Burnaby Archives | Foodgressing

Old Street: Chinese Crepe and Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

April 16, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly open in the Burnaby is Old Street, a casual eatery specializing in Chinese Crepes and Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soups. The restaurant opened just about two months ago at 4729 Kingsway across from Metrotown. I was invited for a media tasting. Here’s a look at what you can expect.

Old Street Crepe Burnaby Metrotown Chinese Crepe and Taiwanese beef noodle soup

Interior

The rustic-inspired interior features a mix of dining tables for 2 – 4 as well as counter seating by the window.

Old Street Menu

Old Street’s main offerings are customized Chinese Crepes which are made with white or green bean flour and have choice of protein (like HK BBQ duck, BBQ chicken, ham and so forth) and other fixings (like dried pork flakes, Chinese donuts, crisp fritter, green onion, cilantro and more).

These crepes are MSG-free and you can select your level of spiciness. The crepes start at $6 and the protein/fixings are priced individually between $1 – $6.

They also specialize in Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soups ($11.95 – $12.95) come with choice of protein (like Grade A marinated beef flank, braised beef flank and tendon and so forth) and choice of noodles (either thin or thick).

Other items rounding out the menu are Taiwanese Egg Wrap (like Cheese Ham, Spiced Beef and more), Rice Bowls (like Taiwanese meat rice sauce, pork hock, fried chicken), and Snacks (like cucumber with sauce, dough stick, marinated pork ear and so forth).

Old Street also offers a wide variety drinks from fresh fruit teas, bubble tea to soybean milk and soft drinks.

You can click here for a full-sized photo of the menu.

What We Tried

At our media tasting, we tried a range of their offerings.

Old Street Chinese Crepe

To start, we had a Chinese Crepe made with green bean flour and loaded with HK BBQ duck, dried pork flakes, and Chinese donut. It was customized to be a bit spicy. This crepe would have come out to be $14.

Given the amount of ingredients, it’s definitely a meal in itself and fairly valued for the price. The crepe was not too thick which was nice. I would have liked the Chinese donut to be crispier but it was otherwise reasonably tasty.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

We enjoyed the House Special Beef Noodle in Soup with thick noodles and medium spicy ($12.95). It was a hearty bowl with tender beef, veggies, green onion and cilantro.

Old Street Rice

The Taiwanese Meat Sauce with Rice ($6.99) had a good amount of meat to rice ratio. It was reasonably comforting, flavourful and came with a soft boiled egg.

Old Street Snacks

The Fried Spicy Chicken ($10) was a favourite of the tasting and I would recommend it. It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and had a good amount of heat to it. I liked that they actually used real Sichuan peppers.

The Deep Fried Squid Tentacles ($10) came in a charming little basket. I enjoyed the Fried Spicy Chicken a lot more as the squid tentacles needed to be fried longer for more crispiness and more seasoning.

Taiwanese Egg Wrap

A newer addition to Old Street’s menu is the Taiwanese Egg Wrap ($9). We went with the Cheese Dried Pork Flake Corn Wrap. There was a good amount of pork flake incorporated and second to that would be the corn. I thought the cheese part was a bit understated. I’d personally go for the Chinese Crepe for a fuller experience.

Overall, I thought there were some items that we tried which were reasonable in taste, quality and price. My top choices from the tasting are the Chinese Crepe, the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, and the Fried Spicy Chicken.

Old Street
4729 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
www.instagram.com/oldstreetcrepe/

The Study Public House at SFU Burnaby

March 30, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly open at SFU‘s Burnaby Campus is The Study Public House, an arcade-inspired pub and social space located inside the Maggie Benston Centre. The Study is a collaborative venture between the university and the Joseph Richard Group, one of B.C.’s fastest growing food, beverage and entertainment organizations with more than 20 public houses, restaurants and liquor retail outlets in BC and Alberta.

The Study Public House SFU Simon Fraser University Burnaby Campus Joseph Richard Group JRG

I was invited to a media event this past weekend to see the new space and to try some of the menu offerings. Here’s a look at what you can expect.

Arcade-Inspired Social Space

The Study Public House seats 320 along with an expansive patio with views from Burnaby Mountain.

The lower level features an arcade complete with pinball machines, a shuffleboard table, a pool table and so forth.

The Study Public House Menu

The Study menu features local, craft, made-from-scratch products, traditional fare and tasty classics.

