder, it looked like they had the light snack we were looking for.

Pike Place Chowder

Michael got a chowder combo that came with a sandwich and a drink. Where my best friend shared a fish taco with nachos and pinco de gallo on the side. I had a few sips of Michael's chowder and we both really enjoyed it. Michael said that the next time we came back to Seattle, he would want to have a full on meal from the place.

Michael and I ended up coming back to the Pike Place Chowder a month later and we went to the actual chowder located at the famous Pike Place Market at 1530 Post Alley. It was a little confusing for us to find the place, we made a little walk in to the market before stumbling across the chowder place.

Just a place to grab a quick bite

Michael and I wouldn't call it an actual restaurant, it seemed like it was more of just a casual little place where people would get their food and go. We would line up and choose what kind of chowder we wanted and if you wanted a sandwich they would make it for you and it was pretty quick. No actual restaurant service we'd say.

Our chowders and the dungeness crab roll

Michael and I ordered combo #2 for $12.95 each, but we up-sized our chowder to large for $2 more.
Our combo consisted of a dungeness crab roll and a bottomless fountain drink. I got the salmon chowder and Michael got the seafood bisque. At first we were both scratching our heads which was who's soup because they both looked the same.

A salmon chowder consisted of salmon, capers, and cream cheese. But I didn't spot on any capers in there what did I see in my chowder was a lot of seafood bisque flavors. But to be honest I think the man who scooped our soup didn't hear us properly and gave us two seafood bisque instead. A seafood bisque contained pacific cod, salmon, shrimp, crab, with tomatoes, and basil. Even though it wasn't the chowder that I ordered, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I quite liked my chowder, and even though there were a lot of heavy ingredients, it tasted light still with the creamy element in there. I thought there could've been more punch though because there weren't a lot of strong flavours that jumped out.

Michael had been waiting a while to come back ever since he tried the chowder the first time. What he likes to do is take dungeness crab meat from the crab roll sandwich into the chowder to add even more thickness to the chowder. I think he preferred the New England clam chowder that he ordered last time more than the seafood bisque. But he still thought every slurp was delicious and was really happy to find out that they sell chowder by take-home buckets as well. Unfortunately, we didn't have a cooler in the car this time to get it home.

Overflowing with crab meat

I would say that I enjoyed my crab roll much more, the crab tasted very fresh and chopped celery that gave it a kick of flavor. Of course all crabs needs a little citrus action somewhere in there. There was also a hint of lemon juice in there to emphasize the crabs fresh taste. Michael ordered this sandwich last time as well. He thinks the best part is they put loads of fresh crab on top of the roll, just piles and piles overflowing from the top. He also agrees the chopped celery was perfect with the crab, adds that extra bit of crunch and volume to the crab.

I would say Michael and I had enjoyed our time at the chowder place it was a casual and relaxing environment to be. Before we left I dropped in $3 in the tip jar and returned to my seat. Michael and I heard the man behind the counter say "wow three whole dollars!" in a sarcastic manner. Michael and I were quite uncomfortable with that comment that he made as we were sitting only a metre away from the counter. I felt our dining experience went about twenty five steps backwards and left a really sour taste in my mouth after what he said.

As I said in the beginning, there was no actual traditional restaurant, we didn't get a server that came to us and asked how our food was or asked if we wanted water. It's strictly a casual hang out spot where people sit and eat and then go. Our bill came out to be about $30 and I'd say $3 is pretty generous for us to give them as they didn't technically "serve" us. Also I felt it was extremely rude and disregarding to the customer for the man to say that in front of us. I don't know whether I'd go back to Pike Place Chowder again, and if I do I don't think I'd go any time soon.


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Ramen Izakaya @ NanChuu

Michael has been raving about this Ramen place for the longest time since his friends had took him there once. I was only prepared to be amazed when I see this oh so great ramen place.

Ramen Izakaya is located at 8391 Alexandra Rd., the Rodeo Drive of food in Richmond if you will, all the great diners, restaurants and cafes are located on that tiny strip. I honestly didn't know what to expect of this place except what Michael has told me.

I loved the interior of the restaurant, it really did look like the ramen restaurants I have been to in Tokyo. It was loads of fun walking through the restaurant to our table, you can just feel the authenticity come through from the environment and the staff.

A whole row of condiments to choose from at each table

Ramen Izakaya creates everything from scratch, especially the pork bone soup, which is boiled for hours before serving. When we sat down at our table I loved that there was a guide to how to eat ramen, and there were the exact condiments that we can put in to our bowls to accommodate with our noodles. My mom loves ramen with fatty pork with soup, so I know good ramen when I see it. This one was fabulous.

Fried chicken with garlic sauce and salad

I had a crave for chicken so Michael decided to order one of their specials, the fried chicken with garlic sauce and salad ($6). The chicken was like summer on a plate, it tasted citrusy with a touch of garlic, just enough not to overpower the chicken's flavour. The chicken was fried and you might think fried chicken is oily and greasy but this was far from that. It was very light and the salad was very refreshing just like summer should be. Michael thought it had a bit too much of the garlic sauce on it, which took a bit of the crunch out of the fried chicken, but he thought the flavour was perfect.

