San Francisco // Alcatraz

People told me Alcatraz is one of the SF attractions you just "have" to go to. I loved every minute of it. It was eerie, dirty, and felt like cold isolation. The views around the island are spectacular. 

Three prisoners attempted to escape the island. They made three paper-mache heads, placed in their beds at night, and bypassed the prison guards through climbing pipes within walls. They then used a make-shift raft to sail across the bay. No word if their attempt was successful or if they even survived the frigid and rough waters. Who knew prison craft classes would come in handy?! 

Alcatraz also offers a night tour *whichIwastoochickentogoon* :P

Mother's Day at Maple Yip

Maple Yip aka "Look Yu" serves authentic Cantonese-style cuisine, it is one of the BEST Chinese restaurants in the GTA hands down. I've been dining at this restaurant since I was a kid. Thankfully this is one of the few awesome restaurants that hasn't migrated to Markham/Richmond Hill area :P

My family celebrated Mother's Day on a sunny Sunday evening. It's best to make a reservation because this restaurant is always packed during dinner hours. So packed, they took over the next unit to accommodate more tables a couple years ago. Chinese restaurants usually have a set menu available for special occasions. My mom opted for a-la carte items instead. Good choice. *Pssst* many of the restaurant's finest dishes aren't listed in the menu book, they are actually scribbled in Chinese on the colourful strips of paper found on the wall.

We started off our meal with the Winter Melon Soup. Hmm, one of my favourite soups just because it's so refreshing any season you have it. FYI, this soup must be ordered in at least 24 hours in advanced. Mushrooms, pork, and crab are cooked in the whole melon. When served, the waiter scoops out melon from the sides of the shell.



My favourite summer dish at Maple Yip is the Vancouver prawns, we ordered 2 lbs since they're in season, 1 lb just steamed and the other stir-fried with chillies. Look how meaty they are...

A summer staple dish that must be ordered: water spinach. Guangzhou-ers call it "ong choy", HK-ers call it "tung choy".

Guangdong's version of comfort food: cripsy chicken stuffed with glutinous (sticky) rice. This dish that must be ordered in advanced, but it's so worth it. The glutinous rice is cooked with Chinese sausages, stuffed in a chicken. Doesn't sound appealing, but it's delicious.

Sweet and sour pork, a jook sing's favourite. Crispy pork drenched in sweet and sour red sauce, stir-fried with onions, bell peppers and pineapple. The Julian Rule: rice is a must when eating sweet and sour pork.

The next dish, I have no idea what this type of white seafood is called! Any translators? All I know that it's delicious with snow pears and celery!

{ ??? }

{ l: minced pork with cured fish, r: fried oysters }

{ lotus roots and snow peas in a XO sauce }

Of course, dessert is always included. The daily dessert was red bean sweet soup :). The total bill, with tax and tip, came out to be $250. Not too shabby for 12 people! My family always resorts back to this restaurant despite the smaller portions and increase in prices over the years. The interior is nothing fancy, but the food makes up for it.




Maple Yip
4227 Sheppard Avenue East 
Toronto (Scarborough), ON 
M1S 5H5
(416) 297-1438

Happy Mother's Day!

San Francisco // Russian Hill & Coit Tower

After visiting Alcatraz in the morning, Julian and I decided to walk from Fisherman's Wharf to Coit Tower. It seemed like a good idea at the time, given that the tower was very close by. BIG MISTAKE. Little did we know we had to climb up and down (mainly up) the steep Russian Hills. 

On the bright side, we did get to explore the residential neighbourhood, which is lined with classic Victorian houses, but we were SO exhausted afterwards. Julian is an avid gym enthusiast, for him to say the walk was tough is not an understatement! When we reached Coit Tower, we saw a bus that directly came from the Wharf =_=V. The views from the base and the top of the tower are absolutely stunning. 

{ creepy fog over Alcatraz }