Canada
Vancouver
Richmond visited Saturday July 26, 27 2008
China
Beijing
Beijing visited November 2008
USA
Florida (DisneyWorld)
Hollywood Brown Derby visited Dec 07
Princess Storybook Dining visited Dec 07
Le Chefs De France visited Dec 07
Hoop De Due visited Dec 07
Oregon
American Restaurant:
Cheesecake Factory visited in Sept 2007
Country Cottage visited on April 6, 08
Hall Street Grill visited on May 6, 07; April 23, 08
Hotel Condon Restaurant visited on May 25, 2008
Jake’s Grill visited in Oct 07
McCormick and Schmick’s Harborside visited in 2007
Southpark visited in May 2008
Stonehedge Gardens visited in April 2008
BBQ:
Rib City (Grand Opening) visited in June 2008
Bakery:
Evelyn’s Bakery visited in 2007
Jones Cup Cake visited in May 2008
La Provence visited July 19 2008
Petite Provence visited in 2007
St. Honore visited in 2007
Buffet:
Buffet Palace visited March 20, 08
China Moon visited March 22, 08
Lentil Garden visited in Jan 2008
Cajun Restaurant:
Lagniappe visited on Aug 4, 07
Acadia visited on April 5, 08
Chinese Restaurant:
Best Taste visited on July 28, 07
Stir Crazy Kitchen visited on July 29, 07
Wong’s King visited on Feb 17, 08, May 4, 2008
Buffet Palace (buffet) visited March 20, 08
China Moon (buffet) visited March 22, 08
French Restaurant:
La Provence visited July 19 2008
St. Honore visited in 2007
Western Culinary Institute visited on August 9 2007
Indian Restaurant:
Lentil Garden visited in Jan 2008, March 1 2008 (for breakfast)
International Restaurant:
Equinox visited on Aug 21, 07; Aug 5, 07
Japanese Restaurant:
Saburo visited in 2007
Ichiban visited on July 31, 07
Kid Friendly Restaurant:
Sweet Tomato visited Feb 2, 08
Old Spaghetti Factory visited March 3, 08
Malaysian Restaurant:
Malay Satay Hut visited March 28, 08, September 08
Peruvian Restaurant:
Andina visited Sept 2007
Restaurant with Portland Downtown View:
Portland City Grill visited on January 28, 2008
Spanish Restaurant:
Casa Del Matador visited Aug 2008
Vietnamese Restaurant:
Pho Van visited on February 21, 2008
Tan Tan Cafe and Delicatessen visited on June 24, 2008
Vegetarian Restaurant:
Bay Leaf visited in 2007
Seattle
Sichuanese Cuisine visited July 27, 2008
Beijing
Nov 2008
We spent our first morning in Beijing Zoo. Had a break at a coffee shop in the zoo. I had a cup of Latte and the girls shared a Taro bubble tea. Although I enjoyed tea more than coffee while I was in Beijing, I thought the art on my Latte was rather unique.
For lunch, we ate at a fast food Japanese restaurant. After lunch, we visited the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube at the Olympic Park. For dinner, we ate at Duck Emperor restaurant which specialized in Peking Duck. Perhaps a trip to Beijing would not be complete without eating a Beijing Duck. We are glad that we get to experience that on our first day.
Our second day was visiting one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. That night, we ate at a restaurant that specialized in Hot Pot and Lamb on a stick.
Our third day was visiting another must see of Beijing, the Forbidden City. Yet another fulfilling day and dinner was in one of a very hip Yunnan (Cha Ma Je Lu) Restaurant at Hou Hai. Walking toward the restaurant was a romantic experience. We entered through a grand entrance and walked passed a few restaurants with outdoor seatings. One outdoor seating had candlelight on top of a shimmering glitter table cloth. These restaurants were surrounding a beautiful lake. At our destination restaurant, we walked up on a see-through staircase that had water flowing underneath. This staircase lead us to a private beautifully decorated room with comfortable sofa surrounding a table. It was overlooking the lake.
