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October 2017

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In Car

2017 Buick Envision Crossover SUV: Great from the City to Cottage Country

For my last weekend getaway, I had the opportunity to try out the 2017 Buick Envision Crossover SUV. We took the car from downtown Toronto up the 400 north to cottage country near Orillia.

The car is a five passenger compact luxury SUV. It was very spacious, while still being easy to maneuver. Now while there were only two of us on the road trip, it could have easily fit several tall people and a large cooler full of beer and snacks very comfortably. Or if we were to take the car on a longer trip, the rear seat easily folds flat with the pull of lever.

The technology features made it a quick and fun drive on our hour and a half up north. We connected to the OnStar 4G LTE Wifi Hotspot so that we could blast Tiesto (my boyfriend’s choice) on the ride up without racking up a massive phone bill. Not only was the main touch screen easy to navigate in terms of the built in Maps feature, but the driver’s dashboard also reminded us of the changing speed limits.

As the 400 North is full of cottage-bound cars and trucks, we really appreciated how the Envision was able to block out the surrounding roar of traffic. Thanks to the QuietTuning technology and Bose premium sound system, the car minimized road and engine noise so that we could focus on the sweet, sweet croons of Justified-era Justin Timberlake (my choice).

It was a very smooth, comfortable and easy drive up to our friend’s cottage. Usually after prolonged periods of driving, cracking open a beer is not a matter of choice, but rather, one of necessity. I’m not saying that we didn’t drink beers while lying on the dock, but this time it wasn’t stress-induced.

The technical features were helpful when we drove the car back into downtown Toronto. The auto stop-start technology turned the engine off when the car was stationary, and then seamlessly restarted once the foot was off the brake. This definitely contributed to the great mileage and we made a 360 km round trip on less than one tank of gas.

As a nervous driver (and yes, I hate being such a stereotype), it was great to have five cameras and ten sensors in the vehicle. Lights on the wing mirrors glowed when a car was passing. The driver’s seat also vibrated when it detected an approaching hazard – very useful in a city where drivers, bikers and suicidal jaywalkers battle it out on a daily basis. The automatic parking assist feature and camera made it easy to park in the tight downtown lots. Unfortunately, Buick has yet to invent a feature that makes the cost of downtown parking less astronomical.

The Buick Envision in the early morning light of Washago.

Keep in mind that while I’m no car expert, I can tell you that the entertainment, safety, and performance features of the 2017 Buick Envision made the ride as comfortable and stress-free as possible in both the city and the country roads.

A big thanks to the Oshawa Buick team for dropping the vehicle downtown with me – we couldn’t have had a river-tubing, beer-drinking, s’more-filled weekend without you!

Website: http://www.buick.ca/envision-crossover-suv.html

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In Burnaby Central

Lao Shan Dong: Taiwanese Beef Noodle in Burnaby

Lao Shan Dong has handmade noodles in Burnaby near Metropolis at Metrotown. My husband was in search of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, so he looked up this shop to go to on the weekend. They are known for the cheap inexpensive food, but it is cash only, so make sure you have some cash on hand. I didn’t mind going since I still haven’t made a visit until now.

Interior

The interior isn’t anything special, it’s just a large area with tables and chairs. You can tell this has been here for some time as the decor is a touch dated, but people really just come here for the food.

Menu

Tea

When you sit down, they give you a big pot of tea and some cups. I love it when the bring the whole tea pot since I guzzle tea like crazy.

Braised Beef Flank and Tendon with Noodle in Soup

We got the small bowl and it was a very good size. We have no idea how anyone else could do a large. If you’re super hungry, definitely do the large. M liked the chewyness of the noodles, tendons and beef flank. The flank was more on the lean side, so it’s not tender and fatty.

Mmmmmm…. noodles!

Sour Mustard Greens and Shredded Pork with bean thread in soup

I wanted to try something different and I am a fan of sour mustard greens, so I gravitated to this dish. The broth was very clean tasting and not too rich. I love a hot bowl of soupy noodles when the cold Fall weather has arrived.

