Oregon Zoo

I went to the Oregon zoo recently, and took some pictures of the various animals there. Here are some of the pictures that I took. Enjoy !!

Talking Dirty in Cantonese #4

Roscoe's House of Chicken N Waffles

Entrance

Everyone likes chicken and waffles right? Well I know I do, especially if it is at good price. When I was in Los Angeles a few months ago, I went to Roscoe's, since it was recommended by many of the locals. I must say for the price of roughly $6.00, I was able to get a lot of great tasting chicken and waffles. Yums! This place is so popular, that current US president Barack Obama also ate here when he last visited LA. Nevertheless, if you are looking for some good comfort food, check the place out. This is definitely not a place to eat healthy though.   

Picture of employees with Barack Obama

Chicken with rice and gravy

The Menu

Waffles

Cornbread

Fried Chicken

The Urban Tea Merchant

A few weeks ago I had high tea for the first time at a place called The Urban Tea Merchant (UTM). The store is located in downtown Vancouver by West Georgia and Alberni St. and they feature imported tea from the Singaporean company TWG. 

On this visit I tried their seasonal Mid-Autumn festival service, and I must say it was pretty satisfying. Along with indulging on delicious food, I also drank their tea, hence the term high tea. More specifically I tried a tea called "Brother's Club" and it was really good black tea. According to their site, the tea contains a blend of nutty black tea, citrus fruits, and berries.  

Now for the food, I don't recall every specific item that was included but it did have the following:

• miso-maple glazed sablefish in butter lettuce
• “Lapsang Souchong Tea” chickensalad  cone
• wasabi and smoked salmon with ponzu jelly 
• pork dumplings
• mooncake
• assorted fruits infused in tea

I know you may be thinking that mooncake and pork dumplings sounds a bit odd for high tea, but it was definitely a nice twist. For one thing, I normally don't like mooncakes, nor do I eat them, but the one they made was definitely an exception. It did not taste like the ordinary mooncakes that so many are accustomed to. It was sweet, but in a different way, especially since it had been infused in tea. Furthermore, I don't remember the specific flavor of the mooncake, but it was one of the four they offered. Obviously the description above does not do justice on how well it tasted, so maybe the following pictures will help.

Mid-Autumn Festival Service

Close up of the smoked salmon

Close up of the dumplings

Close up of the mooncake from TWG

And lastly some pictures, showing the decor of the place. They had a unique water fountain that featured teacups and teapots. If you ever get a chance, I do recommend giving this place a try. It is true that I haven't been to another high tea store to compare it to, nevertheless I'm sure they won't disappoint.

Greater Vancouver Zoo

Some pictures I took recently from my visit to the zoo.

Fondue

Who doesn't like fondue right? So a few months ago I brought the groupon to Capstone, and I finally used it a few days ago. It wasn't my first time at Capstone, but I hadn't been there in a while, so it was a good opportunity to see if much has changed. The groupon itself was $25 and that included two personal cheese and chocolate fondues. Since the last time I've been there it doesn't seem much has changed, although the portions may have gotten smaller with the introduction of the personal sizes. Anyways here's a snapshot of the food and place.

The place

Cheese Fondue

Chocolate Fondue

Closer look

Sawasdee Thai Restaurant

A few days ago I went to a Thai Restaurant called Sawasdee. This was my second time visiting the place, and since I was in the area I decided to go there again. The restaurant is located on 4250 Main St.(near 27th) in Vancouver. Although the exterior and the interior does not showcase anything spectacular or special, the food speaks for itself. I would say it is one of the best authentic Thai places in the lower mainland.

I ordered three dishes:
1. Tod Mun Pla
 Deep fried shrimp cakes

2. Pad Ped Gai
Chicken in Thai sweet and sour sauce

3. Pad Thai
Stir fired noodles and prawns (Tamarind sauce) 

The pictures kind of suck, but I can reassure you that it looks much better and taste much better in real life.
Most items on the menu allow you to choose the intensity of heat, which ranges from mild, medium, hot, very hot. I went for the medium option. They also have their house made hot sauce, which is also really good.

So go give the place a try and let me know what you think. =)