#CessieEats 6

1. Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. Ford and I rarely like the same food. Incompatible talaga kami. But this popcorn chicken of Yougo Chicken (Aberdeen Centre Foodcourt) is our mutual love. Lagi namin itong inoorder kasi ang sarap talaga, albeit medyo salty (kaya kailangan ng Diet coke).

2. Crispy Pata and Caldereta. After watching the Santa Claus Parade in downtown Vancouver last December 3, 2017, we went to Aling Ening Restaurant in Fraser Street to have late lunch. Aling Ening is a turo-turo restaurant. Wala ng gaanong food nung dumating kami kasi past 3pm na yata nun, wala na kami halos mapili. We ended up with one whole crispy pata (cooked na, ininit na lang) and caldereta. Masarap naman ang caldereta, sobrang konti nga lang. Ok din ang crispy pata kaso walang sauce na kasama. I just made my own by mixing soy sauce and vinegar. We paid $23.65 for these, including 2 cups of rice.

3. Taho. Halos katabi ng ng Aling Ening ang O! Taho so we bought na rin 2 liters of taho for take-home. We paid $12.

It's August pa since we last bought taho so talagang nasabik kami. Ang sarap! However, we realized na sobrang nakakataas pala ng sugar kaya dapat konting-konti lang per meal (na ang hirap gawin). My husband didn't eat the remaining taho that I left for him, natapon ko tuloy.

4. Fresh Slice Pizza. I know that I am not to eat pizza pero kapag wala na talaga akong makain for dinner at ayaw ko ng rice, I would end up buying a slice of all-meat pizza sa foodcourt ng Guildford Town Centre (the mall just across our place). I've tested my blood sugar level at hindi naman tumataas kapag one slice lang. Also, whenever I eat only this for dinner, bumababa ang weight ko kinabukasan haha.

5. Mother-and-Son's late Lunch. I was too lazy to cook lunch last Thursday (Dec. 7) so I brought Nathan to the foodcourt of Guildford. As usual, KFC fried chicken for him and 1 slice of pizza for me.

Too bad, sayang ito. My son only eats the chicken eh (ayaw niya ng fries ng KFC). Di ko naman makain kasi nga carbs ito. If only I could just order chicken, kaso meal yan eh.

6. Some greens, finally! We've been eating a lot of meat lately, di ko na talaga ma-take. I am getting old na talaga, di na ako ok sa puro karne. I only had pechay (bok choy) in the ref kaya I cooked nilagang pork neck bones. Tsk, karne pa rin.

7. La Meza Grill's Sisig. I have yet to find sisig here in BC that I like. Hindi ko masyadong type ang lasa nito eh, pero gusto naman ng asawa ko (sabi na eh, magkaiba kami ng gustong pagkain). Pero $9.95 lang ito (plus 5% tax and tip) kaya ok na rin na pamatid-craving.

Max's Restaurant (Vancouver)

I love Max's Restaurant. I love their chicken and I love the consistency of their food. I remember being so happy when I learned that they were opening up in Edmonton. I was pregnant then at talagang takam na takam ako.

First time naming mag-Max's dito sa Vancouver last July 15 (you know, pre-D-Day days). Malapit lang pala sa Metrotown Mall. They've been operating since 2012 pa, sa Edmonton eh 2014 lang nagbukas.

It was a Saturday night and the place was packed. We had to wait a little to be seated.

They sell pala Pinoy beer there. Haha, my Ilocano husband wouldn't dare order one kahit favorite niya ang San Mig Light. Kuripot yun eh lol.

Max's in Edmonton is bigger and with more function rooms. Dito sa Vancouver, isa lang yata. Pero sa Edmonton alam ko nahihirapan silang magmarket for events like baptismal, wedding reception, etc. kasi nga relatively mahal sa Max's kumpara sa ibang restaurants.

Max's is still my favorite among all the Filipino restaurants here in Canada. Kasi nga 'tastes like home' talaga.

There were so many customers, I wonder kung bakit hindi na sila nagbukas ng iba pang branch sa Metro Vancouver. O siguro dahil weekend lang?

hungry three

By the way, we ordered nilagang baka...

Fried chicken, op kors...

And my favorite sizzling tofu!

Plus a large order of rice (again, pre-D-Day days pa ito) na equivalent pala to five cups!

Overall, the food was good. Medyo matabang lang for me ang nilagang baka pero keri na rin.

I don't eat halo-halo kaya si Pod lang ang nag-order.