Boiled Pork and Veggie Dumplings

We got the small size with 10 pieces, but there is the larger option with 15 pieces. Easily sharable with small or large groups. Since it was just M and I, we split them with our small sized noodles. The perfect amount.

Final Thoughts

Lao Shan Dong doesn’t have the best Taiwanese Beef Noodles in town, but it is well priced and has a very homemade taste to it.

We Rate Lao Shan Dong: 

Address:
4887 Kingsway, Burnaby

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In Bubble Tea

November Dessert: Chinese Desserts in Burnaby

November Dessert is a Chinese dessert shop located on Grimer Street in Burnaby. This street has a lot of dessert shops and cafes opening up in the last few months and locals are noticing. I’ve heard of November Desserts but haven’t made a visit until they asked me to come for a visit to try some of their different dishes. If you’ve heard of Scorpio M in Richmond, they moved their operations here, changed the name and the menu is very similar to what they had before.

Interior

The interior is large and can fit small to large groups. They have utilized the beautiful grey brick walls and incorporated some beautiful Chinese decor that gives it a unique look.

Menu

Their regular menu has different soupy desserts, pancakes, and limited drinks. They also have a beautiful afternoon tea set, but you need to order 24 hours in advance. You wouldn’t know they had it unless you look at their social media accounts. I missed out on the tea set since I didn’t reserve ahead of time, so we stuck to the regular menu.

It was hard to figure out how each item on the menu differentiated itself from another, so I had to get my mom to translate some parts of the menu since I can’t read Chinese.

Drinks

I started with the milk tea, they use oolong tea as their base, but when they mix it together with the milk it’s eerily frothy, perhaps they use powdered milk, which I really do not like.

Mango and Durian Pancakes

The pancakes are wrapped like little packages. The skin is thin and is filled with whipped cream and the chosen fruit inside.

Durian

The durian pancake has a good chunk of fruit inside and all the durian lovers will enjoy it. It’s an acquired taste, so you will either love or hate it. I’m more on the neutral level since it taste like onions to me, but everyone’s experience if different.

Mango

Mango is a classic and a hit with everyone unless you are allergic to mangos. One of my favourite items to get here.

Snow Ice with Chopped Strawberry

We also added taro mochi, grass jelly, and papaya. I love this bowl since it has the cute little polar bear in the centre. I really enjoyed the toppings and the snowy ice flavoured with a bit of condensed milk.

It’s a good item to share with friends and you chat away and pick at this.

Mango and Black Sticky Rice with Homemade shaved ice

The shaved ice was milky, which was enjoyable. It is  topped off with 2 large scoops of black sticky rice and chopped mangos. This was ok, but not that special.

Mango, kiwi, homemade riceball with homemade shaved ice

 

Final Thoughts

They have improved their desserts since they were Scorpio M, but with the tough competition of dessert cafes in the area, it’s hard to stand out since there is another cafe doing similar desserts. The space here is quiet, so we did notice some people studying here.

We Rate November Dessert: 

Address:
5358 Grimmer St, Burnaby

Website:
http://mdessert.ca/en/

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In Fusion

Longtail Kitchen and Freebird Chicken at River Market

We were invited to Longtail Kitchen and Freebird Chicken at the River Market in New Westminster to try delicious creations by Chef Justin Cheung and Chef Angus An. Their other sister restaurants are Maenam Restaurant and Fat Mao Noodles. The items in the photos aren’t 100% representative of how it will be served as the serving sizes have been modified for our dinner.

Longtail Kitchen

This restaurant is named after the iconic water taxis of Thailand. Longtail Kitchen has Thai-style comfort food. I’ve come here several times for their famous wings and other dishes.

They also have a wall of different products to purchase.

Thai Iced Tea

This is my favourite drink to get at any restaurant that serves it. Delicious depth of tea flavour with the creamy milk and touch of sweetness.

Steel & Oak Beers

If you love local beers, they serve a variety of beers from Steel & Oak. The brewery is even close by.

