Overall: Standard pho; The branch at Pinetree Village is better
Food: Vietnamese
Price: Reasonable, $8-$10 per pax
Ambience: The wallpaper looked garrish
Pho 99 Vietnamese Noodle House
2991 Lougheed Highway, #62
604-472-1299
Chicken Wings and Espresso(Background)
We just can't go without ordering chicken wings! Well, this was quite a disappointment because the servings were really small, and it wasn't as crispy as it could've been! The coffee was excellent, I managed to stay up most of the night, in an attempt to study for my finals! It has served me well.
Vermicelli Bowl with Chicken and Spring Rolls
It was my first time ordering this, and I was really satisfied with it because it was really filling. The portion is solid enough for two people to share. There's an adequate share of chicken and spring rolls; this is an excellent well-rounded dish with your daily servings of protein, carbs and veggies!
Noodle Soup with Beef Flank
Having the traditional Vietnamese soup base, it was a little bit too salty for me. My preference is still the noodles with the beef stew, but this is a good substitute if people don't want something too potent.
Pork and Ham Submarine
It's like an ordinary sandwhich, but wrapped in a baguette. It's a decent alternative if you're tired of eating noodles or if you don't particularly want a rich dish.
Part of what makes me proud of being Singaporean is the food. Unable to have authentic (and cheap) Singaporean fare in hawker centres like back home, I'm always on a look out for good little eateries that serve decent and reasonably priced Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine. The typical ones are Banana Leaf and Tropika, with Tropika on Cambie &14th Ave being my favourite. I need to do a review there.
Close to where I live is an independent eatery that my family likes to frequent. It is located in Port Moody, and is run by a Sri Lankan Chef who moved to Canada years ago. His restuarant was recently featured in the Vancouver Sun.
Review Snippet
Overall: Memorable and authentic food, good service
Price: Reasonable, $10-$15 per person
Food: Singaporean/ Malaysian/ South-east Asian (SEA)
Ambiance: Spacious, quaint with SEA-inspired furniture and decorations
3033 St. Johns Street.
Port Moody, BC
604-461-2245
A must-order for my family whenever we are there is the Seafood Hor Fun. Remember to ask for "Singaporean Style" as this version is not on the menu. For as long as I can remember, we always order this version such that I don't even know how the "regular" one tastes like. My dad, a hor fun expert always raves about how fresh their horfun (the rice noodles) is and wonders where they get it from. Plenty of tasty gravy and seafood. I love the soft and tender fish slices!
Beef rendang- a staple malay/ peranakan (term for the chinese-malay mixed race in Singapore) dish. Rich, thick curry and tender pieces of beef, this dish was pretty good.
Spicy, garlic chicken wings. This was really tasty and we enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the garlic and onion bits/chips over top.
My order- sambal fish and egg plant. This was part of their lunch special and for $8, is such a deal! I had this once before and it has stuck with me ever since. The fish is nice and crispy and I love the sambal chilli paste served with it. They definitely could have been more generous with the eggplant though.
Overall, Kurumba Restaurant is highly recommended if you ever make a trip out to the tri-cities or live around the area!- Sara
Overall: Good value for hearty, tasty Italian fare
Food: Tasty, comfort food; Italian/ Korean fusion; Breakfast/lunch/dinner
Price: Very reasonable, especially their 2-for 1 pastas; $10/person (incl. tip and tax)
Ambience: Cosy and clean interior
Jimoco Cafe
1046 Austin Ave
Coquitlam, BC V3K 3P3
778-355-6729
Finally, another place to cross off my list! I went to Jimoco Cafe for lunch, after recommendation from a family friend.
Jimoco serves Italian dishes, with a korean twist. My friend and I got there at 12:30pm for lunch and there was a line up. I guess we should have known better given its popularity in the area and small interior. There were a large number of Korean customers, and I had one lady strike up a conversation with me in Korean, only to be disappointed with my "Sorry, I'm not Korean" reply. Lol.
As the line grew, so did my tummy with great anticipation. I was excited to try the fusion pasta, I had heard so much about!
To satiate my growing appetite, complimentary garlic bread was served. Free bread- always a nice touch.