Takoyaki

Michael ordered the Takoyaki (four pieces for $3.75) and it was so delicious I'd have to say it was best I've ever had. The exterior was lightly crisped and the inside just oozed out with squid. The sauce was so good it had tang and gave the takoyaki a little zing.  In hindsight, Michael wishes he ordered the larger portion with eight pieces.

Tonkotsu Ae Soba

For entrees I had the Tonkotsu Ae Soba ($8.75), ramen cooked in their signature pork soup and then drained. What caught my attention was not only because it was soupless but it was also the staff favourite. Sold! When my noodles arrived, I found out it wasn't technically soupless there was some soup on the bottom but it didn't bother me. Of course I was keen on following the how to eat ramen 101.

First I didn't allow it to cool down. Second I tasted the ramen without any of the condiments. Third was to add whatever condiment you wanted, for me that was a hint of garlic and the special vinegar and soy for ramen and goyza. I loved that I got to add the condiments in to the noodles because I have never tried that before. It's definitely not packaged noodles. Along with the noodles was a half a boiled egg with the yolk oozing out. My one problem with my bowl was that there was bean sprouts with the noodles. I thought they gave a nice crunch but there was a little earthy taste for me that  I thought it didn't go well with the noodles and broth. That's just my own judgment though.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

Michael had the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen ($8.95), a full bowl of pork broth with lots of miso added to cover a bed of ramen noodles. His dish didn't come with as many toppings as mine but there was a decent serving of pork slices in the bowl, chopped green onions, bean sprouts and a thick slice of seaweed included. Anything involving miso soup usually gets Michael sitting up so it wasn't that surprising that he wolfed down his noodles and started drinking the soup, too.

I actually can't wait to return to this ramen place, there are so many other things I can't wait to try on the menu. Everything must be delicious!


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Chef Hung Beef Noodle

Midterm? Check. Term paper? Check. Now on to the fun stuff! We decided to check out Chef Hung Beef Noodle at Aberdeen Center after I heard some of my friends mention about the place. The restaurant is on the second floor of the 4151 Hazelbridge Way mall.

The restaurant has always attracted me because they have a moving chopstick on a bowl as display in the front. There is a big window for people to see how they make their noodles, so you know everything is handmade. The restaurant was very spacious and I loved the big windows that looked down at the mall entrance. The restaurant also had a DYI menu similar to one of the restaurants we've gone in the past Deer Garden.

Chef Hung's Taiwanese-style chicken nuggets

When Michael and I go out for bubble tea one of his favourite dishes is to eat is to get taiwanese chicken nuggets. We decided to share Chef Hung's version, for one it tasted much more different from the usual bubble tea chicken nuggets. Although it was fried chicken, it didn't taste so greasy that it felt like our hearts were going to stop beating. It was lightly seasoned with salt, covered with a light, crispy bread coating. While it wasn't heavily seasoned, the chicken was very moist and juicy.

Flat noodles with ground pork sauce and veggies

I usually don't like noodles in soup because I feel the soup dilutes everything. I decided to pick the noodle with ground pork sauce option instead ($6.95). I loved the texture of the noodles, it was thick with a rich natural flavour of the dough. I loved the taste of fresh cut noodles. As for the ground pork sauce, I love this sauce in rice or in noodles, either way with this heaven made sauce it wonderful. It's like an Asian gravy and goes well with everything. It's also not as heavy as gravy but it has a strong soy sauce like taste. The noodles went super with the pork and sauce together, very smooth and with distinct flavour.

Michael had the beef brisket with five types of veggies in broth ($7.95). The broth itself was clear, not oily and perfectly suitable to sip on. He really liked the flat noodles, since they were made by hand, the noodles have a irregular shape and thickness. The flat noodles were wider than most noodles he was used to. There was plenty of beef brisket in the dish and enough veggies to give the bowl a little variety. His only complaint was that he wished there were more noodles.

Milk tea with grass jelly

We also decided to get bubble tea for the fun of it I got the oolong milk tea ($4.20) and Michael got the grass jelly roasted milk tea. Michael and I both agree that the bubble tea is less sweet than the usual kind we get at other places. It tasted more crisp and sat lighter in the stomach, which made the drink more enjoyable. I thought the drinks were a lovely balance to our meal.

We both think that Chef Hung, whoever he is, really knows his noodles! I for one can't wait to go back and try more of what his award winning menu has to offer!


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Nooch

Nooch, we finally meet you. Michael and I found about this place from the Tourism Richmond blogger awhile ago and for the longest time we've wanted to try Nooch. But I guess they're only open for lunch hours since it was always closed when we came by. We nearly gave up.

Instead, we purposefully went out early to see Nooch, located at 6900 No. 3 road right across from Richmond City Hall, to find out what all the fuss is about. Nooch seemed more like it was a little cafe than a restaurant, offering soups, sandwiches, salads and a small selections of breakfast. Feels like a perfect summer place to hang out with your friends with its bright windows and simple paintings hung here around the eatery.

