Dined There More Than Two Dozen Occasions in Two Years

Spicy Butter Shrimps

If someone were to ask me which would be the Chinese Restaurant that I have paid to dine in the most other than my home. The answer would be definitely be Hons Wun Tun House for a couple of reasons. First and foremost would be authenticity of the cuisines served in their restaurants. They are very uniquely Cantonese from the taste and flavours of their cuisines. My favorite outlets would be the New Westminster and the one on Keefer in Chinatown.

Fried Smelt Fish in Light Soy

The next reason would be their more traditional Cantonese cuisines. They don't try to rename their cuisines nor reinvent the recipes. The cuisines are simple and consistent. The people that dine at Hons knows and are familiar with their cuisines. The third reason would be their menu prices. It is not a pricey place to enjoy a meal. There are no worries about their prices, all their menu prices are fixed. They do not promote a new seafood cuisine that you have to pay an unexpectedly high seasonal price.

Clay Pot Seafood and Tofu Mix

The forth reason would be their serving portions. They are also very consistent with their large portions. Although the cuisines can be ordered in three different sizes, their kitchen are pretty generous. And finally, the service is good. The waiters and waitresses are well mannered and polite. Although they may sound loud and aggressive at times, they are really nice people. And waiting is never too long. If there is a mistake in the ordering process, they will make it right. These are the reasons I like dining there other than the pleasure of good simple authentic Cantonese food.

Hosted Friends at Lucky Joy Chinese Restaurant

Steamed Oysters with Ginger

My family hosted some friends, a family from Malaysia, over dinner at Lucky Joy Chinese Restaurant in Richmond. We wanted them to experience dining on Canadian lobster with Chinese cooking style. Through the years, we found that Lucky Joy is a fairly decent restaurant for seafood. The prices are not exuberant and the cuisines are  authentic, tasty and flavourful. The service is also quick but to dine here comfortably, it would be better to make prior reservations. The waiting could be very long.

Lobster with Ginger and Onions

This popular destination among the residents in Richmond is usually packed in the evenings. The restaurant is tacked away in a remote location away from the busy restaurant strip in Richmond. It sits on No. 5 Road and Thorpe Road, just next to LA Chicken. And we were lucky to have chosen that particular day to dine at Lucky Joy because on that day their special cuisine for the day was oysters. The oysters were really fresh and big. It was my first time that I have seen such big oysters.

Halibut with Tofu in Clay Pot

The oysters were cooked in two different styles. Four oysters were steamed with ginger and another four with black bean sauce. We selected the lobsters to be cooked with ginger and spring onions which is our favorite style for lobster and added two portions of wuntun noodles. This was the first time that we tried the lobster cuisine with wuntun noodle. It was actually a good choice and the noodle actually became very flavourful in the ginger sauce. Most of the dining occasions we have at Lucky Joy is to introduce some of the best seafood cuisines we have come across in our dining experiences in Vancouver and we continue to be amazed with their cuisines.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Shrimps

The other cuisines we have selected this time were Halibut with Tofu in Clay Pot, Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Shrimps, Stir Fried Jumbo Shrimps in Onions, Stir Fried Beef in Spring Onions, Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet, and Honey Pork Ribs. Other than the beef and pork ribs cuisines, the rest were all seafood cuisines. We are just comfortable with the seafood cuisines at Lucky Joy and keep returning for more of their lovely cuisines.

Kuan Luck Chinese Restaurant

Hainan Chicken Cuisine

Went out with a another family for dinner at Kuan Luck Chinese Restaurant located on Kingsway in Vancouver. I did not expect this restaurant to be so crowded but it really was when we arrived. I have read the reviews online about this restaurant and majority of the feedbacks mentioned that the food was on the salty side. I assume diners to Chinese restaurants don't really care about reviews or at least the reviews in English because the place was so crowded and there was a one hour wait time for non reservation.

Cod Fillet in Black Bean Sauce

We quickly decided on the cuisines as the friend that was dining with us have been here before and knows the good stuff. And besides that it was really packed in the diner. Our orders were served relatively quick in spite of the large crowd. We only ordered five different cuisines and a bucket of rice. There were no extra charge for the bucket of rice which actually makes a lot of sense for a Chinese restaurant that serves predominantly Chinese diners that makes it a unique attraction.

Stir Fried Beef with Onions and Spring Onions

Overall the cuisines we had ordered tasted more on the salty side. There were a little too much salt put in the cuisines. Because of that salty taste, the cuisines were all kind of similar in taste. There were different flavours between the different cuisines but the saltiness of the cooking has enveloped the flavours. Maybe it was because of the cuisines we had ordered that makes everything tasted similar but we had the same cuisines before in different Chinese restaurant, they were perfectly cooked which we could tell the different taste and flavours.

Tofu with Salted Fish

So, after that dining experience, I still favour dining at HONs. In my humble opinion, the same cuisines such as Hainan Chicken, Cod Fillet, Stir Fried Beef, Tofu and Pork Ribs which we had for dinner are common in Cantonese cuisines are cooked better in HONs and some other Chinese restaurants. So, my conclusion is that, most diners either have a liking for salty food or are attracted to this restaurant because of the pricing. That is another attractive point because this place is actually cheaper to dine than most other restaurants of similar cuisine type. After all, the food here is still decently and authentically Chinese.

Gathering of Authentic Malaysian Cusines

Curry Chicken

Our group of Jalan-jalan Cari Makan friends got together for a sumptuous potluck of Malaysian cuisines in the back lawn of a friend's home in Surrey. We had more than ten different cuisines to start with. My contribution this time was curry chicken and fried sweet potato balls. But the main course for yesterday's potluck was chicken satay. The host prepared about one hundred sticks of chicken satay and he was grilling them when we arrived.

