Teppan Kitchen and Lung Kee Congee and Noodles

My parents were telling me about this new place called Saboten that specializes in Japanese tonkatsu that I had to check out.  They warned me that the line ups were huge at this place, since it just opened so I figured it couldn't hurt to have a look.  Once I saw the line, I said to myself, screw it, I'll wait till the fad is over, just like Beard Papa.  It was unreal watching all the lemmings line up to try this place, and though I was hungry, I had no intention of waiting an hour to try tonkatsu served on a styrofoam plate.

Instead, my folks and I tried Teppan Kitchen, which had absolutely nobody standing by it waiting to place an order.  Haha, I don't know if it was out of pity or curiosity that drove me to try it, but looking at the lone chef standing behind the counter staring at the mile-long line up for Saboten, I thought, "kawaisou". 

Anyway, I walked over and my stomach started to grumble at the sight of the plastic food in the display.  I'm always a sucker for the 3D menus so I told my dad that I was trying this place.

My mom's teeth were still reeling from the dentist so she settled for Lung Kee's congee instead of semi cooked meat on an iron pan. 

Seafood congee and radish cakes.  Not my favourite items on the menu, but I tried them anyway and decided that they were on par with standard food court offerings.

When our meals were ready, I was surprised by the presentation.  The meals were actually served on the iron skillets, and they had the paper shield to protect the customer from oil spatter.  The miso soup came in a styrofoam containter, and that was to be expected, but the little wooden spork was a nice touch.

My dad ordered the salmon and I ordered the beef which came semi-raw and the residual heat from the skillet was cooking the rest.  Of course, I gobbled it up while it still had a pulse, wouldn't want to overcook the beef.  Both dishes tasted surprisingly good.  We didn't need to add any extra sauce, though it was available if one felt the need to drown their rice in sauce and make porridge. 

Gotta love the spork.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Teppan Kitchen, and I'd probably eat there again.  As for Lung Kee, probably not unless I was sick because everyone knows that congee is the best medicine for any kind of illness, haha!

Kasuga

I only have myself to blame for trying Japanese food at Chrystal Mall Food court.  I was at the Hilton for a workshop that day and I felt like doing a review on some place local.  I remember there being a tempura shop at Chrystal Mall years and years ago, and it was pretty good at the time.  I couldn't find it but the seed was already planted in my mind and I wanted something Japanese.......I should have stuck with Chinese food.

Beef teryiaki don........loads of sauce...maybe a bit too much, too much veg.  I sudddenly had nightmarish flashbacks of Little Japan, but this place was cheaper and tastier.

When I went to check out the menu, they didn't have any sort of chirashi don and just out of curiosity, I asked and the cashier had no idea what a chirashi don was.  I decided to spend as little as possible at that point and ordered a spicy tuna roll which was okay, but a lot smaller than what I've had at other places.  Not to mention that most places don't wrap theirs with seaweed (rice on the outside).  The dynamite roll was bigger than your average dynamite roll. 

The sushi tasted okay, but not great.  The prices were reasonable, but damn was the service slow.  They had one person working the hot food, another person working the sushi (probably the mom and pop that owned the place) and a cashier that just stood there and watched the other two work.  I will probably not go here again.

Umi Sushi Express - Regina

After my experience with Wasabi Sushi, I never in a million years expexted to find any good sushi in Regina.  But the problem was that I was getting some huge cravings for sushi and I broke down the next day and had lunch at Umi Sushi Express.  Now my experience with Umi Sushi in Vancouver was a horrendous one, with cold, hard rice and small slivers of fish.  I had no hopes, but I was desperate.  To my surprise, the location in Regina (Cornwall Centre) had some half-decent sushi.

I have no idea what this roll was called, but it tasted good.  It had some yam in it, and the whole thing was deep-fried.  It was still warm when I got it, so definite thumbs up for this one.

I orderd a spicy tuna roll, currently my favourite roll.  The tuna actually tasted fresh.