When Michael and I sat down, our waitress explained to us that Nooch offers fresh and local ingredients, but they ran out of a lot of supplies just before the long weekend. The menu was very limited. Michael and I was a little disappointed because it felt like there was nothing to choose from. We both got the Soup and Panini Combination ($10), with the Caribbean Yellow Lentils soup of the day. Michael got the Ham 'N' Swiss panini, served with thin sliced ham, lemon aioli and swiss cheese.

Pesto turkey sandwich with soup

For myself, I wanted to get the spaghetti bolognaise with parmesan but no surprise, they weren't serving it. So I went with Michael's choice, the Soup and Panini combination. I got the Pesto Turkey which was served with mozzarella, and because they didn't have spinach that day, they substituted for lettuce instead.  I thought the panini was light, it wasn't filling for a hot summer day. The mozzarella wasn't overwhelming, and was just enough with the ooey gooeniess. The Turkey was thinly sliced and served nice and warm. I wouldn't say that the pesto was as flavourful as I wanted to be though.

I thought the soup wasn't too heavy and had all the natural flavors happening from the corn and lentils. But it was a little too natural and bland, so I loaded up with the salt and pepper. Michael thought the soup had a delicious blend of flavours even though it was just vegetables in the bowl.

Ham 'N' Swiss sandwich combo

Michael and I both agree that we were disappointed with Nooch, we waited for all this time to go and the menu was just not up to par when we finally got there. The menu also doesn't call out for me to return for as well. Farewell Nooch. 

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Freshii

Feeling healthy? Have no fear, Freshii's here.

Michael got a gift card from his work and decided to give the 870 W Cordova Street cafe a try. We've never heard of this place and was wondering what this cafe had to offer when I found out it served food that was healthy and organic. I was hesitant to go with Michael because I know that he doesn't always make the healthiest decisions when it comes to his meal, but I can't put all the blame on him, I am not always the healthiest person as well. So I was also afraid I wouldn't be able to find anything I like to eat there.

The place is located in the busy part of Vancouver waterfront and it seems to be pretty hidden, so you'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Freshii is all about the healthy

 
The atmosphere seems reminded me of  one of those healthy organic cafes that you would find in Los Angeles where you take a shot of  wheatgrass after your meal. Yum? Freshii really encourages  healthy living with their biodegradable cutlery and utensils and of course healthy eating with lots of choices of veggies, fruits, and various proteins.

You grab a menu and a pencil then make your selection

When we walked in we didn't know what to expect, you could even say we walked in like headless chickens, not knowing where to go. A worker of the cafe greeted us and explained their ordering system. We were to grab a piece of paper and check the items that we wanted to get. Salad ($6.99), bowls ($6.49),wraps ($5.99), and soups ($6.29). For toppings we get to choose the type of cheese, protein, nuts, and fruits, with an extra charge of course. As for the unlimited topping, it is just the normal veggies, such as broccoli, carrots, spinach, etc, for for no extra charge.  We also get to choose to the type of  dressing and how much of that dressing you want on your dish.

Salad with albacore tuna and lots of toppings

I honestly didn't know what to get, my paper ended up being so messy with scribbles because I was so indecisive and couldn't make up my mind. Sadly, the verdict was a plain old salad with albacore tuna (extra $1.75) and unlimited amounts of corn, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, crispy wonton and edamame. For my salad dressing I chose aged balsamic vinegar lightly drizzled on the salad. My salad tasted just like any other salad, but after seeing a lot of the people ordering the rice noodles, it made me jealous because it looked really delicious and it looked much better then my boring old salad.  Although I think the crispy wonton they give you was a nice substitution to croutons. I got complimentary pita bread to go along with my salad, too.

Buffalo chicken wrap

As for Michael he got the Buffalo Chicken wrap ($10) which wasn't part of their DYI menu, it has romaine lettuce, buffalo chicken, tomatoes, celery , carrots, cheddar and a blue cheese  dressing. Michael thought the wrap was a little dry and made him extremely thirsty, but other then that problem it was a stand up wrap.

DIY soup

He also ordered from the DYI menu, soup with rice noodles and vegetable stock, with carrots, broccoli, celery, chick peas and mushrooms. Michael likes the concept of building his own soup with the ingredients that are being put in, but said the broth could have had some more salt.  Overall he doesn't think it was anything specular or special, but that it's pretty good for something he built on his own.

Moving on to desserts friends, I love frozen yogurt, and it's something I love eating with my best friend. Hand hug sista. At Freshii they offer frozen yogurt, and unlike the usual places you pick your own toppings, at Freshii we can only choose two and for extras theres a $0.50 charge.

Cinnamon and granola frozen yogurt

That's okay, I can live with two toppings. I love cinnamon and granola together, so just the thought of it in delicious frozen yogurt sounds like heaven to me. The vanilla frozen yogurt tasted really good, it was light and creamy. The cinnamon was divine, and granola added a nice crunchy mixture to everything, like chocolate chip cookie and milk. Surprisingly, it all tasted a lot better then I thought it would be and actually better than some of my favourite places.

I really hope I get to return to Freshii one day, I am dying to taste that rice noodle and of course that wonderful  frozen yogurt. Michael said that he would consider it but he wouldn't go out of his way.

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