Foodology, Author at Foodology

In Noodles

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen: Vietnamese Cuisine in Vancouver

July 23, 2018

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen serves up Vietnamese Cuisine that sets themselves apart from other Vietnamese restaurants. They have more than their regular beef pho and they are more known for their specialty pho. I saw a lot of other people coming here, so I thought I would give it a try to see why all the hype is about.

Just remember, they are cash only, so make sure you have some.

Interior

The space isn’t that large and it looks bigger due to the mirrors. I went at 4:30pm on a weekday and it was decently bust but no line up. If you come at peak dinner times, be ready for a little bit of a wait since they have gotten quite popular for their pho.

Spring Rolls (#1 Cha Giò)

We ordered their pork spring rolls and they came piping hot out of the fryer. It comes with a side of fish sauce too for dipping. These were packed full of meat and not too much fillers.

Special Crab Soup with Vermicelli (#23 Bún Riêu)

This is one of their popular dishes. It has vermicelli noodles, tofu puffs, Vietnamese pork ham, pork leg and shrimp in special crab soup. It was really good and not too overpowering with the crab. The crab is subtle but it works with the other ingredients very well.

Special Fish Cake & Vermicelli in Soup (#24 Bún Cha Ca Dac Biet)

Another popular dish too. It is loaded with dill and herbs, fish cake, tofu, garlic and tomatoes. At first we didn’t know if the dill would work so well, but it make sense in this dish.

Herbs, Bean Sprouts, Chili, and Lime

Herbs, bean sprouts, chili, and lime come complimentary if you choose to customize your pho a little bit more.

Rare Beef (Tái)

We ordered a side of rare beef for $3.50 extra, which is not too bad at all. The beef was bright red in colour. You would dunk this in your hot pho broth to begin cooking it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a good experience and all the dishes were reasonably priced. We were not disappointed with any of the dishes during this visit. The downside is that this place is cash only and closes very early.

Address:
5083 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC

In British Columbia

The Phamily Table: 8 Course Private Dinner Experience

July 22, 2018

The Phamily Table just celebrated their 1 year anniversary in business and invited us for a special 8 course dinner to experience what a private dinner would be like. I was excited because I have been following Brandon and his team’s work through Instagram and his Vietnamese-inspired dishes are remarkable and unique.

Brandon Pham

Chef and Owner Brandon Pham gets a lot of his inspiration from his mother and he combined his training at Vancouver Community College. He then completed his apprenticeship under his mentor Chef Hamid Salimian at the Westin Wall Centre and then at Diva at the Met. It doesn’t stop there, he then worked at luxury hotels before making his way over to Copenhagen to stage at Michelin star restaurants.Returning to Vancouver, he worked at a few more notable restaurants and hotels until he ultimately decided to create The Phamily Table.

2018 Richmond Night Market

On the weekends, you can find The Phamily Table at the Richmond Night Market for their braised pork belly. What makes this dish unique is that they smoke it in front of you so when you open the containers, a bunch of smoke escapes.

8 Course Phamily Dinner

The menu looks pretty darn amazing!

Fermented plum cocktail

The dinner started with a fermented plum cocktail to kick off the start of the meal.

Amuse Bouche

To start off the dinner, they created a amuse bouche to start off our palates for the night.

This 2 bite amuse bouche has pickled daikon, pickled ginger, octopus, herbs, an amazing vinaigrette, and even more freshly picked herbs. The presentation was really nice and was a good way to start the meal.

Squash and Chili

This unassuming dish is made of squash and covered in their own gochujang sauce, puffed rice, koji and purslane.

Tofu + Anchovy

The next dish is a lot lighter and is made of silky tofu, and topped with an anchovy, garlic, and shallot mixture. Then it has a doenjang broth. So good and well balanced. One of my favourite dishes of the night.

Mushroom + Sea snail

This dish was so magical and it has mushrooms, sea snails, herb stems, mustard and watercress. It was so good and a foragers dream. They use mushrooms that aren’t typical so it was good to see and taste the variety. Easily my favourite dish of the evening.

Smoked Sablefish

This delicious package is made of smoked banana leaf stuffed with sablefish and veggies. It is accompanied with a black bean sauce. The sablefish was very moist.

Chicken + Corn

This dish has a chicken meatball, roasted corn, chicken heart, lemongrass and lime. A very unique dish and I was surprised it went with lemongrass so well.

Also, that quail egg was perfectly cooked so it was still gooey in the centre.

Pork + Kimchi

The braised pork belly is served on top of kimchi and a fermented tomato and its juices. Then it is topped with onion flowers. A goodc combination of flavours but it was a bit salty for me.

Coconut and Ginger Pudding

This was the first dessert of the evening and it has a coconut and ginger pudding with honey, Szechuan peppercorn and crumbled cashews. I liked the different textures at play.

Cassava Cake

The cassava cake is paired with sweetened red bean and a pandan tapioca. Very delicious and not too sweet.

