"Iraashaiiiiiiiiiiii" Jinya Ramen Metrotown Review

Table upon being seated

The moment you walk into Jinya, the first thing you will notice is the decor. Out of all ramen places that I've been to, this place is a bit on the fancier end for decor. You can tell that they have taken some time into designing their shop. They take more of a contemporary style of design compared to other ramen places I've been to.

Vegetable ramen

     This place is very busy by the looks of it. What is cool is that you can leave your phone with them and they can text you when there are seats for you. Alternatively, you can wait there (there is not much of a waiting area though...). The waiting area in front of the host feels more like a crowded elevator as there really isn't much space for anyone to wait. In the summer time, I can see that people can wait outside or on the patio. However, during the winter time, that would be unpractical. If you want to avoid long waits, I suggest coming here before lunch hour or after lunch and before dinner or after dinner times.The seating itself is usually shared (so you are either on the big table with many other people or at the bar). If you are looking for a place to bring your whole family, just be aware you maybe placed with other people due to the nature of the store. 

Wide Angle of the restaurant 

I was here with my mom for lunch, and I decided to order the Chicken Ramen with the kaedama (which was the noodle refill for $1.50) while she ordered the Vegetable Ramen. There were other things on the menu besides ramen such as sides (tempura) and drinks. They also had a very interesting looking kids meal ($12 and it includes tempura and other things in a small boat together with a small bowl of ramen. The pricing of all bowls of ramen were around $12 - $15 - which is slightly higher than average but it was good.  

The Menu

    After we ordered, It didn't take too long for the ramen to come, and the portions were pretty fair. The vegetable ramen looked very interesting... Besides having a vegetable soup base and the ramen noodles, they seem to dump a salad ontop of the ramen. So when the bowl of vegetable ramen came, it looked more like a salad than ramen. The chicken ramen was pretty interesting too. When I got my ramen, I asked for the kaedama to come at the same time. Then I put the kaedama into the bowl and then added three spoons of spicy sauce. The noodles sucked up all of the broth, so I had a bowl of semi- spaghetti like noodles. When I started eating, the three spoons of spicy sauce was wayyy too much. By the time I finished, I was already sweating all over with a runny nose... That aside, it was pretty good. The thing I like about their ramen is the broth isn't too greasy and the noodles (whole grain) and the broth feels real (there are some places that just use powder and you can really taste that.  

The funniest part about this restaurant is that everyone shouts to the top of their lungs Japanese phrases (like they do in Japan). Things like "Irasharimase" which means welcome, and things like how many customers there are coming in and etc... It does feel nice to have such a warm welcoming. However, not being too judgmental or anything (I learned Japanese for a few years while my mom did her bachelor's degree in Japan), the pronunciation of the phrases the waiters and waitresses were shouting were pretty off. I'll give them credit for trying, but I can see someone who speaks fluent Japanese would find the dining experience pretty funny. Overall, I like this place and would definitely come back again. 

Race #81 - Steveston Ice Breaker 8km and Steveston Bakery

For those have been following me along my journey (thank you so much <3) knows that I am trying to complete 100 races before I am 25 in attempt to raise awareness for mental and liver health. For the next 20 races, I will make an effort to post about the race/event experience (for now, it will be on vantraveller.com, but I will probably migrate that to my own website down the road).

Lots of finish line food

Race #81 - Steveston Ice Breaker 8km and Steveston Bakery 

Holy Wind! I think nothing explains the concept of how jet streams work better than today. The course was an out and back from the docks near Steveston eastward along the water and then back. The reason why it reminds me of jet streams is that when an airplane is flying on a jet stream, it's so much faster than when it's flying against it. It's the reason why planes fly faster one way (the way that's in the direction of the jet stream) versus the other way (against it).

Croissant from the Steveston Bakery

   The day started with one of my best friends and I driving to Steveston, the wind was blowing like haywire. When we arrived, the community center wasn't opened yet, so we waited outside for a bit until they were open. Once it was opened, we quickly grabbed our race packages. The race packages itself was nothing too noteworthy, all it included was the race bib, pins and some coupons for New Balance. After we got our packages, we went on a hunt for food (there were no pre-event food besides water, so we had to wait until after the race yet we were starving).
   During our hunt, the Steveston Bakery was open... and what a CUTEEE bakery that was. Since it was early in the morning, the seating area were full of seniors and they were just the most adorable people. They were super curious about our race bibs and the race and we began chatting. The owner was super personable and nice too. If there is something that tugs at my soft spot, it's the small family owned bakery feeling. I can tell that everything was made in house and that they took a lot of time (probably up at 4AM making it). I ended up getting a small cheese croissant and boy that was good. The cheddar cheese inside that croissant and the fact that it wasn't overly greasy really gave it a good touch.

