Tuttimelon Frozen Yogurt (Richmond BC), Thu Hien (Vancouver BC)

Whew. It's been a while. I didn't really notice as a little thing called the Olympics were in town! When I got back from a couple days off of taking in the festivities, I found out that bossman had left things (from the days I had taken off!) for me to follow up on / finish up. It was a little nerve wracking as he took two weeks off immediately after I got back as well!

I've been busy though. Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays, and also finishing up Uncharted on the PS3. Since this is my first post in a while, here's two mini reviews of Tutti Melon and Thu Hien Deli on Kingsway.

I first heard about Tuttimelon early last year when there was a slight boom for frozen yogurt franchises in the lower mainland, then again when Sherman had posted about them (and the consistently bad Richmond drivers. lol!). While Tuttimelon is somewhat close to where I work, I couldn't fathom driving out of my usual commute for dessert, especially when I knew how dense Alexandra Road was and how I *hate* looking for parking.

I finally had the chance to try them out after a weekday lunch. And you know what? The usual Alexandra traffic jam was nearly non-existent! Bonus!

I ordered a medium tart yogurt with dragonfruit and strawberry. I thought the clerk was going to skimp on the toppings, but he basically mounded them on (even the dragonfruit!).

Sadly though, before I could take a photo, he'd slapped a dome lid on to the pretty dessert and all I got was the photo taken in the car. I actually twittered about it - I'm pretty sure if you were there in person you would have seen my shoulders slump a little as he ran his finger around the edge of the lid to fully close it off.

Once I got back to the car, the disappointment increased as I realized I'd have to make it back to the office before tasting anything - Richmond driving plus open Tuttimelon would have resulted in leather seat hazards! (Did I mention the mounds of strawberry and dragonfruit?)

I liked the abundance of fruit, but didn't really like the yogurt though. The tart flavour wasn't tart enough, and the texture of the dessert was more sorbet than yogurt. There was an ample amount of syrup / liquid at the bottom of the cup (clear, not yogurty!) and the mouthfeel should have been creamier than the watery, almost icey texture that was present. The price was also quite elevated; the medium tart flavour (I believe it was even more for flavoured yogurts) plus two toppings worked out to nearly six dollars. Six dollars! I could have had better tasting frozen yogurt at Qoola, plus have the karma effects of having supported a "green" company.

Initially, I'd wanted to return to try their gelato, but I do not believe I will make it. Above average price for below average product, sorry, I'm not a fan.

Tuttimelon
8391 Alexandra Road
Richmond BC
P: 778-297-1660

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For a while, I thought I'd keep Thu Hien my little banh mi secret. Location wise, it is convenient for me as I can head straight down Knight street after work and pick up a light snack or meal on the way home. I've visited a couple times when I've been craving a warm sandwich on crisp baguette, and meant to blog about it...but honestly, those sandwiches don't really stand a chance once they get in the car. I either stop by my mothers on the way home and nosh there, or pull over and simply start eating. (Even to veteran commuting eaters like me, Banh mi is a little bit of a task to eat while driving. Don't eat banh mi and drive kids!)

I've tried their cold cut special (left), chicken (right), and meatball sandwiches, but I have to say the chicken is the clear winner. Moist, hot chicken with flavour marinated into it, then grilled. They're not stingy with the protein either. In fact, I would think the chicken banh mi has the most meat.




In addition to your choice of meat, they fill the crisp baguettes with cold-pickled daikon and carrots, sprigs of cilantro, a spear of cucumber, and a smear of mayonnaise and chili sauce. It is *right* combination of salty, tart, spicy, texture, and freshness. And that is why I crave it! Generally, the baguette is shattery-crisp (they get them from Ba Le); however, the last time I went, the baguette was a little chewier than usual. It was an anomoly.

I've also noticed regulars coming in to Thu Hien and ordering the rice crepes (with a bag of fish sauce accompanying it). After reading Noshwells' account of how big the portions are for the rice crepes, I know I have to try them soon.