We visited Summer Palace on our fourth day. Lunch was at Xibei Restaurant. Their specialty was Xinjiang lamb leg and hand made noodles.
Here’s a link from worldfoodieguide to a few other restaurants in Beijing.
Here’s another link from reader’s guide to Beijing of top 10 places to eat in Beijing.
Casa Del Matador
Aug 2008
It was our girlfriend’s birthday and we had girl’s night out. Sorry, the food photos are blurry…
Sichuanese Cuisine
July 27 2008
On our way back from Richmond Vancouver, we stopped over at this restaurant in Seattle before we head home to Oregon. It was a great detour. The food had enough spice to wake us up for another 3 hour drive home.
Richmond Vancouver
Saturday July 26, 27 2008
10 years ago, we stopped over this city on our way to Hong Kong. It was during the winter months and it rained the whole four days that we were there. Butchard Garden was a disappointment as well as there were not much flowers at that time.
Five years ago, we met a couple who were great travelers. They showed us how to enjoy Vancouver. Although we haven’t been back to Butchard Garden, we have often visited Richmond Vancouver and our car is always packed with delicious Asian snacks and bakeries.
We usually stay in the Radisson Hotel. This hotel is within walking distance to Yaohan, T&T supermarket and the Aberdeen Mall. It is only a short drive to some of the best Chinese food.
Here are the places that we must stop by on our trip:
Aberdeen Mall
4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC, Canada
(SW Corner of Hazelbridge Way & Cambie Rd.)
St. Germain Bakery
Unit 1428 (in Aberdeen Mall)
604 276 8378
This is dessert paradise!Mei Jan Hong (in Aberdeen Mall)
Unit 1530
604 273 6889
Although a little pricey, it is highly addictive and makes great gifts.
Shanghai Wind Chinese Kitchen
6610 No.3 Road, Richmond, B.C. V6Y 2C2
604 276 1780
(closed on Tuesday)
Their Xiao Long Pao is always juicy and fresh. I was mesmerized by the chef who was making them.
Maple Castella
Suite 1068
8700 McKim Way
Richmond, BC , V6X4A5
604 207 1678
This shop has one of the best Taiwanese bakeries. Their buns stay soft even days after.
In addition to the usual restaurants that we normally visit, we also tried a restaurant recommended by ChowTimes in our recent trip. We enjoyed the food and service there.
La Provence
click here for their official website.
Thank you Sisters for a great breakfast!
The girls and I went to La Provence for breakfast a few weeks after my first visit. I ordered a cup of Hazelnut Latte for myself and they ended up drinking my coffee. They had a blast drinking it with spoons, not wasting any of the delicious foams.
They also enjoyed the Omelet and Berry French Toast.
Rib City
3655 S.W. Hall Boulevard
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
(503) 643-7427
(right next to Hall Street Grill)
Mon – Thur 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri & Sat 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sun 11:00 noon – 8:00 pm
We have been waiting for a nice family friendly rib restaurant and finally it is here in Beaverton. There is even a small area where the kids can hang out – it is still quite clean as the store just opened.
I enjoyed their ribs and baked beans for lunch.
They also have picnic packs to go. Their prices are quite competitive. Something to consider for summer outdoor picnics.
Tan Tan Cafe and Delicatessen
12675 SW Broadway St
Beaverton, OR 97005
Phone: (503) 641-2700
Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm
Sunday 10am-6pm
I enjoyed their Lemongrass Chicken sandwich, fresh, spicy and delicious. It is only $2.95 each. Their motto is freshly made daily.
Southpark Seafood Grill
My girlfriends and I celebrated my birthday at this restaurant this afternoon. We ordered Fried Calamari with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Whole Leaf Caesar garnished with Spanish Anchovy, Roasted Local Beets, Shaved Fennel and Watercress with Pistachio Pesto, Rockfish with Polenta, Orecchiette (Pasta) with House Made Italian Sausage, Rapini, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Parmesan. Dessert was on the house for the birthday girl.
