$6.95 for a Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box?! (Ro Sushi Broadway Review)

I think I just found myself a place for cheap sushi. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and I was in the VGH area volunteering for a film. I haven't had lunch yet and was craving for sushi. The first one I saw immediately at that instant that I was craving sushi was Ro Sushi. Seeing their menu on the outside, I noticed the $6.95 Bento Box special and the $5.95 sushi special.
   Walking into the restaurant, there was a small flight of stairs to climb as the inside of the restaurant is a bit higher. The restaurant wasn't too busy, and my mom and I were greeted by the staff. We were seated down immediately. Looking around, the decor wasn't anything to write about. However, I noticed that they had a small elevator for those who are disabled. I really appreciate that because a lot of restaurants don't have this and I'd imagine this shows that the business actually care about customers.
    When the waitress brought over the menu, I didn't hesitate to order the chicken teriyaki bento box. At the same time, my mom got the sushi combo. After a few minutes, our order arrived. First came the miso soup, then the bento and sushi. The bento box looked pretty decent. The portions were not too big nor too small. There was about four pieces of tempura, 6 pieces of California roll, a small salad, and teriyaki with rice.
     My mom also gave me 3 pieces of her sushi combo (which came with 18 pieces of sushi: a yam tempera roll, a California roll and a tuna roll).
     I was afraid that the combo might be too small so I ordered a separate roll of dynamite roll as well.
    In short, the food portions were decent. The chicken teriyaki box was pretty filling. The chicken is a bit smaller than what I'm used to and there could have been more rice (or maybe I was just hungry at the time and my brain was playing with me), but it was still a decent price to pay for the portions. With regards to the taste, everything tasted pretty fresh. The tempura was a bit on the greasy side, but otherwise it wasn't too bad.
   $6.95 for a bento box like this is actually pretty good and I would definitely come back again,

Half Mexican Half Contemporary Tacos and Burritos (Chronic Tacos Broadway City Hall Station)

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while since I last posted (sorry I've been travelling and got caught with work), but I am back!
When it comes to Mexican food, there are quite a bit of selection around town. However, not being Mexican, I can't really comment on how authentic one Mexican restaurant is compared to another. That said, Chronic Tacos feel a bit more Western and contemporary compared to many of the other Mexican food places.
Conveniently located within a few meters to the Broadway-City Hall Skytrain station, this location is a fair place to grab your Taco needs. The moment you walk into the restaurant, you will see that the lighting is dim and the place is quite spacious. On the right hand side there is a bar and the ordering counter is at the back of the restaurant.
 This place is meant to be more of a fast food location, and by looking at the menu, this is even more evident. There aren't too many items on there. There are two main items that they offer, which are burritos and tacos. Beside these two, they do have a small sides menu and a kids menu. Compared to many of the other Mexican food outlets I've been to, I would say the menu from Chronic Tacos has less options.

When it was my turn to order, I saw on the counter if you text the word "TACO" to this number (4242658226) you would get a free taco coupon (I found out later on that it wasn't a free Taco, it was a "BOGO" thing). I decided to only get a Taco and a side of rice. The tacos were at least $3.99, so I figured if I got a side of rice with the Tacos it would be cheaper.
 I decided to get a chicken taco with corn flour (I think corn is more nutritious than refined flour). This location is sort of like Subway in the sense that they ask you what kind of toppings you would like. I find what was interesting is that they give you a double layer of the taco shell, and then they put so much toppings on the taco shell (relatively speaking, like the toppings compared to the shell) that you cannot fully wrap the taco shell around the toppings. At the end I ended up getting a fork and eating the toppings by itself and the taco shell separately.
The materials used for the toppings were fresh. What I liked about the chicken was that it wasn't greasy at all. In addition, even though I didn't add any sauce to the topping (the sauces add so much more calories...) it was still relatively good. The side of rice I got was good too. There was a hint of tomato in there, and it was flavourful that you can just eat the rice right off the bat.
 In summary, I would say the price is on the higher end, especially for the portion (the portions were not that big). The quality was fair, so I would probably come back (to use that BOGO coupon...) if I was in the area.

Sushi Bang (Broadway City Hall station)

The location of Sushi Bang is very convenient, it is only a few steps away from the 99 Bus stop and the Vancouver City Hall - Broadway Canada Line skytrain station. I was in the area because I was in the area for VGH with my grandma, so I wanted something quick. My first response was to look for fast but healthier food, so something like Japanese take out. When I looked across the street from London Drugs, I saw Sushi Bang's sign that say "Take out".
   I headed over to their direction and I see a sign outside their door that say a 18pc sushi special so I went in. My first impression of the place was it was very small and cramped. Even their goldfish that was on display at the entrance seemed cramped. They tried to fit 3-5 koi/carp like fish in a small 10 gallon tank and all aquarium enthusiasts know that the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish/gallon, and that tank was definitely over capacity.  Like the fish tank, the restaurant itself is pretty cramped too. The tables were small and their is only one isle for people to walk in. If you are claustrophobic, I wouldn't recommend dining in.
   When I entered, I was greeted by the waitress who showed me what their 18 piece sushi combo looked like. For 5.95, I say the combo looked pretty decent. The sushi looks abit on the small side, but for 5.95 I guess it was what to expect. I thought the sushi combo probably wouldn't fill me up, so I decided to get a bento box.
   I finally settled for the Chicken Teriyaki box, and I asked for the take out version. I waited for about 10 minutes and the wait time was short, but abit uncomfortable because of the cramped space.
   After, I took my bento box and went to the food court of Whole Foods across the street. I must say, it's the first time I've seen a Japanese bento box put in a Styrofoam box. The bento box was about $7.95, the portion was pretty decent/ slightly lacking side. The salad only contained a piece of orange and a few slices of lettuce. Their were about 8 pieces of California roll, and it tasted pretty average.
   The chicken teriyaki was abit on the small side. There were only about 4 pieces and it was slightly burnt. The taste of it wasn't that great either as it was somewhat on the hard side. Like the teriyaki, the tempura was over fried. When I picked up the yam tempura, it was dripping oil, which was abit scary. It seemed like the tempura has been in the fryer for too long and thus, rather than tasting the actual tempura and vegetables, I was tasting the oil instead...
Overall:
Eating environment - fair/ but on the poor side beside it's cramped
Food - fair but could be better
Price - average/fair

Afternoon Snack at Timmy's

I was on my way to the Vancouver General Hospital when I got hungry. I just did a 10k run this morning in preparation for the Vancouver Marathon in May. One of my favourite snack items is Tim Horton's Chicken Salad Wrap. They are usually only $1.50 for one and they are quite filling for a snack. Not only do they pack in protein, but they also have abit of vegetables like tomatos and a piece of lettuce. Today I walked by this Timmy's and I went in.
  I must say, I don't really like the decor of the place. For some reason the beige walls reminds me of some senior's home. Better question is, you'll walk in there wondering "who died?!". The staff in general was pretty friendly, there was a song that came on the radio and they were singing along with it. This is also one of the only Tim Horton's that didn't have a display case of their baked goods. Rather, they had the display case behind the counter.
   Overall, this is just an average Tim Horton's, nothing too special about it.