Maple Castella - Pork Floss Bread

Restaurant: Maple Castella - Pork Floss Bread
Cuisine: Bakery/Breads/Pastries/Desserts
Last visited: March 7, 2010

Area: Richmond, BC
#1068 - 8700 McKim Way (In Admiralty Cenre)
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (6 for hits, 2 for miss)
Service: n/a (biased b/c they know me now)

Ambiance: 2.5

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Taiwanese bakery in Richmond
• Specializes in Taiwanese buns/baked goods (sweet & savoury)
• All breads/buns made on site daily
• Amazing breads and buns - cookies not as great though
• Bread are more on the sweeter side
• Always busy, familiar to locals and Chinese
• Taiwanese bakery not Cantonese - so buns are different than Chinese bakeries like Maxim's
• Closed Thursday
• Smells absolutely delicious inside and outside the bakery

**Recommendation: Pumpkin Bread, Pork Floss Bread, Pork floss bun with the egg wrapped around it

Maple Castella is still one of my favourite Asian bakeries. Sure they have some items that are better than others, but the stuff that is good is really really really good! For example the famous pumpkin bread that I have recommended to everyone – so far I haven’t received any negative feedback from it.

Everything is made daily and seriously the bread (the loaves) sells out as soon as it comes out of the oven. They only make about 12 loaves of each type of bread a day. It’s small bakery with a small operation so believe me when I say PRE-ORDER. Any of their loaves, even their white bread sells out at the end of the day. The pumpkin bread is a guaranteed sell out in like 2 hours on a slow day.

This entry is on another bread that I really enjoy there. The pork floss bread!

On the table:

**Pork Floss Bread 6/6

• $4.00 for half a loaf – don't think they offer them in whole loaves.
• I love it just as much as the pumpkin bread, and it’s quite different so I can’t compare. It deserves a 6/6! It's probably more for Chinese taste buds just because of the pork floss.
  
• The base of the bread is the same as the pumpkin bread. It’s a super fluffy egg and butter based bread. It’s delicious! So soft! It’s not a crumb bread but a stretchy fluffy one.

• It’s interwoven with swirls of pork floss or dried pork fluff.
• Pork floss is pretty much shredded pork jerky. It has a cotton like texture and it’s nice and salty. The pork is marinated and dried in soy sauce so that’s why it’s salty. I love this stuff! Asian kids grow up with it.
• This bread is delicious and it’s savoury bread.

• They bake it with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese on top! It’s soooo good! It gives the bread a salty crust and goes great with the salty pork floss. Even without the cheese the crust is still good! Reminds me of those cheese pretzel breads you eat/ate as kids.
• Their breads are so soft and fluffy I recommend to eat them as is. Skip the toaster…if anything you can microwave them for 10 sec. to eat warm.
• Great as a snack!
  

Charlie's Restaurant & Bar - Desserts

Restaurant: Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant

Cuisine: Pizza/Mediterranean/Italian
Last visited: March 9, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
1265 Hamilton Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: n/a (Media dinner)
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 3.5 (Food is generally good, but just not worth it)
Additional comments:

• Chef Brian Ritchot
• Chef from Montreal, one from Spain
• DJ’s/live music on weekends
• Contemporary, sleek, posh atmosphere
• Great for drinks, appies
• Specializes in gourmet pizzas
• Mediterranean/Italian options
• Longue like atmosphere
• One large projection screen TV
• Open late
• Pizzas available for take out
• Dinner service only

**Recommendation: Short Rib Pizza, prosciutto di Parma 18 Month, Duck Pizza, Banoffee Pie

I was invited to a media dinner at Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant so the food served this evening was complimentary. However there were no expectations from Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant and the review represents my true and honest opinions.

This review focuses on the dessert for the evening. All the desserts are made in house from scratch which I really appreciate it…and quite frankly expect from a restaurant like this. However I don’t think any dessert here should exceed $8-9 because I’d be paying the same for desserts at slightly more expensive restaurants like Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca down the street.

I get confused between Charlie’s Restaurant and Bar being a gourmet pizza place and being a finer Mediterranean restaurant. The desserts got me more confused…some are traditional British and some seem more French...but it's a Mediterranean/Italian/Pizza place...right?...regardless I’ll tell you what’s good…

The dinner & drink portion of the review.