The insides of the Steveston Bakery, it was so cute <3

  Soon after we finished at the Bakery, we headed back to the Steveston Community Center where we changed and then left our non-running clothes in her car. The event also provided bag check, but we thought it was easier for us to leave it in her car.
   The actual start line was a few blocks from the Steveston Community Center (which was were the pre-event package pickup and post-event celebration). It was definitely a bit far in-terms of the relative distance from the start line/ finish line and the event celebration site. However, I can understand given the nature of where the start line/ finish line is (such as the availability of space and weather) that it would be hard to house all the festivities and food there.
   The event didn't have a start line arch this year (I'd imagine they would have it otherwise, but the wind today was CRAZY. 40km/hr+ at least. . he event was also self seeded with a mass start, but most people had no problem finding their place in the starting chute.

The start / finish line of the Steveston 8km

   The course itself was pretty in the sense that if the weather was good, the water on the south side was gorgeous with the sun rising. However, with the wind, it was hard to keep my eyes open. On the first 4 kilometers, it was VERY DIFFICULT because of the wind. The course was running eastward and the wind was moving westward. There was a lot of resistance running into the wind. The moment that I passed the 4 kilometer mark, it was amazing to feel the wind push me forward from the back.

Post event door prizes

    The course's elevation change was not that much besides small inclines here and there. Overall, you can call this race a flat race. I had a fun time running the race (I have an over active imagination, so I definitely felt like I was an airplane). It took me about 34 minutes to run the 8km (which wasn't the fastest... but the thing I learned about racing is to just try your best on given conditions on the day of the event). Mind you, this event draws out track athletes, so be prepared to see a faster crowder than your average community race. The finish line was fun though, I stayed for a bit for people I knew to finish, and to give them high 5's.

Post event food

The walk from the finish line to Stevenston Community Center was slightly cold. I was cooled down already (because of sweat), so the few hundred meters we had to walk to the Community Center was cold (and the wind didn't help). That said, the food at the Community Center was amazing. They were able to get people like Subway, Boston Pizza, KIND Snacks to sponsor. In addition, they also had fruits and muffins (made by the lady who owned Steveston Bakery!), coffee, water and krispy kreme. The food part was spectacular and very well done. The other part that was cool was the number of door prizes there were. I was surprised how many prizes they had (I won a MEC race series ticket). Overall, this was a cute community race. It brought together volunteers from the community and the Kajaks and I love that about this race.

Tips:

• Weather can be unpredictable because of the date of the event, so be prepared. 
• Make sure to plan transport, if you cannot drive here, I would imagine it would be harder to come here via public transit, especially on a Sunday morning.
• Register early. The earlier you register, the cheaper it is. 

Time to get your inner geek out! A Halloween Night at Wayne Manor (Brock House Restuarant) Event Recap

The reception area

This was one of the most unique events I have ever been to (it was from October, I was a bit late in posting this) A good friend of mine had an extra ticket to "A Halloween Night at Wayne Manor" at Brock House Restaurant and she invited me to go. What an experience it was! A fully immersive theatrical event where there were actors acting out parts from the Batman movie coupled with good food from the restaurant and all guests dressed up (except me...) really made this a spectacular event. Put on by the Geekenders, it was nice to see so many actors who were so passionate about what they do. Just a warning, if you are coming to an event like this, be sure to dress up. My friend and I didn't dress up because we just assumed it was a casual dinner with no dress code, but we were wrong... haha.
   When we arrived, the parking in the surrounding areas were full so we parked a few blocks away. The Brock House restaurant is a vintage house built in the 1900's. It's more of a mansion than a house (especially in modern day Vancouver where houses are getting smaller and smaller) and it definitely has some historical significance to it. It was definitely majestic to see the house from the outside as the building felt like it was from another era (one where Vancouver was probably more affordable).

