Richmond Night Market

Summer's nearly there and whats there to do in Richmond? We head to the Richmond Night Market at 8351 River Road. I personally don't like going to the night market because of the crowds of people and the cheap, often fake items being sold. It's a big market laid out with different tents selling clothes, electronics, to various different kinds of food and drinks. Michael loves going to the night market to walk around and  "shop," not really for me. But I have to admit the food at the night market is really good. This was my first time actually putting time and thinking about what I wanted to get. Michael and I really stuffed our faces today.

First stop. Michael and I shared the Takoyaki for $5 which are six fried octopus balls served with  mayonnaise and terriyaki sauce. It was super hot but we still stuffed our faces with it.  Michael and I thought it was nearly as good as restaurant quality, with decent chunks of octopus in there, so its good to know we didn't get ripped off.

Second stop was more for me. I have always wanted to try Rotato and have seen all my friends on Facebook rave about it, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I finally got to try it for $4 and chose the cheddar cheese flavour. It tasted fantastic! Potato goodness spiraling down a stick, crispy, thin, cheesy, just awesomeness. Michael tried some but I didn't ask him to try some more. It was just too good to share, I just wanted all that yumminess to myself.

To wash all potato goodness down I got a regular sized lime flavored lemonade for $4. It was so refreshing to wash all that salty food off my taste palette, what a thirst quencher.

After Michael and I went for skewers. We got bacon wrapped sausage, garlic chicken, and rib eye for $6.75. I had the bacon wrapped sausage with all the  fatty goodness. What could possible go wrong when something is paired with bacon? Life is good. Michael had the rib eye and chicken, he thought the chicken wasn't as good, it didn't taste like the Japanese barbeque style and the meat tasted a little tough. But the rib eye was just juicy with every bite. Nomnomnom!

Michael was then attracted to a seafood stall called Seafood Kingdom, who were doing promotion for their seafood products. Abalone is considered a Chinese delicacy and can cost a lot, even hundreds of dollars for the larger of the shellfish. But these guys, they served a good size for only $6, where if we got it in a restaurant with the trimmings, it might have cost $20. Michael thought the taste was rich in the oyster sauce that came with it. The shellfish tasted very fresh, they even showed us the shell where they took the abalone out of.

Michael also got the half lobster for $5.95 that was also being promoted by these guys. It didn't taste as good as the abalone. But it was a full half lobster motoyaki, shell and everything with decent chunks of meat. Definitely a bargain.

After it was my turn for some goodies. I got a cheese sausage for $3. Cheese inside a sausage. What more can I say? There wasn't enough cheese though, but other then that the sausage was very juicy.

For dessert we got Michael and I shared deep fried vanilla ice cream for $4.75. It tasted interesting, the batter outside the ice cream, the whole concept was just unreal to me when I saw the people putting the ice cream in the fryer. Unreal. It tasted not bad in the end though, the vanilla went really well with the batter.

Second dessert, was a churro for $4, I have never had a churro in my life but I have heard many good things about it. Since I saw it today I thought I'd give it a try. Call me crazy, maybe it's just me and that I didn't get a churro at a good place, but I thought the taste was very bland and heavy. Not a good feeling. There wasn't too much taste to it. I am open to trying other churros though, my thoughts of it has not been tainted. So bring it!


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Berry Good

As Marie Antoinette said, Let them eat cake!

We chose to go a little cafe called Berry Good located at 8766 McKim Way, inside a little strip mall in  Richmond. Try not to make plans to go on Wednesday and Sunday because they're closed.

Caffe Latte

I went with a friend of mine awhile ago and thought the place was quaint and cozy. Berry Good is not like the numerous bubble tea cafes in Richmond, they specialize in cakes which are made fresh every day, and everything just tastes better because you know they put the time and effort into their cakes. The drinks are a mix of tea and coffee, served in the "high tea" style without pearls, grass jelly or other knick knacks.

The cafe is very small, with about 20 seats or so. Each table is lined up side by side, so I don't recommend sharing secrets, the table next to you will hear it all. There is a big transparent refrigerator where you can see the decadent desserts next to the cafe counter. I like that idea since they don't always make the same cakes and you get to see them before you select them.

Royal Milk Tea

Their menu comes in a combo style, where you can choose a mousse or chiffon cake and your choice of beverage, usually tea, coffee, frappe or an ice cream float.

Green Tea Chiffon Cake

I got the Green Tea Chiffon Cake with Royal Milk Tea for $8. I love green tea, put those two magical words together and I will drink it or eat it. The cake itself was moist, which was excellent, but call me strange, I thought the taste of matcha comes-and-goes out of your taste palette. So for the most part I just tasted moist sponge in my mouth. Yum? There was an unbelievably large amount of whipped cream, which was also great, but since I got a creamy beverage I thought it was a little overwhelming. Clearly I didn't think this through.

Compared to my first time at Berry Good, where I got the Mont Blanc - a rich taste with the different layers of dark, milk and white chocolate - this time was a little disappointing. Everything just went so perfect together with a Mont Blanc. I could really taste the homemade goodness, loved the sight of all that chocolate and cream. The whipped cream tasted light and went really well with the chocolate, it was a match made in dessert heaven. The sweet factor was just perfect. Lesson learned.

Tiramisu

Michael on the other hand really liked his dessert, he got the Tiramisu with a Caffe Latte for $7.40. Michael said that the Tiramisu, again, wasn't made in the same style as other Asian bakeries around Richmond might. It arrived with chocolate cupcake sprinkles on the edges and a black polka dot pattern on top, instead of the regular chocolate flake covered top. He said it was moist and not overly sweet, with a gently firm texture. Very good.


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Vancouver Food Carts

It's Eat St style baby! Eat St is one my favourite shows on Food Network, and I always thought how awesome would it be to eat at one of these trucks!  I know that food trucks are on the rise in the culinary world, so why not embrace what the food trucks in Vancouver has to offer?

I really had a hard time trying to figure out what I wanted to get, but I wanted something that was fishy most definitely. I picked  TacoFino, I saw it awhile back on Eat St and I thought their food looked absolutely  fabulous and the owners seemed really laid back. I'm definitely there! I got the Tuna Ta-Taco for $6.50, which was a lightly sesame soy seasoned albacore tuna served with wasabi mayo, cabbage and seaweed. All wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.

The tuna was made to perfection, warm and flaky, melting apart in your mouth. There was a light heat that kicks in the back of the mouth from the wasabi which wasn't too overwhelming. Everything was balanced out with the cabbage and coolness of the seaweed, which was marinated into fabulousness and added a nice crunch to everything. Although my lunch tasted amazing I wish there was more of it, sadly there was only a few bites  worth of the taco, I was left still hungry, really hungry, so far $6.50 I don't know I might have to reconsider that. I would give TacoFino a fair 7/10.

As for Michael, who had a better experience with his Eat St adventure, he went to the Re-Up Truck, which was also featured in Eat St! They are known for their beef brisket sandwiches and also their pulled pork sandwiches.

Michael had the Pulled Pork Sandwich for $7. He thought his sandwich was delicious, almost good as Jethros, the veggies added a nice crunch, and the food was quickly made but tasted fresh. He especially really like the sourdough bun, it was very soft and fluffy. The food felt a little heavy because there was a lot of meat and sauce for such small circular bun. To wash down his lunch he got a Jarritos soda, mandarin flavour from TacoFino. Nothing he has seen and thought he would give it a try, result? Not bad!

Overall with today Eat St experience, I thought it was okay, I am willing to try the other trucks in Vancouver, hopefully I will leave full and satisfied.


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