waffle gone wild: a snack? nope a full meal.

after experiences at neros, waffles have become all the rage in vancouver and with a social shopper in hand for $12 including 2 drinks and 2 waffles waffle gone wild was mom and i's next food destination.

japanese matcha latte ($3.75): delicious and not too heavy or sweet but missing that pretty design

3.5/5

passionfruit slush ($4.75): looking back, probably a bad choice since it was winter time but it was tasty albeit a bit icy (it is a slush though)

3.5/5

original liege with ice cream and berry sauce (~$4): we went with the original waffle because all the flavour combos allowed for our voucher had loads of whipped cream but no ice cream. so for $1.99 + $1 + $.50, this was a fresh baked waffle as our ice cream started melting off right away! we had to have dessert before our "meal" but thats okay, it was so light and delicious! 

4.5/5

black forest ham and cheese ($5.99): with a mini salad, this was PACKED with ham and the savoury actually complimented the waffle very well! it wasn't too salty and the two of us couldn't finish both halves…but we decided that sweet waffles are our preference (: 

4/5 

overall: their menu is larger now (delayed post of course) and their waffles are quite different from neros as they only have liege but they are chewy but light at the same time! 

sushiful: best in taste, value and service!

sushiful is a tiny place on kingsway that serves up some amazing food at a great price with the kindest service i've experienced. they care about their customers and are just two guys that started a business together hoping to bring good food to this area. 

ive been here only twice and can honestly say i'm in love with it. 

they have a whole list of special rolls as well as the ones made popular by sushi garden/town joints but are made carefully with very fresh fish. 

visit 1: 

complimentary miso soup 

dynaska roll ($5.95): this is the alaska roll but instead of avocado on the inside, they use prawn tempura. very tasty and the sauce on top is money. 

4.5/5

alaska roll ($3.95): same flavours as sushi garden BUT much nicer in terms of appearance and the quality as well. avocados are perfectly ripe (not overripe like others) and the slices of salmon ontop are ACTUAL slices. also, they use less rice! 

5/5

spicy salmon roll ($2.95): very generous with the salmon inside but i feel like it could have used more spicy sauce. 

4/5

house roll: ($4.50) the most disappointing roll just because the crab meat didnt have mayo in it but otherwise its pretty packed for a good price! 

3.5/5

 visit 2:

alaska roll (as good as last time!) 

1/2 order spicy salmon sashimi ($5.70): very generous portion (as seen by the picture below for perspective) with the sweet and spicy sauce that i love! 

5/5

overall: the best sushi place...just go. warning though, it's a tiny place but the wait is worth it. 

famoso neapolitan pizzeria: groupon and good food makes a happy pizza eater

i dont stray away from asian cuisine that often but with groupons in hand, i would explore all of vancouver! famoso neapolitan pizzeria is one of those cases and turned out to be a lovely treat! 

pizzetta with a side of soup (lunch special) ($12)

peking duck pizza: this was creative and so delicious. a thin crust with a sweeter hoisin sauce base and shredded duck with cilantro and green onions this pleased my asian-preferred palate immensely. it was great and i loved it.

5/5

tomato soup: the soup was so creamy and delicious but not too heavy either. a strong tomato flavour i loved it even though i'm not usually a fan of drinking my calories.

5/5

abruzzo ($14.95) : with spicy italian sausage, mushrooms and red onions, this was our classic italian pizza to try and it was good but the tomato sauce was a bit weak in my opinion and made the crust soggier than i prefer. it was really tasty though! 

4/5

pizzetta italian ham and crushed pineapple (or essentially a hawaiian pizza) ($7): my dad is kind of boring so we ordered this for him to be able to eat when he got home from work but it was quite good! nothing special about it but a good pizza. 

3.85/5

overall: a great meal with my mom on a sunny day. we don't venture outside of asian foods often but she LOVES thin crust pizza with that burnt bottom and crispy perfection over deep dish and greek style so we both enjoyed this! 

marulilu cafe: comforting japanese breakfast (but we're too into the western to notice)

marulilu cafe is a tiny shop on west broadway that is known for the breakfast offerings (both western and japanese) as well as many specialty japanese specialties such as rice burgers, oyako dons and omu rice. my two best friends and i made a visit down here one day and tried out some of their low priced but delicious offerings! 

eggs benny without hash browns ($6.49): they did not have any ham that day so we went with bacon. the hollandaise was quite good and eggs were cooked well! a very simple and not too greasy rendition

3.85/5 

katsudon ($7.99): deep friend pork chop over rice with onion and egg. this was pretty good although there could have been more sauce to go with the rice. the pork cutlet was not too chewy though! 

3.85/5

breakfast plate A ($5.99): two eggs any style, choice of sausage, ham or bacon, toast, hash browns and tomatoes. this was a pretty good deal although all the food is very generic tasting. it isn't too greasy and was plenty to fill the three of us up

3.5/5

takoyaki ($3.99): octopus balls!! i love these and 6 pieces for 4 bucks was a great deal! these were fresh out of the…machine? but I'm not sure if they were homemade. still very enjoyable! 

4/5 

overall: the ambience is so cute and homey with a diverse menu at good prices. nothing special in their western breakfasts but i would love to try their japanese offerings! 

sushi ame: special rolls are so beautiful

sushi ame is located deep in downtown on robson with really good reviews so i decided to grab takeout from here for dinner! although the food was good, it was a bit pricey for the amount of fish to rice but i did enjoy the special rolls more since i love non-authentic sushi. 

negihama roll ($2.95): a little lacking in the fish department 

3.5/5

salmon avocado roll ($4.50): not bad but nothing amazing, thicker on the rice

3.5/5

spicy crispy roll: prawn tempura, cucumber in a roll with avocado, yam tempura and crunchy flake with sweet chile sauce ($7.95): this was probably a bad choice to have for takeout because the tempura was a bit soft. i asked for it without the spicy worrying my dad couldnt take it but it ended up being a bit bland. 

