Slow down...

I've been getting some knee and hip pain after workout sessions in the gym. It didn't feel like anything serious, it could just be a sign of aging, but I thought it might be a good idea to pay my physiotherapist a visit and see what she thinks. My physiotherapist knows me pretty well, she knows I workout quite often and I tend to favor the aggressive strenuous cardio-workouts over other exercises. As she assessed me, she said that it's good that I'm cardio-focused, but I need to start to mix it up a bit. She said that sometimes doing things slow is better than fast, form is more important than speed. Then she said, "you should slow down a bit". This struck me hard. It is true that when we exercise, form is very important because if our form is wrong, we are doing ourselves more harm than good. I realized that I've been so focused on increasing my cardiac output with speed and number that I forgot the importance of doing it right. In other words, I need to slow down and do it right...

This made me reflect on the way I go through life in general. I've always been one of those people that's always on the go. My mind is always going a mile a second and words come out of my mouth before I can fully process them. I walk fast, I talk fast, I like multitasking. I don't know how many times I've gotten the comment "you walk pretty fast for such a small person". Patience has never been my strong suit, I've always been quick to decide, quick to say, quick to do because I don't like wasting time. Although there are benefits in that, there are also harms. When we speed through life, we don't think thoroughly of the consequences of our words, our actions, and our decisions. When we speed through life, we also fail to appreciate all that's around.

A pastor came to our church the other day and he gave a sermon on reaching out. He told us a story of a man who died while climbing Mount Everest. He said that the officials estimated that over 30 hikers probably walked passed him while he was in distress, but no one stopped to help the man. The pastor said often this is how we go through life. We become so focused on climbing our own summit in life that we fail to see the people in distress around us. The reason I brought this up is because when we speed through life, we stop seeing the needs of the people around us as well. Whether they are our friends, neighbors, family members, strangers...they all become a blur to us. We stop noticing and stop taking interest in their needs and their distress. It is God's command for us to help those in needs. Whether these needs are physical needs, emotional needs, or spiritual needs, we need to slow down and keep our eyes peeled for them. 

"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

The other trap I often fall in because of my impatience occurs during prayer time. When I pray, I want answers right away and I want things to happen right away. When God doesn't answer my prayers right away, instead of waiting, I start to lose patience and I start to do things my way. That's when I fall into various traps and make mistakes. An analogy for this would be going through life is like venturing through a dark dangerous forest. We have no idea how to get across the forest, but Jesus does. He is our tour guide and he knows all the right path to take and how to avoid the dangers, all we have to do is follow Him. But when we are impatient and we get ahead of Him, that's when we get lost and get into trouble. Jesus reminded us often throughout the bible to slow down and wait for Him.

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." Psalm 37:7

We need to be reminded that God's timing is better than our timing. A lot of times when things don't happen right away, there are reasons. We need to trust that when we wait for Him, greater things can happen.

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

We've all heard of the saying "Slow and steady wins the race". It's time for us to slow down and wait for the Lord so we can win the race in life.

Toyama Sushi

Address: 757 Seymour St.
website: http://www.oftendining.com/restaurant_info/view_restaurant.php?store_id=1500

My aunt came to visit Vancouver with her sons, so I took them and my parents out for all you can eat sushi. It's absolutely awesome taking two big boys out for all you can eat because you really feel like you get your money's worth, lol. It's amazing how much food we ordered, what you see here is probably only half of what we actually ordered... I couldn't even keep up with my camera. I have to say, it was an awesome night for the foodie in me. Now I'll let the food do the talking.

First we started with Tuna belly. I'm not a big fan of this, I find tuna bellies to be too fatty and fishy. But my dad loved it.

Then we had a few different sunomonos, this one is the squid one.

This one is spider roll. Soft crab with avocado and veggie roll. I thought it was mediocre, not as good as the one at Sushi Garden.

What we have here is Toro sushi (tuna belly) and Tobiko sushi (Flying fish Roe).

For sashimi, clockwise from top left: we've got Tako (Octopus), Hokkigai (Surf clam), Shimisaba (mackerel), Ika (Squid), and Hamachi (yellowtail). They were all delicious!