Mignardise

These were the last 2 bites to end off the evening with their “fruit roll up” and dehydrated beet. I was so stuffed at this point. This 8 course meal was realistically a 10 course meal.

Final Thoughts

This dinner lasted just under 3 hours and was a delight to taste such unique dishes with the Vietnamese and Korean influences. If you’re looking for private dinner at your place, The Phamily Table team are very experienced to create a dinner you wont’ forget.

Website:
http://www.thephamilytable.com/

In Cocktails

Personas: Drinks and Bites at Grand Villa Casino

July 21, 2018

Personas at the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby showcases a variety of over the top drinks and bites for your group of friends. We were invited to check out a few items off their menu just to see what they offer their customers. Since I live in Burnaby, I’m always excited to check out what’s new in the neighbourhood.

Interior

The space here is nice and it can get pretty busy on the weekends with large parties. Best to make reservations if you have a group.

Weekly Specials

Mexican Bulldog Para Dos

This impressive drink has 2 Coronas, Sauza Gold Tequila and lime slush in a huge martini glass. It will cost you $19, but its a drink that is meant to be shared among friends. This drink is very extra but fun to take pictures of too.

Personas L.I.I.T.

This is part of their Iceberg drinks as it is made with rum, vodka, gin, tequila, Triple Sec, Coca-Cola, and lime slush.

Cotton Candy Cosmo

Another fun drink is their Cotton Candy Cosmo with Smirnoff Raspberry, Vodka, Contreau, Cranberry, lime and the fluffy cotton candy on top.

California Sushi Taco

There are 3 pieces per order with crab, avocado, nori, cucumber, togarashi mayo, wasabi, sushi rice, and served up in a gyoza taco shell. Good texture with the crunchy shell. Very tasty and one of our favourites.

Ebi Prawns

Another Asian inspired dish made of tempura prawns, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, and black sesame seeds.

Sticky Ribs

What makes these ribs stick is the galbi sauce. It is then garnished with sesame seeds and shreds of green onions. Definitely inspired by Korean-cuisine with that tasty sauce.

Chicken Wings

They have chicken wings on the menu they are first crispy and deep fried. You can choose it with Salt & Pepper, gochujang, chili sauce or galbi sauce. This particular one we had was gochujang sauce and it had a kick of spice to it.

General Hao’s Chicken

This cute dish is where sweet and spicy collide. There are bits of chicken lightly breaded and deep fried till a golden brown. Then it is tossed in the Generals secret lemon chili sauce. Their version of General Tso’s chicken.

Thai Shrimps Flatbread

The Thai Shrimps flatbread has onion, sweet pepper, lemongrass aioli, red Thai curry mozzarella, baby shrimps,, sweet basil and toasted coconut. It’ was very yummy and it was unique to taste the flavours of Thailand on flatbread.

Fig, Cheese and Honey Flatbread

There is caramelized onions, figs, mozzarella, parmesan, goat cheese and honey. Its’ cheesy and sweet at the same time.

Tropic Thunder Flatbread

This is one of the most popular menu items. It has grilled chicken, alfredo sauce, grilled pineapple salsa, bacon, cilantro, BBQ sauce drizzle and some chili threads.

Falafel Wedge Salad

For those who want something healthier, this dish has crispy garbanzo beans, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, pickled turnips, lemon-tahini dressing and sumac.

Poke Bowl

This isn’t your regular poke bowl. It has ahi tuna, cucumber, edamame, spicy mayo, gochujang chili dressing, kizami nori on regular rice. The ahi was well marinated and was super tasty. One of our favourites.

Persona’s Burger

This leans towards their pub fare and goes great with a pint of beer. This has 100% AAA ground beef chuck, lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion, garlic aioli on their brioche bun. You can do some add-ons to it if you want like bacon, mushroom and cheddar.

The curly fries were really good and the garlic aioli dip is best with them.

Bourbon St. Blackened Chicken

It has a bed of brown rice, seasonal vegetables, and the blackened double breast of chicken with the bourbon maple jus. This dish was ok as more of the seasoning on the chicken took over.

Short Rib Pappardelle

This has toasted pine nuts, wild mushroom ragout, goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil and a grilled garlic crouton. This dish was good but the goat cheese was a bit overpowering to let the short rib shine.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of different menu items from pub fare to Asian Fusion. It’s good that Personas is in Burnaby to give residents in the area and travellers more options in this area because there really aren’t that many. Our favourite items of the evening were the California Sushi Tacos, Thai Shrimp Flatbread, Poke Bowl and the Personas Burger.

Address:
4331 Dominion St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://mypersonas.ca/

In Hastings-Sunrise

Summer Days at the Hastings Racecourse

July 20, 2018

Looking for something fun to do with friends this Summer? Hastings Racecourse is open for horse racing with a great backdrop of the North Shore mountains and the Burrard Inlet. There is more to this place than just betting of horse races and the nice view.