Mango Pok Pok Slushy

Pok Pok is a restaurant in Portland and they sell their drinking vinegars. They even take the vinegars and turn the into slushies.

Crispy Chicken Wings

Their famous chicken wings are delicious. Very crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.

Sticky Chicken Wings

If you like getting messy, their sticky chicken wings are a delight too. Lots of flavour in the sauce that coats the crisp skin. The skin stays crisp even with the coating of sauce.

Mama Cheung’s Laksa

The laksa has a kick of spice to the broth, but it is pretty clean and not too rich.

Bicol Express

This popular Filipino dish has pork belly, peppers, and green beans and a delicious sauce with a base of coconut milk.

Duck Yolk Butter Prawns

The prawns were flavourful but the duck yolk wasn’t too strong. Perhaps an extra pinch of salt would enhance them.

Shaking Beef Tenderloin

This dish was delicious and the beef was super tender. Great paired with a side of rice.

Freebird Chicken

The newer addition to River Market is Freebird Chicken, an Asian-style rotisserie chicken shack. They serve flavourful free-range, hormone-free chickens with sides of rice, soup, and salads.

Khao Man Gai

This is Hai Nan chicken and it comes with soup and chicken rice. The chicken is poached and there is a bunch of different sauce that pair with it. I personally like the classic ginger and green onions.

Tumeric Fried Chicken

The fried chicken was super crispy and they use NextJen Gluten-Free flour in their batter mix. You would have never thought this was gluten-free, but it is.

Tom Yum Spiced Fried Cauliflower

If you’re in need of more vegetables in your meal, this dish was a good accompaniment.

Tom Yum Spiced Fried Brussel Sprouts

Vegetables are great deep fried and spiced with Tom Yum.

Rotisserie Chicken

If you’re looking for another type of chicken, they have rotisserie chicken. Tasty skin and moist inside.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I loved this introduction to some of the newer items on the menu since I usually order the same thing.

Address:
810 Quayside Dr, New Westminster

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In pasta

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

I love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce as it always reminds me of spicy buffalo wings. When I was cooking dinner one evening, I combined a few items that I already had in the fridge and pantry to create this dish. It’s a quick pasta dish to make under 30 minutes.

[tabs tab1=”Recipe” ]

[tab id=1]

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz Rotini Pasta
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
  • 1/4 chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup Shredded Chicken
  • 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing

Direction:

  1. Heat a pot over medium heat
  2. Add plain greek yogurt, Franks Red hot sauce, chicken broth and blue cheese dressing. Mix until well combined.
  3. Add in shredded chicken.
  4. Allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
  5. In the meantime, boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, add to the  sauce and stir to combine.

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In British Columbia

Chihuo Vancouver: Dessert Tasting Market Recap

I recently learned that “Chihuo” means “foodie” in Chinese. I also learned that it’s a Wechat media company based in LA and is also here in Vancouver. Chihuo connects foodies with food reviews of various eateries around the city. They had their inaugural food tasting market at the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond, and it was a dessert lovers paradise. There were multiple vendors who shared their signature dishes and included Choco Coo Desserts, Snow Bear Bakery, Baker & Table, Teature Lounge, Butter.mere Patisserie, 45 Degree Bubble Tea House, Lotus Cake Boutique, Moment Dessert House and Cha Le Tea Merchant.

Beautiful display by B’llisa Private Planning

The event was slightly delayed and became crowded quite quickly. However, I was pleasantly distracted with all the beautiful and delicious-looking displays that had samples for the attendees.

Some of my favourite desserts were from Teature, Baker & Table and Lotus Cake Boutique.

Teature

When I saw that Teature had panna cotta, I was all over their table! I really enjoyed their panna cotta; it was very smooth and creamy, and I liked how it was topped with tapioca pearls. The pearls added a chewy contrast to the silkiness of the panna cotta. What also caught my eye were there beautiful, multi-coloured mini macarons. They were simply too cute! The flavours were Earl Grey and Oolong, and they were delicious. I also tried a dessert that had Jasmine Tea infused in it. Unfortunately, I forgot the name, but I remember that it was slightly crumbly and creamy at the same time, and it had a good amount of Jasmine Tea flavour.