The appetizers 

   From the entrance of the Brock House, a small line up of people attending the event can be seen. Everyone was dressed in suits and gowns so at that instant, I felt abit weird. Once the line started moving and we were on the porch and inside the restaurant, we were greeted by people from Geekenders. They were all dressed up and really contributed to the vintage and classy feel that the Batman movie portrayed.
   After we finished with the coat check, and got our champagne tickets, our attention immediately shifted to one of the characters trying to show the upstairs venue to a bunch of guests. To be honest, I am a nerd, but I'm not much of a Batman nerd so I don't really know many of the characters (that explains my choice of clothing). It was only a few moments into the event, I was already impressed.
   The main dining hall had some characters playing and singing on the piano and food. The first hour was the appetizers which included cheese, crackers and vegetables. There were also olives and a cheese platter. All around were characters acting out scenes. There were also photographers (one was a character from Batman) walking around with vintage cameras to take pictures. After about an hour, this was when the entrees and appetizers came out.

The self serve entree bar

    The appetizers were exquisite. From spring rolls to smoked salmon on cream cheese and cucumbers to mini quiches to skewers with bacon and asparagus, the selection was quite well done. The taste of them and the quantity were very well done. I personally loved the smoked salmon (I think I had at least 10 pieces because I don't eat smoke salmon often). 
    In addition to the appetizers the main dish was a self serve bar where you can choose things like shrimp, fish, meat, pasta, vegetables and more and there are live chefs there cooking for you. I had some shrimp mixed with pasta and some white sauce. It was sooo good. There weren't many places to sit, but they had chairs lined up on the side of the dining hall. 

The "Press Release" from the Mayor of Gotham City

    The highlight of the night happened after the dinner was served. The actor who played the mayor suddenly appeared on the elevated steps of the dining hall and everyone gathered around him. There were actors in the crowd who were portraying journalists and asking him questions about the mayor's decisions on building a psych ward. All of a sudden, the lights went out and the joker appeared. The joker and his gang took over the stage. Soon after, the lights went out again and the next thing we knew, Batman showed up to tied up the mischiefs. The scene was saved and then Bruce Wayne (the actor portraying Bruce Wayne) showed up. This was really well done in my opinion.
   After this scene, everyone dispersed to grab drinks. I think this was when the ball was supposed to happen. However, most people decided to just grab a drink a chat rather than dance. My friend and I decided to go upstairs and see what people were up to. To our surprise, we found the dessert section.

The dessert selection

   The desserts were amazing. There was a volunteer from the Geekenders there at the dessert table and we briefly chatted. He had a very slim face and a sort of natural evil look (like a resting bitch face, but a resting evil look instead).  It turned out he played the evil character in many movies and had small roles in movies such as Deadpool. He also has his own IMDB profile and his own acting classes. Together with mingling with actors were the desserts. The dessert selection was quite amazing too. They had cream puffs, chocolate mousses, a variety of cakes and fruits. My favourite was the chocolate mousse. I've never had mousse like this in a cup before so it was quite special.  The other desserts were good too. The selections were quite good in my opinion.
  Before we left, we discovered in one of the side rooms, there were coffee. I think that coffee room was sort of like the "introvert's corner" of the event. There were a wide variety of coffee and tea and people we were there by themselves and away from the acts happening outside.
  Overall, what an event! It was quite well done. Besides the part where people didn't really dance, overall the event was so well done. The food and drinks selection was amazing. Together with the immersive action from the Batman movie, the vintage location a Brock House Restaurant and the scheduling of the events, it was quite a well run event. If I was a bit more Batman geeky I would have understood it more, but from a non Batman geeky perspective. That said, using a bit of with a bit of imagination and a hint of nerd, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this event and other Geekender events in the future. 

Average Family Owned Pho Place (Pho d'lite Solo District / Brentwood)