There are special events throughout the Summer, so you can catch some pretty interesting things here like Corgi Races, Paint Nite, and Buffets.

We came here during industry night to check out the space and experience the races since it’s been a long time.

Craft Cocktails

On this particular day, Vancouver’s best bars came together to create exclusive cocktails.

There were a lot of local bartenders serving up tasty cocktails like the Furlong by Granville Room. It has Bacardi 8, lime, grapefruit, simple syrup, ginger beer, pepper and mint.

The Boxcar crafted up a Dill Spritz made with dill-infused cazadores blanco tequila, luxardo bitter blanco, lemon, honey, lem-marrakech bitters, soda and bubbly.

The Diamond, a popular bar in Gastown created The Front Runner. It is made with a mixture of Bombay Gin, Bianco Vermouth, Strawberry bell pepper syrup, lavender bitters and soda.

Mamie Taylors created the Wild Horses cocktail, which is the best name for this event. It is made with buffalo trace bourbon, peach, mint and bitters.

If you’re not into cocktails, they have Good Company Lager, Lonetree Cider and Nude Vodka Sodas. What better way to enjoy the races than with a drink in hand to cool off from the hot sunny weather.

Eats

Depending on the event that you go to, you could have a wonderful buffet full of finger food like us.

Pretty great to have a drink and chow down on snacks as the races played out in front of us.

There are also food trucks around if you want a few different options. Some other places to eat at the racecourse are Jerome’s Silks Buffet, and Furlong’s Eatery.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are new to hourseracing or an expert, Hastings Racecourse makes a fun activity for the Summer. You can dress casual or be glammed up. Sip some drinks and have a few bites with friends and try your hand at betting on horses.

Address:
188 N Renfrew St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/

In Bakery

District Cafe and Bakery in Edmonton

July 18, 2018

District Cafe and Bakery is located in the heart of Downtown Edmonton. I was staying close by and it was highly recommended that I stop by for a coffee and pastries before I ventured off for the day. A day doesn’t really start until I’ve had a good yummy breakfast with coffee.

Interior

The space is pretty large and suits small to large groups. It is surrounded by windows, so there is a ton of natural light.

When I was here. I noticed most people were having coffee chats, talking about work, or having mentoring sessions.

Morning Menu

Daily Specials

Latte

I got a latte and it was made with beans from Timbertrain, which is a Vancouver-based roastery and cafe. One of my favourites and they have really honed their craft on creating great beans. The latte had a good ratio of espresso and milk foam. Delicious! It even has a little heart latte art on top.

Raspberry Rhubarb Handpie

I grabbed a raspberry rhubarb handpie as I wanted something small to snack on with the coffee. It was delicious and not too sweet or tart. Just a good amount.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the downtown area of Edmonton, it’s definitely worth a stop here for a coffee and their pastries. They also serve other dishes too for lunch and dinner. They are licensed, so that means later in the evening, they serve alcohol. The space is nice and makes for a great hangout.

Address:
10011 109 St NW #101, Edmonton, AB

Website:
http://districtcafe.ca/

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Aussie BBQ & Egg Burger Review

July 17, 2018

The last item to launch on the McDonalds World Taste Tour menu has arrived and it is the Aussie BBQ & Egg Burger. It’s pretty awesome and it’s available now till July 29th.

Aussie BBQ & Egg Burger

This is only available in the afternoon and not a breakfast item despite the inclusion of an egg. So you will have to come here at 11am and after. This is made with a beef patty, egg, crispy beet chips, cheese, lettuce, and BBQ sauce in a brioche style bun.

They’ve never had an egg added to a burger and it’s great they finally did that. The addition of the beef chips added a good texture too with a crunch. I wished there was a it more BBQ sauce.

With the added egg, its easy to get very full from this burger. I could barely finish my fries this time.

This was definitely one of my favourites of all the items they launched for the World Taste Tour.

Don’t forget, this isn’t the only new International inspired menu at McDonalds over the month as they take customers on a World Taste Tour.

Website:
https://www.mcdonalds.ca/

In Buffet

Tandoori Flame: North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet in Surrey

July 16, 2018

Tandoori Flame recently opened up in the Delta-Surrey area as North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet. Since they have opened, there has been much buzz about this place and line ups everyday that seem to be never ending.

With their 450+ seating capacity with a multi-room layout, they are really drawing a crowd every day and night.

It is a unique dining experience with interactive food stations – 12 food stations and 150 food items. Thats a lot of items to choose from.

Prices

Dining Area

The space is nice and there are tons of tables for small to large groups. They take reservations if you have 40 people in a party or more.

It’s pretty hard to believe they can fit 450 people in this space.

The Buffet Area

The buffet can be very crowded at peak dinner time from 6pm till 8pm with waits of about 30 minutes. The buffet is nice and there are wood and copper panels and pots to give it a nice look.

