Foodology
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April 2017

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In Cafe

Yama Cafe: Japanese Cafe in Vancouver

Yama Cafe has taken over Basho Cafe a few months ago. Everyone was so sad that Basho closed their doors, but Yama has kept the essence of Basho and put his spin on the menu. I came here with a few foodie friends to check out the space and have a treat. They serve up drinks, rice bowls, salad bowls, bread, and soup.

Interior

The interior is still the same with their wooden rustic look and bunting spread across the room. There were lots of people inside here, but if you come at off-times, there are tables.

Treats

They have a selection of treats like brownies, moffins (made with mochi), and other treats. You can’t go wrong with any of them as they are very well made. They are delicious and it’s just the right amount of sweetness to go with their drinks.

Matcha Latte

Their matcha lattes can be sweet or unsweetened, I went with the unsweetened kind as I don’t like to much sugar in my drinks. It was delicious and they did a very pretty latte art on top.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I love this space. It’s so cozy and great for hanging out with friends. Their drinks and baked goods are delicious too. I’ll definitely be back.

We Rate Yama Cafe: 

Address:
2007 E Hastings Street, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Yama-Cafe-699753386865794/

Yama Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

L’Éclair de Génie Canada is Now Open in Vancouver

L’Éclair de Génie has officially opened their first location in Canada. It is located on Robson Street in Vancouver. L’Éclair de Génie is a pastry concept started by renowned chef Christophe Adam. Christophe has dedicated the last 14 years to creating a chic snacking version of the French pastry landmark, the éclair, and the store now offers over 250 flavours. L’Éclair de Génie is adored worldwide with 25 boutiques throughout France, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, and now here in Canada.

They specialize in eye-catching eclairs. There are also other treats and beverages here. I was invited for a sneak peek to try a few different items. Paris-trained, Vancouver-based local chef, Melanie Patricio is behind this magic to keep Christophe Adam’s concept to standard.

Vanille Framboise

This has vanilla cream, raspberry confit, fresh raspberries and white chocolate. Very refreshing with the raspberry on top.

Chocolat Grand Cru

This is filled with chocolate cream inside and topped with chocolate on top. Great for chocolate lovers.

Vanille Pecan

This is stuffed with vanilla cream and topped with caramelized pecans. I really like the vanilla cream in the centre and those crunchy pecans.

Framboise Passion

This is filled with passionfruit cream, raspberry confit and topped fresh raspberries and a passion fruit jelly.

Pistache Framboise

This eclair is stuffed with raspberry confit, then pistachio chantilly, fresh raspberries and roasted pistachios.

Caramel Beurre Salé

This has salted caramel and mascarpone cream. It’s really delicious and I love the shiny top to this eclair. One of my favourites.

Praline Noisette

This is stuffed with caramelized mascarpone cream, hazelnut praline and topped with caramelized hazelnuts. So good. I love the contrasting texture of the hazelnuts. I would recommend this too.

Matcha Bambou

This is stuffed with matcha cream and white chocolate. It has a sweet white chocolate that dominates the matcha.

Siroup D’erable

This is made just for their Canadian store and it is stuffed with maple cream and its surprisingly not that sweet at all. A good balance. On top, I <3 Vancouver is written on top.

Citron Yuzu

This has lemon yuzu cream inside and topped with crispy meringue dots.

Anastasia Tea

This is a blend of earl grey, lemon and orange blossom. You can also get this as a hot beverage too.

Detox

The detox is a blend of maté, green tea and lemon grass.

Cappuccino

If you want something a bit stronger, they have espresso-based beverages. I got a cappuccino with a strong espresso topped with light airy foam. Goes well with eclairs too.

Iced Caffé Latte

They also have iced cold espresso drinks too. With hotter days coming to Vancouver, a good iced beverage perfect for the Summer.                         

If you aren’t into eclairs, they also have pastries and chocolates.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the eclairs are delicious. They will costs you between$5.85 – $6.75 depending on which kind you get. The price point is good for a few bites of decadent eclairs. I’m really excited to see L’Éclair de Génie opening up in Vancouver and giving us a taste of Parisian eclairs by chef Christophe Adam.

We rate L’Éclair de Génie Canada: 

Address:
1210 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
http://leclairdegenie.ca/

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In Chinese

Pink Pearl: 4 Decades of Dim Sum

We were invited to Vancouver’s longest-running Chinese restaurant – Pink Pearl for a culinary journey of  Dim Sum. Signature dim sum dishes representing different decades at Pink Pearl  was prepared by Dim Sum Chef F.K. Jiang and his team. We were taken on a tour of 4 decades of items featured in past menus from the 1980’s to 2010’s.

13 different dim sum dishes were featured and some dishes brought me back to my childhood. The event was co-hosted by Gojoy Berries, Stephanie Yuen and Chinese Bites.

1980s

I remember the good ol days when there were more carts roaming around Chinese restaurants and all the guests were scarily fighting over the last sui mai. Lots have changed since then and there are only a handful of restaurants left where they will push around the carts. Pink Pearl still has push carts, which is great.

Liver & Pork Dumplings

This was an interesting dish and I felt like it should have stayed in the 80s. The chalky taste of the liver with the dumpling didn’t blend too well, but yet again, I’m not a big fan of liver.

Duck Web Wrap

The webbed duck feet were wrapped in a sheet of bean curd and there was also ham and mushrooms inside. It was ok, but it was tricky to eat as the duck feet would slide out of the wrapper.