I didn't have a good a good experience in Vancouver with Umi Sushi, but here in Regina, I was pleasantly surprised.  Was it because my expecations were so low, or was I just desperate for sushi?  I don't think it was either.  I actually think the sushi here was pretty good.  The rolls were freshly made and still carried the residual heat from the chefs.  The prices were over the top considering what I got, but hey, I was in Regina and I was desperate.  I ended up going there one more time for lunch during my stay in Regina.

If you want to see some wacked out prices, Regina Airport had a shop that was selling California Rolls for $8.00.....

Taco Luis

I wonder if it's the cheap and tasty food-court Mexican food or the charasmatic owner that brings people to Taco Luis.  On my lunches, I sometimes go by Lansdowne food court and I always see a line up in front of Taco Luis.  It never fails though, that this place is always busy.  Even during Nibbles and Bites (food festival at Thompson Community Centre), Taco Luis drew a crowd.

Ah, memories of my childhood came rushing back.  My parents occasionally took us to Lansdowne and it was always a treat to get a crispy beef burrito from Taco Don (not even sure if that chain is around anymore).  The recipe is a bit different (they've got a bit of cheese in the ground beef and they cap each burrito end with a Mexi-fry), but when you only dish out 3 bucks for two beef burritos, who really cares? 

Wonder Wok

I swear my parents should start a food blog, with all the places they try.  They always manage to source out some pretty decent food and some obscure food court like the one in the Richmond Public Market.  The last time I was there, I thought I'd seen it all, but last weekend, they introduced me to yet another place they frequent.

Like some of the places in the Yaohan food court, this place has the two or three items on rice combo.  And if you have to have Chinese food at a food court, try the ones at Yaohan, Aberdeen and RPG.  I've had Chinese food at Richmond Centre, and even Granville Island, and there's something just not right.  Not to mention completely overpriced.  Despite the tacky name, Wonder Wok actually puts out some tasty cheap food.

Crab is a pain in the @$$ to eat, but for some reason, I was craving crab that day and this one was just beggine me to buy it.  Obviously, it wasn't cooked that moment, but the shop had the decency to reheat it for me and even offered to add some spice when they threw it back on the wok.

Deep fried pork chop with jiao yian....how do you say jiao yian in English?  I guess you could call it seasoning salt?  Anyway, this happens to be one of my mom's favourite here because it's a bit spicy and has a bit of kick.  For me, the pork was fried just right (must have just come out of the deep frier) and wasn't too tough.  Usually if it sits on the heater too long, it will overcook in time.  Since the pork was tender, it's a good indication that the turnover for food at this place was pretty good....and the fact that there were quite a few people there to get food.

My mom's got a sweet-tooth so this is another one of her favourites - honey garlic pork spare ribs.  They were actually quite good too.  The meat had a slightly crispy coating under the honey sauce, and the pork underneath was tender and still moist. 

The deep fried squit happens to be one of my favourites.  It's a nice dish with a meal, and even better with a bottle of sake, haha!

Another good drinking snack - deep fried smelt.  This dish is cooked well, but lacks in seasoning.  I would prefer it to have some seasoning salt on it and if I ever have leftovers, it's easy to just sprinkle some seasoning salt on it and throw it in the toaster oven to reheat. 

Deep fried prawns.  These did have some seasoning on it, and these fat prawns were pretty damn good. 

As far as portions are concerned, they pile on the food so high that you would never be able to close the lid the food comes in.  Ordered some green stuff just to make myself feel better about all that deep fried stuff.

The crab was okay, the meat in the legs were pretty dry, but at the joints where the legs would be attached to the body had loads of edible meat that was still quite tender (the leg meat was a dry and stringy).  But what really made the crab meal was the stuff under the shell.  I don't know how to describe it in English, but in Japanese, they call it Kani Miso.  My dad calls it cheese, and I've also heard it refered to as crab brains.  Whatever it is, add some seasoning salt and a deep frier and you have a helluva combination.  It made the meal, and I would order it again just to eat the stuff under the shell.

Wonder Wok is within walking distance to my workplace, and for times when I forget a lunch, it's a nice alternative to Tokyo Joe's or Taco Luis (Lansdowne).