Torarenbo Japanese Restaurant

We celebrated Valentine's on the weekend to avoid the busy crowd. So we opted for something more casual during the actual day. I've been wanting to try Torarenbo and J was finally able to make a reservation after several tries. When we got there it was so busy and still had to wait for a table even with our reservation. We ended up sitting by the bar. The food also took about half an hour to come out.

We ordered a variety of food from their menu.

Grilled Black Cod

Salmon Sashimi

House roll

Beef ribs

Torarenbo roll

Complementary ice cream

Overall, the food was pretty good and staff were very nice and friendly. The wait for the food just took longer since it was one of their busiest day of the year. It might not be so bad on a regular day.

Torarenbo Japanese Restaurant

8191 Park Road

Richmond, BC

604-214-1402

Faubourg: a French cafe

J and I were killing time before our dinner reservation so he suggested we go to Faubourg (pronounced as "foboor") and try their famous French baked goods, pastries, coffee and more. 

This cafe is located in the Kerrisdale area.  When we got there the place was packed and there wasn't a place to sit. Luckily, by the time they finished preparing our order some tables became available.  We got to sit by the window facing outside so we can people watch while enjoying our coffee and dessert.

I had an almond croissant because I wanted to compare it with Thierry's. I was only going to eat half and save the rest for later so I have room for dinner but it was so good I ended up finishing it all :) It was crispy and not too sweet just how i like it. Very delicious! :)

We bumped into some friends who ordered the pear tart and chocolate eclair.  They enjoyed both very much aswell.

The ice mocha has a bittersweet taste which compliments the bread and some of the other pastries they serve.

Faubourg

2156 W 41st Ave

Vancouver, BC

$1 Flavoured Lattes at Tim Hortons

For all coffee lovers this is found on Tim Horton's facebook page:

For a limited time, try any small Flavoured Latte for only $1.*
Our Flavoured Latte starts with the perfect blend of premium espresso made from 100% Arabica beans, warm frothy milk and any one of our irresistible flavours including: Caramel, Vanilla, Hazelnut, Mint Chocolate and Vanilla Spice.
This event ends on February 19, 2012, so don’t miss it!

From January 30th til Feb 19th at all participating Canadian Tim Hortons locations.
Learn more about our Lattes> http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/menu...beverages.html

*Small, plus tax. At participating Canadian restaurants until February 19th, 2012.

Free Small Fries @ Burger King on Jan 27th

Head into Burger King and receive a free small fries on Jan 27th.  No purchase is required.  This offer excludes movie locations and highway (reststop) locations.

Shalin Noodle House

We went to Shalin Noodle House for our weekly Sunday lunch after church. There was no line up because we got there a few minutes before they opened.

The kitchen has a glass window so customers can watch while the chef makes the hand-made noodles they are famous for.

They have four different types of noodles as seen on their menu.

 They also provide scissors to cut the noodles.

J ordered the beef noodle soup with stewed type noodles.

I had the seafood noodle soup with dragged type noodles.

We also ordered the handmade pork and chive dumplings which I loved. It was so juicy and tasty even without the sauce.

Overall, I find the place to be just okay. I find the noodles chewy and filling but the broth too bland. You will definitely need to use the condiments they provide to make it tastier. The dumplings on the other hand is a must try.

Condiments

Sha Lin Noodle House

548 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC

604-873-1816

Seto Sushi

J and I were craving some good Japanese food. We wanted to go somewhere that doesn't just serve bento box type of dishes. We decided to go to Seto Sushi on Alexandra because their chefs are from Japan - which makes us feel that the food is more authentic :)

J was hungry so he went all out. He had a rice bowl, sushi and grilled squid.

Oyako Don (chicken and egg with rice)

Spider Roll (soft shell crab)

This is one of my favourite.  Very tasty and crunchy :)

Ika Shioyaki (grilled squid)

This was average. A little bit on the dry side.

Chicken Green Yakisoba (in chicken broth)

I was trying to pick something healthy so I picked this dish.  The broth was good but the dish didn't have enough chicken in it.  It was mostly noodles and broth :(

Overall, we were satisfied with the food and service. It is definitely the place to go for traditional and authentic Japanese food :)

Seto Japanese Restaurant

8460 Alexandra Road

Richmond, BC

(604) 231-9493

Red Robin

It was a week after my birthday and I still have quite a few coupons to use. J wanted some burger for dinner so we went to Red Robin to claim my free birthday burger.

We wanted to treat ourselves so we ordred the sinful chocolate milkshake :D slurpppp...oh so good :)

J had the Bleu Ribbon Burger and upgraded his fries to a poutine. The burger was really good. It was topped with crumbled bleu cheese and served with cripsy onions.  The poutine was a bit disappointing. There wasn't enough gravy and the cheese wasn't melted.

I had the mediterranean chicken burger which came on a ciabatta bread and served with fries. I thought mine was pretty tasty for a healthy burger :) The fries was too little though :(

When the bill came, our server asked if we wanted a birthday sundae to go with our meal. I was so stuffed but I can never say no to freebies and treats so we said yes to our free sundae :) It's not the best dessert but it's free so I wont complain :)

Red Robin

1001 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC V6H 4B1

(604) 733-6494