There is an area for snacks and appetizers like Pani Puri, which you can fill with yogurt, tamarind, and other sauces or ingredients.

The most exciting section is at the back of the restaurant with all the curries and rice. So many varieties that it’s hard to choose what you want to add to your plate. Good thing it’s a buffet so you can grab a bit of everything.

My favourites are the daal tarka, palak paneer and butter chicken.

Fresh Dosa is made on their grill and its so fun to watch. They don’t do this all the time, but if you can catch them in action, its interesting to see how its made.

The make it seem so easy and its stuffed with a potato mixture.

There are big tandoori ovens making naan and chicken tandoori. If you ask them, they can make garlic naan.

At the centre of the buffet are fruits and veggies. All the healthy fresh items in the centre.

Another item made in front of you is the Chana bhatura, which is fried bread. To go with it, is the pindi chana which is like a chickepea stew.

Let’s Eat

Drinks like these do cost extra. We got the blueberry lassi and peachy iced tea. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options.

We started with some appetizers like samosas, chana bhatura, pindi chana, papadums, pan puri and some sauces.

Next round, I got some rice, palak paneer, naan, daal, butter chicken, and goat biryani.

I got some dosa, chicken tandoori, papadums and palak paneer.

There were tons of dessert options but I went with Mango Custard, Mango firni and petha. I was so stuffed that I wish I could of had more dessert.

Final Thoughts

The Indian buffet is something different for the Lower Mainland. It’s large and there are so many choices. I have been to a few other all you can eat Indian Buffets in town and this is large. It’s not as large as the all you can eat buffets in casinos, but for just Indian food, it’s impressive.

I never knew there were so many varieties of appetizers, curries, rice, and desserts. They do offer vegetarian and Halal options in the buffet.

The items in the buffet do vary, so some options may shift if you come here another time. They have a take out area as well if you love the food but don’t want to wait. Of course the take out isn’t all you can eat, but they will have a few favourite items to get to go – whether it be a meal for yourself and family.

Address:
11970 88 Ave, Delta, BC

Website:
http://tandooriflame.com/

In Edmonton

Zwicks Pretzels: Amazing Sandwichzels in Edmonton

July 15, 2018

Zwicks Pretzels makes awesome pretzels in Edmonton. When I was visiting for a few days, I came twice to try a few different things off the menu. The shop has free parking out front if you’re driving here.

Interior

You order up at the counter and its all to go. There is one table in the store, but most people get their sandwichzels and pretzels to go.

There isn’t any AC, so it can get very toasty and uncomfortable inside.

Bacon and Egg Sandwichzels

Inside, you will find house-cured back bacon, cheddar, egg and grilled tomato on a pretzel bun. The cheddar was griddled so nicely that it had a bit of a crust to it. SO GOOD. I highly recommend this.

McZwick Sandwichzels

This was a little different and it has warm roasted chicken, candied bacon, mozzarella & paprika aioli on their pretzel bun. A little more decadent and greasy, but equally as good. The bacon is nice and thick too.

Garlic Butter Pretzel

I had to get a basic pretzel to see how it is so I went with garlic butter. It had a nice texture and so soft in the centre. There was a good amount of garlic butter on the outside too.

Final Thoughts

Upon first bite, I was addicted to their pretzels and sandwiches. A taste that I definitely won’t forget. You need to make a stop here for their food. It’s so comforting and so damn good. Probably one of the best pretzels I’ve ever had.

Address:
12415 107 Ave, Edmonton, AB

Website:
https://www.zwickspretzels.com/

In Chinese

Hon’s Wonton House: Same Old Taste, Brand New Decor

July 14, 2018

Hon’s Wonton House is the rebirth of the Hon’s empire with their newest location on 2nd near Olympic Village. Hon’s has been around since 1972 and was a popular Chinese wonton house in the Lower Mainland. As our palates have evolved and the rise of other noodle shops has since given them stiff competition, they have seen better days.

With this new location, their look has been revamped to fit the neighbourhood. I was really curious how the food would compare this time.

Interior

All the seating are in tables of 4s and reminded us of seating in street markets back in Asia. You will see wooden panelling, black furniture, stone bricks and off white paint.

Their kitchen is in full view so you can see how they make your meal. No secrets and it’s all exposed, which is nice to see all the staff hard at work.

Pork Potstickers

For $5, you get 6 pieces of their classic pork potstickers paired with ginger and the potsticker vinegar. All the dumplings seemed like they were boiled or steamed. It would have been nice to have a pan fried version of theses to have more texture.

Wonton Noodle Soup

I got the wonton noodle soup with thin noodles and prawn wonton. There was a lot of noodles in each bowl, so you’ll definitely fill up on that. There were 6 pieces of wontons in this dish and tasted ok. They kept the standard the same and consistent for all these years and I saw that they were using their prepackaged Hon’s wontons, which isn’t surprising.

