Yah.. the title tells you enough about how i feel about my siew mai from Zen. There was no taste to it.. and the meat was not completely cooked. I had 1 and doggie bag the rest.. that ended up in the garbage.. when we got home. Pathetic.. ya.. pretty..! the next time we go up to the city.. Zen is off my list.

Vancouver is one of the nicest place in Canada. Of course the main reason is because they have one of the best Chinatown in Canada and the largest Asian population in Canada. If you ever take a vacation in Vancouver, you might mistaken that you are actually in Asia. Lots of people choose to migrate to Vancouver because it is ranked the most liveable city in the world, out of 132 cities being reviewed.

Dining in Vancouver is awesome.. ! you’ll never go hungry in this vibrant city. Having said all these, of course if you are taking a vacation in Vancouver, you’ll have to look for accommodations and Hotel Vancouver is probably the best hotel you can choose from. Not only are they reputable but they are definitely not the motels that you get in Canada. My recent experience with them at the reservations department was one of the best, I’ve had since coming to Canada. Not only were they professional, they were very accommodating too, it is almost like experiencing the asian hospitality .. that one never gets in the Western part of the world.

Having stayed with the Delta group in Toronto, Halifax, Prince Edward Island and Vancouver, I’ll have to say that they certainly fared better than alot of other hotels in Canada. With the many amenities they have to offer their guest/s such as free wireless high speed internet connections, 24hrs room service, club floors to choose from and fitness center, it is definitely my choice for accommodation when in Vancouver. Delta Hotels & Resort is a very reputable chain in Canada, so you can expect excellent service and a very comfortable stay, whether you are on business or on vacation.

Next came shrimp dumpling not really “har kow” but kinda the same.. coz’ they ran outta “har kow”. I had one of them.. and of course the shrimp wasn’t fresh. So as much as I would have loved eating it all up .. i just couldn’t stomached it.. and had to have them do doggy bags for me. Sad eh..?? I guess.. if i weren’t comparing all these to Asia.. I won’t be this disappointed..??

Having been to many weddings.. and helping out in at least a dozen, we all know how much effort and stress it can be, just to plan everything out and making sure that everything is almost perfect .. on that special day. And you and I know .. that planning for a wedding cannot be a “alone” thing to do, you have to learn to delegate and get lots of help. Friends, relatives and the extended family are roped in to help and any help is good, trust me on that advice.

And of course, with all the help you are getting for the biggest event in your lifetime, you also have to make sure that you show your appreciation to these wonderful folks and those who will be taking time from their busy schedule to attend your special day. Wedding Favors should be thoughtful gifts not only for great memories.. but they have to be affordable too, afterall, we all know that we have to keep to our budget right…?

Truly Wedding Favors is absolutely awesome with their range of gifts to choose from and they are not only affordable, they provide free shipping for orders more than $199, they guarantee the lowest prices for all their gifts and no question asked for any returns. Choose from Favors by Theme, Favors by Price or Favors according to your budget. Whatever you desire, they are there to assist and make your wedding and your guest/s a very happy one.

Next came the glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf. Now this dish.. PB ate. .and so did the brat. But as we all know .. glutinous rice.. is hard to digest.. and may cause heartburn.. so i didn’t really care that the brat eat alot of it. There were 2 in it.. and we only managed to finish one and one third of the rice.

Since winter is here, you all know how dark it gets and it sure gets dark really early here in Canada. At about 5pm.. it is totally dark out .. and coming home from work at about 6pm.. isn’t fun at all .. especially if the wind is blowing and cold out. So trying to fumble at the keys.. and getting at the keyholes.. with a kid .. in toll .. you know it isn’t much fun.

For folks like us.. outdoor lighting is very important, cause the town that we are in.. does not light up the streets properly. Yes.. you heard me right. The lights are deem on the street and it really doesn’t do much .. for us residents of the town. The only lighted up place in our town.. is where all the big boys are. During the winter.. you probably think that the street that I am on.. is a ghost town. Some Hollywood directors should probably come use our street for some horror flicks.

We finally made it to Zen Restaurant in Lacewood Drive .. and it was the one that we had been to.. before having chloe. We ordered a few things.. but not alot to choose from the menu. The first dish that came out was Pork & Century eggs congee. Truth be told.. it was as plain as it can get. The congee wasn’t all the smooth either. But the brat and PB didn’t wanna eat it… so i ended up having the whole bowl. They had soya sauce.. but only the dark kind.. so i can’t even make it tastier. Sad eh..??
(more…)