Pho D'lite in Brentwood is a pretty cozy place for Pho. It was around 8:30 at night when my +1 and I decided to come as we were travelling by the Solo District. When we walked in, we were greeted by a waiter (or I think he's a waiter) and then seated. You can tell that this is a family owned restaurant because all of the roles between the server, cook and cashier seem to be blurred. What I found was a bit awkward was there were a group of ladies (I think they were probably the owners of this place) were sitting in the back table where they seem to be gossiping about something.
   After looking at the menu, the prices seemed relatively fair (it's around $12-$15 on average for a bowl of noodles or curry). Browsing through the menu, I decided to get the chicken curry noodles. It did not take too long for the dish to come out. The noodles were put on a separate plate from the curry itself. I found the noodles to look a bit zombie-fied (it was so white that I couldn't help but wonder if the flour that was used to make this was bleached).
   I started by just dumping all of the noodles into the curry. As the noodles entered the bowl of curry, the bowl started to fill up. The curry itself felt a bit watery, however I recon that in Thailand and Vietnam, their curry is based using coconut milk so it's a bit more watery. The spices in there were just spicy enough for my liking and the noodles gave the curry a good compliment. That said, I find the food itself is average, I wouldn't say that there is anything extra special other than the portions being slightly on the bigger size. Overall, I would come here again, but I probably won't go out of my way to come back. 

Food for thought - "We have everything from A to Z" (Netflix VS Amazon)

I have to admit, when I found out that Amazon started to get into cloud computing, I held my breath. Amazon's business model isn't really to sell books, it's real business motive (in my opinion) is to sell EVERYTHING. That is why the logo of Amazon (if you take a look at the arrow points from A to Z of the words Amazon and not any other letters). It's a symbolism representing "we have everything from A to Z". By them entering cloud computing, they were further solidifying their goal of selling EVERYTHING. This has been true so far and now you can virtually get everything and anything off Amazon (maybe except live animals and sketchy things).

This is from Amazon themselves, do you see what I mean? The "We sell everything from A to Z". Note: I don't own this logo and used under Creative Commons

Right now through AWS (Amazon Web Services) many websites are now hosted by Amazon through servers across the globe. For those unfamiliar with the concept, just imagine AWS like a virtual computer that acts as a way for people to store information (in particular websites, databases and etc...). I recalled a time in 2017 that AWS had a service outage and then all of a sudden, many websites also suddenly stopped working. I remember I was registering for a race using www.raceroster.com when this happened and Race Roster sent an email saying that they were hosted on AWS and that is why their website stopped working. 

Amazon Prime Video on Android

A great example of why I think Amazon has a lot of growth potential and that others should be worried is the comparison between Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Netflix is pretty much a cloud based subscription based online video streaming service. Amazon Prime Video is the same, and both use the similar technology - where the video is hosted on their servers and customers sign up through a subscription to watch videos. When comparing the two side by side, there are major similarities and major differences. Beginning with the similarities, both services allow you to use multiple devices and download movies to your own devices. They both offer exclusive films (don't quote me on this but I find that if one film exists on Netflix, it won't exist on Amazon Prime Video).

Netflix interface on Android

However, difference wise, Amazon Prime Video offers their service at no additional cost if you are a Amazon Prime member. Personally, that is super sexy sounding to me as a consumer because for a year of Amazon Prime, it is much cheaper than Netflix and you also get more perks (like free photo/video storage via Amazon Prime Drive) and Amazon Music. So if we are strictly talking about price and what you get out of the price, Amazon Prime wins. Think about this: if you as a consumer is getting all of the benefits of Netflix at no additional cost, why wouldn't you want to switch over to Amazon Prime Video and save money?

That said, Netflix, although more expensive does have WAYYY more content that Amazon Prime Video. I find that Netflix originals such as Stranger Things, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Orange is the New Black are soooo good. Amazon also has originals but I find that they aren't as good as what Netflix has - for now. I can see that Amazon is gaining a bigger market share in online streaming but it might be a while until Amazon can establish the "supply chain" and distribution networks to be able to compete with Netflix (who have established their channels of how they get their info) .

In summary, at the current stage, comparing Amazon Prime and Netflix is like comparing apples and oranges because of the difference in content that they have. However, at the rate of growth of Amazon, I won't be surprised that down the road, Amazon Prime Video will soon be-able to have more content to rival Netflix. The more significant thing is that this is just an example of how Amazon is beginning to "take over the world". This is just a brief overview and example, but there are also many other examples - I will explore them in another blog post.

Myst Asian Fusion (Review) - Is the hype worth it?

