T&T take-out food

Ilang weeks na akong nagke-crave ng Chinese food! Kapag natira ka kasi sa Canada, magiging part na talaga ng everyday meal mo ang mga beef brisket, wonton noodles, chow mein, roasted pork, etc. When you're in a mall at ayaw mo ng burgers o pizza, sa foodcourt for sure merong Chinese food stall (ala turo-turo style) kaya makakapag-rice ka. Sa mga Asian groceries, meron din ready-to-eat Chinese dishes na pwede mong kainin doon o iuwi. Relatively cheaper ang Chinese food dito kumpara sa Pinoy, Japanese, Thai o Vietnamese food tapos generous pa ang servings.

So anyway, nag-downtown Vancouver nga kami last Saturday (May 30) para maghanap ng makakain. Pero dahil late na kami nagpunta, nasaraduhan na rin kami ng Richmond Public Market (nagpunta pa kasi kami sa Pampamga Cuisine at 88 Supermarket). I suggested to Ford that we go to T&T Supermarket Lansdowne (in Richmond) na lang kasi maraming food stalls dun. Kaso sarado na rin pala at itong mga for take-out na lang ang meron.

Ito ang mga nabili namin for our dinner. Wala na rin kasing masyadong options. Limited rin kasi ang tinitinda nila dahil hindi pa naman talaga "normal" ang store hours and operations nila.

How much sila?

• Soy chicken with veggies and rice -- $7.34 (Php293.00)
• Fish fillet -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Beef brisket -- $6.29 (Php251.00)
• Salmon sushi maki -- $4.03 (Php161.00)

       TOTAL: $23.95 (Php958.00)

Not bad na rin. Kung sa Chinese restaurant kami nag-order for take-out, aabutin kami ng at least $45-50 for sure. Pero dahil 'supermarket food' lang yan, syempre wag na mataas ang expectations hehe. At least nasatisfy naman ang cravings ko.

#CessieEats 8

1. Jollibee Yum Burger. This is my latest addiction. Madalas ito lang ang dinner ko. Not good, I know, kasi nga fast food at sobang ma-carbs but I couldn't help it. Iniisip ko na para lang siyang Fresh Slice pizza na nakakakain ko as a major meal nang di tumataas ang sugar ko (too bad hindi ako nakakapagcheck ng sugar kapag nakakain ako nito kaya hindi ko pa talaga alam ang effect).

2. Ginataang Bilo-Bilo. My Tita Oya spoils me. Sinabi ko lang na gusto ko ng bilo-bilo, ayun me dala agad the following day. Hay sang sarap! Bawal as usual (ano ba ang hindi?) pero ung bilo-bilo lang naman ang kinain ko saka yung saging. Sobrang konti lang.

3. Lugaw-Tokwa-Baboy. My mother always buys lugaw from "Milagring" so I've been eating this since I was a kid. Ang sarap talaga kaya ito ang naging bench mark ko sa lugaw. I used to eat two packs of lugaw before, ngayon isang balot na lang kasi nga rice yan. Pero pinapadoble ko na lang ang tokwa at baboy haha.

4. Jollibee Chickenjoy versus Chicken McDo. There was this one time na nagcrave talaga ako ng fried chicken pero umay na umay na nga ako sa chickenjoy dahil ako ang tagakain ng tira-tira ni TanTan. Nag-McDonald's naman ako. I just noticed na hindi na talaga maganda ang parts ng chicken na binebenta sa Jollibee at McDonald's. Sa McDonald's puro ribs kaya ang tigas. Puro breast naman din sa Jollibee kaya ang tigas din. Masyado namang maliit yung leg kaya lugi.

5. Lechon. We had visitors who came over for lunch last February 4 kaya sinabay ko na lang ang pagbili ng lechon para maihanda na rin. Ang tagal-tagal ko ng gustong kumain nito sa totoo lang (lechon is actually my most favorite ulam in the world). There's a lechon store here in Marilao na lagi kong nadadaanan kaya doon na lang kami bumili. It was a Sunday kaya nagbebenta sila ng tingi-tingi. I was shocked though na Ph600 per kilo na pala. I consoled myself by thinking na baka nga masarap talaga.