The Study Public House SFU Simon Fraser University Burnaby Campus Joseph Richard Group JRG menu

For shareables, there are the classics like nachos, chicken wings, poutine, and panko crusted pub-style onion rings and so forth. Featured handhelds include the JRG Double Cheeseburger, Cajun Chicken Club, Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken and so forth.

You’ll also find other entrees like Bangers and Mash, Cottage Pie, and Szechuan Chicken Rice Bowl. The menu also has a a few plant-based items like the Black Bean Burger, Szechuan Tofu Bowl and Baja Tofu Tacos. For drinks, you’ll find craft beer, signature cocktails as well as wine.

What We Tried

At the media event, we tried a variety of offerings on the menu.

Cocktails

We tried a few signature cocktails including the Watermelon Mojito ($6)(raspberry vodka, fresh cubed watermelon, mint sprigs, syrup) and Apple Mint Fizz ($6) (wisers apple, pineapple, mint & bitters).

Appetizers & Share Plates

Nachos ($18.75), the perfect shareable in a pub setting, came fully loaded with pickled onions, jalapenos, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, fire roasted salsa, and shredded triple blend cheese.

The Carnitas Street Tacos ($10.50) were a trio of braised pork shoulder tacos with pico de gallo, sriracha aioli, and cilatro served on a double-stack of corn tortillas.

The Panko Crusted Pub Style Onion Rings ($10) come either with truffle maple bacon glaze or jalapeno cheddar. We went with the truffle maple bacon glaze which resulted in sweet and salty onion rings.

Salad

The Farmer’s Market Salad ($17) was very refreshing. The sauteed lemon herb chicken had a sweet and sour taste and was accompanied by pickled golden beets, grapes, shaved vegetables, candied sunflower seeds, feta cheese, dried cranberries, champagne vinaigrette and topped with avocado.

Handhelds

For handhelds, we tried the 4-hour braised Canadian beef sandwich ($15.75) with horseradish aioli and onion rings on garlic toasted filone loaf. You can either have au jus or gravy for dipping.

Sit Down Stuff

The Fried Chicken & Waffles ($16) had maple bacon glazed chicken topped with scallions. The batter for the fried chicken was nicely seasoned and the meat was juicy and tender.

Plant-Based

The Black Bean Burger ($13.25) had a tender (not crumbly or mushy, tasty black bean patty with lettuce, tomato, sweet red onion, pickles, burger sauce and potato roll.

Dessert

You wouldn’t need to wait until the PNE to get those mini donuts, because The Study has them on their dessert menu. The Sack-O-Doughnuts ($6) are tossed in cinnamon and sugar and served with house made strawberry compote and chocolate sauce for dipping.

A more decadent dessert offering is the Peanut Butter Chocolate Stack ($7) featuring a dark chocolate brownie layered on a soft and rich peanut butter cookie, topped with crispy milk chocolate and peanut butter ganache. Served with whip cream and crushed peanuts all drizzled with caramel sauce.

My top choices for a 3-course would be the nachos, plant-based Black Bean Burger, and the Sack-O-Doughnuts.

The Study officially opens their doors April 1. They are open Monday – Saturday from 11am – 1am to Sunday from 11am – 12 am. For more information, visit www.jrghospitality.ca/establishment/the-study/.

The Study Public House
8888 University Drive
Maggie Benston Centre, Burnaby, BC
www.jrghospitality.ca/establishment/the-study

720 Sweets Metrotown: Christmas Special 2018

December 22, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It had been a few years since I last tried 720 Sweets, a local dessert shop chain known for their smoke-emitting soft-serve ice cream. They first started out with a shop in Kitsilano (see previous review here) but has since expanded to two locations within T&T Supermarket (Richmond and Metrotown) as well as another standalone store on Kingsway.

`720 sweets tnt metrotown christmas menu 2018

I had received a gift voucher from a media event for a complimentary ice cream a while back and decided to use it at the 720 Sweets location attached to T&T in Metrotown.

This holiday season, they are offering two Christmas Specials: the Matcha Christmas Tree and the Milk’ee Reindeer ($6.25).

I decided to go with the Milk’ee Reindeer which features milk tea soft serve ice cream with pretzel antlers, chocolate eyes and a raspberry nose.