One thing I didn’t like was the slightly sweet broth for the dish.

Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup

The most expensive item on the menu is this beef brisket wonton noodle soup. It has the same broth as the wonton noodle soup, so it does have a sweet after taste. You get 3 shrimp wontons, lots of noodles, garlic chips, a scoop of the beef brisket, and veggies.

It looks great but the taste was lacklustre. The beef brisket was tough and chewy.

Final Thoughts

The new space is nice, but the food has definitely been stuck in the olden days. The broth was the most problematic for me as I personally prefer it to be saltier than sweeter.

The price range is great for the area and they are able to pump out bowls of food quite quickly, so they have a good rhythm going if they get busy. I really wanted to like the food, but it didn’t hit the mark. Felt like corners were cut so they can’t really create a good bowl of wonton noodle soup. There’s definitely better options around town, but if you like the nostalgia of Hon’s, you can give it a try.

Address:
25 E 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.honswontonhouse.com/

In product

Lays Poppables: Sea Salt, White Cheddar and Honey BBQ Review

July 13, 2018

Lay recently released their new Poppables chips in 3 flavours – Sea Salt, White Cheddar and Honey BBQ. As there was a sale at the grocery store, I decided to buy them all just to try.

What is unique about these is that the shape and texture is completely different than regular chips. It is very airy, light and is very crispy. Music to my ears and I love it.

Honey BBQ

When I shared this with my coworkers, this was the favourite flavour of the three. It is a bit sweet from the honey and the spices to replicated the BBQ flavour really wowed everyone. I personally didn’t like it because of the subtle sweetness.

Sea Salt

Sea Salt is the most simple of the three flavours. This was my favourite of the three as it wasn’t too salty and the potato taste of the chip really paired well.

White Cheddar

White cheddar is sprinkled on the exterior of the chip and has a savoury cheesy taste. It reminds me of SmartFood Popcorn and it isn’t too salty compared to the other 2 flavours.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Lay’s Poppables are very addictive. With the 3 flavours, you’ll find one that you like. The texture is what makes these chips so damn good. I’ve gotten a few friends hooked on these, so I have a good feeling that you might like it too.

Website:
https://www.lays.ca/product-categories/lays%C2%AE-poppables

In Edmonton

City Market Downtown on 104th in Edmonton

July 12, 2018

Every Saturday from May Long Weekend to Thanksgiving at 9am to 3pm, you’ll find the City Market Downtown on 104th bustling with lots of local vendors selling quality produce and goods delivered direct by friendly, local farmers, growers and artisans.

This farmer’s market has been an integral part of Edmonton’s downtown for more than a century.

This market does run for all season, so during the colder months, they can be found indoors at City Hall (Sir Winston Churchill Square) from October 13 to May 11 at 10am to 3pm.

After we landed in Edmonton, we checked into our hotel and made a stop here to stroll around and grab a snack before heading off to our next adventure. What I noticed immediately was the size of this farmers market. It runs for a few blocks and there are so many vendors all in one spot.

There is a small area with food and drink vendors serving up coffee, tacos, green onion pancakes, meat pies, Malaysian food and a few other options. Make sure you bring cash and most vendors only take cash.

There are ATMs as well, but you may incur a fee.

One of the most popular food vendors is Meat Street Pies as they have 11 different pie options.

I went with the Jamaican Patty and it was so delicious. The peppers, herbs and spices mixed with the ground beef was spicy but worked so well. Highly recommended if you want a bite from the market.

A lot of the produce is seasonal and fresh right from the farm. When we were here, the 2 biggest items were BC cherries and asparagus.

A lot of the booth let you sample the items before buying, which is nice.

There were a few beer and spirits booths too, which is a very good balance for this kind of market.

Final Thoughts

This market is pretty darn awesome and I was impressed by the size of it. Definitely rivals some other markets I’ve been to in Western Canada. There are a lot of great vendors with awesome produce, so check it out.

Website:
https://city-market.ca/

In British Columbia

A&W Canada: Beyond Meat Burger Review

July 11, 2018

One of the biggest things to launch from A&W Canada this year is their Beyond Meat Burger. It has meat lovers and veggie lovers going crazy over this burger patty. As a meat eater, I had to see how these burgers taste.

You can substitute it into any burger on their menu or have it as their regular Beyond Meat Burger.

Whats inside?

The burger patty is made from 100% plant-based protein. It is made of items like beets, coconut oil, yellow peas, pomegranates, mung beans, rice, potatoes and apples. In addition to that, they use A&W seasoning, dill pickles, tomato, lettuce, red onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo inside the sesame seed bun.

I was prompted from the staff if I wanted cheese to be added and I said yes for an extra charge.

Highly Customizable

To make the burger vegan, just say no to cheese and mayo. If you don’t want the bun, you can also get it lettuce wrapped for no extra charge at all. You can make it however you want.