On the table:

Chocolate Ganache 2/6

• Pistachio, chocolate wafer and mint sorbet $11
• A bit unusual to see at a restaurant/bar serving gourmet pizzas. It was a bit refined for the style and I couldn’t figure out how it fit in.
• The dessert was quite good and basically a twist on mint chocolate ice cream. It was a deconstructed version with gourmet execution.
• It was very rich dark chocolate ganache slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and topped with thin dark chocolate wafers.
• There was some pistachio and skor graham cracker crumbles around the plate that aided in the presentation rather than the flavour.
• The mint sorbet was refreshing but bitter. The after taste was significantly bitter.
• I wouldn’t want the whole thing to myself, but I’m not a big fan of chocolate mint ice cream. 1-2 of the small squares is enough.
• $11 for this portion I would feel ripped off…but apparently they usually serve it with another piece. (The size of the biggest one in the photo)

Banoffee Pie 4.5/6

• Banana, dry caramel and coconut ice cream $10
• I really liked this! You don’t see this traditional British dessert served at many places so I enjoyed it here.
• I loved how they served it with coconut ice cream. A gourmet twist on traditional pub food…wait is Charlie’s a pub now?

• I don’t think the tart shell was made in house, but I’m not sure. It was a crumbly shortbread like cookie crust, but it didn’t taste homemade. It was filled with bananas, dry caramel and topped with cream.
• The “dry caramel” tastes like dulche de leche – it was like caramelized condensed milk and very thick.
• It was creamy and very sweet with lots of caramel so I'm glad there was ice cream to break it up.
  
• It was served with 3 warm caramelized bananas.
• I'd pay $10 for it, but I still think it's reaching a bit. Especially since most people would be use to seeing it at pubs for half the price. I did like it more than the chocolate ganache.
  

Blueberry World Frozen Yogurt

Restaurant: Blueberry World Frozen Yogurt
Cuisine: Desserts
Last visited: March 6, 2010

Area: Vancouver, BC (Robson Street/West End/Downtown)
1703 Robson Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2.5
Service: 3

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Serves frozen yogurt only
• A tad cheaper than other places.
• Only flavours: original & green tea
• Twist option available
• Large is very large
• 1 oz - 0% fat
• Snowy ice option
• Smoothie options
• Sampling available
• Not enough toppings/options/flavour choices

**Recommendation: n/a

Blueberry World is never really busy, but most their traffic is by locals or people living in the neighborhood.

It’s a bit cheaper than the other frozen yogurt places but the cups are small and shallow so you don’t get as many toppings as you would with Tuttimelon or Qoola. The toppings are also limited and they don’t have as many options like mochi, or different nuts/cereals. The amount of toppings depends on who’s doing it…usually the case.

What I do like is that they offer twist and not many places do that, Tuttimelon offers half and half where they put the flavours side by side – but not twist. It’s not my first time at Blueberry World and it isn’t my first choice, but more of a “last resort, and I’m in the area and I want frozen yogurt choice”. This was my dessert after Santouka Ramen across the street…see – close by.

FYI the large size is extremely big! That has more value than small size.

On the table:

Original & Green Tea Twist 3/6

• Small: $3.50 Medium $4.50 Large $6.75
• Toppings: 1 topping: $0.95, 3 toppings: $1.50
• I got it with granola, just because I like the crunchiness.
• Compared to most places they don’t offer as many toppings.
• The green tea isn’t as tart as Qoola or Tuttimelon, but it is still tart and has more green tea flavour.
• The original flavour is quite tart, but not as tart as Qoola.
• I like the twist.This small size was significantly bigger than the other smalls I've had in the past! Maybe I was having a good hair day? j/k! =p
  

Original 2.5/6

• Small: $2.75 Medium $3.75 Large $5.75
• Toppings: 1 topping: $0.95, 3 toppings: $1.50
• Mangoes, coconut jelly, blueberries
• Original flavour is tart – it’s very icy yogurt and when it melts it melts like water.

Green Tea 3/6

• Small: $3.50 Medium $4.50 Large $6.75
• Toppings: 1 topping: $0.95, 3 toppings: $1.50
• Kiwi, strawberry, pineapple
• Green tea is sweeter than original – still tart. More green tea flavour than Quoola or Tuttimelon.
  
• Very icy yogurt – not the creamy thicker kind.
• Significantly more expensive than original flavour.

8 Juice

Restaurant: 8 Juice

Cuisine: Drinks/Desserts

Last visited: March 6, 2010
Area: Richmond, BC

4151 Hazelbridge Way – In Aberdeen Mall
Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2.5 (Based on their #1 drink only)

Service: 4.5

Ambiance: n/a – in a food court

Overall: 2.5

Additional comments:

• Healthy desserts/drinks
• Fresh fruit
• Made upon order
• Specializes in drinks only
• Fresh fruit juices
• Milkshake/yogurt drinks
• Cash only
• Asian Jugo Juice

**Recommendation: n/a – but if you’re going to go get the #1 house special – Mango + coconut milk + tapioca + pomelo drink

This is basically the Chinese version of Jugo Juice. 8 Juice is located in the Aberdeen food court. They specialize in fresh fruit drinks and everything is blended, shaken, stirred upon order…like a bubble tea place….but they have no bubble tea.