Top row: ebi (shrimp), salmon. Middle: abalone. Bottom row: lobster and shark fin.

Top: scallop cone. Middle: spider roll. Bottom: california roll.

Raw oyster.

Oyster Motoyaki (Oyster topped with baked mayo)

More sashimi

Beef tongue! I know it looks gross, but it was really really good. 

Unagi roll

Beef Sashimi. I'm not a big fan. I think beef is the only thing I can't eat raw...

Finally for dessert, mango pudding. I have to say, it was the worst mango pudding I've ever had. I was super disappointed with their dessert menu. There were only two desserts included with the menu, mango and coconut pudding. Toyama is probably the only all you can eat Japanese restaurant that charges extra for ice cream. All in all, we had a great time at the restaurant. The servers were great and the food was fantastic (except for the dessert), I would definitely return again if opportunity arises.

broken me, wholesome Him

Ever since my trial, many people have asked me why I've been so hard on myself. They asked why I'm so focused on what I did wrong and what I need to change. Everything that happened is not just my fault, but it's a combination of a lot of things. I agree with this, but at the same time, I can't control what anyone else does, I can only control what I do. I can control how I feel about the situation, whether I choose to hold a grudge or to learn from it, whether I choose to think negative things or positive things regarding this whole situation...Instead of focusing on what I've lost, I rather this whole experience be a constructive experience, I rather focus on what I've gain, because if God allowed the trial to happen, then He is shaping me through the trial to become a better person.

Lately though, I've been feeling like a broken vessel with many cracks. As I rediscover myself and reflect, I keep discovering new cracks as I try to seal the old ones; it just feel like a never-ending job. Sometimes I wonder with so many wounds, how will God ever use me? Then He reminded me that it is the broken vessels He uses, not the perfect ones. Throughout the bible, none of the people God used greatly were perfect. God used Moses, who murdered someone and run off to the wild to hide; He used David, who send Uriah the Hittite to the front line to die so that he could marry Uriah's wife, then God used Peter, who had anger issues and he denied Jesus three times...All these people are far from perfect, yet God used each one of them for His kingdom. David wrote in Psalm,

"I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel." Psalm 31:12

David described himself as a broken vessel, forgotten by everyone, seemingly useless, but God remembered him and used him nonetheless. This is exactly what we are, although we are broken potteries with many weaknesses, but God can use each one of us to our full potential. Even a broken vessel can be used to scoop water, so can we be used by God. 

Paul reminded us in 2 Corinthians that it's a good thing that we have weakness and we are broken because only when we are broken, God's light can shine through. When we are not broken, we are a vessel that's so full of ourselves that nothing else can fit. Only when there are cracks and things inside drains out, then God can fit in and His light can shine through the cracks. 

"But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I (Paul) will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Finally, I wanted to share this song with you. We've all made choices we regret and we've all made mistakes in our past. We all have imperfections we are working on. There are times when we feel like we are such failures. This is a great song that remind us that we are so much more than our mistakes and our imperfections. We are remade in God. 

you are more - Tenth Avenue North

Cheesecake cookies

I've been baking cupcakes a lot so it's time to switch it up a little bit. So for English fellowship the other night, I decided to make some cookies instead. I'm generally not a big fan of cookie baking... I always seem to mess up the temperature so my cookies either come out burnt or undercooked. But surprisingly, these cookies actually turn out well. They were soft and chewy, and very creamy. I'm sure they weren't that great for the heart, but they were worth a heart attack =P

The recipe can be found here

Happy baking, and eating!

sympathy vs. empathy

I've learned recently the difference between sympathy and empathy. Often in life, we use these two words interchangeably, but there is quite a difference between the two. Sympathy is when we feel sorry or pity for the person, but we don't quite understand what they are feeling. Empathy is when we actually understand how the person feels.