Shrimp Toast

This was another item you don’t see as often. You have the shrimp paste on top of toast and then deep fried. The toast did get a bit oily.

Pan-Fried Half-Moon Dumpling

The dumpling is served with a light refreshing broth. The dumpling was ok but it had minimal filling.

1990s

Mini Steamed Pork Bun

A classic item and you can’t go wrong with a mini steamed pork bun. I liked it.

Black and White Sweet Sesame Roll

This really brought me back to my childhood. I don’t see this as much anymore. As a kid we would pretend they were film canisters and unroll the “film” and then eat it. It was a tradition and I totally forgot about it until now.

Lotus Wrapped Stuffed Sticky Rice

The sticky rice was really packed full of ingredients and it was pretty good. It was easy for 2-4 people to share one basket.

2000s

Steamed Shrimp Dumpling

A very popular item ordered for dim sum. A classic and you can’t deny this.

Steamed sticky rice roll

This is an item that I normally don’t order, it’s like carb on carb. It tasted good.

2010s

Steamed beef rice roll

Steamed beef rice roll is something we are all so familiar with. The minced beef in the centre is delicious. You add some sauce on top of the rice rolls to add more balanced flavour.

Steamed shrimp rice roll

Similar item to the above but with shrimp instead of beef.

Wok-fried lotus roots & fresh mushrooms

A decent dish but it didn’t mesh too well with the other dim sum dishes. It was a good way to incorporate the gojiberries, but I was more use to the dried gojiberries.

Gojoy gojiberries gelle

A nice sweet touch to the end of the meal with this gelle, which was pretty good.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was good to see some of the different dim sum dishes thought out the decades and there were some interesting dishes that stayed in the 1980s. Starting May 1st, Pink Pearl is showcasing their ‘4-decades of Chinese dinner’ with a 4-month long campaign to benefit Food Bank and Sowers Society. You can find more information on their special dinner menu on their website.

We Rate Pink Pearl: 

Address:
1132 E Hastings St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.pinkpearl.com/index.php/en/

Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Bubble Tea

MYST Asian Fusion in Burnaby

MYST Asian Fusion just opened in Burnaby and they are serving up many different kinds of Asian cuisine. We were invited for a tasting of their menu to see what they offer. There is a parking lot but it can be quite full at peak hours, but there is free street parking too.

The restaurant is a bit hidden but just look out for the bright blue sign.

Interior

They have lots of seating inside with booth style configurations. This location took over Lester’s Arcade, so they really did a lot of renovations to get this look.

Drinks

Taiwanese Beer

They have a selection of Taiwanese Beer on the menu. It’s sweeter than the average beer and infused with fruity flavours.

Uchikinoki ice cream smoothie

A green tea drink with ice cream, mochi and red bean.

Slushies

They have huge slushies with marshmallow and chocolate eyeballs. This particular one was green apple flavour.

Pea Flower Tea

They have a series of pea flower tea, which have been quite popular among bubble tea shops around town. These 2 particular drinks were Calpis butterfly pea flower tea and the Strawberry lemon butterfly pea flower tea.

Potted Milk Tea

The milk tea base to topped with a cookie crumble and a green leaf. it was a really cool concept, but I didn’t like the gritty texture of the cookie crumble.

Takoyaki

It comes with 6 pieces and has a piece of cooked octopus inside. It is topped with mayo, teriyaki sauce, and shredded seaweed. It was interesting to see this on the menu, but tasted decent.

Fried green beans with minced pork

It has a good portion size for a table to share this. It had a nice caramelization from the hot pan. It was good.

Steamed sticky rice dumplings

7 pieces to an order in a steamed bamboo basket. The wrapper is filled with all the delicious sticky rice. It was an interesting dish but it was too carb heavy for my personal liking.

Skewers

They have a large variety of skewers on the menu. They were all pretty meh I would have wanted more char for added flavour.

  • Pork intestine
  • Lamb
  • Pork
  • Chicken
  • Fish cake
  • Chicken gizzard

Japanese style egg fried rice

There is a good amount of seafood in the fried rice and it’s topped with a fried egg, seaweed and mayo. My kind of comfort food.

Golden sand prawns with salted egg yolk sauce

Very delicious and the egg yolk crust is so addictive. I peeled the head off and at the rest with the shell on. Some people hate it with the shell but I oddly like it with the crunchy texture.

Chives & shrimp spring rolls

Mediocre spring rolls and nothing was special about them.

Pan fried beef pancake

The green onion pancake is rolled with beef, green onions and some sauce. 4 pieces some in an order and they are big pieces.

House special spicy lamb hot pot

This was my favourite dish of the evening. It is lit underneath with some fire to keep it nice and hot as you eat the meal. It is served with rice and 2 side dishes.

The hot pot was packed full of ingredients like spam, tofu, fish cake, bean curd, and imitation crab.

Deep fried ginger flavour chicken whole wings

This is their large order and each wing was perfectly fried. The exterior was crisp and golden brown.

Fried chicken in chili pepper

The pieces had a lot of bones so it wasn’t as enjoyable to eat. Meh.

Sandwiches

The sandwiches are pretty basic. Egg, tomato, ham and cucumber are inside the slices of white bread.

Chives, shrimp & pork dumplings

Pretty decent for dumplings and there is 10 pieces to the order and some sauce on the side.

Taiwanese style fried rice vermicelli

Soft vermicelli noodles with some veggies and meat mixed throughout.

Assorted deep fried basket

This basked had squid tentacles, salt and peppery chicken, blood sausage, and other deep fried items.