Jones Cup Cake
The cupcakes are very beautiful and made fresh daily. The cream is rich and if you like sweet (very sweet) desserts, you will like this cupcake store.
Hotel Condon Restaurant
We ate in this restaurant during our stay at their hotel in our trip to John Day National Monument.
Hall Street Grill
My girlfriends and I had lunch in Beaverton. We ordered crab cakes with salad and toasted whole hazelnut and sole, basil mashed potatoes with green beans. The front dish is King Salmon topped with vege and crispy sweet potato.
The following article was written on May 6, 2007
We were at Hall Street Grill yesterday for lunch. It is our 3rd time there as a whole family. My husband received a “buy one, get one free entree” coupon, so we used that yesterday.
The kids meal were not too expensive. $4.95 will include a kid’s entree, soft drink and a sundae. The kid’s entree is adult friendly, ie. even I would eat it. Our meals came with complimentary olive bread and honey butter. I took a bite of my husband’s Mediterranean chicken sandwich and it tasted great. I felt the mayonnaise on my dungeness crab melt was too rich and it was overpowering the crab meat. I need to remember not to order that the next time.
If you go to Hall Street Grill, I recommend that you request an outdoor sitting if the weather is good. Their backyard has a creek. You can enjoy nature while eating your meal.
Stonehedge Gardens
click here for their official website
“Stonehedge Gardens restaurant in Hood River offers Oregon bistro fare in a beautifully restored home in a private forest just a 1/2-mile from the Columbia River.” — Travel Oregon
I enjoyed the atmosphere and the service of this restaurant. The girls were playing outside and the waitress was kind enough to call them in when food arrived.
Acadia
Click here to read what others say about this restaurant.
Country Cottage
If you are looking for a restaurant to eat near the Tulip farm or the Woodburn Outlet Mall in Portland Oregon, I recommend this restaurant.
Click here for map.
Malay Satay Hut
After eating a dried-out chicken satay at a local Thai restaurant, we decided to drive a little further to Malay Satay Hut. We ordered the following foods and it tasted great. When it was time to pay the bill, my husband was a little surprised. He said that it was no more expensive than the so-so meal we had at the local Thai restaurant.
From left to right
top row: roti canai, chicken satay, hokkein mee
lower row: rojak, nasi lemak, apam balik (dessert)
Buffet Palace
12570 SW Center St
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 626-0763
I usually don’t like to go to buffets because I tend to overeat. The quality of food at buffets are usually compromised. That said, there are some days when I am so hungry that I could “eat a horse”. That would be the time when I would choose a buffet over a restaurant. Buffet Palace in Beaverton serves chinese food. I like their sushi. Sushi, freshly prepared noodle soup and fresh fruits is usually what I eat over there.
China Moon
10743 SW Beaverton Hillsdale
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 350-1888
I liked a few more dishes in China Moon (Beaverton next to Target) than in Buffet Palace although the sushi in Buffet Palace is better. The chinese pastry like red bean pastry and “wife biscuit (lao po ping)” is authentic and very delicious. I usually avoid the American style desserts.
Pho Van Restaurant
This restaurant is a hip Vietnamese restaurant. I love their Crispy Crepe, Pork and Shrimp Rice dish and coffee with condensed milk. Be sure to ask for their complimentary tri-chili (shown on the upper left corner in photo below). The chili that I like is brownish red, taste a lot like Malaysian sambal.
Recently, my girlfriends and I celebrated a birthday there.
Portland City Grill
The entrees are delicious, and fresh. Service is great as well. We tried lamb chops, wild Alaskan salmon and Mahi-Mahi. The kid’s pasta is only $4. The food has strong Asian influence. If you can get a window seat, the view of downtown Portland is breathtaking.
Jake’s Grill
We celebrated our girlfriend’s birthday (top right) at Jake’s Grill. This restaurant is part of McCormick and Schmick’s and they expanded their restaurant by acquiring the hotel lobby next door.
Enjoyed the “angel hair” onion rings. Delicious rich chocolate cake was complimentary.