My verdict -- waaah sayang ang pera! Matigas ang laman tapos hindi pa maganda ang balat. Kakaiba rin yung lechon sauce nila, ang anghang saka hindi 'typical' na sarsa. Basta ang weird.

6. Potato Corner cheese-flavored fries. I gave in, sige na nga tumikim uli ako nito. Lagi ko kasing nakikita sa may Robinson's Easymart dito sa amin kaya natakam ako. I bought a small size, Php50 yata. Sobrang liit lang nyan in sa actual. Masarap naman sana kaso kulang sa cheese. Hindi ko inubos siyempre, hinatian ko yung kasambahay namin hehe.

7. Pizza hut's "mini" pizza slice.  Sobrang namiss ko naman ang pizza kasi more than a month na akong di nakakakain nun kaya naisipan kong bumili sa Pizza hut ng per slice. Bale 2 slices for Php55.00. Pero naloka ako ha, sobrang liit na pala ng slice grabe! Halos magkasing-laki lang sila ng burger McDo. Yung literal na makakain mo ng tatlong subuan. Oh well, what can you expect pa nga ba sa Php55.00? Hindi sila makapagtaas ng presyo kaya sa quality na lang dinadaan.

8. Fried Tamban. I love love love eating fish! Yung mga sariwang isda talaga na ganito ang sobrang namimiss ko sa Canada. Would you believe na naubos ko lahat yan? Haha, di ko rin akalain lol.

Noche buena food fail

We ate at Grandt Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant here in Surrey, last December 16 and I've decided to just order our noche buena food from them. Wala na rin kasing choice, di ko na alam kung saan pa bibili (unlike sa Edmonton na maraming pwedeng orderan ng kung anu-ano). Nasarapan naman ako sa kinain naming kare-kare noon (pero hindi sa crispy pata) kaya nag-risk na rin ako. Ang sabi ko sa asawa ko, let's get surprised lol.

The owners of Grandt Kitchen were very nice and accommodating. I was thankful that they accepted "small" orders for Christmas eve, sa iba kasi puro tray-size lang. Tapos hindi na rin sila nanghingi ng deposit. We agreed to a 6:45pm pick-up on December 24 (they will close daw by 7pm).

We ordered pancit canton, beef caldereta, pork sisig, and pork barbeque nga pala.

Sobrang ginusto kong maging masarap ang pagkain namin kasi puwera sa pasko, I wanted to have another Filipino restaurant here in Surrey na masarap kainan. Kaso fail talaga. The beef caldereta was too cheesy na hindi lasang caldereta, hindi ko talaga malunok (favorite ko pa naman yun), the pancit canton had too many red and green pepper, the pork barbeque was mediocre (ni hindi naubos ng asawa ko ang isang stick), and the sisig was dry (medyo gusto ko naman ang lasa pero hindi type ni Ford). Overall, sayang ang $43.79 na binayad namin.

I made a mental note, next time hindi na nga ako magririsk. Sa Max's na lang ako magtetake-out kung hindi pa ako sure sa dishes ng mga Pinoy restos dito.

I threw the caldereta and pancit later. Hindi na talaga nakain.

At dahil konti lang ang nakain namin for dinner, naglook forward na lang kami ni hubby sa chocolate cake na matagal naming inasam-asam. Natikman namin ang cake na ito last Thanksgiving at nagustuhan talaga namin.

I ordered it from a Filipina home-based baker last November pa. Mabilis kasing maubos ang slots niya kapag may occasions kaya maaga talaga akong nagpareserve. Ang sabi ko nga, this will be the star of our noche buena and our ultimate cheat food. Kakalimutan ko munang magbilang ng carbs.

Toppers were not included in the cake.

Kaso fail din waaah! Matigas yung cake, masyadong dry yung loob. Na-overcook, obviously. Sobrang disappointed talaga kami. And to think hindi siya mura ha, kasi $40 siya.

I somehow felt guilty kasi as the wife and mother of the house, obligasyon kong mapakain nang masarap ang pamilya ko lalo na kapag ganitong Christmas season noh (sexist stance, I know). Kaso bigo. Kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko na babawi na lang ako talaga next year. Hindi na mauulit ang ganito.

So there, I am putting it in writing to put pressure on myself. I WILL PREPARE A GOOD NOCHE BUENA FOOD next year. Promise talaga yan.