This is probably one of the busiest Taiwanese food places I've ever seen. Driving by, it always seems so busy and packed. My friends and I decided to give them a try one afternoon when it didn't look as busy. I was surprised how difficult it was to find parking. The parking lot is very small and hard to navigate. So we had to hop out of the car as one of my friends parked the car.
   When we arrived, it was not too busy so we were seated immediately. Once seated, we were brought hot tea and the menu. The menu itself had a surprising amount of things on it and the prices were fair. A wide variety of Asian and Taiwanese cuisine can be found on the menu. Things from appetizers like onion cakes all the way to noodles and rice were all here.
   However, when it comes to service, they tend to be a bit slow. I am not sure if it's because they are busy or understaffed, but it took a while before we were noticed. By the time the waitress came to take our orders, everyone already had their phones out and briefly forgot what we wanted to order. After a quick peek at the menu, we each decided to order their minced pork combo.
    Soon after we ordered, the food was ready. I was very surprised at how fast the food came. It came in a matter of seconds which made me wonder if they have all the food cooked up already and they just heat it up. In terms of portion, it was good. There was a lot of meat to the minced meat set (what do you expect, the name of the combo implies it's going to be alot of meat). The main bowl had 2 full braised eggs, some sausage and also minced meat on it. The two side dishes were very interesting though, the fried gluten was very sweet and the vegetables didn't taste fresh (I think it was microwaved). Otherwise, I liked the combo and thought it was pretty decent for the price.

 When we were finished with our meal, we were back to the waiting game. My friend tried to wave down the waitress a few times until she finally saw us and gave us our bill. To say the least, it could be that they are understaffed or that their staff is overworked so service is slower (or maybe they are tired). Overall, the food is fair and price is fair so the hype and long line ups outside for a fair place is surprisingly long. I do like how many options they have and the pricing, however I am not sure if I like to wait in line for that long. 

SEARS Closing - reflections and how it shaped Metrotown today

Sun Setting on Sears

As I was walking out of the mall and on my way home, the rainy skies cleared up and glowed with a hint of purple as the sun began to set. Looking up, I saw a huge "STORE CLOSING" sign hanging beside the infamous SEARS logo and the symbolism of the sun setting on SEARS. Although it may not seem significant to the average person, to me, the closing of SEARS (or the sun setting on SEARS) have some deep meanings.

2nd last day of Sears.

   For starters, my blog is all about food, travelling and experiences (hence Vantraveller). However, in many places I travel to, retail and local stores are often associated with the local culture. This SEARS in particular is significant because it was here even before Metrotown was built.  SEARS helped shape what is now Metrotown. SEARS has been around even before I was even born. Metrotown used to be an area that people would travel through if they were commuting from Downtown to New Westminster or the surburbs. This was initially what drove the market here so SEARS and other places like Kelly-Douglas were built. This was in the 50's and at the time, this area known as Metrotown today was only populated by no more than a few thousand people. This was also the golden era of department stores and SEARS was one of the first to be in this area. It wasn't until the 80's that the current shopping mall of Metrotown was built and the actual department store got incorporated into the mall. However, it can be argued that SEARS was what helped shape modern day Metrotown only to be driven out by both a failing business and a demand for real estate. The irony being that this SEARS was one of the places that drove the demand here to begin with. More information can be found here: history of Metrotown.

Everything for 90% off

   Because of how long SEARS have been here, it has also helped shape this community. Personally, It was a place that my family visited to buy our couch (that we still use today) 17 years ago. It was a place that I would go and check out on boxing day or when they had clearances because sometimes the deals here were actually good. There used to be a diner in this location (now the Concord Pacific Show room). There also used to be a barber, optometrist and tailor here. Over the years, all of these businesses closed and moved as the core department store business stayed.
   After reflecting, I decided to enter SEARS for one last peek before they closed for good. Upon walking in, everything was already taken apart. It seemed like everything that was not attached to the building was for sale. From fixtures to office equipment (like binders, really old office supplies and more) to mannequins and more were all on sale. There were people everywhere trying to salvage what they can for a cheap bargain (it sort of reminds me of how Ray salvaged parts on Jakku... except the SEARS edition).  Personally, I would not buy any of the things because most of it is not useful to me.  However, walking around the place, you can last ditch efforts made by SEARS to restart sales. 

Sears branded pens

  This is the interesting part. SEARS, before going out of business seemed to have tried to go the Winner's direction. You can see from some of the products being liquidated that they were all SEARS banded things. From Kenmore vacuum cleaners (they store branded it "SEARS" ) to stationary (also store branded "SEARS") to face masks (YES... face masks that was SEARS branded), you can tell that they were trying to reduce the costs by using their own brands and selling lower end products in attempt to bring customers back to the store. Personally, I thought this would have been a good move if they did this much earlier on in the game when people like Amazon were just started. Doing it so late in the game (it's practically a rebranding) seemed to be unwise as something such as re-branding usually take a while for the consumers to click in and finally buy it.