Western Culinary Institute
We celebrated our girlfriend’s birthday (left in photo) at a French Restaurant tonight. This restaurant is special because it is cooked by students at the institute. For a five course meal, only $24.95.
Here’s are some of the dishes that we ate. My favorite was the soup (first row, center, photo below). The cool pureed cucumber (green) and warm pureed squash (orange) topped with a few blueberries.
Andina
For my birthday, my friends brought me to Andina (Peruvian Restaurant) for lunch. I highly recommend their appetizers. The waitress that served us was friendly, thoughtful and professional.
Best Taste
Recently, we discovered this small family owned restaurant, when we were unable to get a table at Wongs King Restaurant. They have one of the best Pork and Mushroom Siu Mai in town!
8350 SE Division St. #C Portland OR 97266
(503) 771 0812
(503) 771 0110
Pork and Mushroom Shiu Mai, Cilantro/Beef/Shrimp Rice Rolls, Char Siu Pao, Fish Porridge with Crispy Crullers.
Stir Crazy Kitchen
Yesterday night (July 29, 2007), we had a small reunion with a family friend at this restaurant. Our friend has traveled all around the world and her taste bud is highly sensitive. We are fortunate to have her pre-ordered the food for us. She ordered crab, prawns and fish and requested the owner of the restaurant to suggest the remaining dishes for us. What’s unique about this restaurant is their kitchen is visible from the restaurant. The children had a great time watching the chefs cook. The chefs also loved to entertain them by splashing water on the kitchen window.
20401 SW TV Hwy
Aloha OR 97006
503 848 8155
Wong’s King
Care for some Dim Sum in a comfortable environment? We usually get here before 10:30 am to beat the crowd on Saturdays. Otherwise, the wait can be as long as 45 minutes.
Lentil Garden
If you have craving for Indian Food, try buffet (M-F) at this place.
18033 NW Evergreen Parkway
Beaverton, Oregon
503 531 0802
Perhaps one of the best kept secret in Portland is the small Indian Restaurant offering buffet Monday through Friday. My husband and I have been going to this restaurant almost every Friday for the past few months and the quality of the food remains high. We hide the information that we are going to an indian restaurant from our 6 year old because usually if she knows we are going to indian restaurant, she would whine all the way, “I don’t want muddy food, I don’t want muddy food”. After the first bite, she was hooked. We heard no complaints from her because she was busy eating. She even asks for refills of the mango dessert but my husband has to go back to work and there were other customers waiting for our table, so we left. However, I did manage to snap a few photos before leaving.
There are two kinds of rice. Today’s special rice was biryani chicken rice, with cinnamon stick, star anise, turmeric powder and other spices. The last time we were there was lamb rice. If it were not a buffet, I could just eat this delicious rice by itself.
The dish that is closest to the camera is dessert. It has cardomom spice, indian rice sticks, raisins and almond nuts, that is slow cooked in sweet milk.
Even my 20 month old enjoyed the tandoori chicken.
At the beginning of 2008, they started to serve breakfast at 9am on the weekends. We enjoyed their Dosa, Poori Bhaji (first photo below). We also tried their Utappam (second photo below). Their Poori Bhaji comes with Lentil soup. Both the Dosa and Utappam comes with 2 types of sauces and 1 cup of warm soup as shown in the photo.
Cheesecake Factory
Cheesecake Factory is located inside the Washington Square Mall. Often, my husband would take the kids there for a meal while I shop.
Past Monday, my husband and I had a lunch date at the cheesecake factory. Since it was a work day, he only have 1 hour lunch break. I got seated first and pre-ordered. The following are some photos that I took.
Little Chicken standing in front of an array of cheesecakes.
Little chicken enjoying her complimentary baby platter.
Little Chicken enjoying her butter.
My dish: Miso Salmon with white rice.
Little Chicken’s dish: Mini Burgers with French Fries. Too much for her to eat, so I brought it home for Little Dragon and Little Tiger.