MYST beef noodle soup

Inside, we added beef shank, tripe, and tendon. It was decent and filling.

Marinated 3 item combo

This had dried tofu, seaweed and pork ear string. It was served cold on this dish and we slowly picked at it.

TaiNan style egg noodle soup

This was an ok dish but it didn’t compare to the other soupy dishes on the menu.

Myst deluxe marinated pork with rice

This dish had a lot of ingredients in it. Just mix it all together and enjoy.

Preserved cabbage with shredded pork fried rice cake

It was a good dish for sharing around the table. The chewy rice cakes with the preserved cabbage and pork were a nice combination.

Hakka style sweet rice cake

Nope. The dates gave it an odd bitter preserved flavour to the dish. No one likes it, but maybe you have to have an acquired taste.

Myst Jelly

This is a Winter Melon Jelly and has a consistency of a harder jello. It was very sweet and I didn’t really like this either.

Shaved Snowflake

They have this in either strawberry or mango flavours. We got the strawberry version and it sit on top of dry ice that makes the fog underneath. The strawberry shaved ice and the ice cream have a sweet artificial taste to it, kinda like Pocky. The strawberry slices were fresh.

Myst Taiyaki

The taiyaki sits in a ice cream cone bowl, matcha ice cream, mochi, red bean sauce, chocolate drizzle and a chocolate wafer stick. It was a dessert fit for a kid.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was so-so, but there is quite a variety that you’ll find something to enjoy. My favourite were the House special spicy lamb hot pot, deep fried chicken wings, and the golden sand prawns with salted egg yolk sauce.

We Rate MYST: 

Address:
6400 Kingsway, Burnaby

Website:
http://www.myst6400.com/

Myst Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Brunch

Prado Cafe Launches Brunch on West Hastings

Prado Café on 100 West Hastings Street has just launched an expanded menu that includes made-to-order breakfast items, cakes, and sandwiches. The enhanced menu will be in addition to Prado’s signature offerings and follows the Café+Kitchen concept made popular at its Fraserhood location, and available at the newly opened Fir Street location in Kitsilano.

Think poached eggs, pea and avocado smash on toast, a daily selection of house-made scones and coffeecakes, as well as a feature sandwich. Plans are in the works to roll out the Café+Kitchen concept to the original Commercial Drive location soon.

Mint Pea Avocado Smash

This comes on two slices of toast and is a pretty good size for brunch. Easily shared between 2 people too if you just want a snack. They also have gluten-free options as well.

It was filling but the addition of the mint did throw me off a bit. Nonetheless, the peas and avocado were  great together.

Prado Breakfast

This has poached egg, mint pea avocado smash, arugula, and prosciutto. It’s like an elevated mint pea avocado toast. It comes with only one slice of toast but it is filling.

Waffles

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, they have waffles. We got the Ricotta, honey, and pecan waffle.

Sunrise Salad

This has arugula, marinated artichokes, olives, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, sweety drop peppers, house-made balsamic, and poached egg on top. A healthy option indeed.

Coffee

Coffee is a perfect pairing especially in the morning when caffeine is needed. A cappuccino is just what I needed.

The cookie without a name

This has peanut butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows and other items packed into this cookie.

Final Thoughts

Overall, they have great coffee but the brunch items are decent but nothing mind blowing. They definitely give customers more options with their new brunch menu from healthy to more decadent items.

We Rate Prado Cafe: 

Address:
100 West Hastings, Vancouver

Website:
https://pradocafevancouver.com

Prado Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

The Pawn Shop: Tacos on Granville Street

The Pawn Shop is a new restaurant on Granville Street specializing in Tacos, Tapas and Tequila. The took over SIP Resto Lounge and brings an awesome space for locals and tourists to enjoy.

We were curious about their name as well as their tacos.

Interior

There are tons of seat inside and it has a dark vibe with graffiti and neon signs on the walls. It definitely has a young hip vibe going on.

Drinks

You can find beer on tap, wine on tap, cocktails, spiked slushies, shooters and non-alcoholic drinks.

Cheese Tots

This has tots, cheddar, feta, green onions with side of queso and salsa. Definitely cheesy.

A fun dish to share among friends at the table.

Deuce Papoose

This has fried pastry dough stuffed with carnitas, tomato, and then topped with cheddar, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, rojo sauce chicharron, and cilantro. This dish was ok, we felt like there really wasn’t much stuffing in the pastry dough.

Tacos

On their menu, they have 8 different types of tacos. On our visit, we tried 4 of them. If you come from happy hour, these are $1 with drink purchase, which is really good. Originally, they are around $4.

  • Carnitas
  • Al Pastor
  • Bistec
  • Pescado

Carnitas

This has slow cooked pulled pork, house slaw, fried onions and Valentina Mayo. It tasted ok, but the flour tortilla, I prefer corn tortillas.

Al Pastor

This has fried pork belly, Guajillo pepper and pineapple glaze, house slaw, sour cream, pickled onion, and a grilled pineapple.

Pescado

It has beer battered basa fish, house slaw, Valentina mayo, cucumber salsa, and jalapeno.

Bistec

It has grilled skirt steak, pawn shop dry rub, house slaw, pickled carrot, rojo mayo, and chimichurri. All of the tacos were decent, but I feel like it was missing an umph of flavour compared to other taco shops around town.

There is also some hot sauce on the table if you need some heat added to your meal.

