Stop #9: Vancouver, Canada

Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
I called it “dim sum on steroids.” The dumplings were huge! But the good news is that it had no MSG, not very salty, and not greasy. Instead, it tasted so fresh, so juicy, and so natural. All dishes came with different sauces separately. You can add it to your own liking. No grease attack feeling at the end of a Chinese meal! Now that is truly refreshing! And expect top notch service. It is top notch comparing to New York Chinatown if you know what I mean.

Beef Shu Mai. First time having this one actually and it was very good!!


Pork Shu Mai. Huge and tasty.


Pork and cabbage pan fried dumplings. Huge and tasty.


Har Gau (shrimp). Biggest har gau I have ever encountered. Shrimp was fresh!


For more information, visit http://www.sunsuiwah.com/.


Guu
They have many locations. I went to the one in Gastown. The atmosphere and the food were great. I really enjoyed eating there.

Deep fried eel with a poached egg on top. Never heard of or had that in my life. It was surprisingly good.


Tako Yaki (fried octopus balls). I have had many of those before, but this was the best ever!


Grilled Beef Short Rib. Juicy and tasty!


Keema Curry Bibimbap. It was so good, we ordered another one! It came with rice, curry sauce with minced beef, a raw egg and vegetables in a hot stone pot. The waiter mixed everything at the table. He then pressed the rice against the hot stone pot so the mixed rice could get more crispy and a little burnt. Good stuff!


For more information, visit http://www.guu-izakaya.com/.


Japadog
Street cart phenomenon! Those Japanese can get pretty creative with food!





Spicy Cheese Terimayo (jalapeno & cheese smokie, seaweed, Japanese mustard, and teriyaki sauce).


Okonomi (pork kurobuta, special okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, fried cabbage, and bonito flake) and Oroshi (pork bratwurst, special soy sauce, green onion, and grated radish).


Edamame. I would think they handmade this one since edamame is mixed in the bratwurst.


For more information, visit http://www.japadog.com/.


Kintaro (handmade Tonkotsu ramen)
This was some nice Japanese ramen. The noodle was chewy. The pork slices were huge and tender. Everything just melted in my mouth.

Stop #8: Seattle, Washington, USA

Le Panier


My favorite cafe at my favorite Pike Place Market. This Amandine (croissant with almond topping and almond cream inside) with a couple of coffee was heaven to me. I think I would be happy just to sit there and smell the coffee and freshly baked bread all day.


For more information, visit http://www.lepanier.com/.


Matt’s in the Market


A very nice place to have lunch in the Pike Place Market. Sit by the window where you can see the Public Market Center sign.


Or sit on the other side with a view of the lake.


The Don and Joe’s lamb burger was the thing to try. Not a fan of lamb but ordered it anyway. Wow, yes I’d eat that, the whole thing. The lamb was seasoned very well and tasted nice with the goat cheese. The chick pea salad was very refreshing and complimented the lamb burger nicely.


Rock fish burger was yummy, so was the New England clam chowder. The chowder tasted so refined, not greasy and not super creamy.


Don’t miss the bread pudding! So good!!!


For more information, visit http://www.mattsinthemarket.com/.


Serious Pie


Seriously? Seriously! Oh man, just when I thought there was nothing else left to do with a pizza pie, Tom Douglas came to surprise me. Seattle’s beloved Tom Douglas is an amazing chef. I fell in love with his food on this trip to Seattle and ate at three of his restaurants. He might as well be the mayor or at least have a street named after him.

Found out about Serious Pie because it was close to the hotel and I was craving for some late night snack. I was intrigued by this “guanciale, soft egg, arugula” pie. I only put the arugula on half of the pie, so the guanciale and soft egg are visible in this picture. OMG it was sooooo good. The crust was chewy and the scent of the dough was so fresh. I never thought eggs on a pizza pie would taste good even though I love eggs. Mr. Douglas knocked this one out of the park.


Had to go and eat in the restaurant, just had to. “Cherry bomb peppers, sweet fennel sausage” pie was so yummy. Probably more of a typical pizza pie, but the taste was so refreshing. The flavors blended together really well.


I was really impressed with this “roasted mushrooms, truffle cheese” pie. Truffle cheese was sweet and this was almost like a desert for me. Mushroom as a desert pie, if you can believe it. Ten thumbs up!


For more information, visit http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/serious-pie.


Dahlia Lounge


Another Tom Douglas’ masterpiece. Dahlia Lounge serves American contemporary dishes. I am not a big fan of salad but this Tuscan grilled bread salad (with pesto, olives, mozzarella, and spicy coppacola) was so delicately prepared and so flavorful.


Lemon~scallion dungeness crab cakes (with new bay spiced cauliflower, pickled asparagus, watercress, remoulade, and bacon salt) was the bomb. It was better than any crab cakes I have had from the New England and Baltimore area. There was nearly no bread in these crab cakes. Every bite was fresh chunks of crab.


