Holiday Hot Pot

So usually when its hot pot, asians gather around and do hot pot. Its warm, there's a lot of food, and basically there's a lot of company. You eat so much that you can't eat anymore, and then you go an pass out.
Here are some holiday tips to keep you from getting the hot pot sweats and not get a sore throat the next day!

- If you know you're doing the hot pot that night, prepare yourself. Hydrate with water, chrysthaneum and maybe honey&lemon water. It'll do you some good when you're scrambling to find something to drink later.
- Wear loose and bagey clothing. Your stomach will thank you. And so will that $200 dollar blouse.
- Choose a spot where you're out of the splash radius of the pot
- I suggest drinking herbal tea during hot pot. It'll save your throat For example:



- Don't eat more than you can handle. (I know we're all guilty of it) But when it comes down to it, don't over do it. You'll regret it later.

- Choose a more clear soup base for hot pot instead of super spicy. In the end it'll taste the same.

- Check the quality of the meat and make sure its cooked before consumption. I know a friend that likes rare beef in her hot pot. She got salmonella, it wasn't pretty.

- Contrary to popular belief, eating rice during the hot pot isn't going to help you digest. Its pretty bad actuallly. The rice absorbs the sauces from the hotpot and you don't know whats been inside. Also, do you really want to stuff yourself with rice instead of delicious meat.

If you're eating out AYCE

- Don't over do it on the fish balls. You're paying for it later. Order more slices of meat as an alternative. Its probably healthy for it. 

- Trying to hide your excess never really works. The waitress always knows. Order a lot in the beginning and then trim the stuff you don't want to eat.

Here are some tips now. :)

TO BE CONTINUED

Lucky Supermarket (13851-127 street)

This entry is highly unexpected. Firstly, I didn't want to believe it but urbanspoon does have an entry for this. Note: This is not a restaurant, it is an asian supermarket and they have "fast food" just like T&T. Anyways, I don't need to discuss the fact that its just a grocery store in the northside beside a Superstore. Opened by the same owners of Lucky 97 in Chinatown WHICH doesn't have food, this is a twist. Lucky supermarket is much cleaner, more ethnic groups are employed here and HOT FOOD is served!

They serve everything in the hot food section. They make fried rices, fried noodles, pho and bun dishes. They have the choose X number of items, dim sum, froyo, and bbt. Anyways, that almost sums up everything. Over the weekdays, they only many a certain number of items for choose X items and fried rices, so if you go at night, most of the time they'll run out of fried chicken with rice or fried pork. :'(

The banh mi is bit different that the Nhon Hoa that you get in Chinatown or from TC or V Sandwiches, the bread isn't toasted to crisperfection. Its still soft and they slander everything onto it. Good price for what you want!

Pho on the other hand, its always available. They have pho dac biet and bun bo hue and bun rieu. Generally anything you can make with premade soup, they will make you. And certain days, there are "specials".

Bun aka vermicelli dishes, are also available: you can choose from the premade OR make your own (for more cash) or choose the special.

All of these items are priced ridicously. Its the cheapest in the area. But, these dishes don't come in large size. One size fits all and in the case of my boyfriend, it doesn't always feed. It tastes like any other generic pho place. Its good. It could be better but you won't argue for that price. I like to come here for a quick bite, and all the time even though I live on the other side of the city.

Cake in a Mug

So you went out and bought this:


And it wasn't that great.

So DIY!!! (measure exactly please or it will taste funny!)
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons whisked egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil (no olive)
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Microwave for 3 minutes!

Enjoy

Spring Roll Kitchen (2395 111 Street)

Despite the bad reviews that this place has recieved, yes, this place probably deserves them. The service here is probably tops the top tens unhumanitarian and unclean viet restaurants in Edmonton. I believe that the service here may be on par with the Pho Hoa inside West Edmonton Mall. Half the time, you seat yourself in an awkward place because the waitress/owner doesn't clean off most of the tables. And this is at like 2pm, way past the lunch hour.

Since the bad is out of the way. Lets begin!
Spring Roll Kitchen has chosen a nice location to open its doors. You can find this in Century Park, right by the Starbucks and that Brewsters. Its easily acessible via public transit and there's plenty of parking INCLUDING handicap because a medical clinic is next doors. Renovation-wise is  very modern. The place is open and surrounded by glass - it gets really bright in the summer and really cold in the winter if you sit by the windows. Despite the poor reviews, I find myself going back. Sure, just because I'm asian I can tolerate bad behaviour and get away without tipping or showing poor consumer choices. I get it. I'm just as bad. I'm a poor student and I'm not willing to go all the way to Chinatown some days for good viet food. Spring Roll Kitchen just happens to be in the south side, the only other actual competitors being Pagolac South and Pho Hoa Elle.

I've tried a bunch of their food on several different occasions. Its okay, maybe just mediocre. Its not exactly the best, but on a good day, it might be better than Pags. I think the wavering quality of food between poor and decent is based on the mood of the lady that brings you the the table. For instance, the bun bo hue, the level of spiciness.... is substantially different everytime ranging from "OMG can I have more tea? Okay blatantly ignored" to "are you sure you didn't just give me pho dac biet". That being said, its always the same amount of food in my plate each time. In fact, the amount is consistent, its just some qualities of the food differ from time to time.

Anyways, I find myself coming back. Maybe one day they'll get a better attitude. As long as I don't feel like they're spitting into my food or any other sanitary issues, I'll be back.