Churros

For dessert, we had churros with cinnamon sugar and a caramel and chocolate sauce.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the place is great for happy hour for cheap tacos and drinks. There are screens to watch the game as well. The food was alright but nothing super amazing.

We Rate The Pawn Shop YVR: 

Address:
1117 Granville Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://thepawnshopyvr.com/

The Pawn Shop YVR Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

Botanist: Bar, Garden, Dining Room and Campaign Lounge in Vancouver

Botanist is a new restaurant inside Fairmont Pacific Rim and it officially opens today, beginning with breakfast service. They are replacing their precious restaurant concept – ORU with Botanist. The restaurant will present a collection of four diverse spaces —a dining room, cocktail bar and lab, garden, and a champagne lounge. They offer a dining destination rich in experiences that reflect the vibrant, lush earthiness of the Pacific Northwest – from design and decor to cocktails and cuisine.

We were invited to have a sneak peek of the space and menu before they open their doors to the public. So, this is definitely not a normal dining experience, I just wanted to take you on a journey to see how their new space and menu has transformed. Executive Chef Hector Laguna’s menu depicts the culinary abundance of our region – produce rooted from the soil of the northwest, sustainably sourced seafood; and organic agricultural methods from backyard suppliers.

Cocktail Bar and Lab

The Cocktail Bar is dedicated to the creative science of cocktails. Led by Grant Sceney, the creative beverage director, and David Wolowidnyk, Botanist head bartender, the international award-winning duo created a list of whimsical yet sophisticated cocktails. The elevated beverage experience is enhanced by the Cocktail Lab with commercial kitchen elements such as a centrifuge, band saw, and roto-vaporizer. Select libations give a nod to its chemistry inspired roots and botanical background.

Deep Cove

The Deep Cove mixes Island Gin, sea buckthorn, and blue algae and is served in a bespoke glass molded onto a log of driftwood. Next level cocktail right here.

Pretty Bird

This cocktail has Gin, Berries, Seeds, Bubbles and the cute bird glass sits on a Bird Nest.

If you love fun innovative cocktails, this area if for you where you can watch the bartenders in action.

Dining Room

Dining Room is a space intended to be active and engaging morning to night. A mixture of various limestone, whitewashed woods and ornate metalwork sets its foundation with pops of plant material found throughout.

The menu isn’t that large, but there is a good variety of items to choose from.

Root Vegetables

There is fava, garbanzo, avocado, burrata, lemon in this appetizer.

English Pea Soup

The soup is poured into the dish and is paired with a stack of dungeness crab, mint, and crème fraîche.

Roasted Wagyu Zabuton

This has celeriac, nettles, wild mushrooms, romanesco, and brown butter jus to complete the dish.

Seared Sablefish

It also has a onion nage, fermented vegetables, and puffed tapioca.

Charred Octopus

It has asparagus, cauliflower, kohlrabi, chorizo in this dish to highlight the charred octopus. The octopus was very tender and flavourful. You can tell they spent some time really making this dish shine.

Hand Cut Tagliatelle

There are morels, mushroom soil, and a crispy piave on top.

Final Thoughts

Another great addition to the Vancouver dining scene with their creative concept to bring out the flavours of the Pacific Northwest.

Address:
1038 Canada Place Way, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.botanistrestaurant.com/

Botanist Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Shoppers Drug Mart Introduces Enhanced Convenience Location in Vancouver

Shoppers Drug Mart launched their first enhanced food section at 2748 East Hastings Street in Vancouver close to PNE. I have a Shoppers Drug Mart close to my house and it is handy having to pick up last minute items before going home or heading out to a friends place. Not all neighbourhoods are in close proximity to large grocery stores, so they are carefully rolling this concept out to areas where it makes sense. They officially launched on April 22 and was welcomed by the neighbourhood. They will also be opening this concept at 11800 Cambie Road in Richmond as well. Perhaps more to come in BC and other provinces.

We were invited to see a sneak peek of the new renovations and get a better understanding of the new changes that customers would enjoy. Pharmacists at these stores were also provided nutrition training and health information to better help customers and patients to find better options for their diets. A cool concept.

Enhanced Food Section

All Shoppers Drug Marts have a few aisles of food items, but with the new concept, they’ve added more variety with over 750 new fresh items.

Produce

You’ll be able to find popular produce for any last minute ingredients for creating your dinners at home. As they are a Loblaws company, you can trust they are getting their produce from trusted suppliers.

Specialty cheeses and deli meats are available as well from the larger brands and their President’s Choice offerings too. That last minute charcuterie plate can be put together here. It’s a small section but they have a good selection.

Common items like bread is here too. Surprisingly it’s very handy especially during Summer BBQs when you are short a few buns. You can now run over here to get a loaf.

They have a dairy section too.

On the Go Meals

You can also find a selection of locally prepped easy meals, sandwiches, cut fruit and other items. You can also find T&T products like baked goods and sushi that is delivered daily.

A few other Shoppers locations will have this added Grab & Go area for added convenience in Vancouver:

  • 30120 West Broadway
  • 3303 Main Street
  • 1202 West Pender Street
  • 370 East Broadway
  • 1780 West Broadway
  • 586 Granville Street
  • 1006 Homer Street

Other locations will remain the same.

We also found more variety of Asian cooking ingredients, which is helpful given the demographic of the neighbourhood.

Instead of driving further to go to T&T, they have a few staple items here.

Frozen and Packaged Goods

There is a lot more frozen items in the store since they are able to put freezers along the walls. I was also surprised by the amount of aisles in the food section, it looked like it was about half of the store.