Maybe it is just me. I find it challenging to get a good piece steak these days, even from well-established steakhouses. But this Washington beef rib steak (beef with fat jojos, buttered peas, tarragon and bourbon rhubarb ketchup) was cooked perfectly. Must savor it.


It is painful for me to write about this Triple coconut cream pie. Not because it tasted bad, but because I want a piece right now but I can’t get it. Maybe Mr. Douglas will FedEx it to me. (Sorry, that was my wild imagination speaking.) Did I mention there was a Dahlia Bakery next door?


For more information, visit http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/dahlia-lounge and http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/dahlia-bakery.


Lola


Brunch at Tom Douglas’ Greek restaurant. These Made to order doughnuts were good, but the handmade jam and vanilla mascarpone made it outstanding.


Eggs benedict (with house smoked berkshire ham and dill hollandaise) was done well. The smashed garlic fried potatoes were to die for.


Lola breakfast included two eggs, pork-maple sausage, smashed garlic fried potatoes and toast. Four words: smashed garlic fried potatoes.


For more information, visit http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/lola.


Safeco Field
This is the most stomach-exciting ball park and apparently I am not alone on this one. Safeco Field was nominated by Food Network for having the ‘Best Ballpark Eats In America’ and ranked by an ESPN poll as having the ‘Best Signature Ballpark Food.’ I saw fish and chips, sushi, BBQ, taco, pizza, phiily cheese steak, gyro, healthy choices and OMG chocolate covered strawberries on a stick (like shish kebab style!). And I am sure there is more!

In honor of Ichiro, there is a sushi roll called “Ichiroll.” It is basically a spicy tuna roll. There garlic fries were delicious!



Ivar’s Pier 54 Fish Bar
This fish and chips joint is all over Seattle. Found it in the Safeco Field and also found it in the airport. But I guess this particular one on the waterfront was the most fun.


Fish and chips and New England clam chowder were all good but the most fun was to feed the chips to the seagulls. They have a statue of Ivar Haglund feeding the seagulls. They also have a sign encouraging customers to feed the seagulls. And you know it is tradition when you witness the seagulls’ mad catching skill!


For more information, visit http://www.ivars.net/.


Paseo


Yeah, there was no store name on the door or anywhere else, at least not I could see. But there was a line out of the door, line of locals not tourists. So you know it had to be good. (And no the wait was only ten minutes, not an hour.) It was all about the cuban sandwich. Get that and you will not regret it! Sorry the angel of the photo was not perfect, but there was a lot of meat. The bread was tasty as well. And yes it will get messy but oh who cares!


For more information, visit http://www.paseoseattle.com/.


Theo Chocolate
I didn’t get a chance to take the factory tour. It was booked so far in advance. But it didn’t matter. There was so much to sample just in the store. YUM!



For more information, visit http://www.theochocolate.com/.


Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts


This location in downtown Seattle has two floors. Plenty of places for you to chill out with delicious doughnuts and coffee.


OH! Doughnuts!


Raspberry glazed ring.


Cinnamon blueberry cake.


For more information, visit http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/.


Seattle Coffee Works

I feel the food in Seattle is made with love. They take time to prepare it. Just like this cup of latte. It has love all over it. :)


For more information, visit http://www.seattlecoffeeworks.com/.

Stop #7: Southern California, USA

Philippe’s


They claim the “French Dipped Sandwich” was created here. I had to have some. It tasted good but maybe I had too high of an expectation. I was imagining a heavily dipped and huge sandwich. It was neither.



For more information, visit http://www.philippes.com/.


Baby Blues BBQ
I know this is a BBQ joint and all the meats were good - baby back ribs, Memphis-style ribs, Texas-style beef ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket. But I must highlight the corn in the background. "Blues on the cob" is the best cob I have ever had in my life. It was perfectly boiled and grilled - so fresh, crunchy and juicy. The blue cheese on top just made it over the top. The stewed tomatoes were also very good.



For more information, visit http://www.babybluesvenice.com/.


Guppy House (CLOSED)
Let me have some authentic Taiwanese food in SoCal!!

Beef Stew Noodle Soup was right on the money! The soup was not very oily and the beef was very tender. Put the pickled mustard greens in to make it taste even better.


Taiwanese Vinaigrette Soup. I have not had this in ages, probably ten years? It was so good to meet again. So good.


OMG huge pile of shaved ice!!! Taiwanese night market staple. You can order it with all kinds of different fruits. This one had strawberry and mango. The condensed milk was not too sweet. It tasted very refreshing. One spoon after another after another...


For more information, visit http://myguppyteahouse.com/.


85°C Bakery Cafe
This is heaven, literally. Taiwanese bakery at its best. It smelt so good in there. Everything tasted so fresh. Only if I can live in that store...