My dish: Linguine Soul. This is linguine, served with a spicy tomato base in a hot pot and a generous serving of seafood- mussels, clams, scallops and prawns. On a cold rainy day, I definitely welcomed this piping and spicy hot dish.
Linguine Vongole. This was linguine served with a white wine sauce and a generous portion of clams. This garlic, buttery white wine sauce was quite tasty and I would get this next time.
Overall, I will be back to Jimoco Cafe, as their pastas are very reasonable and pretty tasty. The portions are also pretty generous. With their 2 for 1 pasta deals, the total bill incl tax and tip only came up to $10 per person. Definitely good value for the portion and quality.-Sara
School has kept this foodie, blog and restaurant-hopping deprived. Sorry for the lack of updates! I have many food pictures stowed away in my camera...
To eat list (in case I forget): 1. Jimoco Cafe & Pasta 2. Tamarind Hill 3. Le Bretagne Creperie (again) 4. The Flying Pig 5. Marulilu Cafe 6. Thomas Haas (double baked almond croissants <3) 7. Meat and Bread 8. True Confections (I want the Devil's Food cake)
Maybe you can try these places before I do and let me know how they are. Otherwise, check back in a few weeks!
School has kept this foodie, blog and restaurant-hopping deprived. Sorry for the lack of updates! I have many food pictures stowed away in my camera...
To eat list (in case I forget):
1. Jimoco Cafe & Pasta
2. Tamarind Hill
3. Le Bretagne Creperie (again)
4. The Flying Pig
5. Marulilu Cafe
6. Thomas Haas (double baked almond croissants <3)
7. Meat and Bread
8. True Confections (I want the Devil's Food cake)
Maybe you can try these places before I do and let me know how they are. Otherwise, check back in a few weeks!
Review Snippet Overall: Affordable, value for money japanese fare Food: Generous portions; mediocre Price:$10-$15 Ambiance: Dim; quaint zen setting
Nagano Japanese Restaurant
2918 Glen Dr Coquitlam, BCV3B2P5 Tel: (604) 468-2133
This would be my first encounter with the nagano chain at coquitlam. I'd been wanting to try this place for quite sometime and finally an outing after the end of my first summer school in Canada.
Katsu Don
My friend had the katsu don, deep fried pork cutlet with vegetables and cooked egg on a bed of rice. The much loved teriyaki sauce glazed the pork. The portion for this was large and my friend almost couldn't finish it! She didn't particularly elaborate much on this, except said that it was "pretty good".
Sashimi Bento Box
Lately, i've been having some asian food cravings and... well raw fish was amongst one of them. After contemplation for quite sometime,i gave in to my cravings and decided to treat myself to this bento box with its quantity of sashimi, consisting of yellowtail( hidden) , tuna, salmon and prawn as well as the variety of chicken karaage, tempura, agedashi tofu, miso soup and salad. The tuna was kind of disappointing, a little soft and mushy, salmon was chewy. Surprisingly the yellowtail was really chewy, kind of like a gummy, but not sugary sweet.. The chicken was hard, but then again given the variety, i guess i can't complain. The portion for this was huge and i had some leftovers for take-away.
Green Tea & White Raspberry Ice Cream
The price for the ice cream was a bit on the high side and tasted like ordinary out of the carton no name ice-cream, but well, what the stomach craves it shall be delivered, what can i say... i just had to have it.- Isabel
On the public holiday of Aug 1, Isabel and I had grand plans to try out the newest breakfast haunt in Coquitlam, Cora's, and then proceed on to a fun day at Playland. I was so excited as I haven't had breakfast out in the longest time (except for organic trees muffins and bon chaz on the way to work which are also very good) and haven't been to Playland since first year. However, as usual we were too ambitious for own good and ended up just staying around the vicinity after our brunch....We ended up shopping at H&M for the ENTIRE afternoon. But the sale was so good! Okay, back to Cora's.
Review Snippet Overall: Highly recommended Food: Breakfast/Lunch/Brunch Price: About >$10/ person Ambiance/Service: Bright and cheery; Very friendly staff just like the surroundings
Cora's is a nice little breakfast spot situated in the Pinetree Village enclave, close to a Matoi (my favourite japanese restuarant in coquitlam) , Cobs and a new froyo place that opened recently as well. It hails from Montreal and is supposedly quite a hit out East, hence its attempt at conquering the west coast.
