Wo Fung Noodle Express

Let's take a stroll on memory lane folks. Before the grand Aberdeen Centre we have today in Richmond, we use to have a quaint little Aberdeen Centre back in the 90's.  Michael and I haven't had met then but we both grew up eating these special little chicken wings that were sold in the mini food court downstairs. Fast forward about 12 years or so and Michael and I still talk about this amazing fried chicken we ate when we were little.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard from various friends that at the old Aberdeen a wife and husband owned the little chicken wings stand, they of course shut down when the Aberdeen went under for construction. After all these years their children finally opened the famous chicken place back up. The new Wu Fung, now Wo Fung, is located at 190- 8400 Alexandra Rd.

I was so excited to give the place a try it was like seeing an old friend again, my first time there was with my mom but she thought the dad had fried the chicken better. But I think she's just picky, I think they taste just as awesome as I remembered it to be. The six year old me was smiling inside and I absolutely couldn't wait to share it with my fellow six year old Michael.

The famous chicken wings

Wo Fung not only serves amazing fried chicken but also Hong Kong Street food, like curry fish balls, fried tofu and fried squid. They also serve different variations of noodles. Michael and I decided to have a short and simple lunch date. Of course we had the six pieces of chicken wings ($5.25). The chicken is so juicy, crunchy and meaty.  My stomach is just grumbling as I am writing. There is so much flavor from the exterior there is a light pepper taste. I don't know if it's just me but I feel there is a hint of a ginger taste somewhere in there. Michael thinks the chicken is as good as it ever was, and it was better because now they have their own restaurant and we didn't have to enjoy our wings in a food court.

Wo Fung's curry fish balls

We got the curry fish balls ($3.50) as well. Fish balls are on and off for me but Michael is from Hong Kong and his body is powered by curry fish balls.  The food tasted very soft and the curry was pretty spicy but it was nice that it didn't overpowered the fish taste. Since the curry was so hot I was glad I got my iced lemon water. Yum! what a delightful drink to cool off on a hot spring day. Michael actually thought the fish balls were a bit too spicy for his liking, a little less heat and the dish would have been perfect for him.

My lemon water and Michael's lemon ice tea

It's a small and simple restaurant, just order and pay up soon as you decide what you'd like. No hussle and bussle of servers which I love, they just get straight to the point.  I simply can't wait to come back to Wo Fung. Noodles! Chicken! Curry! If they've got it I'll eat it! I really liked going here with Michael, he is one of the few people Remembering this magical fried chicken and having a chance to share that  childhood memory is a wonderful feeling.


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Pier 73

Michael turned another year older recently and of course we struggled to decide where to go eat. I would say it took us the whole good evening to figure out where the guy wanted to spent his birthday.

We decided to go to Pier 73 located at 3500 Cessna Drive, the website says its located in Vancouver which is really confusing because it is located at the Delta Airport Hotel in Richmond.

I have been to Pier 73 once with my mom but never returned and it was Michael's first time, I honestly don't know why we never thought about coming to the place. Pier 73 is located near the Vancouver International Airport, right by the Fraser River on the edge of Richmond. We can see the boats floating around and it was nice to have a view during the night. The restaurant is quite big and it felt like being in a dome when we were inside because of its high ceilings. 

I would say Pier 73's atmosphere  is a combination of bar and lounge. Like family fun meets raging hockey fans. Of course it serves the standard hot wings, nachos, and various other bar appetizers but it has some upscale meals as well.

Three Cheese Crab Dip 

One appetizer caught Michaels attention was the Three Cheese Crab Dip ($12). It was crab meat, roasted artichokes, basil, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Along with nachos and toasted baguette on the side. Surprisingly the dish was actually filled to the brim with crab, we thought it was just going to be swamped with cheese and only tiny bit of crab. But nope we were certainly wrong. There was a strong sweet crab aroma that we knew for sure these ones were the fresh ones. The sweetness of the crab complimented the creaminess of the cheese very well. The nachos and baguette was of course an incredible combination.  I loved the crunchiness with the soft gooey crab and cheese.