Grilled Chicken Satay

Other than the satay, we also have barbecue beef steak which was the other grilled cuisine. Then, we have Nasi Kungit, or also known as Turmeric Rice, which was just right with the curry chicken. In fact, this was the first potluck occasion that I have seen this rice cuisine. The only difference was the type of rice used in the turmeric rice. My mum used to cook turmeric rice using glutinous rice and has lots of pepper corns in the rice. Our host for the evening have also prepared the peanut sauce as the dip for the chicken satay. The next Malaysian cuisine was Nasi Lemak wrapped in banana leave and parchment paper, which was used to contain the fragrant of the coconut milk flavour.

Nasi Lemak

There were about fifty packs of nasi lemak on the buffet table when we first arrived, but as the party started and while waiting for the satay to cook, we ate the nasi lemak. Nearly everybody started with the nasi lemak and each ate at least two packs of them. When all the guests have finally arrived, the friends that have started with the nasi lemak were already filled with the nasi lemak slowed down on the eating. By which time, there were less than half of the nasi lemak packs left in the serving tray.

Barbecue Chicken Wings

Cendol

The other Malaysian cuisines that we had for the evening were fried mee siam (fried vermicelli), beef rendang, chicken with shitake mushrooms cooked in soy sauce, barbecue chicken wings, glutinous chicken sticky rice, with cendol and fruits for desserts. The evening was just dining on Malaysian cuisines prepared by my fellow home cooks.

Glutinous Chicken Sticky Rice

Fried Mee Siam

Turmeric Rice

Fried Sweet Potato Balls

The Popular Fragrant Nasi Tomato

Tomato Rice

Other than the Nasi Lemak, I like Nasi Tomato (Tomato Rice) which is as flavourful and tasty. In Malaysian, this type of fragrant rice are usually popular in Malay weddings because there is no necessity for any extra dishes to go with the tomato rice cuisine. It can be served and eaten as is. The Nasi Tomato are more Malaysian original than the Nasi Briyani because the briyani rice actually originated from Pakistan and the surrounding area. I would usually cook Nasi Tomato when the fresh tomatoes in the fridge were about to expire. Instead of wasting them to the food waste bins, I rather cook them all before they spoil.

Nasi Tomato

Yesterday, my wife decided to cook Nasi Tomato and we started preparing the ingredients for the cuisine early in the morning before leaving for work. Because we were pressed for time, I cooked the rice first, otherwise we can put everything into the rice cooker with the rice to cook in the rice cooker itself.  While the rice was cooking in the rice cooker, we prepared four large tomatoes and one large onions, both cut into one inch wedges, and chicken breast meat also cut into wedges of bite sizes. In the hot wok, drop about three spoons of cooking oil and throw in the cut chicken meat wedges.

Popular in Malay Weddings

Once the chicken meat was cooked, add curry leaves, the cut tomatoes, the cut onions, several slices of ginger, about five anise star, a dozen cloves, a handful of raisins, four spoons of ketchup, three spoons of thick coconut milk and several screw pine leaves. Once the rice is cooked, mixed with the rice and the gravy together. And reintroduce into the rice cooker to keep warm. For additional taste and flavour, add fried shallots and mint leaves. Serve when it is still warm. I actually, prepared the tomato rice for lunch at work.

Fried Female Capelin

Fried Female Capelins

I have not seen this type of fish in Malaysia or Singapore, in any of  the restaurants or coffee shops I dined in. May be they are served in some of restaurant but I do not know it. I started eating this fried female capelin in HONS and got hooked on it. It was a new cuisine to me when we ordered it the first time. So, the next time when we went to do our weekly grocery run, I bought them, to fry them at home. I have tried several different recipes with the female capelin, and liked them all because when cooked there are crunchy and flavourful.

Plain Fried Capelins

The different recipes that I have tried with the female capelin are mostly different in the type of batter. The way I like the female capelin done is still with deep frying method. Sometime with curry powder, sometimes with salt, sometimes with curry leaves and pepper, or simply fried plain. Every time we fry them. Next time, I may even add gravy or sauce to the cuisine. Another choice about the capelin is that we always chose the female ones as there are eggs in the female capelins. We usually eat them whole, bones and all.

Simple Fried Chicken Wings Malaysian Style

Fried Chicken Wings

At home, we often give simple instructions to our kids to prepare dinner or even lunch, especially during the summer when they are at home a lot. With these simple instructions, even our sixteen year old kid could fry up some delicious chicken wings. Yesterday, before leaving for work, my wife had already marinated some chicken wings with curry powder and corn starch. She left the chicken wings in the fridge and gave specific instruction to the sixteen year old on how to prepare and cook the chicken wings later.

Malaysian Style Fried Chicken Wings

When we came home from work later in the evening, the fried chicken wings were ready to be served. He also cooked rice and another side dish for dinner. We have taught our kids to take up chores in the kitchen from young and today they feel very comfortable with making their own meals. And occasionally, even cook for their friends and sometimes for us too. Learn the ways in the kitchen is a living skill, no matter whether the kid is a boy or a girl.

Crispy Outside and Juicy Inside

The recipe for the Malaysian style fried chicken wings were really simple. First mixed three spoons of curry powder, three spoons of corn starch and a pinch of salt together. Then, dip the chicken wings one at a time into the mix so that the chicken wings are evenly coated. If the meal is for later than, fry the chicken wings when it is about time to eat. When frying the chicken wings, prepare a pot of hot cooking oil. Drop the chicken wings into the hot oil one at a time until full. Transfer them onto a serving plate once they turned golden brown. The fried chicken wings should be crispy on the outside and juicy in the inside.