Lunch at T&T

Yesterday's grocery run plan:

• Head to Costco to buy a bunch of snacks that are on sale
• Grab stuff for hot pot at T&T
• Eat lunch at T&T
• Get home in under an hour and a half

What really happened:

• Spent not even 10 minutes in Costco; snacks were sold out
• Spent over 2 hours in T&T; lots of pointless waiting

Instead of shopping in T&T first, we were going to eat but when we went to order some dim sum, we were told that the shrimp siu mai would be ready in 20 minutes. And so we went back to our original plan: shop first; eat later.

When we were walking around, I saw a kid snacking on a hot dog on a stick. But it was topped with green onions. How intriguing!

I wandered over to the former bubble tea stall. It has since been converted into a snack stand selling drinks, ice cream, Taiwanese-style sausages, and even jianbing. Jianbing is a breakfast crepe that's eaten on the streets in China.

They were selling a variety of snacks like this Taiwan-style sausage. For only $3, you could get it dressed with a variety of things. Since we had time to kill, I bought one so that we could snack on it while we waited to eat lunch.

As I was waiting in line, I noticed that the gentleman and the older lady were training a younger lady.

When it was my turn, I asked for a spicy sausage with black pepper paste, garlic, and green onions. The lady cut down the center of the sausage to fill it with stuff. It tasted really good. It tasted sweet at first, then the heat from the black pepper paste washed over the palate, then the garlic, then more sweetness from the sausage, and then finally the cayenne pepper kicked in. The sausages reminds me of the sweet Vietnamese version of Chinese sausages that we eat with congee. Andrew and I were very impressed with how good and addictive it was.

We shopped some more, taking our sweet time snaking down the aisles. Mom checked in on the dim sum and they said it still wasn't ready yet. At this point, Andrew and I were getting impatient. We knew the shrimp siu mai wouldn't be worth the wait. I went back to the snack stand to get some milk tea (without tapioca pearls) to enjoy with our lunch.

The. Service. Was. So. Slow.

The gentleman and younger lady were making the drinks people ordered, while the older lady was making the jianbing. I turned my attention to the older lady making the crepes before I began to lose it.

She was much more efficient with her actions, whereas the trainee looked unsure of every move she made while making the drinks. It didn't look like that was any urgency from the trainee.

Once both milk teas were handed to me, I rushed back to meet Mom and Andrew. They had just started to eat. I just wanted to eat, pay for our groceries, and go home.

Discounted noodles and vegetarian spring rolls.

There were also two orders of shrimp siu mai. This is half an order. 

We've tried their dim sum items before and it was quite lacking. We were eating there for the convenience. You can tell from the photo how processed the siu mai was. It was definitely not worth the wait. The filling definitely had a lot of cornstarch or something.

The milk teas were on the weak side. I think the only place that makes a great version in Ottawa is at My Sweet Tea.

After lunch, we grabbed a few more things and then checked out.

Oh yeah, I got two boxes of Melona bars! Mom was pretty sure they were cheaper at the Superstore, but I bought them anyway because we weren't going there. Turns out the savings would've been about a dollar at the Superstore. Dammit! I could've used that dollar to buy an iced coffee or extra large fountain drink at McD's. I'm just not at that level of being "smart with my money," as Mom likes to say.

~ ~ ~

Side story:
After having brunch at Stoneface Dolly's today (more on that later), VN and I went to buy some Melona bars at the Westboro Superstore. They were all sold out -- of course. I asked for a raincheck but the lady at the customer service desk said that she won't give us one because it wasn't in their flyer. "It is in the Superstore flyer at home! It's on a 'World Flavours' page." I told VN. "I swear, I'm not going crazy." I'm not sure why I was so determined to get the raincheck.

I got on my phone and tried to check the online flyers.

Nothing. There wasn't any "world flavours" section in either the in-store flyer or online flyers. I even checked the regular Loblaws' flyers. Again, nothing -- and yes, I did search the Ottawa flyers. I was so frustrated. "I'll send you a photo of it when I get home," I vowed.