​Teature’s Panna Cotta

​Teature’s Oolong and Earl Grey Tea Macarons

​Teature’s Jasmine Tea-Infused Dessert

Baker & Table

My favourite from Baker & Table were their Mochi Matcha Red Bean Melon Pan. This matcha-flavoured bread had mochi and red bean in the middle, which gave it that sticky, chewy texture I love so much about mochi.

Baker & Table – Mochi Matcha Red Bean Melon Pan

Choco Coo

Choco Coo had a very smooth and creamy Match Mousse. I find that some matcha desserts are on the brink of being a little bitter (especially when it is dusted with matcha powder), but this dessert was balanced. It was not overly sweet, and the matche powder was not overpowering. It was topped with crispy chocolate pearls, which complemented the matcha. Not going to lie, I thought about eating another one!

Matcha Mousse

Despite the slight delay, and how crowded it became within an hour, the Chihuo Tasting Market was enjoyable. I was able to try most of the vendors’ offerings, but for one that I missed out on (like Moment Dessert House), I have a photo of their dessert and a promise to make it out to their bakery to give their pastries a proper try.

Desserts by Moment Dessert House

 

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In Downtown

Sanrio ❤ Sugarfina Collection at Nordstrom

Sugarfina has launched their Sanrio ❤ Sugarfina Collection and it is every kids dream. As a late 80’s kid, I remember watching Hello Kitty and her twin sister – Mimmy going on crazy adventures. Gudetama is a new addition, but who doesn’t love the lazy egg.

There are 7 different kids in the collection:

  • Hello Kitty’s Mama’s Apple Pie Gummies
  • Hello Kitty Bow Tie Gummies
  • Keroppi Donut Pond Jelly Beans
  • My Melody Sweet Pearls
  • Badtz-Maru Mischievous Pops
  • Gudetama Lazy Gummy Eggs
  • Chococat Chocolate Caramels

Each individual box retails for $10.45, but they also have 2 different collector bento box sets $24.95 and $39.35. Definitely more premium that your regular candy. These are best given as gifts to really impress that certain somebody.

 

3 Pieces Pop-Up Candy Bento Box

You can mix and match what types of flavours are inside. I got mine with Hello Kitty Mama’s Apple Pie Gummies, Badtzmaru Mischievious Pops and Keroppi Donut Pond Jelly Beans.

I love how they really pack the gummies in the boxes and its all so organized. Of the bunch, I really enjoy the gummies. Very fruity and flavourful. The Keroppi Donut Pond Jelly Beans has a sweet, tart key lime flavour. The Badtzmaru Mischievious Pops lived up to it’s name as it is crunchy chocolate filled with popping candy inside.

Address:
799 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.sugarfina.ca

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In Bar and Grill

Kellys Landing: A New Addition to the Financial District

Kellys Landing recently opened at Front and York, right across from Union Station. This is the newest location of the Landing group of restaurants and it’s biggest to date, with seating for 550. It’s more of an upscale bar and grill that caters to the Financial District crowd and those that are a fan of Cactus Club, King Taps or Milestones.

When we went on a Thursday night, it was packed with the after work crowd. It had a high energy atmosphere but the servers definitely know how to manage the crowds.

We sat were under the retractable roof which was open that night in the 25 degree weather.

Behind this fireplace is the outdoor patio which has several large patio seats as well as cozy fireplace couches.

At our server’s recommendation, we shared the Pan Seared Scallops to start. The three scallops were juicy and served on a lightly charred slice of pork belly and finished with a maple sherry glaze. The glaze was so addictive and made me proud to be Canadian…

 God bless that maple glaze

The highlight of the meal was definitely Chef Marco’s famous Landing Carbonara. It was spaghetti alla chitarra with house-smoked chicken, local pork belly (one can never have enough pork belly), parmesan cheese and topped with a fried egg.