And here comes the bill. Total amount due was $57.70 but we paid $64.63 because of the tip (additional 12%).

To be honest, ang pagti-tip ang hindi ko pa gaanong trip dito sa North America. If you would notice, may suggested percentage pa ng tip talaga sa receipt (parang minimum pa ang 15%).

No offense meant sa makakabasa nito na nasa service sector, pero kasi mabigat din naman kasi sa bulsa ang mag-tip lalo na kung niraraos mo lang din naman na makakain sa labas paminsan-minsan. Restaurant workers here in Canada (I am not sure kung ganun din sa America ha) are being paid nang at least minimun wage (tulad ng retail workers) so parang redundant na kung ioobliga pa ang customers na magbigay ng tip. Why give them extra money for merely doing their job? Tipping is ok, pero di ba dapat voluntary?

I have a friend in Edmonton who works in a restaurant and she says na medyo kuripot daw talaga ang Pinoy pagdating sa tip. Siguro kasi hindi natin nakasanayan, lalo na kung 15 to 20% ng total bill mo ang ineexpect sa iyo. Karamihan naman sa kumakain ay ordinary wage-workers lang din na gusto lang din makakain sa labas. Kaya nga gusto ko ang 'no tipping policy' sa Japan eh.

Anyway, here's Max's Vancouver current menu prices:

I am very sure that Max' in Vancouver is a lot cheaper than in Edmonton. A one whole chicken here costs $17.99, sa Edmonton ay $19.99. Basta malaki ang kamurahan dito, kahit sa Toronto. Pinakamahal sa Edmonton, dahil kaya sa sweldo ng tao?

Store hours:

I am glad there's a free underground parking ang Max's. Mahirap din kasing maghanap ng parkings sa Vancouver, tapos karaniwan may bayad pa.

-----------------------------------------

Oops, we came back to Max's again on August 12. We only ordered two ulam that time -- sinigang na baka and crispy pata -- because we weren't able to finish the three ulams the first time we were there.

The sinigang na baka was a lot better than nilaga.

It was our first time to try their crispy pata, kasi nga palaging chicken ang naoorder namin. At tama nga yung pinsan kong taga-Toronto, masarap nga! Parang chicken din, malambot at sarap to the bones. Even my very picky eater son loved it! Waaah, sayang hindi na kami pwedeng kumain nito ngayon kasi bawal na nga sa amin ang fatty at putok-batok food. 

O! Taho (Vancouver)

I was browsing through my IG feeds and saw a picture of taho. Hay, the things you take for granted at home (i.e. Philippines) suddenly become so important and special when you're away.

I got so takam (takaw-mata talaga ako) so I googled for a restaurant/store here in BC that sells taho. I know there's one in Henlong Market kaso parang Chinese-style naman yun. Nakabili na rin kami once sa Richmond Night Market kaso Chinese-taste din, gingered flavor yung syrup.

My search lead me to O! Taho in Vancouver. It has good reviews from Yelp, lasang Pinoy taho raw talaga. So we drove there after eating lunch at Richmond Public Market (on July 22), panghimagas daw sabi ni Ford.

O! Taho just a small store facing Fraser Street. You would need to park sa may residential area sa likod.

It's a store dedicated for taho (obvious naman sa name) but they also sell other Filipino foods like longganisa, hotdogs, and more frozen foods. May goto rin ang other desserts - leche flan, halo-halo, mais con yelo, sago't gulaman, etc.

Here's their pricing:

We only ordered one serving of taho ($5) because we were still full from lunch. Also, gusto rin naming tikman muna. Mas mahal pa ang taho dito kesa Starbucks ha.

Be sure to bring cash!

It was a mistake because kasi nabitin kami haha. Masarap nga, Pinoy-tasting talaga. Well, except for the pearls na parang pang-bubble tea. But it doesn't matter, ang importante ay yung soy pudding and syrup.

My hubby has devoured the taho in less than 3 minutes. Too bad we couldn't order again because we would have to wait for another 15 minutes for a cup. Fresh daw kasi ang taho nila, they make it fresh each time you order. (I hope though na meron silang ready-made na for small walk-in orders).

After eating the taho, we walked a bit because Ford saw a Filipino restaurant just a few steps away. Aling Ening Restaurant pala yun, turo-turo/carinderia style. We mentally noted to try eating there soon.

But since I was still natatakam for taho, we went back to O! Taho to buy more for take out. I ordered the 1L ($8) and waited. Many people came by to pick up their orders.