Boom. How is it that the "World Flavours" section is totally missing from the in-store flyer and online flyer? Brutal.

I guess the lesson is to bring the flyers you have with you.

More Photos from Asia 2010

I thought I'd share some photos that I've recently edited from my 2010 trip to Asia.


A photo of the Dream Mall. It's one of Asia's largest shopping malls. [link]




Sulfur springs and hiking in the Yangmingshan National Park. [link]








Busy streets of Danshui market and harbourfront. [link]




Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China. [link]

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Tea in Asia 2011 Round Up

Our trip began back in November with spending some time in Hong Kong with Aunty. She found us a short tour to Guilin and then she brought us to Macau for a day.

From there, we bid our relatives goodbye and visited Taiwan for a week.

We spent the last leg of the trip around Shanghai. Since we joined a tour group, we were able to visit Wuxi, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou as well.

Here are all the articles:

• Hello from Hong Kong 
• Window Shopping in Macau
• Dim Sum at Tung Yuen and Plain Congee Dinner
• Wonton Egg Noodle Soup and Dinner at the HK Airport

• Breakfast and Tea Tasting: First Day in Guilin
• Breathtaking Sights and Seafood Banquet in Guilin
• Last Day in Guilin

• Hong Kong Harbour Front and Korean BBQ
• Ngong Ping, Tian Tan Buddha, Dai Pai Dong Dinner
• Sportful Garden Restaurant and The Peak Tower
• Last Meal in Hong Kong: Tsui Wah Restaurant

• Seafood Dinner in Taipei, Taiwan
• Stinky Tofu and CoCo Bubble Tea
• Sun Moon Lake Cabin
• Sun Moon Lake and the Aboriginal Culture Village
• Sick in Taiwan
• Leaving Taiwan: Taoyuan International Airport

• Arriving in Shanghai: Muslim Restaurant
• Breakfast in Shanghai, Visiting Wuxi
• Breakfast in Wuxi, Visiting Nanjing
• Breakfast in Nanjing, Visiting in Suzhou
• Breakfast in Suzhou, Visiting Hangzhou
• Last Full Day: Hangzhou to Shanghai
• Last Meal in Shanghai

This was a trip of a lifetime. We spent just under a month in Asia. I was very fortunate to have this chance and I’m very thankful to everyone who made the trip possible and enjoyable.

Last Meal in Shanghai

Our trip to Asia blew by so quickly. I wasn’t homesick at all. In fact, I didn’t want to go back. Not yet. I wanted to go back to Hong Kong.

But if my parents and Aunt IS could’ve chosen one last meal in Shanghai, the majority of the group would’ve wanted to have one more breakfast at the Ramada.

Dad started with a savoury congee, with some salted egg, youtiao, and pickled veggies as condiments.

Dad’s second plate had some dumplings, youtiao, bread and an omelette.

My first plate was filled was familiar breakfast choices.

Mom had some toasted croissant with an over-easy egg, and a bunch of other pastries. She put the croissant through the toaster but it got stuck, hence the burnt top.

I filled up with a bowl of wonton soup. The wonton soup wasn’t as good as the bowl I had in Nanjing, but it was comforting nonetheless.

Mom and Dad were eager to eat the steamed custard buns again. They had been dreaming about them since the first breakfast.

The filling was apparently different from the first time. Mom and Dad were disappointed, but they still enjoyed these with a slight smile.

There were salted egg yolks in the egg custard. I tried a bite but since I didn’t try any on the first morning, I had nothing to compare it to. Still, these were on a different level than the stuff we get in Ottawa and Toronto, where the filling is a fully cooked paste.

After breakfast, we grabbed our luggage and boarded the tour bus one last time. Our friends from Connecticut and America also joined us on the bus. Although they left on different flights, it made the ride to the airport much easier.