Check out that oozing food porn egg

We also ordered the 100Km Roast Half Chicken.  The dish came with market vegetables, roasted herb potatoes and pan gravy. The maple cider chicken was satisfying but I didn’t taste the maple cider and I found that the gravy was too salty for my taste.

For dessert, we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Mascarpone Cheesecake. The Pudding was soft and gooey with a chili salted caramel glaze that was amazing with the slightly melted vanilla ice cream.

Mascarpone cheesecake had a light and fluffy texture but unfortunately it didn’t have much taste, especially contrasted with the pudding.

All in all, Kellys Landing is high energy, well-located restaurant for large groups, after work drinks or if you’re en route to the Air Canada Centre. In the summer, I can definitely see how the patio will be a tourist favourite as well.

Address:
123 Front Street West, Toronto

Website:
http://kellyslanding.ca/

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In burger

Bells and Whistles: Brew Pub and Eatery on Fraser Street

Bells and Whistles on Fraser near Kingsway opens up today and we were given a quick preview of their space and menu. I’ve passed by a few times and I was eagerly awaiting their opening since I love beer and food. The neighbourhood is definitely changing and its great to see new options. They have 18 craft beers on tap – local and international, 5 types of soft serve ice cream, and 6 types of burgers in addition to other items.

Interior

I love the interior design and they got it spot on to really cater to their clientele. There are lots of tables, so they can easily seat small to large groups.

There are longer picnic style tables and with the large screen, you can watch different sports games.

They have 3 arcade games by the washroom – skee ball and basketball. 2 of the best retro games.

Menu

Beer and Cocktails
Four Winds x Bells and Whistles

Fours Winds collaborated with Bells and Whistles to create this hoppy ale which is dry-hopped with Denali & Galaxy. A good beer to try that is exclusive to this location.

Southern Belle

This cocktail ha Southern Comfort, iced tea, lemon and club soda. The drink is shaken and the strained over fresh ice. It was a very well balanced drink and since I could drink a ton of iced tea, it was a great alcoholic version.

Purple Haze

This cocktail is mad with Absolut vodka, blueberry juice, Averna, lime and served frozen with an umbrella.

Snacks and Starters

Pimento Cheese Dip

The pimento cheese dip is served with thin pretzel chips, grainy mustard and tiny pickles. Pimento cheese us very comforting but the pretzel chips were pretty fragile when I spread the dip on top. The consistency of the dip is smooth compared to how it is normally made at home, its chunky. A different twist that they put on it.

Fries

Fries are served with an herb aioli. We thought it was a bit unnecessary that they seasoned the fries in addition to having the aioli sauce as it provided enough added flavour.

KFC

This isn’t your normal Kentucky Fried Chicken, it is Korean Fried Cauliflower served with pickled cucumber, green onion and cilantro. If you aren’t a cauliflower fan, you can have it with chicken instead.

Onion Rings

These onion rings are pretty good and is served with tangy honey mustard. Crispy on the outside and the onion is cooked well.

Ahi Tuna Poke

Their ahi tuna poke has green onions, cilantro, cucumber, black and white sesame seeds, and avocado. You get a good portion of tortilla chip too. It’s decent and its a lighter option compared to the other items on the menu. I can never say no to ahi tuna.

Burgers

The Classic

The classic burger has aged cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their secret sauce. It is served with fries or you can substitute with onion rings, garlic fries, or caesar salad for an extra charge. Their patty is hand-formed and made with a mixture of short rib, brisket, and chuck. They also have gluten-free buns too.

Fat Stevens Sandwich

You will find inside this bun beer-brined chicken, gravy, mayo and crispy fried onions. Really comforting and reminded me of Thanksgiving but with chicken.

The All Day Breakfast

This beast of a burger has maple sausage pork patty, American cheese hash browns, secret sauce and a fried egg. Super comforting and rich. You will really want a beer to go with this.