Final Thoughts

It’s definitely an added convenience for those in the neighbourhood who are looking for last minute grocery items. I’ve been in that situation many times before too. They obviously don’t have a full selection like a grocery store, but I was impressed with what they had. Since they are a division of Loblaws, the selection of President’s Choice products is plenty at great prices.

If you’re living in the neighbourhood or just passing by and need a last minute ingredient, you can find it here at the Shoppers Drug Mart located close to PNE.

Website:
https://www1.shoppersdrugmart.ca/

Address:
2748 East Hastings Street

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In appetizer

Finding Sustainable Canned Seafood in Grocery Stores

Today is Earth Day (April 22) and one important thing we can’t forget is that our planet should be celebrated, honoured and protected every day. Two-thirds of our planet is covered by oceans and are home to some of the most incredible creatures on Earth.

They also play a critical role in regulating our climate and feeding the world. Taking care of our oceans can be as simple as thinking more critically about where our seafood comes from and how to buy it more responsibly. As consumers, we make a choice by having our purchasing dollars make a stance in what we believe in. 

Ocean Brands makes that choice easier for Canadians with their Gold Seal sockeye salmon and Oceans Pole & Line tuna.  These products proudly carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label, demonstrating they are from a sustainably managed fishery. 

MSC is an international non-profit that works with scientists, fisheries, seafood producers and brands around the world to advance sustainable fishing and to safeguard the health of our oceans. This council was created to address and reverse the problem of unsustainable fishing.

The blue MSC label on products guarantees they meet the most credible standard in the world. Seafood with the label can be found at retailers and restaurants across Canada from Loblaws to even McDonalds for their Fish-o-Filet.

Tuna Salad Appetizers

One of the easiest things to make at home is a tuna salad appetizer for guests. Simple 2 bites for any occasion.

  • 1 can Flaked Light Tuna
  • 13 crackers
  • 3 tablespoon Mayo
  • 1 tablespoon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoons Cayanne pepper
  • Pinch of Salt and Pepper
  • Pinch of Italian seasoning on top (optional)

You can always incorporate other ingredients into it like onions and celery for added crunch. It’s a very flexible item to create. You can even turn it into a sandwich if you wanted to for lunch.

Gold Seal Sockeye Salmon

Pole & Line Flaked Light Tuna in Water

Pole & Line Chunk Light Tuna in Water

If you’re looking for fresh seafood, you can spot this logo or the Ocean Wise logo, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. They also work directly with local restaurants, markets, food services and suppliers to ensure that they have the most current scientific information and help them make ocean-friendly buying decisions.

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In Afternoon Tea

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe: High Tea in Langley

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe in Langley is located in a cute little heritage home. This place about 30 – 40 minutes away from Vancouver depending on traffic. We were invited to give their high tea a try.

I was pretty excited since I love high tea and it’s not that often I visit Langley.

Interior

The interior is very cute like you’re dining in someone’s living room. since it is a heritage home, you are sitting in someone’s home.

Everything here is on point and very cozy. Fresh tulips on the table too.

Tea

They serve Mighty Leaf Teas as well as some other blends. I went with the Breakfast Americana, which is a blend of English breakfast black tea.

The saucers are all really cute and each one is a little different.

Add some milk and sugar to your tea.

Signature High Tea

Their signature high tea includes:

  • Assorted finger sandwiches on the first tier
  • Freshly baked scones on the second tier
  • Our house-made Devonshire cream
  • Artisanal preserves
  • Assorted dainties and babycakes on the third tier
  • Seasonal sliced fresh fruit
  • Your choice of loose leaf teas or Artisan roasted coffees

Sandwiches

The first tier had the assorted sandwiches with a cheesy palmier pastry. All the other sandwiches were really delicious, my favourite was surprisingly the tomato and pesto. The cheesy palmier pastry was also amazing as well.

Scones

On the second tier were their pineapple scones topped with powdered sugar. You can spread their jam and house-made Devonshire cream all over it.

The pineapple scone was very flakey. I cut it in half and spread the Devonshire cream and jam on it.

The third and final tier has their dainties and babycakes. There are brownies, eclairs, cookies, fruit and the little cupcakes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great high tea experience and the price is pretty good compared to some of the other places in Vancouver. If you live further away from the city, Tracycakes is a great place to go to. The atmosphere is nice and the staff are friendly too.

We Rate Tracycakes: 

Address:
21594 48 Avenue, Langley, BC

Website:
http://tracycakesonline.com/

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: Unicorn Frappuccino Review

You may have heard Starbucks is introducing the Unicorn Frappuccino for a limited time only. It is available April 19-23 until supplies last. From what I’ve seen, it is available in Canada and the United States.

The Unicorn Frappuccino starts as a pink beverage with swirls of blue and a first taste that is sweet and fruity. But give it a stir and its colour changes to purple, and the flavour evolves to tangy and tart. The more the swirl, the more the beverage’s colour and flavours transform. The Unicorn Frappuccino is made with a dusting of pink topping blended into a crème Frappuccino with mango syrup and layered with a pleasantly sour blue drizzle. It is finished with vanilla whipped cream and a sprinkle of sweet pink and sour blue topping.

I could definitely taste the mango syrup initially but it wasn’t overly sweet. When I saw it, it seemed like it would be very very sweet from the bright colours. It was a so-so drink, but it’s definitely more for aesthetics than taste. For sure Instagram worthy, but not a drink you would come back to.