Mannequins anyone?

    Further more, there are other elements at play such as poor management (they switched 7 CEO's in a short time period before they closed down), rise of competition such as Amazon (or e-commerce in general- they had an online store too, but I don't think marketing was executed on it too well) and a dwindling base of loyal shoppers (I find the SEARS customer base tend to be older in demographic) and also the high cost of having brick and mortar stores. There are probably more problems but overall, you can say that it was a multi-faced problem that caused the overall store to close down. That said, during its golden days, SEARS pioneered many things such as the print catalog (this did wonders and may companies such as IKEA still uses this and does it well).
So what now? Since the SEARS lot is not actually part of Metrotown, there are talks about building more condos here and changing Metrotown into a Yaletown style location (More info here). However the biggest take-away from it all (or take-aways) is witnessing the change of the skyline of a city; where this SEARS location helped shape the local community to be booted out by it. Furthermore, it is also the witnessing of how the retail climate is changing and how difficult it is to run a brick and mortar store and perhaps the need to change with time or get booted out. What do you think? Is change good? 

Looking for some printing? VISTAPRINT Review

Taking a break from your regular programming of food and adventures, I thought I would do a review on Vistaprint (I don't usually do product reviews but until I figure out where to put this... maybe my own blog on how I manage my NPO?) Vistaprint is sort of like the Walmart of printing in my opinion. They have SO MANY products that are offered. I manage a nonprofit and because of our constrained budgets, we always try to find more economical printing options. In general, I like Vistaprint for their relatively cheap price, ease of use and customer service. However, quality for some products can be questionable.

Business Cards

Business Cards are among the best products from Vistaprint in my opinion, for $9.99 (and also some shipping, but it varies) you get a decent amount of business cards (500 to be exact). They advertise the regular price higher but you can usually find a promocode and you can get the product for cheaper. The quality of them is good and quite professional. I would say when it comes to business cards, Vistaprint is usually my go-to place. 

Banners

This is a bit interesting out of all of the products they have to offer. Their banners are pretty high in quality and they come in both indoor and outdoor use options. I have to say that  I ordered a few banners from them and all of them have a barcode printed at the front. When I first received the banners, I was a bit thrown off as to why the barcode is printed at the FRONT. I sent them an email and they tried to correct it by sending me another one. However, there is still a barcode there. It was then when I reached out to them that they said it's the way their systems are automated so they ended up giving me a refund. That said, after my ordeal with them, they changed their preview platform and now they give a preview of banners with the barcode on. I would say if you don't mind the barcode then the quality of the banners are relatively good.

I know some people in the printing business and they tell me they actually get their printing done by Vistaprint (mind you, Vistaprint sells it to them at a business to business price). Vistaprint will sell to consumers the price vendors will charge so that they don't compete with business (I'm assuming) so that's an interesting point.

Tips:

• There are usually promocodes drifting online, never pay regular price for something because there is always a sale.
• Check out ebates to get a rebate on your order by clicking here . Ebates is a good tool to use if you do alot of online shopping and want a rebate.
• Be aware that they have preview tools but what shows up (in-terms of colouring) might be different. I try to exaggerate the difference between colours and if they are too close in similarity, they don't usually show up too well. 

A mechanic shop converted cafe - Cafe La foret

Super spacious interior

I grew up around this area and way back in the day, this used to be a car mechanic shop. It has recently been converted to a coffee shop/ cafe and HOLY SMOKES did it breathe a new life into this place. This has got to be one of the most spacious coffee shops I've ever been to. From the outside, you can't really tell that this is a cafe with the exception of the logo that says "La Foret" which according to my French friends mean "the Forest".
   Walking inside, you will see how spacious this place really is, there are tons of seats and a really high ceiling (maybe this is why they call it "the Forest"... hinting that you need to be as tall as a tree to hit the ceiling...). The decor such the Chewbaca and Han Solo paintings on the side really itches the nerd inside of me. There is ample natural lighting such as ceiling high windows, and roof top windows which I really liked. I also like the plants they have in the island at the middle, and how tidy it is.
   Food wise, this place have an Asian twist on the food. They serve things like squid ink bread, coffee buns and other types of Asian style bread. I did notice the price here for food is a bit on the higher end (for comparison, a piece of croissant is $2.50 but the portion is small and you can get a similar one for slightly cheaper else where). I do have to admit, their baked goods are presented really well and it makes you want to buy it based on how well they present it.