The whole 720 experience starts off with dry ice and water being placed into the bottom of the soft serve cup. As the dry ice undergoes sublimation (solid to gas), a smoke is emitted. The dry ice is purely a visual effect for the dessert.

The soft serve sits in an insert within the large cup to accommodate the dry ice. The dry ice really helps to keep the soft serve cold and from melting too quickly.

From the taste side, I thought the milk tea soft serve flavour was not too sweet but a bit on the mild side. The texture of the soft serve is also a bit firmer and less melty than a soft serve without dry ice. On the presentation side, the swirl could have been better. It was a bit lopsided unfortunately.

Overall Impression

The Christmas Special I tried was reasonable for the price and portions. I’d be interested in having one of their desserts again in the future. Presentation is staff-dependent and for my particular soft serve it could have been improved. Rating: 3/5

720 Sweets
4800 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
720sweets.com

Morak Korean Restaurant in Burnaby

August 25, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

After watching “Crazy Rich Asians” with a few girlfriends at Silvercity Metropolis, we decided to grab some dinner at nearby restaurant. One of the girls lived in the neighbourhood and recommended Morak Korean Fusion Restaurant – an eatery where she was a regular.

Interior

Morak seemed like a quaint restaurant with a modern interior and a mix of booths and dining tables.

Morak Korean Restaurant Menu

The menu was divided into appetizers, specialty dishes, noodles, stews/soups, BBQ dishes, rice and desserts.

What We Tried

The food overall was good with reasonable portions for the prices. Nothing stoodout for me perhaps because all the dishes we ordered tasted more or less the same. Our dinner was rather meat-centric with the meat dishes having very similar Korean sweet and spicy flavours. I think that if we added a seafood pancake, tofu soup and so forth, the meal would have been less one tonal. Here’s a look at the dishes we tried.

S5 – Yuzu Pork ($20.95)

The deep fried pork was lightly battered and wonderfully crispy on the outside while tender on the inside. I enjoyed the citrusy, sweet and sour flavours.

S6 – Ggebi Chicken ($18.95)

The Korean-style sweet and spicy chicken was accompanied by rice cakes and topped with nuts. The deep fried chicken was very crispy, tender and flavourful.

B5 – Squid and Pork Bulgogi ($15.95)

Pork bulgogi is my favourite thing to order at a Korean restaurant but at Morak it only comes with squid! The dish was okay as I don’t think squid and pork go really well with each other. I would have much-preferred squid on its own.

H9 – Rice Cake Stew ($7 for a small)

Korean spicy rice cake stew with fish cake. I think we ordered this thinking that it was like soup. However, it turned out to be rice cakes and fish cakes in sauce.

Service

Service was friendly but there were some misses. We needed to follow up on our order of Yuzu Pork which they probably only started making after we inquired about it. I also didn’t really like how we were brought the bill when we weren’t quite finished yet. I know it is a small, busy restaurant but there were some empty tables when they gave us the bill without us asking for it.

One funny thing happened after I took some interior photos of the restaurant as we were leaving. A server ran out onto the street and asked if we needed a picture as a group. Super funny!

Overall Impression of Morak Restaurant

The dishes we tried were OK though nothing to write home about. Prices were reasonable for the portions. There are also quite a few Korean restaurants in the area and I don’t know how Morak would compare to them as I don’t dine in the area often. My recommendation would be the Ggebi chicken. Rating: 3.5/5

Morak Korean Restaurant
Address: 6285 Nelson Ave, Burnaby, BC
Website: ‎www.morakkoreanfusion.com/

Boba Boy Burnaby Offers Handcrafted Tapioca

August 13, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

A few months ago, Boba Boy opened up their second BC location in Burnaby at Royal Oak and Kingsway. The Ontario-based franchise is known for serving drinks in their signature Boba Bottles – tall, reusable containers with screw-on caps that are great for on-the-go. Boba Boy is a unique bubble tea shop because they freshly make their own tapioca which come in different flavours like matcha and taro. I had tried drinks from their first BC location in Kerrisdale (see post here) and found the experience to be good. This time around, I decided to visit their new Burnaby location.