How it’s cooked

A&W is very transparent on how they cook the burgers in their kitchen. They cook all burger patties on the same grill as the Beyond Meat patties. If you don’t like that type of cross-contamination, you may not be so keen.

How does it taste?

After taking a few bites, I was very surprised that it wasn’t like any other veggie patty out there. The look and texture was just like a meat patty. The taste of it was hard to differentiate because of the A&W seasoning as well as the mayo, mustard, and ketchup added to it. Nonetheless, it still tasted good overall. It does miss a bit of umami and saltiness from a regular beef patty, but it works as a good substitute.

If you’re curious about it, you can try it for yourself. There are a few coupon books floating around that offers the Beyond Meat Burger for 50% off. My husband got a coupon book in his takeout bag from another burger he got earlier in the day.

I really like this partnership between Beyond Meat and A&W Canada as it gives customers a better option made with plant-based protein if they choose to try it.

Website:
www.aw.ca/BeyondMeat

In product

Sugarfina x Pressed Juicery 7 Day Gummy Bear Cleanse: Review

July 10, 2018

Sugarfina and Pressed Juicery have collaborated to bring their 7 day gummy bear cleanse to life. Sugarfina first announced “Green Juice” Gummy Bears as an April Fool’s prank back in 2016, but when customers began calling in droves to purchase the bears, the luxury candy boutique got to work bringing the idea to life.

The Green Juice Bears are inspired by Pressed Juicery’s best-selling green juice and are a sweet treat without the guilt. The gummy bears are made with a blend of natural spinach, apple, lemon and ginger concentrate + natural colouring from spirulina and turmeric.

The gummies are fat free, non-GMO, gluten free, contain no artificial colours or flavours AND provide 20% of your daily vitamins A and C per serving.

The collection comes in four sizes including a 7 Day ‘Cleanse‘ ($29.95), Large Bottles ($17.95), Half Bottles ($8.95) and Shot Size ($3.50).

The particular one pictured in this article is the 7 Day ‘Cleanse‘ for $29.95.

Each bottle is the exact same, so you can eat it all for yourself or share it among friends. Makes for a very fun gift too for gummy bear lovers.

The gummies have a predominant flavour of spinach, apple, and lemon flavours. They are teeny tiny and super cute. The gummies are a bit hard to get out of the little bottles and they tend to stick to one another. If you just wriggle your finger in there, you’ll be able to get them all.

Overall, if you are going to consume the gummies yourself, you might as well get a bigger bottle to yourself. The 7 Day Gummy Bear Cleanse is more meant for gifts with the cute presentation and box.

Website: https://www.sugarfina.com/ca/collection/pressed-juicery

In Edmonton

Urban Pedal Tours: Edmonton Early Riser Tour Review

July 9, 2018

When visiting Edmonton, I was very surprised that there were tours like these as I mostly recognized them from Portland. Biking around a table with a bunch of strangers over food and drink for a few hours. Urban Pedal Tours operates from both Calgary and Edmonton and offer different types of tours daily.

They currently offer 3 different tours in Edmonton:

Old Strathcona Tour
Downtown Tour
Early Riser Tour

All of them are 2 hours long except the early riser, which is 2.5 hours. Either way, you get to explore the neighbourhood , exercise, meet new people, and explore new eateries.

Edmonton Early Riser Tour

We all arrived at 9:45am and we began promptly at 10am to begin our tour to 3 different locations for coffee, donuts, and drinks in the Old Strathcona neighbourhood.

The bike fits about 14 people and some seats have pedals and some don’t. People switched on and off certain seats to get a break from pedalling. It’s an easy bike ride and isn’t not very difficult at all because you are all working together to move the bike.

The Holly Roller

The Holy Roller was our first stop on the tour for coffee. As you walk in, the space is so eclectic with so many trinkets on the wall. I spent a lot of time admiring the look of the space.

The seating is very antique and very instagrammable.

The golden antique scale, candy maker and the chalkboard menus add so much to the look of the space.

I put in my order ad watched them create my order with their beautiful espresso machine. They use ACE Coffee Roasters for their beans and its a local Edmonton Coffee Roastery.

My latte came out delicious with a good ratio of espresso and milk.

If you look carefully, they have a lot of comic books and unique coffee table book in their bookshelf.

Ohana Donuterie

Ohana Donuterie makes fresh donuts inspired by Hawaii. The building is a bit hidden but you’ll find them on the east side of the Planet Organic building near the McDonald’s parking lot.

All their donuts are made in-house and made to order. There is even a window into the kitchen to see how its made.

The space is rustic with lots of seats which reminds me of weathered boats of Hawaii.

You can also park your bike inside, which is a nice feature. plus free wifi.

I got an original cinnamon sugar donut with chocolate cream filling. Tt was very similar to malasadas, Portuguese donuts which can be found in Hawaii at the popular Leonard’s bakery.