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The following day, sinubukan kong kainin uli yung cake kasi sayang naman. Kaso I felt that it's not worth cheating for. Susme, halos diko na nga malunok tapos tataas pa ang sugar ko? Uneasy na talaga ang pakiramdam ko so I messaged the cake-maker nang madaling araw na (December 26).

She's actually very nice naman kaya ang sabi ko magfi-feedback lang ako. I wasn't demanding for anything. I just felt the need to release haha. Ang sabi ko nga medyo matigas yung cake, unlike doon  sa previous order namin.

When I woke up, may reply na siya. She was apologetic, siguro raw sa dami ng cakes na binake nila kaya nagkaganun. She offered to replace the cake which I gladly accepted. Medyo nakahinga na ako kasi nahihiya rin ako sa asawa ko kasi nga $40 ang matatapon kung hindi mapapalitan.

So on December 30, may new cake na kami (hindi pwedeng December 31 kasi fully booked na sila).

And it tasted so good! Moist na hehe.

Minessage ko agad yung cake-maker to tell her na perfect na yung cake this time. She was very happy, binantayan daw nila talaga yun sa oven to make sure na maayos na. Ayos, both parties were happy!

Note: Dapat kainin ang cake in 2 days kasi titigas na rin after. 

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.

#CessieEats 3

Tapsi's pancit canton + bonete from Francisco bakery. Perfect merienda na sana kaso me bad news akong dinatnan pag-uwi ko. Di ko tuloy na-enjoy.

  
Mc Donald's Fish and Fries. I love fish and chips and I am glad that Mc Donald's came up with this, albeit for a limited time only (hanggang Mahal na Araw lang yata). Bitin nga lang kasi one piece lang (I am used to eating 2 pieces haha). Masarap naman in fairness, medyo mahal nga lang. Php149 with drinks. Personally, I'd rather order 2-pc chiken mcdo kesa dito kasi mas mabubusog ako.

Royce Chocolate.  Raxie gave me this bar last Christmas. Hindi pa ako nakakatikim ng Royce ever pero parang hindi naman ako interesado haha. Naalala ko lang kainin ito a couple of days ago, halos maeexpire na. My verdict -- so so lang. Hindi ako impressed. Nanghinayang ako sa Php350 pesos niya, si Joannie lang ang umubos haha.

Nips. Ito ang type na type kong lapangin lately. Ahh, chocolate of my childhood! I remember, lagi akong bumibili ng tatlong small packs nito sa tindahan ng kapitbahay naming si Aling Fely noong bata pa ako. I've grown pero mga simpleng chocolates lang talaga ang gusto ng panlasa ko.

Jollibee hotdod breakfast meal. This is my favorite breakfast in the world. Seriously. Sarap na sarap talaga ako kahit na nabibitin kasi maliit lang ang serving. When I was in college, ito lagi ang breakfast ko sa Jollibee Philcoa. How I wish I could wake up early para makakain lagi nito. We are going back to Canada in a month, dapat samantalahin ko na.

 

Sapsap. Do no underestimate this kind of ulam. Super expensive yan ha! Thank you, Mamoosh! Ang sarap po talaga!

Tokyo Tokyo's Pork Tonkatsu. Sa wakas nakakain din uli ako nito. Puro kasi KFC ang gustong kainan ni Nathan kaya na-deprive ako. Buti na lang me katulong na uli ako sa kanya kaya nakatakas ako para kumain nito (habang nasa Kidzoona sila). Ito yung gustung-gusto kong kainin sa Edmonton when I was pregnant eh. Kaso wala naman kaming natagpuang tonkatsu noon. Php160 na ito, without drinks. Kakain ako uli ng isa pang beses bago umalis.

 

Random Chika # 8

1. Kidzoona in SM Marilao. OMG! As in OMG! Magkaka-Kidzoona na pala sa SM Marilao! I only learned about it last January 28 (Chinese New Year) kasi hindi ako nagagawi sa parteng iyon ng SM. I am so happy! Imagine, hindi ko na dadalhin si Nathan sa Robinson's Malolos para maglaro.

Akala ko exclusive lang sa Robinson Malls ang Kidzoona. Ini-invade na rin pala nila ang SM.