I think often in life we sympathize with people, but it is very difficult to empathize with their situation. We've all had the experience of hearing someone sharing about something they are going through, we are listening intently and trying to understand how they feel, but it's hard because we've never experience it ourselves. In these situations, we don't know what to say or do. In the end all we can do is pray for them. But sometimes even that is hard; we don't even know how to pray for the person because we don't truly understand they pain they feel. Often, only when we've been through the same situation we know how to react and how to comfort.

The reason I'm writing about this is because I think sometimes God allows trials to happen because we can develop not just sympathy, but empathy. He wants us to experience different situations and different emotions in life so we can relate and comfort each other. Of course God is the ultimate comforter, but sometimes I think He uses us as well to provide support and to console each other.

Recently, God has put quite a few people in my life who are going through the same trial I went through. Listening to their stories and hearing about their pain, I can truly say that I understand because I went through the same emotions and the same frustrations. I've experienced the same pain and I've had the same doubts. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I couldn't agreed with this more. God was my stronghold and He really carried me through the storm. Now as the storm calms in my life, I feel so blessed that I can share my experience and the lessons I've learned with my friends who are going through the same trial. I'm glad that I can be there for them and that I can be that spiritual support. Now I can not only sympathize in this situation, I can empathize.

Although my own trial is nowhere near over, the emotions and the pain still lingers, but I know the healing has began for me and it's a wonderful feeling. As my morning begin to roll around, I am glad that I can give my friends the hope that the pain will disappear, the darkness will fade away and the morning will come.

Chocolate cupcakes

I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes with cream frosting for work the other day.

The recipe I followed can be found here. This is probably the best chocolate cake recipe I've ever used. The cake was very moist even 3 days later. For those who are wondering, no I did not serve my coworkers stale 3-day old cake, lol. I had extra batter leftover so I made a loaf for my parents and it took us a week to finish it. Anyways, I decorated the cake with cream cheese frosting and a raspberry candy. I thought it was cute until someone mention that it resembled a certain body part... =S

Anyways, I would definitely make these cupcakes again, but I would definitely not decorate in similar fashion again. =P Happy baking!

Retro-respective

Two weeks ago from today was the first day since the mid September that I woke up feeling like the storm is finally over. I finally felt like I could begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was two weeks ago from today that the healing began.

 
As I look back on this trial, I am just so thankful for all the events that took place, for my mentors and my spiritual supports, for my growth and learning...but most of all, I am thankful for God for carrying me through this trial because a lot of times it was not me holding onto Him, it's Him holding onto me. Every time when I was close to giving up, it was God who gave me the strength to continue on. 

Someone once said to me: God promises a safe landing, but not necessarily a calm passage. I think this rings some truth. We've all experienced many trials and tribulations in life. We've also all had the experience of questioning why God allows these trials to happen to us. Many people have blogged about this already, I might as well add my two cents in. I think going through life is like swimming in the ocean. When the water is nice and calm, we can just float. Although floating is okay, but we don't develop any strength or stamina when we are just floating. But when the water is rough, that's when we are forced to swim. It is only when we are swimming that our strength, endurance, and stamina improves. This is the same in life. God allows trials to happen because it is only through trials our characters can develop and learning can take place.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 

In other words, it is through trials that we can learn and become more like Him.

Now using my swimming example again, when the water is nice and calm, we just rely on ourselves and float away. We have no fear and we are content. But when the water is rough, it is then we are scared and we search and try to grab onto something. It is the same with trials in life. When things are going well in life, we become complacent and we start to rely on ourselves. But when trials occur, that when we learn to lean on God. It is during trials that we realize that our own strength is not enough and we seek help from God. David is a great example for this. During each of the trials he faced, he cried out to God and sought God for strength. In many of the psalms he wrote, he described God as his stronghold and his rock.

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

So what does this mean for those who are going through trials right now? It means we need to be like David and grab onto God. We can find strength in Him.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" Psalm 46:1

We can also find some peace in knowing that our trials are for a good purpose and it is pale in comparison to the joy and glory that is to come.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." 2 Corinthians 4:17

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

Chili House

website: http://www.chiligarden.ca/
Address: 4186 Main Street Vancouver, BC

For PH's birthday, we celebrated at Chili Garden on Main Street. Chili Garden is a cute Malaysian Thai restaurant; it's big enough  to accommodate 20 something of us, yet small enough for some coziness. The biggest downside of the restaurant is that there is absolutely no parking, so what you have to do is find street parking...which is impossible around dinner time...I had to park about 6 blocks away from the place. 

