Monthly summary of my wife’s yelp reviews for easy access

Rabbit Rabbit Tea ****

I tried their original location in Seattle and really love their buckwheat tea, so I wanted to give this place a try since it’s closer.

We came right when they open and they were pretty busy with online orders. They have seatings but it seem to be geared toward online take outs.

This place seem to have food options as well but we just opted for the drinks this time

I got the buckwheat tea and the golden yingxuan oolong tea both at 30% sweetness.  Both drinks was delicious. The buckwheat was the same as I remember it and the oolong has this fruity flavor that was refreshing.

Price was on point and I definitely would come back here

Chicken Factory ****

We decided to grab some chicken since we were in the area and ended up trying the boneless chickens. They look a lot like karaage but softer and juicer. It seem like they are training new people so service is a little off.

The boneless chicken was delicious. Juicy, crispy and flavorful. The price was standard in my opinion

I definitely would come back to try their other stuff. They are a little hard to find but it’s right next to Ooink on top of the qfc

Sip House ***

I been here before to try a drink and thought it was ok but wanted to come back since it’s been a while to give another try. My husband got the ube latte since it was one of their popular item. The price is standard, service is fine. The place is aesthetic as well as the drink.

The drink is pretty but didn’t get much ube flavor and it was pretty much a standard latte.

Overall, it’s pretty, but drinks are standard in my opinion.

Sichuan Hot Pot ****

This place is looks like a house on the outside and it’s not on the main road so you definitely need to be looking for it to find it.

The place does hot pot and there seem to busy during lunch time. We ended up ordering takeout and got the chicken in chili oil. For the price, it was a pretty good portion. The chicken could be more tender in my opinion but the flavor was there.

Definitely will be back to try their other items or even their hotpot.

Half and Half Doughnut Co. ****

I been back a couple more times now and it’s all been pretty good so I’m updating my review.

Originally, one of my critique was the high price but now everything is pricy so this is actually standard. It’s around $4-5 a donut.
This time around, I tried
Regular old fashioned and the canela old fashioned – both hit the mark in terms of texture. It has a slight crunch on the outside that is nostalgic. The canela flavor could be stronger as you have to really scrutinize between the two to tell a difference.

Chocolate hazelnut bombolini – really soft and airy and the cream is also very light and fluffy. Feels like you’re eating a tiramisu

Pineapple fritter – this one was interesting. My husband didn’t like it because the texture was off to him. I really enjoyed it because there’s pineapple chunks in it and it tastes great. Because there’s so much pineapple, you get a subtle crunch of the fritter.

Overall, it’s a pretty good place

Nine Dumplings ****

This place was on my list from my last visit when we were doing a dumpling food tour . Unfortunately, it was closed the day we came due to family matters. So, this time, made sure to call and check to see if they were open and they were! We came for dinner and it was a very quiet place. It’s on the 2nd floor and there was one other restaurant that was opened. Aside from the dumplings, they have a variety of noodle dishes as well. There was just the owner and his wife that runs the place.

We got the sampler of the dumplings as well as a spicy peanut butter noodle with chicken dish. Everything was made fresh to order so it is a little slow but not too bad. For the dumplings, you can choose from 4 different styles (Xiao long BAO, traditional, in a soup, or. Spicy oil).

Sampler of dumplings: for $9 Canadian you get 9 plump dumplings are of different fillings (see pics for details). I love how each has its own color and the menu is also color coordinated to match as well. My favorite was definitely the fish with scallops dumplings as well as the pork and chives. The vegan on was definitely the most unique though. Although we got the traditional version, there was soup inside these as well. 5 star

The noodle dish was ok. The flavor was good but it was too much sauce that made it on the saltier side. The cucumber helped but definitely needed more. Also, there should be a little more meat. 3 star

Overall, I’m happy to tried the place and it was fun to taste all the different fillings.

Kouign Café ****

We were in the Chinatown area and got distracted by the display of very attractive pastries so we had to check it out. This place looks like a fusion pastry shop where each item comes with a twist.

If it was up to me alone, I would have gotten one of everything as they all sounded very interesting but we ended up getting 3.

The Kouign: I like this one a lot because of the coconut mochi inside. It was a nice balance and worked well with everything.

The lunchbox: this cookie was surprisingly good. I’m usually not a fan of peanut butter cookie because it’s mostly crumble and more sweet than I would like, but this one was good. I love the savory components of the pork floss and the Chinese sausage in this that made it more of a meal than a dessert.

The secret garden: it’s a twice baked croissant with some kimchi marinara, Gouda, and a bunch of other things I don’t remember. This one was also very good. The flavor profile was spot on.

I wouldn’t say these were the best in terms of texture as the glazed made them stickier and not as flaky as a normal croissant or Kouign Aman I had, but the flavor was good enough that I didn’t mind.

Definitely would be telling people if this place and checking this place again in the future

Big Way Hot Pot ****

This is the place that definitely makes me remember to not judge a place until the very end.