Have Mercy Southern Table and Bar

The last stop of the tour was at Have Mercy for some drinks on the patio since it was a nice sunny day.

The specialize in all things Southern, so you’ll find a lot of Southern inspired dishes on the menu. We didn’t stop for food on this tour, so we just drank.

I got a caesar a it was still before noon. It has vodka, caesar mix, clamato juice, celery bitters and topped with a lime and pickled asparagus. A good way to end this tour.

Final Thoughts

After the 3 stops and a good amount of biking through Old Strathcona, I had a really good time connecting with the others on this tour as well as checking out a few new places in town.

Remember to bring cash as it is easier to settle up the tab, but most places do take credit cards too.

We were done at around 12:30pm, so I still had lots of time to explore Edmonton.

Address:
#100, 10004 79 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB

Website:
https://www.urbanpedaltours.com/

In Cafe

Tsujiri Edmonton: Japanese Matcha Desserts in Downtwon

July 8, 2018

Tsujiri is a Japanese-chain for tea-based desserts with over 155 years of history. Primarily focusing on matcha – ground up green tea with many health benefits as it is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. They have matcha parfaits, floats, and other treats.

When I was in Edmonton for 3.5 days, I came to Tsujiri 3 times as I had an obsession to try as many things as possible before they open in Vancouver.

Vanilla Mix Soft Serve

The Tsujiri Soft Cream is delicious. It comes in either matcha or vanilla mix. With vanilla mix, you get both matcha and vanilla swirled into the waffle cone. They fill it up very well, so you get your moneys worth. Plus, it looks and tastes great.

Shiratama Parfait

It has matcha soft serve, sweet red beans, shiratama balls like mochi, and a sprinkling on kinako (soybean flour). It’s a lovely dessert but I felt that the red beans were way too sweet and overpowered all the items in this parfait.

Houjicha Float with Vanilla Mix

Houjicha is roasted green tea, thus the dark brown colour. It is mixed with ice and blended into a slushy. Then I got it topped with the vanilla mix. The slushy was a bit thick, so you need to wait a little bit for it for it to melt.

Matcha Cream Puff

The cream puff is dusted with matcha powder and icing sugar. It was sitting in the display case for some time, so the puff wasn’t as crisp, but it was stuffed with a lot of matcha mousse.

Iced Sencha

This drink was very refreshing on a hot day. It’s just iced sencha and not sweet. Just straight up tea. Highly recommended if you love tea.

Matcha Roll Cake

There is a good ratio of cake to matcha cream and not too sweet. A great balance of bitter and sweet. I really enjoyed it.

Final Thoughts

After coming here 3 times to try a bunch of items, my favourite items are the ones that are simple like the soft serve in a cone, iced sencha, and roll cake. The red bean was too sweet and floats were too stiff.

Address:
10173 109 St NW, Edmonton

Website:
http://tsujiri-global.com/

In Brunch

Little Brick Cafe and General Store in Edmonton: Cute and Cozy

July 7, 2018

Little Brick Cafe and General Store is hidden in the Riverdale area in a residential area. The old brick house was built in 1903 and has so much character and charm. This is the former family home of J.B. Little, the owner of the brickyard that used to call the area home and
provided bricks to Edmonton’s most historical buildings.

As I walked in here, I felt like I was trespassing into someone’s home but don’t worry, as you walk through the fence to the entrance, you’ll know its ok.

I love all the patio seating with all the picnic tables spread out. This would make such a good event space for the Summer.

Interior

They don’t take reservations but there is plenty of space. Just go early if you have a very large group. The space is very cozy and cute. You order everything up at the counter and they’ll bring your food to the table.

Latte

I had to get a latte for the morning as my pick me up for the day. It was a good latte with a nice latte art on top. Very good espresso used in it that is pretty smooth and rich.

Thick Cut Bacon Eggs Benny

It is pricey at $16, but it was so delicious. It has bacon, Gull Valley vine tomato, apple cider hollandaise and soft-boiled Four Whistle Farms free-run eggs on toast.

The eggs were perfectly soft and oozed out all over the bennies to bring all the elements together. That bacon just melts in your mouth and filled me with so much joy. You can tell the ingredients they use is pretty high quality.

Blueberry Scone

They also have pastries too if brunch if a bit too heavy. My friend got a blueberry scone and it was massive. You can see all the berries that is used in it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this spot is an absolute gem serving up brunch. It’s the cutest spot to catch up with friends and have some good treats. Highly recommended.

Address:
10004 90 St NW, Edmonton

Website:
http://littlebrick.ca/lbcafe/

In product

Outdoor Dining Made Easy This Summer with the PC Insiders Collection

July 6, 2018

Summer is here, so BBQs, picnics, and pool parties will be happening every weekend until fall comes around. As there are so few weekends to soak up the sun, we really need to take advantage of it as much as we can. I just got a BBQ last year, so trust me, I’ll be out in the backyard a lot this summer and many more summers to come.