Anyways, we all started with Thai ice tea on the recommendation of MC. I don't really know how to describe this drink, it's got a funny taste to it. I did not like it very much.

Then we had the Hainanese Chicken. We were not too impressed with this either because it was dry and bland.

Finally we had the Roti Canai. This was probably the best part, the Roti was nice and fluffy, it was perfect on its own. The sauce was mediocre, it was a little too coco nutty for my taste.

Finally the star of the night, PH's cake! It was a beautiful Chinese fruit cake. Although the presentation was nice and all, it was a torture cutting it into 20 something pieces. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed it.

Although I wasn't super impressed with the food, the service was pretty amazing. The waitresses and waiter were courteous and fast, I was really impressed. Then at the end of the night, they brought out the cake, lit the candles, and brought us 20 something forks and plates. It was a great night.

Oh, and happy birthday PH!!!

Metal hearts

A good friend of mine recently broke up with her boyfriend and she is hurting a lot. She asked me the other day, "why is this happening to me, why did God allow this to happen?" I had no answer to this, in fact, this is something I've been wondering as well. I think we all have our fantasy of meeting that special someone, fall in love, get married, then grow old together. We often think that it just happens once, when we see that person, we'll just know he or she is the one. Recently, I've realized that this is quite a gullible view of relationship. Although I believe that God has a perfect person for each one of us, I no longer think it occurs just like that.

I think two people in a relationship are like two halves in a metal heart key chain like the one pictured above. Both parts have jagged edges, but they somehow fit perfectly together to form one perfect heart. However, in order to made that metal half heart into that particular shape, it takes a lot of time and effort. It takes melting, sawing, sanding, and bending to create that perfect shape. This is the same for us. In order to fit with person God has for us, God needs to first shape us into that person we need to be. And how does He shape us? He shapes us by allowing us to go through trials so we can learn and grow. It is through these painful trials that we slowly becoming closer to the shape of that half metal heart. Note that both pieces of the heart are not perfect, they all have jagged edges, yet somehow they just fit with each other. This is the same with us, we will never reach a point of perfection. But our jagged edge will somehow fit with the person God has for us, and we will learn and be able to accept the other person's imperfections. In other words, we will be able to absorb eachother's jagged edges. 

This is why I don't think we should regret any relationship we've been in because it is through these relationships we become who we are today. Although when the relationship ends and we've lost something so important to us, we've also gained so much in return. So please never give up on finding love, because each time we fail, we've learned and we've grown, and we are one step closer to becoming that jagged, yet fitting half metal heart.

So what does this mean for those who are going through a heartbreak right now? It means we have to fix our gazes on Him and trust that He has a better plan for us.

"I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your words" Psalm 119:15-16

And what are God's promises? He promised that He will be with us as we go through this painful trial.

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

He also promised healing. Although it's hard to see it right now, but over time, the wound will be begin to heal and a scar will form.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 

Bubble world

 Address: 4300 Kingsway, Burnaby

HK and I decided to meet up for bubble tea to catch up. We picked this place near Patterson station. I used to frequent this place often, they have good bubble teas, but I found the snacks to be mediocre.

I had the earl grey milk tea with pearls. I'm not usually a big fan of hot bubble tea, but it was such a cold and rainy day, I had to order a hot drink.  It was pretty delicious, nice and milky.

Since we both weren't terribly hungry, we decided to order and Chinese beef pancake roll to share. It was much better than expected. I quite enjoy it.

My experience at Bubble World this time was much better than the last time, it really is a hit or miss with this restaurant.