My husband’s dish: Grand Burrito with guacamole, salsa, rice, sour cream and black bean sauce.
St.Honore French Cafe
Every Thursday and sometime even Friday, I bring my 20 month old baby to the library and across the street from the library is a French cafe. I am lured to this cafe for their hazelnut lattes. They also have fresh bakeries. Here are some photos taken at the cafe.
This baker is putting the doughs in for fermentation.
Here, he is sprinkling flour to prepare the board for second kneading.
This hazelnut latte is one of the best that I have ever tasted. Even better tasting than the local Starbucks. I have only one bad experience out of 10 visits where the coffee tasted diluted.
The following photo shows Little Chicken eating her butter. I think she eats it because the way that the butter is wrapped, reminded her of the Belgium chocolates that Daddy bought from his visit there.
Saburo
Another one of our favorite eatery. It is a small Japanese restaurant in Sellwood. There is always a line of people waiting outside. So, we try to get to the restaurant before 4:15pm on the weekends, 15 minutes before they open for dinner.
My favorite is Uni (Sea Urchin) topped with an egg yolk. Their soft shell crab rolls are also delicious. The creamy sea scallops is my 8 year old favorite.
Unagi
This is fresh uncook oyster. It is $6.50 for half a dozen. Absolutely delicious.
Ichiban
The best tempura in town is probably here. It is light and crunchy. The sashimi lunch bento is only $7.99 and it comes with miso soup, seaweed salad, lettuce salad, plain rice, sashimi, and tempura. Hot tea is complimentary. We have visited this restaurant several times and their food quality remains high.
13599 N.W. Cornell Rd. Portland OR 97229
503 641 0331
Lagniappe
Our painter who attends a University in Minneapolis recommended us this restaurant. I highly recommend their Catfish, Chicken Strips, Seafood Gumbo and Bread Pudding. The lady in green below is the owner of this restaurant. She is very friendly and makes her own dessert. Her chocolate cake is also delicious because it is moist.
Equinox
Our painter who attends a University in Minneapolis also recommended us this restaurant.
We entered this restaurant through an outdoor patio. We were immediately greeted by a friendly waitress who seated us in the beautiful patio next to natural vines of grapes.
I highly recommend their cold tomato avocado gazpacho soup. It is perfect for summer. This soup has two kinds of fresh herbs that slightly stimulate our tastes palate to get us ready for our dinner entrees.
We enjoyed their bottle of special wine for $19. Their summer wine nights are from Sunday through Wednesday. Domaine De La Ferrandiere Vin De Pays Doc 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (regular price is $32 a bottle) paired perfectly with our entrees, Cedre et Citron and Summer Pillow.
Cedre et Citron ($19.50)is ceder planked oven roasted king salmon over parmesan risotto cakes and arugula topped with lisbon lemon roasted garlic emulsion. Summer Pillow ($13) is a puff pastry stuffed with portobellow mushrooms, roma tomatoes, baby spinach, caramelized onions and mascarpone with roasted avocado tomatillo creme.
Chicken Lafayette ($7.50) was a delicious appetizer; A crunchy creole style fried chicken tenders with smoked chipotle buttermilk remoulade. My daughter kept dipping her grilled ciabatta bread with the smoked chipotle buttermilk remoulade sauce.
For dessert, we shared a Torta di Formaggio del Molla ($6.50); This dessert was not only pleasing to the eyes but extraordinarily delicious. It is Meyer Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake baked in Chocolate biscotti crust with Oregon Wild Berry-Mint coulie and topped with whipped cream.
There were no scraps left in any of our plates. The next time I visit this place, I will bring my camera to capture the delicious food.
The waitress that served us was knowledgeble, and friendly. Our baby dropped a fork and immediately both the waitress and server came by to give us a new fork.
After dinner, we took a stroll around the restaurant. There was another restaurant that had 3 musicians playing live music with guitar, violin and a double bass. We enjoyed the music while the kids danced on the side walk. What a lovely way to end a delicious meal.
