Chicken Soup of Everything Asian (Wok Box Queensborough Landing Review)

Located at Queensborough landing, Wok Box is probably one of the only places around that mixes a bunch of Asian cuisine together. Passing by here numerous times on trips to Wal-mart, I never had the chance to try them out, so after class one day, my friend and I decided to give them a try.
 From the outside, you can tell that it's a Chinese place. However, that wasn't the case when I walked in. The decor sort of has a mix of Asianness. Especially the murals of Buddha on the wall, it sort of give a sense of Thai yet it's not exactly Thai. I think a large part using buddha as decor sort of shows the Asian stereotype.
After taking a minute to look at the decor and digesting the interesting yet museum like aura of the restaurant, I turned to look at the menu. I was very surprised by the menu because not only did they offer Chinese food, they had Indian food (Butter Chicken) too. I can tell that the food here is very westernized. Their selection from each culture in Asia is very limited and they seem to only feature dishes that are common. Dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken and Indian Butter Chicken to name a few.

   What was special was that for takeout orders, the containers that are used are the paper ones that you see in the US. I never seen the takeout containers used here before, so that was pretty special. Everything comes in two sizes, there is the lunch size and the dinner size. Actually, the After debating with myself for a while, I decided to get a Kung Pao Chicken (the noodle version). My friend decided to get the Indian Butter Chicken.
  We waited for about 15 minutes before we got our order. What I really like about this place is that the food is freshly made and not like food courts where the food is already made up and sitting on the counter and waiting for the customer to come. I was very fascinated with the take out boxes, so the cashier asked if I wanted my order in a take out box to which I said yes.
  When the order came, I was pleased with the portion of the food. It was a fair portion compared to the amount that I paid. It was about $10 for the meal, and there is an option to make it a combo for $3.99 more. The combo includes either two spring rolls or a samosa with a fountain drink.
  The Kung Pao chicken tasted pretty fair, however, some of the vegetables such as the sprouted beans tasted raw. I am not sure if they are meant to be raw, but it definitely is something I never had before. The downside with the take out containers is that it is hard to get food out. Also, there is quite abit of sauce with the Kung Pao chicken, when I put in the fork to get out the noodle, the plastic fork bent... Overall the taste was pretty average.
  In summary, the downside with Wok Box is that they do not have a specialization in a specific culture of Asian cuisine. Because of that, the taste wasn't too outstanding, but the price is pretty fair/average.

Togo Sushi (New Westminster Station)

I was on my way home from Surrey (gotta renew my passport) when I remembered I needed groceries and also I was hungry and craving sushi. Across the walkway in Safeway at the New Westminster station is a sushi place called Togo Sushi. I'm not sure if It's supposed to be pronounced To Go sushi or if Togo is a Japanese name for something... but I decided to give them a try.
When I entered the restaurant, it reminded me of a fast food joint/ food court kind of thing because you order the sushi at the counter and then you take the food you ordered and you sit at the tables and eat it rather than having the waiter/waitress bring the food to you.
  A fast look at their menu shows that the prices are average. $6.95 for a donburi, and the range of $1 to $2 for nigiri around Vancouver is considered average (In my opinion anyway). I decided to grab something small and simple (watching for calories because I am also craving some Starbucks). I grabbed an avocado roll. At $2.50 for 6 pieces it was a pretty good deal. The pieces themselves weren't big though. The taste was pretty fair, nothing too special.
  I did appreciate the fact that the cashier asked me if I wanted ginger or wasabi. The thing with Japanese restaurants is that they all assume you are going to eat ginger and wasabi with the sushi, but the truth is, I don't think many eat the ginger or even wasabi! So it would be quite a waste of food. That said, the cashier was funny too, she gave me a raised eyebrow when I asked for an extra pair of chopsticks (because I was thinking of sharing the sushi with my mom)/
  I think I understand why the place is called ToGo sushi, I've noticed that all of the sushi is served in takeout containers (Styrofoam), and is targeted towards customers who are on the go. That said, if I'm around the area I will definitely come back again. Their website is www.togosushi.ca