This is pretty much one of the only places in Richmond serving mango, coconut, tapioca and pomelo drink that is so famous in Hong Kong. You can’t even find this drink at many bubble tea places because the “tapioca” is not pearls – the tapioca is “sago” which is smaller and white in colour.

In Hong Kong the most famous place to have this dessert/drink is Hui Lau Shan. I love it! If you’ve had that then this place is really not good. I was so disappointed. To be fair it’s the only thing I’ve tried on the menu…but if it’s their “No.1 House Specialty” then I don’t have much hope.

After Twittering about the mango, coconut and sago drink the last couple days I had a major craving and decided to check this place out. The guy was really nice, but unfortunately my craving is not satisfied and I don’t think it can be because I don’t know anywhere else that serves it.

On the table:

Mango, Coconut Milk, Tapioca and Pomelo Drink 2.5/6

• It’s the “No 1 House Specialty”
• Compared to Hui Lau Shan in Hong Kong it is not good
• It was really watered down, frothey, but almost bland. I couldn’t taste much mango or coconut milk and it was a major 'save money' move.
• The mango juice has a very light mango flavour and they blend it with 2% milk and a touch of coconut milk which I couldn’t taste at all.

• There were small bits of mango in the drink, not a lot though. Some of the mango was hairy though….pieces that were too close to the seed.
• There was even less pomelo. The pomelo is very shredded into each sliver or ‘pocket’ so you have individual “strands” of it. Pomelo is basically an Asian grapefruit. It’s sweeter and not bitter though. It’s quite neutral in flavour.
• It’s a drink that you need to chew with all the fruit and tapioca. However the tapioca is so small you just end up swallowing them unlike the bigger black tapioca pearls.

Dragon Ball Tea House

Restaurant: Dragon Ball Tea House

Cuisine: Bubble Tea/Chinese

Last visited: February 21, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Shaughnessy)

1007 W King Edward Ave
Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Drinks: 6

Service: 3 (well it’s pay at cashier and they go as fast as they can)

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Located at major intersection, but neighborhood area
• Famous for bubble tea
• One of the most popular places for bubble tea
• Attracts locals everywhere
• Family owned and operated
• Small operation
• Stamp card available
• Line-ups during peak hours (late night/after dinner)
• Fresh fruit flavours
• Seats 15 or so (very limited)
• About 4 hot rice dishes available (with fried egg style)
• Pay at cashier
• Great price
  
• Very casual/hole in the wall-ish
• Some small snack available: Pocky, instant noodles
• Open late
• Couple parking spaces in the back
• Pre-order/pick-up service available
• Opens daily at 1:30pm
  

**Recommendation: Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream, Supreme Milk Tea, and any of their fresh fruit series – I like blueberry

Next to Pearl Castle Bubble Tea and Peanuts this is also one of the most popular places for locals to get their bubble tea. Everyone loves Dragon Ball Tea House and it has been here for ages! At least 8 years I’d say…maybe even 10? It JUST got a make-over and it used to look even more hole-in-the wall-ish. It’s has very limited seating and it’s super casual and unpretentious. I’d even call it more of a to-go place. I’ve been coming here fore years and it’s my top bubble tea choice in the Vancouver area…although Capstone Tea & Fondue is good too.

Unlike many other bubble tea places, Dragon Ball Tea House really focuses on just bubble tea. They do offer maybe 3-4 hot dishes (which I’ve never seen anyone order) but they really focus on just bubble tea. They do a great job and they have steady traffic and pretty long lines and waits during busy hours…which is usually late at night or after dinner hours.

I’ve tried a lot of flavours here, but I always go back to the recommendations above. You can get drinks sweet/half-sweet/non-sweet/hot/slush/combination of flavours/mixed fruit etc. Almost everything can be customized, but they just don’t advertise it. Everything tastes like it’s made with ice cream here. The fresh fruit flavours are like smoothies. I haven’t had one bad drink. Even the tapioca pearls are great. Besides tapioca pearls they have coconut jelly, grass jelly and I think maybe mango stars as options.

On the table:

Pudding Slush Bubble Tea 4/6

• $4.00 + $.50 with tapioca pearls - $4.50
• This was my first time ordering pudding slush. Again it was like ice cream, they do a good job, however the best pudding slush bubble tea is still at Tri-ty.
  

• This was very good, but I wasn’t a fan of the pudding pieces at the bottom. That’s how it’s supposed to be served though, but I just didn’t like them that much. They’re jello like and not that flavourful for me…so I found it more distracting.
  