 

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In Bubble Tea

Shiny Tea: Bubble Tea Ice Cream in International Village

Shiny Tea inside International Village is serving up soft serve ice cream. They still have their classic milk teas and other drinks. After work, I came with a few friends to begin the long weekend and to enjoy some ice cream. It was close to the office, so we thought it would be great for a visit. It got busy later into the evening.

Interior

There are about 14 seat inside, so it’s not great for really large groups. But, the food court is a few steps away, so you can go there instead to sit and eat.

Soft Serve Ice Cream “Italian Gelato”

They have 2 flavours on rotation – Peach Mango Green Tea and their Sri Lankan Black Tea. You get 1 sauce and toppings are extra. The flavours change every week, but they usually have one tea-based flavour and a fruity one. They let you taste the flavours before you purchase, which is nice.

There is only one size, so it’s still good for individual consumption or sharing.

Yaaassss…condensed  milk.

I got the Sri Lankan Black Tea with white pearls, black pearls and condensed milk.

They did have suggested toppings and sauces, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I crafted my own and it turned out delicious.

My friend got the Peach Mango Green Tea with brown sugar honey and it was a bit on the sweet side.

Milk tea

There are lots of drinks on the menu to choose from, but my favourites are the milk teas.

My friend got the 3Q milk tea. It has black pearls, white pearls and coconut jelly.

Overall,

We Rate Shiny Tea: 

Address:
88 W Pender St,Unit 2113, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.shinytea.ca/

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In Breakfast

Cherry Blossom Inspired Breakfasts with Almond Breeze

Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) are blooming all over the world and they are just so beautiful. They don’t last very long, but they are Spring’s snow. Some love it and some hate them. Just don’t park your car under a cherry blossom tree or else you’ll be having a bad time. When the cherry blossoms bloom, it’s really pretty and photographers flock from all over to capture it’s natural beauty. In the early 1930s the mayors of both Kobe and Yokohama presented Vancouver’s Park Board with 500 Japanese cherry trees for planting at the Japanese cenotaph in Stanley Park honouring Japanese Canadians who served in WWI. Currently, the City of Vancouver has over 130,000 cherry blossom trees and continues to grow.

I wanted to take the beautiful inspiration of Cherry Blossoms and create some easy healthy breakfast items using Almond Breeze. Almond Breeze is an almond beverage used as a substitute for milk and soy. I really like the sweetened original flavour.

Berry Banana Smoothie

An easy item to make is a berry banana smoothie. To get the natural pink colour, I used berries. I find that Strawberries, Raspberries and Pomegranates work best. Cherries are good too but it ends up giving it a darker colour. Take all the ingredients and throw it into a blender. Very easy and you can’t screw up.

  • Half Banana
  • Handful of berries (strawberries and raspberries)
  • 2 cups of Almond Breeze

Red Berries Chia Pudding

For a quick breakfast on the go, chia pudding is very simple and easy to make. You can prepare it the day before or in the morning if you have time. I like to keep my ingredients simple, so here is a 3-ingredient chia pudding.

  • 2 table spoon of chia seeds
  • 3/4 cup of Almond Breeze
  • handful of berries (cherries, pomegranates, raspberry and strawberry)

Blend the berries and Almond Breeze in a hand blender. In a mason jar, mix the chia seeds and berry almond mixture. Easy and can be done in 5 minutes or less. You can change up the berries in your chia pudding too. I used frozen berries as it was on sale in the store and it keeps for much longer than fresh fruit.

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In Dessert

Wild Sweets: Cocoa Bean To Chocolate Afternoon Tea

Wild Sweets just introduced their Cocoa Bean To Chocolate Afternoon Tea experience at their retail store in Richmond. The session lasts approximately 75 to 90-minutes and each guest is served a multi-course set menu of about 13 chocolate-based items for $39.99.

Chocolate Tea

You start off with their chocolate tea infusion made with whole cocoa beans and can potentially be aromatized with fresh elements like citrus zest. Their chocolate tea is delicious and quite unique.

Cucumber

Each bite is very interactive, so you get to play with your food and design how you want it to look like.

This dish has Cocoa nibs bread, Goat cheese gelée,  Pickled cucumber, Puffed peas crunch, and Mint oil.

Biscuit

The biscuit has Tuscany ham, Jarlsberg cheese, cocoa nibs & Kalamata dried figs. It is also served with Mustard oil, pickled red onions and Crème fraîche. The biscuit was pretty dry.

Coco-Air

This has Dark chocolate & hazelnut praliné ‘Air’,  Foamed Chantilly cream and Puffed rice crunch. I loved this item! I love porous the item is and the texture was awesome.

Egg Salad

Put this item together with Cocoa nibs bread,  Sous Vide egg shavings, crispy shallots, Salsa Verde and Chives oil. It was so cute and reminded me of a mini breakfast sandwich.

Interlude

The vials has a Citrus chocolate consommé with the Lemon Vodka and Semi-candied Kalamata olives. On the left, you have Olive Madeleine.

This definitely wasn’t for me.

Tomato

This has Cocoa nibs bread, Grape tomato confit, Pesto pulled Mozzarella, and 2 pieces of Crispy back bacon. It was delicious especially the back bacon.

Cream Puff

This has Textured pâte à choux,  Crispy praliné , Orange caramel compote,  Milk chocolate Chantilly, and Orange zest oil. It was absolutely delicious.

Cheese and Fruit

On the bottom, you have Biscuit sablé, Pear panna cotta, Pear vanilla bean confit, and a Crunchy cheese chip. It was ok, but that cheese chip was delicious.