Too bad sa March 4 pa ang opening. Kung kelan malapit na kaming umalis. Grrr.

2.  Happy Chinese New Year! I urged my mother to buy this. Mahilig siya sa mga ganyan eh.

CES -- Mamoosh, kain naman tayo sa labas to celebrate Chinese New Year.

MAMOOSH -- Bakit, Chinese ka ba?

CES -- Hindi po. Pero lagi akong napagkakamalang Intsik! (Which is true!)

We ended up eating dinner at Chowking (plus Master Siomai!).

3. Jollibee Supermeal. I am glad Jollibee came up with this. Para sa mga katulad kong matakaw haha! Php125 only!

4.  Kiddie Meal Toy Set. I've completed this set in 3 days. Pero mas natuwa pa yata ako kaysa sa anak ko haha!

There was a time in my life when I collected ALL happy and kiddie meal toys that were released in the market. Hoarder lang ang peg. But I am happier now kasi may anak na akong makikinabang haha!

5. My cousin's funeral. Another first cousin of mine died last January 25. The last time I came home, may namatay din akong pinsan (November 2015). Both were in their 50s. Hay, maikli lang yata talaga ang buhay ng mga miyembro ng pamilya namin.

We had to drive to Hagonoy for the funeral. Konti lang ang nakipaglibing because it was too far.

We were all hungry after the libing so we dropped by Pat's Palabok House in Guiguinto before going home. There were 15 of us.

We had palabok and lugaw.

6.  Miss Universe in Pinas. Sa wakas, natapos na rin last January 30 ang Miss Universe. Umay na umay na rin kasi ako talaga. Miss France won.

Naalala ko pa nung unang ginanap sa Pinas ang Miss Universe (1994). Grabe ang hype, Parang sobrang big deal talaga. Parang sa event na yun umikot ang mundo ng mga Pinoy for several weeks. Ngayon parang ordinaryong pageant lang ang dating sakin nito. Baka sa akin lang naman, kasi nga KJ ako.

7.  Balatski's visit. Balatski and her two kids came over to our house for a few hours to visit me and Nathan. They were just here in the Philippines for a week kasi may kailangan silang lakarin.

Balat is like a sister to me and I've missed her so much! The last time we saw each other was in January 2013 pa.

Too bad we weren't able to make chika talaga because of our kids! Ang gugulo nila haha! Sana makapagkwentuhan na kami nang maayos next time.

Pic courtesy of Balatski (It was so hot that day kaya hulas na hulas ako huhu!)

8. Fruit and Nut Chocolate. I am a very boring chocolate-eater. I only eat those plain ones. Yung secretary na lang namin ang nag-enjoy hehe. Balatski never fails to bring me some pasalubong whenever she comes home (they're based in UAE).

9.  Jollibee at 12:30am. I am so thankful that we have a 24-Hour Jollibee and McDonald's nearby. May nakakainan ako kapag tulog na si TanTan hehe.

Sakto one night that I was so hungry, pauwi from work ang pinsan ko. Nalibre tuloy!

Thanks, MackyMacMac!

10. Ten-Peso Ride. I was so happy when I discovered this "ride" in SM Marilao (near the foodcourt). Imagine, two 5-peso coins lang ang kelangan para umandar. At matagal siya ha, around 3 minutes yata.

My little boy was so happy the first time. Naka-two rides siya. Nung bumalik kami after a few days, di na siya ganun ka-happy. Saglit pa lang siya sa second ride niya eh umayaw na.

Nung huling punta namin, nakita nya yung rides pero dedma na. Nahilo yata siya noon kaya ganun.

Sayang. Akala ko nakatagpo na ako ng cheap entertainment for my son. Tsk.

Love affair with Master Siomai

My addiction with siomai started when we ate at Jumbo Dim Sum Dining (in Edmonton) on Christmas day 2015. Noon ko lang talaga na-appreciate ang siomai as in. Sobrang sarap naman kasi.

And since then, di ko na siya makalimutan. Palagi akong nagke-crave. But a cheapskate that I am, namamahalan naman akong bumili. Around $5 kasi ang 4 pieces, imagine that! Buti na lang meron daw ok na frozen siomai sa T&T Supermarket kaya yun na lang ang ini-steam namin sa bahay.