• The drink part is a sweeter drink and it tastes like vanilla pudding, but in slushy form.
  
• The pearls are great. Nice and chewy and cooked perfectly. They give you lots too!
• The drinks are pretty big and filling, but they’re delicious!

Diplomat Bakery

Restaurant: Diplomat Bakery

Cuisine: Desserts/Bakery/Coffee

Last visited: February 23, 2010
Area: Richmond, BC

6111 London Road (Steveston)
Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5 (based on the 3 items I tried)

Service: 4

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 4.5

Additional comments:

• Location in the middle of nowhere (industrial)
• Near Steveston Village
• Popular to locals
• European bakery
• Popular for cakes
• Whole cakes available
• Wedding cakes available
• Very reasonably priced
• Quality ingredients
• Some savoury café foods available
• Great for quick lunch/coffee/dessert
• Spacious, clean, contemporary
• Self-serve/pay at cashier
• Seats 20
• Eat in/Take-out

**Recommendation: Napoleon, Spinach and Feta Cheese Brioche

I’ve only tried a few things here and based on those I gave it a 4.5/6. However I think it could easily movie up to a 5 if I tried more things – I still need to try more of their cakes.

It’s basically the True Confections (cake café) of Richmond. The style, look, and choices at Diplomat Bakery are similar to those offered at True Confections, but not quite as refined. I can’t say 100% because I haven’t tried enough, but True Confections I think is better. On the other hand Diplomat bakery is half the price of True Confections. All Diplomat Bakery cakes are $3.50 a slice so it’s very affordable compared to the $7-8 you would pay in downtown.

Overall I enjoyed everything I had and would go back to try more. However it is a little out of the way and not so convenient so I would really have to make it a plan to go again. I don’t think they’re an open late kind of place, but they were very busy in the late afternoon with lots of locals stopping for coffee and dessert. They also serve a small selection of savoury foods like muffins, quiche etc.

On the table:

**Napoleon 4.5/6

• $2.75
• Every bakery has their interpretation of the Napoleon.
• It was layers of flakey crisp pastry and butter cream sprinkled with icing sugar.
• It was sweet, but not overly sweet. It’s sweeter than the Saint Germain’s Napoleon though.
  

• It was very fresh and you could taste the quality of ingredients. I loved the layers of flakey pastry and the ratio of cream to pastry was great.
• However the layers of butter cream were really buttery and I could taste it – it didn’t melt as well as I would have liked. It was a denser butter cream, not the fluffy whipped kind. It was almost like pastry custard, but it tasted buttery. I prefer pastry cream or custard in Napoleons.
  

• 

White Chocolate Baileys 3.5/6

• $3.50 for a slice $40 for 9 inch cake
• This was a pretty cake. It was white chocolate cake with a layer of white chocolate Bailey’s cake and a layer of dark chocolate cake in the middle.
  

• This was a dense cake and although the middle layers look moussey, it’s not. It’s an actual cake, but it does have a slightly creamy texture…almost like cheesecake does, but it’s not cheesecake. It was thickend with butter instead of cheese but it was still a cake. I liked the texture of cake and the denser middle layers of cake though.
  

• It had white chocolate shavings all around the edges, which was a nice touch.
• It actually wasn’t that sweet and I thought it would be since it was white chocolate.
  

• I could taste the Bailey’s and it’s not overwhelming or too heavy on the liquor but carries a light coffee taste. It’s mixed into the middle white layers.
• I think they the dark chocolate layer could have overpowered the white chocolate layers a little bit. The white chocolate cake layers came off as regular white cake and it was a tad dry. Luckily it had the middle layers to keep it more moist.

**Spinach and Feta Cheese Brioche 4.5/6

• $3.25
• This was huge and a really good price.

• I enjoyed mine with a fried egg for breakfast and my friend enjoyed hers with tuna. It was very enjoyable with these extras although it tastes good on its own too.
  

• It’s not soft and fluffy, but the crumbs are tight like brioche should be. It’s egg and butter based bread, so it’s rich in texture and flavour. It’s a bit dry, drier than brioche should be though, but it was ok because the filling kept in moist.

• It’s stuffed with spinach and Feta cheese mixture and the Feta was actually quite strong and stood out. There are some ‘fillers’ in the mixture, but it just made it even better so it didn’t bother me one bit.
  

• They add some mashed potato and onions into the mixture so it’s almost creamy and hold lots of flavour. You can bite into small pieces of minced potato so the texture is great.
• I kind of wanted a bit more egg wash on the top though – I like my brioche to have that slightly sweetened and baked egg wash.