We came here for a late lunch but it was still pretty busy that we had to put ourselves on a wait list. while waiting, we discussed that we need to be strategic as the price is by weight and we don’t want to get heavy items 🙂

Their selections of meat was very impressive, there was so many options that it was hard to not want to try everything. The veggies and noodle was good too, just not as impressive. My husband and I both got our own bowl and basically tried to get as much of the lighter items as possible. In the end, before you pay, you get to decide on what soup you want and there are 8 choices. I got the collagen and bone broth one and my husband got the signature mala option. When we weigh our bowls, both of ours was $20+. We were a little shocked and I was thinking I my head ‘this is pricy!’

It took a while for our pot to be ready but eventually it came out. Surprisingly, the items were cooked really well. None was overcooked or anything and the broth was very tasty! At the end, both of us managed to finish half of our pots and brought the rest home for dinner. So, we could have just shared one pot hahaha.

We also got a free Thai iced tea soft serve at the end which was very refreshing. Service was really good too. I also like that we can bring our leftover homes.

Overall, this was really good experience and I’m glad to have tried this place

Freshslice Pizza ****

We were tired, hungry and lazy so we decided to grab something quick on our way back to our hotel. This pizza place seems like a decent chain in Vancouver so we decided to try them out. We got a box of random slices so we can try some different flavors.

An extra large box (16 in) was around $26 candian, which is standard I think.

We got the BBQ chicken bacon, the Italian and the beef. All were pretty distinct. I actually really enjoyed the beef and the Italian. Their dough is pretty good as well.

Overall, a good pizza chain, I would do this again when I’m hungry and tired and lazy  it’s definitely better than dominos we have in America, maybe on par with Costco???

The Brick Kitchen + Lounge ***

I had really high hopes for this place but it was kind of a let down. Parking is a little limited but not bad. We were 1 out of the 2 groups there

Service was good, they were attentive and nice. FYI, there is little or no cell service in the building. The place is kinda dark so can’t take food pics well either.

Food wise:

Brussel sprouts 3.5 stars- these were good, good portion and flavorful. I do wish it was a little crispier but it’s not  significant.

Bulgogi cheese steak 3 star – the bread was good, the cheese was good, but no bulgogi flavor at all. Pretty mild flavor. The fries was good though, perfectly crispy

Fried chicken sandwich 3 star – the chicken was perfectly fried, but again no flavor. Pretty bland. The waffle fries was good though.

Overall, the portion is good for the price but the flavor isn’t there. I really want to like this place since it’s close to my parents house but probably won’t be back anytime soon

Salvadorean Bakery & Restaurant ****

Wow this place is busy! We were in the area and decided to check them out. The place has a nice parking lot and inside, it was separated into a bakery and a restaurant.

We didn’t order much so we decided to grab takeout instead of dine in. We got a variety of pupusas and they were pretty big. While waiting, we saw people come in grabbing cake orders and that definitely tempted me to order a cake in the future.

They were busy so it did take time to get our pupusas but it wasn’t too bad:

Chicken, pork —pretty standard. Generous filling
Locoro – I like this one because it was very cheesy and had a nice texture
Ayote — this was our least favorite, there was too much ayote and not enough of cheese or anything so it was bland and dry.

Coming with these pupusas were some hot sauce and some fermented cabbages. The hot sauce was really good. We still have leftovers and have been using it to dip other stuff.

Overall, I will likely come back if I’m in the area to try other food here as well as their cake 🙂

People here are pretty nice as well

Voi Cà Phê ****

I have heard of this place recently and was marked as one of the best banh mi in the area, so we had to try it.
The place itself is a small take out joint at the corner of the main street. They also set up a small outdoor sit down if you want to sit down and enjoy your banh mi.

We ended up ordering a tofu banh mi which is soaked in a coconut curry. $9.30 before tax
Bread – this is really good bread, it was nicely toasted, soft and fluffy – the best part
Tofu – the tofu itself was pretty good, when I had a bite of it on its own I can taste the curry and the tofu wasn’t too soft and had a good texture
Fillings – fresh and had all the components of a banh mi. The jalapenos was very mild so my husband like it.

For me, the banh mi individual components was really good and I enjoyed all of it individually. However when I ate it as a whole, the flavors got muted. the tofu flavor was overwhelmed by the fillings making it a little bland. The freshness of the filling was overwhelmed by the warmth of the tofu and the tartness was gone. So overall the banh mi was a little bland even though each components was really good.

Service was good though, even though we only had a short interaction, the people are nice. Overall, this was more of a 3.5 star but I’m rounding it up just because 🙂

Artisan Café ****

This place have been on my list for a while now since it’s not your typical place to get a banh mi in my opinion, so I was intrigued. Their hours are also very limited so I took a chance when I was running errands in the area 🙂

It’s only take out at the moment and they have a small window where they take your order and another small window next to it to grab your food

I came during lunch time and they were pretty busy but it wasn’t too bad. The people there are very nice. It seems like there are regulars that come by here as well.