Note: None of the drinks in this review were complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

Boba Boy Burnaby Menu

Boba Boy Burnaby offers a variety of drinks including Fruity Tea, Signature Milk Tea, Fresh Sunkist, Fresh Tea, Speciality Slush/Smoothies, Mousse Latte and Fresh Juice/Milk. Aside from their handcrafted tapioca, they offer toppings like coconut jelly, grass jelly, pudding and red bean. The drinks come in regular size ($4.50), large ($5.50 – $5.80), and their signature Boba Bottles ($5.50 – $6.50). The Boba Bottles are about $2 premium over the regular size.

Some of their drinks already come with tapioca and are a bit cheaper as a “package.” These are listed separately.

Boba Bottle Deal

Boba Boy Burnaby offers a deal Monday to Thursday from 2 – 6 pm where Boba Bottles are $10 for 2.

Freshly Made Tapioca

I found an official video which showcases how they make their additive- and preservative-free tapioca.

Modern, Clean Interior

Boba Boy Burnaby has a more spacious interior compared to their sister location in Kerrisdale.

What I Tried

Because I brought in the Boba Bottles from my visit to the Kerrisdale location, I received the drink for the price of a large. The drinks cost $5.50 as opposed to $6.50. I went with the Deluxe Milk Tea with Original Tapioca and Grass Jelly and the Taro Milk Tea with Taro Tapioca.

The drinks did not have as strong tea flavour as other places like Chatime but it didn’t bother me that much. I did notice a significant improvement in the quality of their tapioca compared to what I had at their Kerrisdale location. Last time, they were too hard for my liking but the ones on this visit were much softer and closer to the “non-handcrafted ones” you would get from Chatime.

In terms of volume, the pearls occupied approximately one-fifth of the Boba Bottle. They are smaller but densely packed and were stuck together at the bottom of the cup. I would swirl the drink with my straw or shake the bottle in order to loosen the pearls.

Boba Bottle

Was the Boba Bottle worth it? To start, I like it for the novelty factor. It’s a great way to get bubble tea to go. If you have a large to-go order of bubble tea say for like 10 of your friends, I think the Boba Bottle works perfectly. PRO TIP: The Boba Bottle has a special, longer straw so don’t grab the wrong one. The straw is sized perfectly to the height of the Boba Bottle so that you can still put the cap on.

I’m not sure how “reusable” the Boba Bottle is as it is not indicated to be BPA free or what not. However, I did find the Boba Bottle to be pretty sturdy plastic which works well if you need to stuff it in your backpack.

Overall Impression of Boba Boy Burnaby

The concept of preservative-free, fresh house-made tapioca is great and that is one reason why I return to Boba Boy despite that the tea flavour is a bit weak. The initiative to have customers reuse cups for bubble tea is a good one. Rating: 3.5/5

Boba Boy Burnaby
Address: 150-5172, Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
Website: ‎bobaboy.ca

Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby (Metrotown Area)

June 17, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Popular Gastown-based soft serve parlour, Soft Peaks Ice Cream, opened a second location in Burnaby this past April. The popular dessert spot which opened in 2015 is known for their handcrafted, organic ice cream creations made with Avalon organic milk and creative toppings like locally made honeycomb, Himalayan pink salt and more.

After enjoying dinner at Dinesty on Friday night, we visited Soft Peaks for some dessert. It had been a while (see old post here) since I tried Soft Peaks and I was eager to have some of their soft serve again.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

Spacious Location

Soft Peak’s Burnaby location has been reported to be double the size of their Gastown shop. There are a few dining tables near the front of the cafe, bench seating along the wall, and more tables at the back.

Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby Menu

On the menu at Soft Peaks Burnaby are their signature soft-serve creations. The signature creations differ by toppings and syrups but you get to choose your soft serve flavour (classic milk, dark chocolate or twist). The desserts are mostly priced between $6 for a small size and $7-$8 for a regular size. Cups are available for either small or regular, while cones are for regular-sized only.

If you also feeling adventurous, you can also opt to build your own soft serve and customize it with toppings (like yuzu marmalade, red bean, and more) and syrups (like liquid honey, matcha condensed milk and more).

Also available at Soft Peaks Burnaby is an espresso-bar serving Milano Coffee. Their drinks offerings include an Espresso Shot, Americano, Cappuccino, Caffe Latte and Cafe Mocha. A few non-espresso signature drinks are also on the menu: the Strawberry Milk Tea and Black Cube Latte.