Merveilleux

You will find Crispy meringue, Dark chocolate thin, White chocolate Chantilly, Caramel banana, and Almond banana crunch. A nice combination of textures.

Tarte

On the plate was a Almond streusel cookie, Créme brûlèe, Baked apple shavings, French Brandy mist and Apple chips crunch.

Scone

You will find a Chocolate & dried cherry scone, Red fruit confit, Crème fraîche Chantilly,  Kirsch mist, and Lemon zest oil. This was delicious as well.

Truffe du jour’ in vintage origin dark hot chocolate

This was a nice way of ending the meal.

Chocolates

A great way of ending the 13 course session with chocolates.

Final Thoughts

It was a fun interactive meal if you are looking for something different than the regular afternoon tea. The items I had will probably be different based on seasonality. For $39.99, it’s a good price and you’ll be full by the end of it.

We Rate Wild Sweets: 35rating

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

Wild Sweets Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Chinese

The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant: Dim Sum in Richmond

The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant is located in Richmond just off of No 3 Road by Aberdeen Mall. We were invited to try their dim sum items on the menu and of course I couldn’t say no. This restaurant just opened up recently and they serve up dim sum, sushi, sashimi, and regular Chinese dinner items.

The dining room is large and they also have a few private rooms too. I can imagine a lot of weddings, birthdays and other celebrations here.

Dim Sum

There was no shortage of dim sum during my visit. It was pretty damn epic. Of course they knew we were coming, so they made sure all the food arrived at the same time.

Ha Gau (Prawn Dumpling)

This is a classic item to order at dim sum and it comes with 5 pieces in each basket. The skin was a decent thickness and the shrimp inside was very delicious.

It’s always something I order no matter where I go. You can pair it with XO sauce or spicy sauce for an extra kick of flavour.

Truffle Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling)

They do their siu mai a bit differently with the added truffle. The dumpling is still delicious. 5 pieces per basket too.

House Special Wild Rice Noodle Roll

Inside the pinky rice roll due to the wild rice are crispy fried vermicelli surrounding each piece of shrimp. There are 9 pieces to the order.

Baked Portuguese Tarts

These unique looking baked Portugese tarts were amazing. The flakey crust and the silky smooth egg mixture. Yum.

Garlic Prawn Spring Rolls

3 pieces in an order served in a cup. The spring rolls were crisp on the outside with the prawn mixture inside.

Steamed Pork Spareribs

Lots in this basket and there was a good amount of meat in each piece.

Country Style Steamed Honey Comb Cake

One of my favourite Chinese desserts. It’s slightly sweet and it’s not too sweet. A good asian amount of sweetness. We don’t really like our dessert overly sweet.

Green Tea Glutinous Pancakes

On the inside is mango and the green tea glutinous pancakes rolled around it. It was ok, but not my favourite dessert.

Steamed Creamy Carrot Custard Buns

A sweet custard filling inside these are great when its hot and fresh.

Steamed Buns with Mushroom & Taro Roots

Very cute concept of having the bun look like a mushroom, but I didn’t like a lacklustre taro root filling.

Shredded Chicken with Cucumber

This dish was one of my favourites too, but it does have quite a bit of sesame oil. Served cold and it also has crunchy taro strips to give it more of a crunchy texture.

Pumpkin Congee with Sparerib

I love congee and this was very savoury with all the ample amount of meat inside. I would order this again.

Preserved Egg and Pork Congee

A classic and what I instantly noticed was the amazing amount of preserved egg and pork. Very impressive and I would order this again too.

Soy Sauce Chow Mein

A good dish to share among the table. Nice texture and flavour as well.

Singapore Fried Noodles

It had a good amount of ingredients in this fried noodle. The texture of the noodles were a tad on the dry side, but it was still enjoyable.

Nigiri

They surprisingly have nigiri on the menu with tuna, salmon or hamachi. Each piece is pre-sauced, which I didn’t like as much. I personally like mine with a slight dab of soy sauce to keep the natural flavours of the fish.

Tamago

They have pieces of tamago as well, but it was missing something. It’s really hard to find a place that makes a good tamago.

Speciality Japanese Rolls

For a Chinese restaurant, they had a good selection of specialty sushi rolls. Still strange to see sushi here when you order dim sum.

Mango Roll

They craft them nicely, but the rice ratio is a bit much. When they roll it, there is a slight flaw. The mango roll was refreshing with their thinly sliced mango, which is in season.

Dragon Roll

Dragon roll has alternating toppings of eel and avocado. Inside is salmon and asparagus. It was good but it was a tad pricey.

Salmon Oshi Sushi

It has tobiko, salmon, sauce and layers of rice. Delicious but it had a bit to much rice and also it still doesn’t compare to Miku, where this type of sushi originated from.

Final Thoughts

A good spread of items for dim sum, but I would stick with the classic. There’s nothing inherently wrong with their sushi or sashimi, but the flavours don’t blend as well when you go from congee to a California roll. Their dim sum is solid and I really fell in love with their congee.

We Rate The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant: 

Address:
4260 No 3 Road, Richmond

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In Four Beakers

Jinya Ramen in the Telus Garden on Robson Street

Jinya Ramen Bar is opening up on April 21st at the Telus Garden on Robson Street. They have all their classic ramen dishes with an expanded menu with more appetizers and drinks. Jinya has been one of my personal favourite ramen shops in Vancouver and it’s funny how they are moving a block to Telus Garden.