Although this was an amazing appetizer, Michael and I wished that there the amount of nachos and baguette was enough ratio for the crab dip. We ended up just eating plain nachos. Yum?

Smoked salmon fettuccine 

Moving on to entrees, as I mentioned in a previous post I promised myself I would try and eat more healthy this summer. Of course I had considered the healthy route but Michael convinced me on the pasta. So I thought okay fine, tonight will be my cheat day and tomorrow I will go back to being healthy. Anyways, I ended up getting the smoked salmon fettuccine with a creamy white wine sauce ($18). I must say the white wine sauce was very creamy but its a shame that the flavour was also a bit bland. But since the smoked salmon was rather salty I would think it was a fair enough pairing.

Steak and lobster

Michael on the other hand really enjoyed his meal. He had the prime dish - the steak and lobster. For less than $30, Michael thought the dish was appropriately portioned. The lobster shell was flipped inside out as a dish decoration with the meat still attached, which actually made it a little awkward to eat. Pretty though. The steak itself was cooked medium rare as requested and arrived perfectly cooked.

I really enjoyed going to Pier 73 with Michael, they have a great ambiance and I had a lot of fun dining there with Michael. I would love to go back and try out other delightful goodies on their menu.

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Hanok Korean Restaurant

Oh hello old friends, it surely has been awhile since life had so rudely interrupted us. My latest obsession is Korea. I have become infatuated with a Korean actor and would just absolutely do anything for this Asian Brad Pitt. It's okay everyone Michael knows about this crush of mine.

Since I have this crazy borderline psychotic obsession with this fellow it would make sense to go to a Korean restaurant. I can see Michael's eyes rolling already, but that's alright, he loves Korean food. So lets get started.

I found out of this pleasant Korean paradise through a friend of mine who said nothing but good things about this place, and one hungry night Michael and I thought we'd give it a try. Hanok is located on Alexandra Road in Richmond in a little strip mall with various other restaurants.

It's actually a really big and spacious restaurant with perhaps about 30 tables or so, the decor was the old historic Korea, quite cute and quaint I would say. When we arrived the place seemed to be really quiet, there were only about six parties  in the restaurant in such a big place.

Appetizers

Of course I had a hard time deciding and choosing what I wanted to get, but I promised myself I would eat healthier this summer.  I was feeling something with a broth, soupy type of meal but I also didn't want to leave the restaurant feeling really full. I decided to get the buckwheat noodles with radish kimchi and boiled egg ($9.99). I figured it would be a healthier alternative to the regular noodles or rice.

Cold buckwheat noodles

When it arrived there was an unexpected coldness to this dish. I then looked back on the menu and it said "cold buckwheat noodles" and of course I missed the word cold. But I still liked the texture of the noodles, it had a nice chewy consistency and the pickled radish gave it a nice crunch on the side. My only problem was that the dish overall was rather sour and I don't think I enjoyed that taste. I know that it is a pickled dish but I didn't think it was pickled everywhere.

I wish I had given the soup a little more of a chance but because it was such a big cold dish, I felt it left a bad taste in my mouth. As for the egg, I was hoping it would have been a running yolk because I feel the yolk's creaminess could have tamed the sourness, but unfortunately it was just a regular old fashioned hard boiled egg.

Soft tofu soup with seafood

Michael had the soft tofu soup with seafood ($9.99). The dish arrived very hot in its stone bowl. Michael was a little disappointed to find out they didn't use clams in the shell for the soup like the picture in the menu showed. There was a good mix of squid, octopus, mussels and other seafood in the bowl and it was definitely cheap, filling and tasty. Can't really go too wrong after meeting those three points.

I think the restaurant was somewhere fun to go with Michael but since I ordered a so-so dish I am keen on returning to try other dishes on their menu. But since I am trying to eat more healthier a taste isn't suppose to be eating tasty and delicious food anyway. So for a gal watching her hemline it was a pretty good meal.


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