Second Chance

I've recently heard of a movie called "What If" and it's about a guy who gets a second chance in life to get things right and to mend some of the pain he caused. Don't we all wish we had a chance to do that? We all have regrets in our life, we've all caused pain to people we care about. We all wish we can mend some of the relationships we've broken. We all had the experience of wishing we could just turn back time. The reality is, sometimes in life we get second chances to mend our mistakes, other times we don't. I think this is especially true with friendship and relationship, sometimes we only get one chance to get it right.

On the other hand, we've all been hurt by someone we cared about. After we've been hurt by the person, I think most of us strive to forgive and to move on. But subconsciously as a self defense mechanism, we build up a wall to protect ourselves. We try hard to give the person a second chance, but the wall is up and it takes time to remove those bricks one at a time.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, no matter where we are currently in our life, we've all experienced both ends of the scale. We've all experienced the pain of not receiving a second chance to mend our mistake, as well as the act of not giving out that second chance to someone that hurt us.

What is incredible to me is that although sometimes with people and with situations we only have one chance to get it right, but with God, He has given us a second chance, third chance, a fourth chance...and so on. What's ironic is that out of all the people in our life, God is probably the one we hurt the most often and most deeply. There are many examples of this in the bible. When Peter denied Jesus three times, I can't imagine the pain Jesus felt in those moments. It says in Luke that after Peter's third denial, Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter, I can't even begin to picture the pain in those eyes. I don't know about you, but if I were in Jesus's situation and someone I love refused to acknowledge their relationship with me, I really don't think I would be able to give that person a second chance. But Jesus did. After He resurrected from death, He reinstated Peter and continued to use Peter for His work(John 21:15-17).

Personally, I've lost count the number of times I've disappoint God. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've hurt Him with my actions and my words. Yet He forgives me over and over, and He loves me nonetheless.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." Psalm 103:11-13

Isn't this amazing? Not only does He forgive us for hurting Him, He doesn't hold it against us either; these sins are cast as far as the east is from the west. As long as we come back to Him, He continues to give us chances over and over and over. Of course, this doesn't give us the right to abuse this grace, but we need to realize what an incredible gift this is and how hard it is to come by.

Simple white cake and Ddeokbokki

Most people make frosting for the cake, I have to make cakes for my frosting because I made too much frosting the last time...Anyways, good thing I have a bunch of people at my Chinese small group to feed :P

So here we are, we've got simple white buttermilk cupcake with chocolate frosting and cream cheese frosting. The recipe I used for the cake base can be found here.

I thought the chocolate cupcake would be more popular, but people seem to like the cream cheese frosting more.

I also made Ddeokbokki (Korean Stir Fried Rice cake). I'm too lazy to write two separate posts for these, so I'm going to combine these into one. Also, please excuse the presentation of this. I should have presented nicely in a plate instead of a wok. Rookie mistake. :P Anyways, the recipe can be found here.

I found it to be a little bit on the bland side, so next time, I'll probably add a bit of soy sauce in to flavor it up.

The bigger picture

I recently met someone with Hemianopsia. This is a condition where the person loses half of their field of vision on the same side in both eyes. It often occurs after a stroke or a brain injury. As you can probably imagine, the person often run into objects, knock over drinks, and trip over things. They also get startled by people or objects that suddenly appeared in their field of vision because they don't have side visions. A lot of times we take our side visions for granted, but it is with our side visions that we are prepared for the unexpected. As you can see, Hemianopsia is a difficult condition to live with because the person can't see the whole picture anymore.

The reason I decided to write about this is because in some ways, this is how our life is like. Often in life we ask God for certain things or for certain event to happen. Sometimes God answers our prayer, other times He doesn't. When things happen the way we wanted to, we are happy and we praise God. When things don't happen the way we wanted to, we get frustrated and we question why. Just like a person living with Hemianopsia, we can't see the whole picture. We can't see what the future hold, we can't see everything that happens around us, we can't see how our decisions could affect an event, we can't see how everything is connected together. God on the other hand has normal vision. He can see the whole picture. He knows what is to happen and what is needed. He knows how everything is connected and how the events will unfold. He knows what we need better than ourselves. In other words, sometimes God doesn't answer our specific prayers because it's not actually good for us in the bigger picture.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

The person living with Hemianopsia explained to me that he doesn't like reading anymore because often he misses the real meaning of a word. For example, when he looks at the word "chalkboard", he sees "chalk". This changes the meaning of the message completely. In a way, we also look at our situation in a partial view as well. Sometimes a situation just feels like it just doesn't make any sense, but in reality, it does, we just can't see it yet. Then often in retro respective, we have that "eureka moment" and we understand why God allowed things to happen the way it did.