So isa sa mga plano ko sa pag-uwi ko dito sa Pinas ay ang magpakasawa sa siomai. At dahil hindi nga ako kumakain ng siomai dati kaya hindi ko talaga alam kung saan masarap.

I learned na uso na pala dito ang cheap siomai. As in 3 pieces for Php10.00! But of course, you get what you pay for. Hindi kasarapan syempre.

Then one time, when we were at Trinoma, I noticed in the foodcourt that a lot were eating siomai. Ayun hinanap ko, Master Siomai pala. I asked Ford to buy from there at ayun nasarapan ako.

One time we went to Robinson's Place Malolos (to bring Nathan to Kidzoona), me kiosk ng Master Siomai. Lafang galore kami ni Lani (our ex-househelp who also likes siomai a lot).

Akala ko sa "malayo" lang ako makakakain ng Master Siomai, yun pala meron din sa SM Marilao (which happens to be just an extension of my house haha!)! Kaloka, no more reason para ma-deprive! Gusto kong magtatalon nang makita ko siya as in! Sorry, mababaw lang talaga ang kaligayahan ko.

Master Siomai in SM Marilao

Four pieces for Php35.00 -- not bad at all! Sa ibang  branches (like the one in Marquee Mall), 4/Php30.00 lang. Sarap na sarap talaga ako. I even influenced my mother, favorite nya na rin haha.

I super like Master Siomai to the point na kino-consider kong mag-franchise haha! Sobrang lakas naman kasi. Ang dami palaging bumibili. Naa-out-of-stock pa nga sa SM. Kung dito lang talaga ako based sa Pinas, kakaririn ko talaga ito.

Hay, I will surely miss this when I go back to Canada. Ba't nga ba kasi we can't have everything noh?

BBQ King Delight (Surrey)

I actually feel bad because now that Nathan and I are here in the Philippines, the husband is left alone to feed himself. My husband may be very good at all house chores but he doesn't like to cook. He's lived alone for so many years and he would eat out most of the time.

Thankfully, we discovered BBQ King Delight last October 17, 2016 through Yelp. We just moved to Surrey last October 2 so we were still clueless on where the good restaurants around the area are. BBQ King Delight has very good reviews in Yelp so I asked Ford to take us there. Favorite din kasi namin ang roasted pork.

We live in Guildford and this small Chinese restaurant specializing in BBQ is near our place. It also has ample parking at the back so it's convenient.

The restaurant is small, only around 4-5 tables (?). Displayed just across the door are their roasted items which can be bought per pound. Super nakakatakam!

We chose to dine in and ordered plated 2-item BBQ meat with steamed rice. It comes with soup and tea.

BBQ pork and roasted crispy skin pork

Soy sauce chicken and roasted crispy skin pork

Beef brisket with noodle in soup

Grabe, ang sarap ng food! The best roasted pork I've tasted here in Canada so far. The "nice plating" adds up to the nice gastronomic experience. Ang sarap kumain using a real ceramic plate at maayos ang pagkalagay sa pagkain. We usually eat roasted pork sa T&T or Food Court kaya patong-patong lang talaga.

Their food is reasonably priced and their staff (I think it's family-owned) are efficient and nice kaya ok talaga. I find their service fast.

Aside from their roasted crispy skin pork (the Chinese-style), they also have this "Pinoy lechon" that they proudly boast about. While we were dining, a Filipino couple picked this up. Ito nga raw ang version nila ng Pinoy lechon. It costs around $200, if I remember correctly.

Hmm, medyo malayo naman ang lasa sa traditional lechon natin. I ordered it the next time we dined there (they also serve it on plated meals) and I honestly couldn't distinguish it from their Chinese-style roasted pork haha!

Anyway, now that Ford's living alone, he always buy ulam from there na lang kasi nga mura at masarap. Aside from BBQ, they also sell other to-go Chinese dishes.

Oh, I am craving for some Chinese food right now! Can't wait to eat at BBQ King Delight again!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

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Here's their complete dine-in menu (as of October 2016). So many dishes to try soon!

BBQ King Delight
8973 152 Street
Surrey, BC V3R 4E5
(604) 581-4069
Mon-Sun (except Tue) from 11:00am to 8:30pm