While on the long flight back home, I could’ve help but think about how much we saw and how much we experienced in the past month. I knew I was lucky to have travelled around Asia with little health issues, Mom made sure to remind me (she still does). Believe me, I know I’m lucky. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance to travel overseas again, but I’ll die happy knowing that I have already done so.

These are a few of my favourite images from the trip. Some of them aren’t strong photography-wise, but I like them because of the story behind the pictures. I'll attach a link to the corresponding article which you can read under each of the images.

Last Full Day: Hangzhou to Shanghai

When we woke up in Hangzhou, I felt sad because it was our last full day in Shanghai. Our flight was scheduled to leave for North America the next morning. I was determined to enjoy the last day as much as I could.

It started with my first plate of food during breakfast. I found it funny when I saw spaghetti in one of the buffet trays. The taste was forgettable. So forgettable, in fact, that I’ve forgotten what it tasted like.

There was something intriguing that I picked up though. The layered flatbread was seasoned with a spice blend that was similar to the one used at the Muslim Restaurant that we went to the first day we were in Shanghai. Cumin was the predominant flavour. Although it was greasy, I enjoyed the idea of it.

This was Dad’s first plate. Notice the differences between our plates?

My second round of breakfast consisted of another over-easy egg, more bacon-like protein, breakfast sausage, bread and youtiao.

My final round consisted of a bowl of wonton soup, and more youtiao with coffee. The small chocolate bownie-like snacks tasted more like chocolate cake. I ate one and then packed the other two away to enjoy at a later time.

I also had a piece of sheet cake for dessert. Once we were finished with breakfast, we met up with our tour group on the bus and then we drove back to Shanghai.

Breakfast in Suzhou, Visiting Hangzhou

Breakfast in our hotel in Suzhou was less stressful than the last morning in Nanjing. There was plenty of food and the trays of food were actually refilled when they were emptied.

I took a stroll around the dining area to scout out all the choices. My plan of attack involved trying a small bowl of chocolate Rice Krispies, some stir-fried round noodles, getting an over-easy egg, and finishing up with a bowl of wonton soup.

The chocolate cereal looked like the stuff from Kellogg’s, but I was in China so I naturally doubted that it was legit. The cereal wasn’t super sweet from the chocolate, but the cereal itself was a bit stale.

Looking back at this plate is scary. The whole plate is filled with carbs. I love my carbs, but geez, I really need to take it easy! The stir-fried noodles were quite greasy. There was a bit of char and a bit of smokiness.

The steamed bun tasted just like the yummy ones that the hotel in Nanjing. The meat-filled buns had a slightly sweet sauce surrounding the filling, which provided the bun with a bit of moisture.

Mom really liked the cooked water chestnut. Tasting some minced water chestnuts in some versions of beef cheung fan have ruined water chestnuts for me.

Mom said that the croissants tasted really good when toasted lightly and she was right. The over-easy egg was lacking some salt and pepper.

I asked one of the gentlemen working the dining area for some. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a plate full of salt and white pepper. With the help of some lightly toasted croissant, the seasoned over-easy egg was finished without any difficulty.

As for the tiny tangerines in the background, those were packed away for a future snack.

The bowl of wonton soup was a comforting filler.

I went to grab another plate of greasy noodles. Yum.

After breakfast, our whole tour group gathered on the bus and we spent a few hours driving to Hangzhou. We got stuck in some bad traffic on the way there. There was a bad accident involving a tour bus on the oncoming lanes. Everyone naturally slowed down enough to get a glimpse of the broken bus.

Our bus driver pulled over near an intersection and to let us all off the bus. We were guided into the Sichuan Folk for lunch. Most of us weren’t hungry. We just sat on the bus for about five hours. It was a good thing that I stashed some of tangerines from breakfast. They smelled and tasted great on the bus ride over.

There were a bunch of locals enjoying their lunch. It was a pleasant sight, since most of our meals during this tour and the Guilin tour were found inside restaurants that mostly catered to tour groups.

The beer had a very eye-catching label. It also had a cartoon on the back.