Unique to the Burnaby location is the Frissant Ice Cream Sandwich. Created by The Swiss Bakery, the Frissant is somewhere between a fritter and a doughnut. This is sandwiched around the soft serve and syrup of your choice.

What I Tried

I came to Soft Peaks to specifically try the Frissant Ice Cream Sandwich ($6.75) and it did not disappoint! The Frissant Ice Cream Sandwich had previously received unfavourable reviews as customers had complained about the Frissant being “stale.” However, in an Instagram announcement last month, Soft Peaks noted that they improved on the quality of the Frissant.

I can certainly attest that it is wonderfully butter, crispy and flaky. The soft serve did melt rather quickly but Soft Peaks did mention in their Instagram announcement that their soft serves melt faster when served in Frissant Sandwich as compared to when served in a cup or cone.

I went with the original/dark chocolate soft serve twist with a strawberry puree syrup and loved how everything was satisfying but not overly rich and sweet. In all, I very much enjoyed the Frissant Ice Cream Sandwich as compared to the too sugary Churros Ice Cream Sandwich I have had from Hugo’s Churros.

Overall Impression of Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby

It was a solid experience at Soft Peaks and I am looking forward to visiting again soon. I recommend their Frisssant Ice Cream Sandwich and would love to have it again. Rating: 4/5

Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby
Address: 115-4603, Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
Website: softpeaks.ca‎

Burnaby Bubble Tea: Comebuy Crystal Mall

June 4, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Taiwanese-based bubble tea chain, Comebuy, opened up a location in Crystal Mall last year. Comebuy was founded in 2002 and is a smaller chain compared to Chatime and Gong Cha with just 200 stores worldwide. Most recently, they opened up a second location in Metro Vancouver in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood. On a recent shopping trip in Burnaby, I decided to visit Comebuy Crystal Mall for some refreshments.

Note: None of the drinks in this review was complimentary. This review was done anonymously.

Comebuy Menu

Comebuy Crystal Mall’s menu is fairly small compared to other bubble tea places in Vancouver. Their series includes Teapressos, Lattes, Milk Teas, Teaccino, Coffees, and other seasonal specials. The prices are comparable to other bubble tea houses in Vancouver. Drinks can be customized for sugar and ice level.

Some of the more unique topping choices they offer include Crystal Jelly, Purple Rice, Lychee Jelly, Basil Seeds and Creamcinno.

What I Tried

I tried one of their best sellers, QQ Milk Tea, and one of their Teapressos, Peach Oolong Tea. Both drinks actually exceeded my expectations with great tea flavour and tasty toppings.

The QQ Milk Tea comes with two types of toppings: tapioca pearls as well as the Konjac jelly. The tapioca pearls were good: smooth and slightly soft on the outside, but chewy through to the middle with a slightly increased level of firmness. The standout for me was the Konjac jelly, which are “white pearls” that are firmer and more bouncy than regular pearls. They added a nice textural contrast to the regular tapioca pearls.

The Peach Oolong Teapresso was ultra-refreshing and had a wonderful balance between fruit and tea flavours. This drink came with coconut jelly, which went well with the drink. I would love to have this again.

Overall Impression of Comebuy Crystal Mall

I enjoyed both drinks I tried from Comebuy and would be interested in trying more of their menu in the future. I recommend the Konjac jelly as a topping. Rating: 4/5

Comebuy Crystal Mall
Address: 1610 – 4500 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
Website: www.facebook.com/ComebuyCrystalMall‎

Newly Opened: Yaguchiya Ramen in Metrotown Area

September 2, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

While most of the top local ramen eateries are in Downtown Vancouver, a new ramen house has emerged in the Metrotown area. Meet Yaguchiya Ramen which originates from Yokohama, Japan and now has opened their first overseas location in Burnaby a few months ago. Yaguchiya is conveniently located on Kingsway right across Superstore at Metrotown so it’s easy to access from the mall. A friend and I decided to try out Yaguchiya Ramen recently after attending a media preview of the new MUJI store at Metrotown.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review was done anonymously.

Iekei Ramen Menu

Yaguchiya specializes in Iekei ramen, a unique hybrid ramen style that combines chicken and soy-based shoyu ramen with tonkatsu or pork bone-style ramen. Iekei-style ramen is fairly uncommon outside of Japan where it was invented in Yokohama during the 1970s. The resulting Iekei broth is lighter than fatty, creamy tonkotsu but heavier than shoyu which is thin.