I came here for a preview of the space as well as to try a few items off the menu.

Interior

The interior is really nice and modern with some brick accents. There are large windows to let in a lot of natural light. The space is larger than their previous location, so should seat more people.

I love staring at their amazing chefs creating each bowl of ramen. Stacks and stacks of ramen bowls linking the kitchen.

Their staff were pumping out ramen non-stop.

I love this picture. “No Ramen, No Life” is absolutely correct.

Drinks

They have local craft beers on the menu, which is fantastic!

Moody Ales, Steel & Oak, Fuggles & Warlock, Parkside, and Four Winds. Love the local flair in this international ramen chain.

They also have spirits like sake on their menu. Of course they also have whiskey and other harder drinks too.

Appetizers

Brussel Sprouts Tempura

It is crisp on the outside because of the batter. It also have white truffle oil.

Salmon Poke Mini Tacos

The salmon poke is served in a crispy wonton taco shell. Very addictive!

Takoyaki

These are octopus balls. It has battered octopus over egg tartar topped with kewpie mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, green onion and bonito flakes. It came piping hot, so let it cool before popping it into your mouth.

Ramen

Cha Cha Cha Ramen

This is for garlic lovers. It has pork and fish broth, pork chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, chopped onion, green onion, garlic, chili powder, and served with extra thick noodles.

Vegetable Soup Ramen

It has a vegetable broth, mushroom, greens, broccoli, cauliflower and pepper. It is served with thin noodles. This was ok, but not my favourite.

Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen

It has their vegetable broth, tofu, green onion, onion, spinach, crisp onions, garlic chips, garlic oil, chili oil, sesame seeds and served with thick noodles. This was so good! The additional of the garlic and chili oil are so amazing. I thought I loved the Tonkotsu black broth, but this broth is killer!

Spicy Chicken Ramen

It has chicken broth: chicken chashu, spinach, spicy bean sprouts, green onion, and served with thin noodles. You can choose it to be mild, spicy or hot.

Kaedama Noodle Refill

If you are done slurping up your noodles and have extra broth, you can order an additional portion of noodles to keep on enjoying the ramen.

They have different types of noodles too.

Final Thoughts

Their new location will bring more menu items that are pretty standard with their other North American locations. Plus, the decor and space is a lot nicer, but nothing was wrong with their previous location either. You still get the same great ramen, but this time I found my other favourite ramen – spicy creamy vegan ramen. Jinya Tonkotsu Black is awesome too.

We Rate Jinya Ramen Bar: 

Address:
541 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://jinya-ramenbar.com/

JINYA Ramen Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Riley Park/Little Mountain

U & I Thai: Thai Cuisine in Vancouver

For our 9 year anniversary, M and I went to U & I Thai Fine Cuisine on Cambie Street for a quick dinner. I’ve never been here before, so it was perfect. We came pretty early in the evening after work and we really were craving Thai Iced Tea. Staff were friendly and they guided us through the menu.

Interior

The interior was large and had lots of tables. We did see there were a few tables with reservations signs on them. As it got later in the evening, more and more people filled up the dining room.

The only thing I didn’t like was the strong citrus lemon smell inside.

Thai Iced Tea

This is beautiful and mighty tasty. It is a bit more dark than what we normally see, but it was so good and addictive. If you’re never had Thai Iced Tea before, it is a must.

Chicken Satay

Chicken is marinated in Thai spices, coconut milk and served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish. It comes with 6 pieces and the satay skewers were moist. I liked it with the sauces.

Authentic Pad Thai

This has rice noodles stir fried with chicken, tofu, egg, bean sprouts, and palm sugar in a Tamarind sauce. It is then topped with ground peanuts, chilli powder, fresh lime, bean sprout and chives. It was decent, but seemed more wet than other places.

Green Curry

We got this with beef and at medium spice. When we wanted it medium spice, it was definitely medium spicy with a good kick. It came with coconut rice on the side. It is our go to curry when going to Thai restaurants. Good taste too.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the meal, they give you some mint candy to end the meal. I really did enjoyed the meal and will be back.

We Rate U&I Thai: 

Address:
3364 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.uandithai.com/

U and I Thai Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Burnaby Central

Moment Dessert House: Cafe in Burnaby

Moment Dessert House is a another cafe in South Burnaby for coffee, tea and cakes. It is a bit hidden as it is just off Kingsway. I came on a weekend when all the other cafes in the area were super busy. We came here as it was a place we haven’t been to before and it wasn’t as busy.

Interior

There were white walls and then accents of wood all over the cafe. There are lots of tables to sit and chat with friends or study.

Apparently it’s exam time, so there were a few people studying here. Even though it was busy, there were always still tables available for smaller groups.

One odd thing we did notice is that we order up at the counter and we can pay later. I’m use to paying up front as its easy to forget to pay.

Coffee

Some coffee is a requirement when hanging with my friends. They had a coffee and an americano.

I got a cappuccino and it had lots of foam on top. I felt it was a bit on the weaker side with a bit too much milk under it.

Cake

Strawberry Chiffon Cake is what we had to share It wasn’t sweet, which makes it a great asian cake. It looks pretty but it was mostly whipped cream, cake and some strawberries. It was decent, but it was pricey for what it you get.

They also have other types of cakes written on the walls too if you want to know what they are. This place looks cute, but the coffee and cakes weren’t as memorable.

We Rate Moment Dessert House: 

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/momentdesserthouse/

Address:
7-4300 Kingsway, Burnaby

Moment Dessert House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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