I ended up getting the tofu banh mi ($8.5). The banh mi was pretty good. The baguette was soft and fluffy, it would have been perfect if they toasted it more to give a small crunch. The tofu was delicious. Very well marinated and flavor was on point. My only critique is that they didn’t have enough fillings to help Ballance the tofu, because after a while, tofu can seem too sweet.

Overall, I’m glad to have given it a try 🙂

El Cabrito ****

Came here on a whim since I was in the area and the food was pretty good.

It’s a small place with maybe 3-4 tables but looks like there are regulars that come here often. Parking is a little weird, but we ended up parking at the bank next door.

We ordered the molote and the toquito as it’s not something we usually see on the menu so we wanted to see what it was. They are cook to order so it does take a little time:

Toquitos- meaty and crunchy and goes well with the sauce provided.

Molote – fried potato balls??? Interesting item, a little bland but again, if you eat with the sauce, it’s pretty good.

People here are nice and hospitable. Nice place to try in burien

Sugar Bakery & Café ****

We went here looking for dessert because it’s one of those rare bakeries that opens after 3pm lol. I walk by here a few times before but never bother to come in because nothing appeared appetizing to me. It’s been a while since I been back so it looks like they expanded a little.

When we arrived, they still had a lot of their pastries selection left so that was nice. We ended up getting a carrot cake and a jam scone.

Surprisingly, the jam scone was really good. I didn’t think it was going to be that good but it was delicious. We finished that one pretty quickly. I love how the jam and the scone balance each other and the texture of the scone was perfect.

The carrot cake was also good. If you eat the cake on its own, it’s not too sweet, but If you eat it with the frosting, it was actually balanced. Also, the cake is moist and not dry so that was a bonus.

Overall, I can see myself coming back to try their other stuff.

Seatango Foods ****

Came here after some apple picking and thought the food was pretty good. We will definitely be back to try their other foods.

Parking is limited to street parking only. It looks like the lady is training a new hire so it was a little slow. But they are really nice. I originally wanted the Italiano and the tuna empanada but both was not available so we ended up with the following:

– beef empanada – standard, has a piece of olive in there so the flavor was unique
– ham and cheese – another standard one
-onions — this is my favorite as it has a sweet and savory flavor.
– egg and spinach —fluffyband stuffed, a little bland but not bad.

The chimichurri sauce that they give you is probably the star. We literally was dipping it with everything. The mild and spicy was both good. Maybe the empanadas was made a little bland so you can dip it?? Who cares, it was good 🙂 oh and I love that they have the name of their store on the empanadas

We also got a croissant because it looks different and it was delicious. It’s not the typical croissant but I love the flavor of it. It’s not super flaky but it does have a subtle crunch.

Overall, I would come back if I’m in the area:)

Sazon Kitchen ****

After not eating breakfast, we were hungry so we decided to come here for brunch. We came at a good time as there was no line and the food came out in about 10 minutes. After us, there was a long line and it definitely got busy. We have heard that it can take up to 40 minutes for food so we were lucky:)

I like that they have indoor and outdoor seatings and everything is made to order. The people here are also super nice.

Breakfast burrito ($15) – you get a hefty burrito filled with eggs, bacon, beans and cheese. It also comes with a small salad with avocado and some breakfast potatoes. A little bland, I do wish some seasoning but it’s not too bad

Quekas ($16) – ok, why are people talking about tacos when there are quekas???? These things are amazing . It looks like a mini quesadilla but more like a pressed taco??? There’s 3 in a meal. You can choose the protein. We got one with chicken, beef and pork. I like the chicken one the most because it came with pineapples so it was like sweet and savory. But each one is filled with cheese and it was gooey and fresh and delicious. I also like the sides which was some salsa, guacamole salad and beans.

Overall, it’s a nice break from traditional Mexican food and it’s a healthy balance for breakfast. Definitely would want to come back

Johnny Mo’s Pizzeria ***

My friends and I wanted to try this place and given the Yelp ratings, I was kinda disappointed.

The online ordering system is pretty easy and it was ready by the time we got there. The guy that was helping us was pretty nice and offered paper plates and utensils for our take out orders. Parking does suck though.

We ordered the following:

The Greek deep dish – the crust wasn’t crisp enough so it was soft. I couldn’t really tell it was a Greek pizza as the filling was not as strong. The cheese for me had some issues. My first bite I was able to do a cheese pull, but after, the cheese just stick together. At the end, the cheese just separate from the pizza all together.

New york hint of discovery 14 in – I think this is more of a regular pizza for me, not new York style. It was decent, flavor was ok as well.

Citrus salad – standard

Overall it was ok, not the best. Also a little small for the price.  I’m glad to have tried it but mostly likely won’t be back.