Like people suffering with Hemianopsia, we often stumble through life and through events around us. We often fall, break things, and hurt ourselves. The most important thing is being able to stand up again and continue to trust in Him and in His plans. God promised that He has plans for those that love Him.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

He also promised that He will guide us and He will not forsake us.

"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

These promises are the promises we can hold onto.

Gifts from God

The bible tells us that God is a giver of gifts.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 

He hands out gifts of all shapes and sizes; but of course, His biggest gift for us is dying on the cross for our sins.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

I've been thinking recently though of all the other gifts God has given to us. I think one of the biggest gifts He has given to each one of us is the people He placed in our life. I am so thankful for the people in my life, whether they are a part of my past or a part of my present, whether they made me laugh or made me cry, I truly believe they were or they are a part of my life for a reason. With each person in my life and each event that occurred, I've learned and I've grown. Sometimes I learned directly from the person, other times I learned as a result of having them in my life.

This topic sprang on because I met quite a few people recently who are going through some very difficult trials in life. Hearing their stories, I truly admire their courage, strength, and resilience. I feel so blessed to be able to be there for them and to be able to pray for them. I learned so much from each person and I am so glad that I can take part on their journey with them. Their growth in the Lord, their search for meaning, their strength to hold onto what's important, I am truly encouraged by them. One of them shared with me her favorite verse:

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

I want to share with you the song I've been listening to a lot lately. Sometimes we may feel lost, we may feel like we are just one in a billion walking down the street, but to God, each one of us is special and we belong to Him. 

Matthew West - More

Zephyr Tea House Cafe

Address: 7911 Alderbridge Way

After lunch, we went to Zephyr Tea House Cafe next door for dessert. It was a typical Taiwanese cafe with typical Taiwanese dishes and bubble teas. The place was nicely decorated with comfortable seats, I quite like it. As for the food, we shared a shaved ice and tofu dessert.

The toppings we ordered were green tea plums, condense milk, pudding, and green mango. Obviously, this thing you see is not exactly what we ordered. I had no idea what the black things were...Anyways, the waiteress was very pleasant, she took it back and gave us our correct order. The shaved ice was quite tasty, but it was a bit pricier than other Taiwanese restaurant.

The tofu dessert was delicious. We had taro and pearls as toppings. The tofu was nice and tender. The taro paste was very nicely done.

Delicious Cuisine

Address: 7911 Alderbridge Way, Richmond

Delicious Cuisine (一品怪廚) is a Taiwanese restaurant situated in Richmond. I've heard really awesome reviews for this place so I've been dying to try it. The restaurant was easy to get to with tons of parking. It was nicely decorated with Asian style paintings and furnitures. The food they served were very authentic and I quite enjoyed it. The only thing is that none of the waitresses spoke English. Even when we spoke English to them, they would reply in Chinese. This was annoying because no one in the group actually spoke Mandarin except me...oh well, at least you know it's authentic, lol.

Anyways, the three of us decided to order three dishes to share.

Since we were at a Taiwanese restaurant, we had to try the salt and pepper fried chicken. It was delicious, probably the best I've ever had in Vancouver. The outside was crispy and the inside was tender and juicy. 

This was the tofu with crab sauce of some sort. It looked pretty gross, but it was actually quite tasty. 

This was the veggie of the day, stir fried garlic leaves. I'm normally not a big fan of this veggie, but I quite like it.


My regret is not trying the Icy Crystal Egg; it's apparently it's their award winning appetizer... I totally forgot about it until after. =( Maybe next time.