Thu Hien also sells ready made meals and spring rolls. Although they look tempting, I've only ever tried their banh mi. The deli does offer a seating area, but I've rarely seen people purchase and eat their meal there. Parking can be a pain - there is limited street parking and you may need to park a block or two away during rush hour.

In any case, love the banh mi, want to try the rice crepes.

Thu Hien Deli
1388 Kingsway
Vancouver BC
P: 604-874-9243

New Asia Deli (Richmond, BC)

The heat and the lack of air conditioning at work has made it unthinkable to have anything that is hot for lunch. I've been subsisting on cold noodles, salads, and cold sandwiches when I've been in the office. The exception comes when it is a good banh mi sandwich, off the office premises.



Last week I stopped by New Asia Deli several times to escape the stagnant heat of the office (I think the floorboards were literally emanating heat at one point) and to enjoy some refreshments.

A quick search for banh mi joints in Richmond yielded New Asia Deli. It's close enough to work and it was exactly what I wanted!

So far, I've tried their special baguette, their chicken baguette, their salad roll, and an iced Horlicks malted milk drink, both in iced, and slush form. The bread they use for their sandwiches are fresh, light, and shatteringly-crisp. Like I say - you know you have good banh mi bread when you've finished your sandwich and have a lap full of crumbs. :)

Their special baguette has an assortment of mixed cold cuts, while their chicken baguette is a bit of a misnomer - it was the dried shredded meat that was used instead of what I had pictured (grilled lemongrass chicken). The cold-pickled carrots and daikon were nicely crisp and slightly tart at the same time, a nice compliment to the salt of the meat and flavour of fresh cilantro sprigs within each sandwich. I haven't tried their meat ball baguette but would definitely try it next time.



The salad roll was acceptable, although I don't believe I'd order it again as I can make it myself. I did like that they individually wrapped each salad roll so that it wouldn't dry out, nor stick together.

The malted milk drinks (Horlicks) were well prepared. Iced, it was slightly sweet and a nice accompaniment to lunch. In its slush form, it cooled me down in the warm office, much like a Tim Hortons Ice Capp. Yum!

The best part about New Asia Deli? The ladies are so friendly! It kind of shocked me the first time, when I was grumpy and hot and sweaty. But the lady was gentle and nice and didn't correct my awful "Chinglish" ordering. She even advised me to order a slush Horlicks on my second visit, because, as she put it, "it would be more fragrant and taste better."

Well, good service makes food taste better. It's nice to have discovered New Asia Deli - hopefully I'll have a chance to try their pho soon.

New Asia Deli

1113-3779 Sexsmith Rd [map]

Richmond BC

Phone: (604) 279-4288

My life in photos.

Originally, I was going to have a separate post for the past couple days. There were posts with recipes, photos with days and strolls in Stanley park, downtown, and days of food and beverage, car selling, and a haunting walk through TMs old building.

Life has been...interesting. There have been ups: we take possession this weekend, TMs apartment was, for the most part, spared. Jerry Graduated! I am so proud of my friends and family for all they are doing and achieving. But there are the bads too: Ewas mother passed away on Monday, finally succumbing to breast cancer complications. G, one of the most vibrant and brilliant people ever, didn't get into med school. I haven't seen some of my friends in the longest time, due to time and money constraints.

It's been a little overwhelming. The posts will come later, I swear.

For now, here's the past couple of days:

We went back to the apartment on Monday. The damage to the upper levels was pretty scary and horrific. The fixtures were melted, the carpets had been removed in the entire building, there was a lot of smoke, fire, and water damage.

The makings of Banh Mi - that delectable, addictive Vietnamese sandwich. Mmmm.

Strawberry Kuchen - my first try at a strawberry tart. Originally, I had visions of incorporating mango into this, but ran out of time...and mangoes. ;)

Finally, after all that cooking, I enjoyed it at the beach! We relaly needed that day of relaxing and just forgeting about everything house & apartment related.