3/5

black tiger roll: spicy tuna, crab meat, cucumber in a roll topped with avocado and unagi ($10.95): my favourite of the bunch..all my favourite ingredients in a roll and beautiful presentation! 

4/5 

overall: would return to try more of the special rolls but there are lots of other sushi options that i think are a better value. not bad for robson street though. 

hanok: korean lunch to satisfy the spicy craves

trying to hit up all the korean restaurants in richmond, my mom and i ventured into hanok korean restaurant on "eat street" and were given a nice surprise when we were presented with loads of food for a very small price. 

their lunch specials (which i do not know if they still exist) are an amazing deal with an entree and side dish for $8.99. 

banchan: complimentary and standard. love the sweet potatoes!! 

bibimbap ($8.99): this was actually quite large and filling for a lunch size that came with a side dish. the egg wasn't raw but otherwise it was a good meal! 

4/5 

japchae side dish (with bibimbap): surprising portion again, we HARDLY made a dent in this as we were too busy eating up all the bibimbap goodness but it was a good balance of flavours although it stuck together a bit

3.95/5

pajeon (with soft tofu soup): a little more doughy and less seafood that i wouldve liked but not too oily (also a bit "colder" since it wasnt served on the hot plate)

3.75/5

seafood soft tofu soup ($8.99): bubbly perfection! the soup was nice and spicy with the raw egg getting cooked up in there. it had a small amount of seafood but plenty of tofu! came with a bowl of rice as well! 

4.5/5

overall: their prices are SPECTACULAR and the food is pretty dang good too. there was way too much food for two people (yes mostly carbs) but still!! definitely recommend for a cheap and delicious korean lunch. 

la casa gelato: try all the cheesecake/nutella/chocolate flavours!

la casa gelato, everyone remembers its pink walls and prominent location on venables. there are over 200 flavours inside and is almost always crowded. the best part is trying the different flavours and being the boring kid i am, i tried the not so strange flavours but YOU KNOW WHAT, thats who i am :D 

pineapple ($5): good fruit flavour 

4/5

ferrero rocher ($5): delicious hazelnutty chocolate flavours with swirls of thicker paste of hazelnut and chocolate. its so good…

4.5/5 

flavours tried:

tiramisu cheesecake: couldnt taste the tiramisu, only cheesecake chunks

strawberry cheesecake : artificial tasting

vanilla cookie: like cookies and cream

cappa mocha: tastes like coffee

Hazelnut Frangelico with Chocolate Shavings: strong flavour, but not hazelnut

creme brûlée: tastes like caramel 

overall: everyone has to come at least once, its iconic. although not the best ice cream ever and $5 a cone, you get at least half a scoop - 1 scoop in the different flavours you try! 

kiku sushi: a metrotown area alternative (+group buy deals!)

i came to kiku twice but only intended one visit and this was to use another group buy coupon. the first time i went, it was at lunch and they did not let me but decided to stay anyways and returned for dinner another day. 

they are known for special rolls and lunch/dinner combos so this is what we ordered on visit 1: 

lucky choice combo ($8.25): choice of 3 items with miso soup including rolls, nigiri or appetizer/small entrees. 

house roll: my favourite one of the three, this was packed with crab meat and quite large in size! they didnt skimp on the filling of salmon either and it ended up being quite tasty. 

3.75/5

chicken teriyaki roll: not bad, sauce was super sweet but again, lots of filling although theres LOTS of rice which made me realize i should've just ordered a chicken teriyaki instead of the roll.

3/5

spicy salmon roll: quite a bit of salmon but sauce tastes like straight siracha and wasnt actually mixed into the roll either...again LOTS of rice. 

tuna oil tataki ($9.95): just like tuna tataki except with a strong oil, sesame and soy sauce base topped with green onions and ginger. the tuna was alright...strangely cut but seared nicely. the sauce was a bit salty but went well with the tataki. it was quite a large portion for the price and we enjoyed this! 

4/5

on visit 2, we used the coupon which included a choice of appetizer, chicken teriyaki either rolls or nigiri and sashimi and ends with green tea ice cream. this "meal" was around 13 dollars so we didnt save MUCH but thats what happens sometimes. 

spicy salmon roll (same as above): ordered on top of deal

chicken teriyaki: small portion of chicken was served lukewarm but the chicken wasnt tough or dry so thats a plus! 

3/5

gyoza: very poorly made...all ripped up at the bottom 

1.75/5

nigiri and sashimi: sashimi spicy sauce tasted just like siracha but the nigiri were fine. 

2.5/5

winter dynamite roll ($6.50): this was pretty expensive but the best part of our meal. they have both california and dynamite winter rolls which mean it is topped with some chopped scallop and a motoyaki type sauce then lightly seared. this was actually a very tasty combo and my friend and i both would return for this. 

3.75/5

half of our sushi spread

green tea ice cream: a sweeter end to the meal. 

overall: i would come back for certain things but i felt their cooked food was very chinese style (as evidenced by their mandarin speaking chefs and servers. their lunch specials are a good deal though as their rolls aren't small but are packed with rice. 

also, i felt the food tasted better without the coupon. hope theyre not one of "those" restaurants...