On the menu are 6 main ramen features: Shoyu, Shio, Miso, Spicy, Vegan and Yaguchia Special. The bowls come in regular, medium or large and range between $10-$15 depending on the flavour and size. They offer ramen combos with gyoza and salad or you can order those as stand-alone side dishes. A few rice dishes and desserts round out the menu. The bowls are customizable based on noodle firmness (soft or hard), taste (mild or strong) and oil (little or a lot). You can view the menu online here.

Yaguchiya has a recommended recipe of toppings which includes a dash of pepper, garlic, spicy miso, grated ginger and a dash of vinegar.

Interior

The interior of Yaguchiya ramen was small, bare minimal but very brightly lit and quite unlike most of the ramen eateries I have been to in Vancouver. There were a few four-person tables and seating at the counter along the window. The kitchen is closed and is located at the back of the restaurant which is a contrast to a place like Kintaro where you can watch the chefs at work.

What We Tried

I went with a medium shoyu ramen ($11.75) which had chicken and pork broth, 2 pieces of pork chashu, roasted seaweed, spinach and an extra topping of sweet corn ($1.25). I forgot to customize my bowl for the noodles, taste and oil nor did the server ask. As a result, I’m not quite sure what the standard options are.

I found Yaguchiya’s pork and chicken broth fairly light, golden in colour and definitely more opaque and less flavourful than a milky, creamy tonkotsu broth. The portion of corn given (as the additional topping) was reasonable for $1.25. I’ve paid double for the same amount at Santouka.

The noodles weren’t particularly al dente – perhaps they were soft noodles. The portion of noodles given were more than reasonable. You will get filled because of that.

The pork chashu was disappointing. The two pieces I received were very thinly sliced, tough and definitely not melt-in-your-mouth.

We also ordered a side of gyoza to share. Unfortunately, the gyoza weren’t particularly good either with the filling being just average and the outside wrap not so crispy. The gyoza weren’t piping hot either but rather just adequately warm.

My friend had the regular Yaguchiya Special ($12.75) which comes with 3 pieces of chashu, seasoned egg, leek, roasted seaweed, spinach in a pork and chicken broth.

Overall Impression of Yaguchiya Ramen

I thought the portions of noodles given were very reasonable but the broth was largely unmemorable and the chashu was less than stellar. Their broth is lighter and perhaps healthier than a tonkotsu broth. The gyoza needed to be more crispy. Based on my experience, I didn’t find Yaguchiya to be competitive enough with the popular ramen eateries in Vancouver. Rating: 3/5

Yaguchiya Ramen
Address: 4679 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC
Website: www.yaguchiya-ramen.com/

Largest Canadian MUJI Store Opens in Metrotown

August 26, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Japanese retailer MUJI has opened its first store in Western Canada at Metropolis at Metrotown shopping mall in Burnaby. With 7,770 square feet of retail space, this will be MUJI Canada’s largest store. MUJI Metrotown officially opens to the public on Saturday, August 26. I attended a media preview on Friday evening and I’m happy to share with you a first look at MUJI Metrotown.

With the goal of making people’s daily life comfortable and pleasant, MUJI is globally recognized for its high quality products that are functional and well designed, but at the same time simple and reasonably priced. The Metrotown store will offer MUJI Canada’s full range of merchandise including household goods, apparel, and food. TIP: If you subscribe to MUJI Mail, you can receive 10% off your purchase.

Mujirushi Ryohin, MUJI in Japanese, translates as “no-brand quality goods.” MUJI was founded in Japan in 1980 and now has more than 800 stores around the world, carrying more than 7,000 items. The company expanded to Canada in 2014, with the opening of Toronto’s Atrium location, followed by the Square One Shopping Centre location in Mississauga, the Yorkdale Shopping Centre location, and most recently, the Markville location.

Scroll more below to see more photos of the different sections of the store.

For foodies out there, don’t forget to check out the food section with candies and confections like Japanese Candy with Plum and Brown Sugar Candy.