Truth be told, I was a little skeptical about this place at first. The decorations and brand seemed a little tacky, gimmicky and too cheery for my liking. However, lines out the door had to be an indication of some quality. So we finally made our way over last Monday.
Having received flyers and a free drink coupon in the mail, we had to make use of it (being the old ladies that we are). This was their summer smoothie special- a perfect blend of all the berries and vanilla yogurt. It was very thirst quenching and refreshing, definitely a good start to the meal.
I knew right off the bat I wanted something with French Toast or Pancakes because I haven't had either in forever. But I also wanted something savoury so 1990's Harvest provided the best of both worlds. This dish comprised two slices of cinammon and raison broiche french toast, topped with bacon and eggs on one slice and a mountain of fruits on the other. My plate was practically overflowing but my stomach was fluttering with excitement. It's a pity I couldn't capture the french toast slices underneath. Firstly, I appreciated that the french toast had a unique spin on it and was sweet enough that it didn't really need maple syrup with it (although I still layered some on out of habit). The contrast of sweet and salty between the bacon, eggs and slice of brioche french toast was extraordinary. I also loved the fruit salad on the other slices, making the dish seem healthier although I'm pretty sure I threw my diet out the window with this one.
Isabel ordered traditional Eggs Benedicts which came with hashbrowns and also a generous serving of mixed fruit. This dish was tasty and the eggs were left runny which is a sign of an eggs benny done well but I have had better. This was a little disappointing for me as the hollandaise sauce and ham slices felt a little too processed and pre-packed.
The one thing apparent about Cora's is that it prides itself on the fruit factor. Every dish is fruit laden and though I enjoyed it, I have doubts about this being Cora's signature and core brand image. The breakfast and lunch options are voluminous and all look very tempting. I will definitely be back to try the pancakes, crepes and waffles especially since its just down the mountain and I can now drive! Yay me! -Sara
Review Snippet Overall: Great, we will be back again Food:Japanese Price: $5-$15 Service: Attentive
Matoi Sushi #490-3025 Lougheed Hwy Coquitlam, BC V3B (604) 464-2778
From the top left; clockwise: Salmon Sashimi, Alaska Roll, Bento Box B(beef), Ramen
In search of japanese fare in the tri-cities, we went on one of our best Sunday lunch adventures yet.
Everyone, say kon'nichiwa to Matoi. He is small and inconspicuous, shrouded by his contemporaries in the pinetree village area, like Cora's, Whitespot. But don't be fooled by his subtle exterior, this japanese joint is a force to be reckoned with- possibly the best in the tri-cities!
The salmon sashimi tasted better than the other japanese restaurants in coquitlam. It was fresh but, a tad bit warm for our liking. The alaska roll was lovely! You can't go wrong with avocado, crabmeat and salmon. It was really reasonably priced.
Sara ordered Bento Box B. It came with terriyaki beef, nigiri sushi, tempura prawn & vegetables, deep fried wonton with salmon filling (daily special) and a side of salad. Being dumpling experts, we are not easily pleased. The fried wonton was commendable for its creativity but could have done better on taste. The beef terriyaki however, was tender and tasty and the tempura- lightly fried and oh so crsipy! Sara loved that one of the nigiri sushis was tamago which is her absolute favourite even though everyone says its a waste of money.
The ramen was not as good as sanpachi, given the wide range it has, i guess it was understandable.The soup base was rather plain and simple, light soy sauce base. The egg was alike any other ordinary hard boiled egg, not the japanese tamago. The noodles were surprisingly good, very springy.
We also ordered the chawanmushi, but it was pretty watery and different from the kind we have in singapore, where it's more firm. The upside to this is that it definitely had more ingredients such as carrots, spinach and fishcake. However, the chawanmushi at sushi turn was better, the egg slightly more firm, filled with scallops, prawns and spinach.
Overall, we definitely will go back there again to try different dishes! Especially, to sample the variations of sashimi.-Isabel
