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

Review: Cactus Club (Bentall 5, Downtown Vancouver, BC)

Met up with some old high school friends for cocktails and catching up last weekend.

There was too much booze!



That being said, I also apologize for the quality of the photos. I *swear* they looked focused and beautiful that night!

The first time I tried to go to the "new" Cactus Club on Burrard and Pender, we got there too late after a comedy show at Yuk Yuk's and we ended up going somewhere else. What a pity, we thought - it had such a good location, with a nice large patio!

So on the night in question, we decided on either Joey's or Cactus - neither takes reservations on Saturday nights, so it was first come, first served.

The location was great - near skytrain and in the heart of downtown, with a mindset for attracting customers from the business area during the weekdays, and the party crowd on weekends. The plus was the large patio - it was set off from the street, so it wasn't dusty or noisy at all!

We ordered a round of appetizers, some entrees to share, and a couple rounds of drinks.

I started out with the tuna tataki - sadly, Cactus discontinued their tuna poke half a year ago - that was my favourite dish!!! While the tuna tataki was pretty to look at and delicious (after you drained / squeezed it of soy), it was no substitute for the tuna poke. Bring back the tuna poke!!



I took the next photo to demonstrate just how much soy was left over after finishing the dish. There was too much of it for my liking. bleeh.



The photo at the beginning of the post is the trio of westcoast pockets. I've always wanted to try these, M ordered them - he said they were delicious and I have to agree! A touch on the expensive side though - the three pockets were about $12. For that price, I think they were a little stingey.



Above: We also shared a plate of calamari. 'Twas good. You can't go wrong with calamari! I downed my appys with some margaritas, as they were on special on Saturday night.

...K also enjoyed some margaritas with me. I'm sure the lime margarita went well with his beef carpaccio?



Meanwhile, the other K had the spicy chicken with sweet chili sauce. After a couple rounds of drinks, M had a burger, K & S shared a quesadilla, and the other K had the sablefish. Chef Feenie always adds his magical touch to everything - everyone finished their food!

We even shared two desserts - the cheesecake, and a chocolate peanut butter bar. I *loved* the choco pb bar. I'm going to have to try making it at home. *stay tuned*

In all, it was a nice night - the weather was cooperative and it was a great night to sit and lounge on the patio. Even if we did drink too much and not remember much. ;) Here's to summertime...



Cactus Club Cafe (Bentall 5)

588 Burrard Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-682-0933