Newly Opened in Burnaby: Mon Paris Patisserie

May 20, 2017 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Mon Paris Patisserie is a new Parisian-style cafe that has opened in Burnaby’s Metrotown neighbourhood at 4396 Beresford Street. It is owned and operated by Parisian-trained Chef Elena Krasnova and this is her first venture alone. I had seen some social media posts about Mon Paris Patisserie and had been interested in trying out their treats. This month, I am working with Pay By Phone to share with my readers about their expansion to Burnaby. Mon Paris Patisserie has metered parking just right in front and you can use Pay By Phone to enjoy simple, worry free parking while you are there. Here are a few thoughts on my visit to Mon Paris.

Disclosure: None of my food in this review was complimentary. The cafe did not know that I am a blogger. My parking was sponsored by Pay By Phone.

A Touch Of Paris

The 1,000 square foot cafe is bright, airy, clean and modern. When you walk in, a large photo of the Eiffel tower immediately catches your eye. There are a few two-seater tables inside the cafe as well as one table outside.

Mon Paris Patisserie’s tantalizing display of goodies includes viennoiseries (scones, croissants, turnovers and more), confections (marshamallows and marmalades), macarons, chocolates, cakes and tarts. The style of the pastries seem to be French but with a modern twist. I noticed the vibrant colours of the treats which seem to be more of a modern appeal. Also on the menu are lunch specials like croissant sandwiches as well as espresso-based drinks and teas.

What I Tried

On my visit to Mon Paris patisserie, I tried the following:

Raspberry eclair ($4.00)
Strawberry and sour cream tart ($5.00)
Cappuccino, medium ($3.50)

While I quite enjoyed the modern and inviting atmosphere, things kind of went awry afterwards. The woman working the counter may have been a temporary fill-in or a relative of the Chef perhaps? She was friendly but didn’t seem quite familiar with how things operated around there. To start, I noticed that she just used her bare hands when she removed my treats from the display case. Staff at other cafes would use tongs or use gloves to handle the food, I think. Also, the display case at Mon Patisserie is deeper such that there is no easy way to just slide out the treats. You literally need to lift them out of the case. I saw that the woman went from handling my treats to touching the tablet to process the payment.

Next up, the cappuccino seemed a little off. The proportions of espresso and milk seemed wrong? The drink was loaded with milk foam and the espresso was rather weak in my opinion. It just didn’t seem like an expertly crafted cappuccino.

The raspberry eclair and strawberry and sour cream tart were very good. Both were not very sweet as high quality French pastries should be. The rapsberry eclair had a tasty raspberry-flavoured cream filling. However, I feel the filling from the new Eclair de Genie shop on Robson are better as they tasted fresher and lighter. Of course, there is a bit of a price difference as well: $4 for an eclair at Mon Paris versus upwards of $7 at Eclair de Genie. Another surprise was that my husband picked off some fibers from inside the tart. They didn’t seem to be human hair but perhaps fibres from clothing? I didn’t complain as I was not in a mood to deal with the staff about it. But otherwise, the dessert tasted quite good with a slightly tart flavour. The crust wasn’t very sweet but was still buttery.

Overall Impression of Mon Paris Patisserie

I had high hopes of writing a great review of Mon Paris Patisserie, but unfortunately there were a few issues. The cafe is still new and I expect there to be improvements. At the moment, my experience didn’t really entice me to return soon. Rating: 3/5

Website: www.monparis.ca

Interior

Old Street Menu

What We Tried

Old Street Chinese Crepe

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Old Street Rice

Old Street Snacks

Taiwanese Egg Wrap

Arcade-Inspired Social Space

The Study Public House Menu

What We Tried

Cocktails

Appetizers & Share Plates

Salad

Handhelds

Sit Down Stuff

Plant-Based

Dessert

Overall Impression

Interior

Morak Korean Restaurant Menu

What We Tried

S5 – Yuzu Pork ($20.95)

S6 – Ggebi Chicken ($18.95)

B5 – Squid and Pork Bulgogi ($15.95)

H9 – Rice Cake Stew ($7 for a small)

Service

Overall Impression of Morak Restaurant

Boba Boy Burnaby Menu

Boba Bottle Deal

Freshly Made Tapioca

Modern, Clean Interior

What I Tried

Boba Bottle

Overall Impression of Boba Boy Burnaby

Spacious Location

Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Soft Peaks Ice Cream Burnaby

Comebuy Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Comebuy Crystal Mall

Iekei Ramen Menu

Interior

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Yaguchiya Ramen

A Touch Of Paris

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Mon Paris Patisserie

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