Soft Serve

Troy Tulo-Whiskey

This has original custard, whiskey caramel, roasted pecans, peach jam, and ice tea crystals. I found the soft serve very soft that it looked melted. Maybe they were having an off night with their machine.

Aaron Fudge

This has their twist soft serve, oreo chunks, strawberry sauce, fudge sauce, rainbow sparkles and marshmallows.

Coco Crisp

There is chocolate sauce, Skor bar crumble, white chocolate and pretzels sprinkled on top. Of the 3 soft serves, I liked this one compared to the other 2.

Twin Sails Stout Float

You have their original soft serve custard with a pour of their Twin Sails stout or porter depending on what that have on tap. If you are a beer lover, you’ll enjoy this combination.

Final Thoughts         

Overall, I’m happy that Bells and Whistles has joined the Fraserhood neighbourhood  and this type of venue was needed to have a great time with friends over beer, cocktails, and wine paired with comforting food. Plus, how can you say no to skee ball and basketball.

We Rate Bells and Whistles: 

Address:
3296 Fraser St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.bellsandwhistlesyvr.ca/

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In Promotion

How to save money this Thanksgiving with YP Grocery

With a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving dinner, it can cost anywhere from $250 to over $350 on average. My family and I have a huge thanksgiving dinner every year and it definitely is not cheap. With costs going up each year, there is an easy way to see coupons and deals from your local stores all in one place. This Thanksgiving, be thankful for cost savings this year with YP Grocery.

The YP Grocery App is free and the digital grocery experience allows consumers to create shareable grocery lists, browse the best deals from your favourite stores, keep all your loyalty cards in a virtual holder, and more. You can find 500+ flyers from 6,000+ stores across Canada, syndicating all the best deals from stores you already shop at, right to your phone. Definitely easy to manage shared grocery lists, compare prices, price match, and find deals and coupons to save on your grocery bill.

Based on a case study that tracked deals on ingredients for a typical turkey dinner over a one week period, dinner hosts can save over 25% on their groceries just by using the YP Grocery app. For a $337 dinner, this could save shoppers up to $86 at the same stores where they already shop.

Start planning your Thanksgiving meal for this long weekend and begin saving at your local grocery stores.

Download now: https://grocery.yellowpages.ca/

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In Bubble Tea

Rad Tea Room: Bubble Tea inside Granville Skytrain in Vancouver

Rad Tea Room is in the Granville Skytrain serving up premium bubble tea and drinks made of loose leaf teas. I’ve been keeping an eye out when this would open since it’s always nice to have another option in the area. My friend told me that they opened and we decided to check it out. Imagine it as a hidden gem as it’s hiding in the skytrain station and they actually have some pretty good bubble tea.

Interior

The interior is clean, nice and quiet too. On their menu, they have bubble teas, smoothies, milk tea caps, matcha lattes, tea mocktails and cold brewed teas.

They have a large table in the front if you want to have a big group of friends. Alternatively, there are some seats for smaller groups in the back.

Milk Tea with Pearls

There’s so many versions of milk tea you can create and customize. I personally love the roasted oolong milk tea with pearls. Since the normal sugar levels are lower than most places, I keep it regular sugar and less ice.

Another feature of Rad Tea is that you can ask for almond or soy milk. Great for those who are lactose or vegan to be able to enjoy bubble tea like everyone else.

Cold Brew Pu’er Tea

They don’t serve coffee, but they do have cold brew teas. Today, they had the Pu’er Tea, which is a strong black tea. I love my black teas and this was good to have a good dose of caffeine.

Winter Melon Tea Cap

Another drink I also really enjoyed was the Winter Melon Tea Cap. It has a good balance of flavour and sweetness compared to other places. If you are a fan of Winter Melon, I would highly recommend their version at Rad Tea.

Strawberry Tea Mocktail

If you are looking for something a bit different, they have strawberry inflused tea mocktails with pearls if you want.

