Friday, May 28, 2010

Healthy Times, Healthy Measures



My lifestyle, and in this day and age, I have decided that it's time to change some of my eating habits. I have vowed to choose healthier options, with the weekly deliciously "bad" days.

An early saturday morning had brought me to iHop. Maybe not the best place to launch my new profound decision; but what better way to start, than full on.

I contemplated getting the most healthy item on the menu, which happened to be a simple fruit bowl. I love fruits, and don't get me wrong, but spending $10 on a small fruit bowl sat a little uneasy with me.

I decided to opt for the next best thing. Blueberry Harvest Grain 'N Nut combo. Two pancakes made with grain, oat and nuts. Topped with sliced bananas, served with scrambled egg whites.

This was a great option, I do have to admit. I love the texture and content of the oat and nuts. I walked away guilt-free, and had just enough syrup to satisfy my sweet craving. Not to mention, because of the grains, I felt nice and full, and I thought it was money well spent(I think it was around $10).

All in all, even at iHop, there is still the lesser of evils, so take a chance. You'll be surpised what will tickle your healthy tastebuds .

International House of Pancakes (New Westminster) on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Common down, to downtown

Sorry for the late postings =(

A couple weeks ago, we went and ventured to downtown Vancouver in search for some good spicy wonton to satisfy a friend's craving. We had found our destination. Our landing destination, Tsui Hang Village Chinese Restaurant (Granville Downtown) .

Years ago I used to work downtown. Working the late shift made it hard to get a decent meal; however, around the corner of my work was a local known gem, nicknamed "Hole in the Wall". It was a walk-by window that served good priced chinese food until the late hours. Perfect.

Attached to this "hole in the wall" was actually pretty darn good Chinese restaurant. Looks can be decieving, but inside this, what looks to be a little "worn" restaurant, it quite a nice, clean and spacious inside.

We arrived just as it opened for the evening, so we had the chance to enjoy the quiet environment. Service was quick and efficient, and food was delicious, as it was served with well dressed waiters.







My favorite dish, hands down, was the Mongolian Beef. I'm the most keen person to beef, but it was great, with bold flavor, and consistent texture. I found myself reaching for this dish most of the time.

Salmon Fillets in Butter & Cream sauce was our next dish. Not for those that are on diets, but for those that appreciate the art of cooking fish well. I was a little reserved, thinking that bold flavor of salmon would overpower the dish, but it was well balanced, and cooked to perfection, as the pieces stayed very plump and moist.

Spicy wonton. It took a while for me to finally get to the dish, as it wasn't the first on my list, but once I tried it, I had realized I had understimated how good it was. It has heat, but not overbaring.

Pan fried string beans w/ Szechwan sauce. I love veggies, so I had no problems with this dish. Because it had some spice, it gave it a good kick.

It was nice that at the end of the meal, they give a little dessert. In this case it was a type of red bean soup. It was a good palette cleanser.

So all in all, if you want an authentic chinese restaurant, in the downtown area, at a decent price, that's clean with decent service, and can go to at 3am, this is the place to be.

Tsui Hang Village on Urbanspoon




Tsui Hang Village Chinese Restaurant
1193 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
(604)683-6868