After 15 minutes, akala ko ready na ang order ko. The staff informed me that I would have to wait for around 20 more minutes kasi maraming phone orders. Shaiks, why didn't she tell me that when I ordered? I asked her if I could cancel my order because my toddler was getting uneasy na. She said ok kasi di pa naman daw nasasalang.

She handed me this calling card and advised me to call first before coming to avoid waiting. Oh well!

Fine, sige tatawag na lang nga ako next time. We will order the 2L na para sulit ang punta. Medyo malayo rin kasi sa amin ang O! Taho. Hindi rin naman pwedeng 4L ang orderin namin kasi good for 2-3 days lang daw ang taho. Nga pala, I noticed na hindi ganun karami ang syrup at tapioca pearls na kasama sa big orders pero pwedeng namang bumili ng additional.

I also want to try their goto and leche flan next time. Hope we could go back there again soon.

Pinoy's Chicken (Surrey)

I have a list of Filipino restaurants here in Metro Vancouver and I plan on dining in each of them. I love Filipino food so I am in constant search of places that serve delicious Pinoy dishes.

Nathan hasn't eaten the whole day two Fridays ago (July 21) so when Ford got home from work, I suggested that we eat at Pinoy's Chicken. Obviously, it specializes in crispy fried chicken. Umay na umay na ako sa pritong manok sa totoo lang (because my son is a #chickenboy) but still, I was excited. Masarap din kumain ng hindi mo luto syempre.

We arrived at Pinoy's Chicken at around 6:15pm. It's located in a commercial complex so parking was not a problem.

I couldn't contain my excitement. I was really hoping na masarap kasi sawa na ako sa fried chicken na luto ko, pati sa KFC at Church's Chicken. I've read some pretty good reviews on Pinoy's Chicken from Yelp so I had high expectations.

They have a $5 lunch and dinner special that I initially wanted to order.

But my husband and son were hungry so we thought a family meal would be better.

We ordered the $23.99 meal -- 9 pieces chicken + medium gravy + medium fries. We added an additional 2 plates of palabok at $6.50 each.

Just like in a fast food restaurant, you have to pay after ordering. Whew, $38.84! Medyo pricey nga.

I realized later that I didn't give a tip, wala kasing tip option sa credit card machine nila. Sabagay, fast food nga ang style sila, walang service ang staff aside from bringing your food.

For dessert, they have halo-halo and mais con yelo. Natakam din ako, pero naisip ko we'll order na lang if there's still space in our tummies after eating our meal.

The staff informed me beforehand that it will take a while for our food to be served because they have many orders for pick-up. No choice naman so I said ok.

The restaurant's dining area is small. I guess most of their parokyanos are those that just picks up the food.

There were two other groups of diners aside from us. Nauna syempreng dumating ang order nila kaya lalo akong ginutom. Nakisilip ako sa pagkain nila tapos may nakita akong rice. I checked on the menu board, walang rice na nakalagay. Actually yun nga ang isang observation ko, how come na walang rice option? I mean, Pinoy chicken ang concept pero walang rice? Dapat pwedeng french fries or rice.

At long last, after 35 minutes, our food has arrived. The chicken and fries came first. I asked the staff how much their rice is. $1.50 daw so gora, the husband went to the counter to pay for two cups.

Then came the palabok. Whoaah, ang laki pala, considering na $6.50 lang ang isang plate. We really thought na pang-solo lang. Namroblema tuloy kami kasi nga nag-order pa kami ng rice.

Anyway, the fried chicken looked really good. Bagong luto kaya super crispy.

Pero unang kagat pa lang namin ni hubby, nagkatinginan na kami. Hindi siya masarap. To be honest, hindi naman mataas ang standards ko sa fried chicken (kumakain nga ako ng pritong manok sa Pinas na tinitinda sa tabi-tabi) pero ito yung fried chicken na hindi ko talaga kakainin kung pwede lang. Kahit yung gravy nila hindi rin ok, parang hindi Pinoy gravy (if you know what I mean). Saka konti pa, bitin na bitin for 9 pieces of chicken.

Ford ate some fries and hindi rin daw masarap (hindi ko kasi tinikman). Parang yung nabibili lang daw sa supermarket na fries eh.

Their palabok tasted bland too. Pahirapan talagang ubusin kahit na ang tagal ko ng nagke-crave nun.

I was full of regrets. Sayang talaga ang $41.84 namin! Sana nag-Korean buffet na lang kami.

But in fairness, the owner nicely approached us after going to another table na kakilala nya ang kumakain, and asked us if we need anything. I am sure that as a business owner, he wanted to hear good feedbacks from us. Pero ngumiti lang kami. We couldn't lie eh.