Matcha Tea Cap

They use ceremonial grade matcha, so it is deeper in colour and has a stronger matcha taste. I use it at home for drinks too and it’s definitely not for everyone.

Waffles

If you feel like you want something to nibble on, they have waffles served with different sauces for an additional charge. There is Salted Caramel, Lavender Chocolate, Matcha Cream or Dark Chocolate. Our group was torn between the lavender chocolate or the matcha cream. I personally prefer the matcha cream as it isn’t too sweet. The waffle itself was meh since the sauces stood out a bite more.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for an independently owned bubble tea shop outside of all the Taiwanese chains, use loose leaf tea, and has milk alternatives like soy and almond milk, Rad Tea Room is definitely a place you should check out. The location is a bit hidden in Granville Skytrain, but enter through the Dunsmuir Street entrance and you’ll find it at the bottom of the stirs on the right. I’m a tea lover, so what really attracted me in the first place was their good taste in teas and how they balance the sweetness of the bubble tea.

We Rate Rad Tea Room: 

Address:
80-678 Dunsmuir Street, (The Granville Station – Dunsmuir Exit)

Website: https://www.radtearoom.com

Rad Tea Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In product

Choices Markets: Buying BC Local Produce and Products

Choices Markets is a BC owned and operated grocer focused on delivering high quality, organic, natural, and specialty foods. I wanted to challenge myself to purchase only BC grown produce and products made in BC. Since my local farmers market isn’t open on Sunday, Choices Markets is a good option to find a plethora of local products.

What I like about their produce section is that they label were the produce comes from. You won’t have a hard time knowing if it’s from Canada or the US. Choices has gained recognition as an advocate of supporting the great number of BC dedicated food producers.

My Grocery Haul

A lot of people thinking buying local and organic will cost you, but if you look out for sales and know whats in season, it can help cut down in costs. Since it is the Fall, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, apples, and many other items are in season. I found looking for packaged products made in BC a lot harder since it’s not always evident from the packaging. Luckily, I noticed a few great items in store since I always have an eye open in the BC food scene. Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea, Spread em’ Kitchens Dips, Royals Kombucha, and Better With Ice Cream are a few local products that are gaining quite a buzz lately.

My Dinner

Here is what I made with a few of the items I picked up at Choices Markets. Deliciously tender rack of lamb, potatoes, green beans and tomatoes. A simple healthy meal and I cooked everything in one pan in the oven. We are pretty lucky living in BC since we do have some great farmers growing a diverse amount of crops and raising different types of animals.

Website: https://www.choicesmarkets.com

 

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In product

5 Smart Snacks to Munch on During the Day

Changing lifestyles are redefining the way that we eat. Sometimes at work, having lots of meetings and large projects makes taking a lunch break pretty difficult. 40% of Canadians use snacks as meal replacements throughout the day instead of having a full nutritious meal.

Health, convenience, ease of use, variety and portability are all important attributes that consumers are looking for in their snack foods. Here are 5 smart snacks to munch on during the day, so you don’t need to reach for chips.

1. Yogurt and berries

If you’re looking to up the nutritional value of your snacks, go for nonfat Greek yogurt. A one 8-ounce serving contains more protein and less sodium, sugar and carbohydrates than regular yogurt. Top it off with some berries for some added natural sweetness.

2. Bananas

Not only are bananas a good source of potassium, they’re an easy option for when you’re on the go. Throw one into your bag and munch away as you type away on your computer.

3. Pistachios

Pistachios, a member of the cashew family have an exterior shell and take longer to eat, encouraging snackers to slow down and be more conscious of what they’ve consumed thus snackers may consume less calories. Plus, they taste great.

4. Hummus

Chickpeas are a source of iron, just half a cup contains 2mg. You can make your own or save time and purchase it from the store.

5. Snap peas

Snap peas are a crunchy and sweet treat, not to mention low in calories. You can munch on them on their own or you can even dunk it in hummus.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas of snacks to eat when on the go. Do you have any other healthy snacks you like to eat?

 

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