   Besides baked goods, they also serve an assortment of soups, sandwiches and crepes. All of the prices are fair, but because of the portion size, I would say things are slighter on the higher end. That said, that markup probably comes in the form of a trade-off for a good venue. When I was here, all I had was a cup of coffee. It's around 2 dollars for a cup of coffee, which is average priced. However, the portion is smaller compared to other places that offer the coffee that's priced the same.
    Overall, this place is the best for the venue. It's spacious and great to meet with your friends. I have to note that it gets pretty busy here. There are signs on the wall that says they have a 2 hour time limit on the weekend (honestly, I don't know how they are going to enforce that). The decor is cool and I would definitely come back again.



 

BIG PORTIONS of Fried Rice and Noodles and slightly awkward place to celebrate your birthday - The One Restaurant (Burnaby)

The One restaurant is a pretty interesting place to get your fix of Asian (mostly Taiwanese food). The portions are big relative to price and if you were celebrating a birthday, they have a very interesting way of celebrating it for you...
     When we were there, someone was celebrating their birthday. The interesting thing to note is that the owners of The One also owns the karaoke place next door. So when you walk into the restaurant, the first thing you will see is the bubble tea bar and big screens on top of the bar.  On the screen, there is a subtitled pop song playing (I assume
it's using the same system as the karaoke place next door) and that song is played throughout the restaurant.
    After we sat down and before we ordered our food, a waitress walked by our table with a big cake towards a group of girls that was sitting at a table in front of us. That pop song playing on that karaoke screen all of a sudden changed to the karaoke version of the birthday song. However, it was blasted all over the restaurant and replayed itself at least 8 times. It was funny to note that when the birthday girl was done cutting the cake, the song way still playing happy birthday. The expression on her face was very interesting to say the least that the whole restaurant knows it's her special day.
    Funny things aside, when it came to the food, I ordered a bowl of satay chicken noodles and an onion pancake. We had to order two things because the rule is that you have to order one item per person. For around $12, the bowl of noodles was pretty big. I was watching the fried rice that the pe
ople beside us were eating and it was pretty big too. I would say the portions is more than enough for one person. The taste is average, but portions were good.  The green onion cake was also pretty good.
  Overall, I wouldn't say that this place is upper scale as it seems to cater to people who are more economically conscious. However, because of that I would definitely come to this place again. 

You better eat fast - A sushi restaurant that feels like a sauna (Sushi Garden High Gate)

Sushi Garden has got to be one of the most popular sushi restaurants around and they have opened up many locations. When I got here, it was around 7:30 at night and the place was about 90% full.  I usually come to Sushi Garden for take out because there is a deal (I believe 5% off if you pay with cash and order in advance). However, this time I decided to eat in. There wasn't a line up (like there usually is when I drive by), so I decided to come in with my +1. Our first impression was that the restaurant was warm and smoggy (the windows were all fogged up) and felt like a mini sauna. The restaurant was also pretty tightly packed, and there wasn't much free space to move around.
   Once we sat down, the waiter brought us the menu. I've seen many menus in the past, but this menu was super worn out and it looked like someone just spent 10 minutes on Microsoft Word to copy and paste things and then it was printed. The lamination were all frayed and the colours of the menu was all faded. I'm not an art critic, but this is just an observation. Who knows, the vintage and minimalism style could be a thing. The other thing I noticed from the last time I was here was that the price for sushi have gone up. As a benchmark, their Alaska Roll (one of my favourite rolls from them) used to be $3.95 but now it's $4.50. However, given the current economy and inflation, costs going up is understandable. It's interesting to note that the utensils that they were using like cups seemed worn out. The one that my +1 had was chipped.
    I decided to order an Alaska Roll, 2 spicy tuna rolls and a wild salmon roll. I tend to avoid salmon because of PCB (farmed salmon tend to have higher concentrations of PCBs). Once we finished ordering, the food came pretty fast. I have to say, I still love their Alaska Rolls, that thin slice of Salmon on top of a roll that has avocados and then some miso paste really does it for me. The spicy tuna rolls was average, there is really nothing much to say about that. Overall I liked the rolls, and felt they were pretty decent.
   The interesting part was that I felt the waiters/ waitresses were watching us like hawks. The moment we are finished with a plate, they came right away to take the plate away. They did that for all of our plates and then when we finally finished the last plate, they came with the bill. It was very swift and I'm not going to lie, it made me feel a bit anxious and pressured to hurry up and leave. Definitely this is not a place to take a family (I live with old people who eat slow), I can imagine how pressured one will feel to eat as it seems like they want you out the door fast.
   Overall, I like their sushi, but it is not a place I will go out of my way to go eat it as the eating environment is pretty uncomfortable.

Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5km - Overview and why you should run it!

My blog is all about talking about quality experiences, be it food or events. There is a discount for this event at the bottom of this page! Besides food, in the month of January I will be blogging about races and events too. If you are looking for a half-marathon (21.1km) for the target period of June then this is the race to do! I've ran this race many times and I have also paced it for the 1:45 for a few years. I am not biased, but overall this is one of my most favourite races. A few reasons why I love this race:

• It is a HUGE fundraising event for many charities. In 2017, the event raised over $970,000 for 70+ charities.
• It is very well organized by a team of people that is very passionate about the community and the running community. The professionalism they bring to the events they create is evident through how thorough it is organized and how every little detail is not missed out.
• You get great swag! From a tech t-shirt to a medal to the virtual swag bag (in the past some swags that came with the virtual swag bag includes a subscription to Men's fitness). 
• It's a great value overall and it is very well organized.
• It is net- downhill course - meaning that the course itself is designed to be downhill and fast. It's great for beginners (this was my first half-marathon actually).
• Small details about this race: they are very environmentally responsible with one of the highest waste-diversion rates in the country.
• The event has pacers to help you keep on track!

The course (half-marathon):

Out of the many races that happen in Vancouver, I would say this one is one of my favourites. The entire course is net downhill - (for those who are unfamiliar with the term, it means that you start at a higher elevation but finish at a lower elevation.

Beginning at UBC, there is an immediate downhill right after the start. Once you reach West 16th, you will turn right on it and then turn left on Marine Drive. The course will still continue to lower in elevation until the turn around point. You will then follow Marine Drive for a while until you are in the Kitsilano area. This is my favourite part because it's super scenic. You get a view of the water and the mountains. 

     Once you are in Kitsilano, there is a small uphill up Jericho (this is probably one of the three small uphill sections). You will continue all the way on West 4th, and then make your way to Cornwall (this place is very scenic as well) and then cruise all the way to the finish line after you cross the Burrard Street Bridge. As you can see, there aren't many up hills and most of the course is downhill. It's great for speed.

There is also a 5km option for those who are not as keen to run that far, the 5km is a loop in Stanley Park and West-end. The 5km option is a good family event if you want to take your kids out to be active or can't run but want to participate (this is a course that you can comfortably walk in about an hour).

Discount Code: You can sign up at https://Bit.ly/RFScotiahalf2018 and use "RFORCE2018" for 10% off!

Tips:

1. HYDRATE!!! I would recommend stopping at every aid station (especially the ones at the very beginning). I lost track of how many people feel sick or light headed over the years because they think they don't need to hydrate. (Mind you, don't over hydrate either... that can cause hyponatremia which isn't good).
2. Do not underestimate the weather - It can be very hot out there. Remember to wear sunscreen and a hat. I would put the sunscreen from the eye level down (anywhere above the eye level will make the sunscreen run and sting your eyes after you start running and sweating).
3. Pack light - There is bag check at the event, but be reminded that it's run by volunteers and that it's a pain for them if they have to move heavy things. 
4. DO NOT over do it when you are at the downhill portion (especially at the Marine Drive downhill). Since the biggest downhills are at the beginning of the race, many people love to run these hills super fast. Unless you have a strategy, burning out your thighs so early on is not a good idea.
5. DO TRAIN for the race, even though a half-marathon is not a marathon, it is still an endurance event. 21.1km is still very long.

If you are looking for information about training for a marathon / half-marathon, please visit my other post: https://vantraveller.blogspot.ca/2018/01/marathon-half-marathon-training-info-if.html