Evelyn’s Bakery
12925 N.W. Cornell Rd.
Portland OR 97229
503 626 3209
Bay Leaf Vegetarian
Our family friend, Winston, is a loyal patron of this eatery because he is a “part-time” vegetarian.
According to him, this restaurant does not cook with garlic. Some vegetarian avoid eating strong-smelling plants such as onion, garlic, chives, shallot, and leek. There was an item on the menu that said leek, but when I asked the server, she explained that it is not leek as printed on the menu. They could not find a better translation for the kind of vegetable that they use. She also explained that it is hard to translate “monkey head” mushroom (猴頭菇) because the direct translation name would frightened her American customers.
My husband and I had a pseudo lunch date this afternoon as Little Tiger (9 yrs old) and Little Dragon (6 yrs old) were at their schoolmate’s birthday party. And Little Chicken (23 month old) slept through our entire meal.
Our family friend said to cover the flash on the camera with a piece of handkerchief to produce soft lighting. One of the food photo was taken using his technique and his handkerchief.
Here’s the link to reviews on Bay Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant.
Petite Provence
Bay Leaf Vegetarian restaurant is in close proximity to Petite Provence (Thanks Fay for introducing me to this bakery!)
McCormick and Schmick’s Harborside
Can you guess where the following photos were taken?
a) Malaysia
b) Taiwan
c) Portland Oregon US
Dragon boat
Banana Tree
Yesterday night, we ate dinner at a restaurant in Portland. Yes, you read it right. It is Portland, Oregon US.
It is McCormick and Schmick’s Harborside at the Marina. We started with our dinner with an appetizer, Seared Rare Ahi ($10.90) with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce. My main entree was Northwest Salmon ($19.95) sauteed with field mushroom, served with rice sprinkled with some chopped hazelnuts and a few raspberry as garnish. My husband’s main entree was grilled swordfish served with a side of garlic mash potatoes ($23.95); It was fresh catch of the day flown in from Honolulu, Hawaii. The kids’ meal were only ($4.95) and it included soft drink as well as ice cream sundae. Little Tiger had cheesy penne pasta and little dragon had fish and chips (french fries).
The following photographs were taken from the restaurant. Because we reserved ahead of time, we got one of the best seats in the restaurant. We saw at least 4 dragon boats that night. The dragon boats are for the Portland’s annual rose parade.
After dinner, we took a stroll along the beautiful harbor side. I was surprised to see banana trees. I did not know banana tree can survive through the cold winter months here.
The view was breathtaking; The luxurious yachts parked next to the harbor, the Marriott Hotel at one end, the steel bridge which can be raised to allow taller ships to go across, specialty shops and luxurious apartments at the far end.
We have $20 more dollars on our gift certificate. So, we will come back and enjoy the seafood and view again. My husband said he will order salmon next time.
Hollywood Brown Derby
For our first dinner in DisneyWorld Florida, we reserved a table for 5 at 3:30pm at the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant in MGM Studios. Seating was prompt. Service and food was good as well. It also came with a Fantasmic package at 6pm. We used two tickets per person from our dining plan.
Princess Storybook Dining
Our second night, we ate in Princess Storybook Dining restaurant in Norway of Epcot Theme Park. I liked the goat cheese and the fresh fruits in the salad bar. Princesses like Pocahontas, Jasmine, and Ariel visited our table to meet with the girls and sign autographs.
Le Chefs de France
I will try Le Cellier in my next trip. I was disappointed by the quality of the food and the service of Le Chefs De France. Both our appetizers were a little too salty, smoked salmon and snail.
Hoop De Due
When I made this dinner reservation, I was a little worried, even after reading all the great reviews on the internet. This dinner and show is not in the theme parks but rather in a resort, the Fort Wilderness Resort. Additionally, this dinner and show required two sit-down meal tickets. My thoughts were changed after our waiter served us our first drink. The service, food and the show was great. If you are spending more than 5 days at the Walt Disney World resort, I recommend that you try the Hoop De Due dinner and show.