Kung masarap lang ang chicken na ito, we could easily devour the 9 pieces. Sa lakas ba naman naming kumain. Kaso sapilitan lang talaga haha, syempre me natira. 

I don't think we'll be eating there again. So for now, back to Church's Chicken muna uli kami.

---------------------------------------

NOTE: As much as possible, I don't want to give any negative feedbacks on Filipino restaurants here in Canada. Syempre gusto ko namang suportahan ang businesses ng mga kababayan natin. But I want to be honest din kasi. 

There were several customers who picked up fried chicken that night, so baka nasasarapan sila. Magkakaiba naman ang panlasa ng mga tao. To each her own na lang po. 

Disappointing Goldilocks Cake

We drove to Burnaby on June 25 to buy a cake at Goldilocks. I've long been craving for a chocolate cake and I thought of just buying on the day of my mother's birthday. Para makapag-blow na rin ng candle si Nathan for his lola.

I was so excited to go there. There are only two Goldilocks stores here in Canada, nandito lang parehas sa Vancouver. There used to be another store in Guildford Town Centre (Surrey) but it closed down just a few months ago. I wonder why they didn't expand in other provinces, 1984 pa pala nang magbukas sila rito.

Though dalawa lang ang stores nila talaga, they have retailers naman. I remember seeing some Goldilocks cakes and pastries at T&T and Lucky Supermarkets in Edmonton. Meron din sa ibang Filipino stores and restaurants. Pero syempre mas mahal. Nagpapa-order na rin yata sila online tapos ishi-ship nila sa kahit saang province ng Canada (di lang ako ganun kasigurado ha).

Going back, I've had high expectations with their cakes. Nasubukan ko ng bumili sa Guildford branch nila last October for my uncle's birthday at masarap naman. Kaya hopeful talaga ako.

----------------------------------

Their branch in Burnaby is located in an industrial area. Parang hindi siya ganun ka-accesible.

Parang shop lang ang store, walang tables and chairs para sa dine in.

Aside from cakes and pastries, meron din silang dishes and meals for take-out. When I was there, one white guy picked up some party trays. Hmm, masarap kaya? For sure mahal.

As I have mentioned in this post, ibang-iba ang itsura ng products nila rito kumpara sa Pinas. As in super layo talaga. Pati ng lasa.

I wanted to buy some ensaymadas as they were my favorite kaso hindi ko nagustuhan ang itsura. Mukhang hindi masarap. I remembered the brownie that I bought October din, hindi ko nakain.

It is here in Burnaby where they bake all their cakes and breads. Dito pala ang factory nila.

I asked the staff if they have available chocolate cake. She showed me this. I had to ask her again if it is really a chocolate cake kasi nga ang layo ng chocolate cake sa Pinas. I wanted a pure chocolate cake, ayaw ko ng may halo. Oo daw. Sa exterior lang yung icing.

I was surprised because the cake roll only costs $9.60. Parang $17+ ito sa Edmonton.

My husband was happy too, lol. Hindi raw masakit sa bulsa.

So here's the cake. Oo na, parang yung nabibili lang sa panaderya sa kanto. Bakit nga kaya hindi sila maka-come up with nicer looking cakes dito noh? Kulang sa artistry.

Sabagay, ok lang naman kahit hindi kagandahan. Kung masarap lang sana.

The moment I sliced the cake, alam ko ng palpak. Ang putla ng kulay niya at dry na dry. Naisip ko agad: "Syet, sayang ang ten dollars ko!"

Sinubukan ko pa ring kainin kasi nga sayang kaso olats talaga. Hindi ko makain. Hindi siya edible!!!

Isa pang nanghinayang ang asawa ko kaya sinubukan din niyang kainin. After a few bites, tinigilan nya na rin. Ayun, tapon na sa basura.

 When I bought a Goldilocks cake, eto talaga ang nasa isip ko eh. Ang layo, di ba?

Pic taken from the net (credits to the owner)

I really wanted Goldilocks' cakes here to taste good. Kahit hindi naman masyadong masarap, basta decent lang. Hay. I might as well go to Seattle na lang and buy at Red Ribbon the next time I crave for chocolate cake.

(NOTE: Ford and I only eat Pinoy-tasting chocolate cakes).

----------------------------------

PS. I also bought a cheese loaf for $4 and it was ok naman. Masarap yung bread, medyo sobrang dami lang ng cream cheese sa loob.