Some people think dining outdoors is hard work, but the PC Insiders Collection for this Summer will take the guesswork out of creating dishes for the table. Unplanned and spontaneous meal can happen on the patio without much planning. My friends and I decided to have a dinner out on the patio as the sun finally made an appearance after a few days of sprinkling rain. I went to my closest Loblaws City Market to pick up a few items to complete the meal.

Check out the behind the scenes of how I make my patio dinner super simple with the help of President’s Choice and their innovative products.

Kick it Up a Notch with Infused Water

A fun idea instead of canned drinks is fruit-infused water or a sangria. It helps cut down on waste and there are a lot of great fruit/veggie combination for the pitchers. My personal favourites are:

Strawberry + Mint + Lime
Lemon + Lime + Orange
Cucumber +Mint +Lime

PC has an Infusion Pitcher where it has a built-in strainer and removable ice tube to make things easier. It adds a very nice touch to have fancy infused waters to bring up you outdoor dining up a notch on a short notice.

You Can Make Friends with Salad

My friends all know I make killer salads and all you really need to do is wash and chop up the ingredients. This particular salad is made with cucumbers, spring mix, PC Axiany Cherry Tomatoes, basil and PC Crumbled Herb & Garlic Goat Cheese. The PC Axiany Cherry Tomatoes were a delight as they were so sweet and flavourful. Choosing ingredients that are in season is key to having fresh and crisp tasting salads. All you need is a drizzle of balsamic to top off the salad.

Finger Foods

Having finger food when people arrive is great to get the party started. Fresh fruits like strawberries are always great since it’s in season right now so they are big, juicy and sweet.

Sandwiches are also easy to prepare. I made some quick sandwiches with hummus, cucumbers, and PC Natural Choice Asian Spiced Roast Beef in between whole wheat bread. The roast beef smells amazing as it is made with a blend of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, black pepper and fennel. Pair that with hummus and it’s a flavour explosion.

Don’t Skimp on the Shrimp

Preparing seafood for the grill can be a bit tricky, but the PC Garlic & Herb Grilling Raw Butterflied Shrimp makes it so easy to prepare. There are at least 12 plump white Pacific shrimp with a garlic and herb seasoning with a zesty hint of lime.

All you need to do is throw them on the grill and that’s it. No cleaning or marinating is needed. It’s all done inside the package. My friends were all very surprised at how delicious they tasted. I’ve never heard so many people said “oh wow” almost at the same time. The char of the grill really accentuated its flavour.

More Than Just Hot Dogs

Up your hot dog game with a few different varieties of smokies from PC. One featured flavour is their Cheddar Jalapeño Smokies. They are all-pork smoked sausages made with real cheddar cheese and jalapeño pieces. Each pack comes with 10 plump and juicy pieces.

A quick grill on each side and the smokies are ready. Whether you eat it in a bun with different condiments or eat them straight up, you’ll love the burst of cheddar cheese as you bite into it. The jalapeño has a little bit of a kick, so it’s nice if you like that.

Convenient Chicken Thighs

PC Hardwood Smoked Chicken Thighs is another product that surprised us when we were BBQing. It comes frozen and fully cooked for convenience, so you just need to throw it on the grill. It is flavoured with a blend of smoke from untreated hardwoods. The dark meat is so succulent. After grilling them with the added grill lines, these look and taste so damn good.

Don’t Forget Dessert

Dessert is a must and it’s a good way to cool down from the hot sun. All you need to do it take them out of the freezer and serve to your friends and family. The hard decision will be choosing which one to have first.

I picked up the PC Superfruit Skyr Bar, which is made with a blend of blackberry, blueberry and dark sweet cherry purées. They are deliciously smooth, creamy and lactose-free. Even if you aren’t lactose intolerant, you’ll love it.

For those wanting to be more indulgent, I also like the PC Rocky Road Ice Cream Bars. It has velvety chocolate ice cream inside with a marshmallow swirl is covered in a milk chocolatey coating with roasted almonds. The best part is that they are mini-sized so you won’t feel guilty eating a whole bar. Just enough ice cream to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.

Final Thoughts

That’s just a few ways of making my patio dinner a lot easier and quicker to put together without too much planning. Very little prep work is needed and everyone has a good time especially the host since there is less time running around to gather last minute items or waiting for something else to be done cooking. You can find the PC products mentioned in this article at Loblaw City Market or any stores that carry the PC branded items.

I hope you’re inspired to spend as much time dining outdoors this Summer and create fantastic feasts that will impress your friends, family, and even yourself. Time to get into the Summer state of mind.

This blog post was sponsored by President’s Choice but the opinions are all my own.

In Bar and Grill

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl: Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge

July 5, 2018

The Vancouver Gourmet Club has held their third cocktail crawl in the Chinatown neighbourhood. This historic neighbourhood is home to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city. Within 2.5 hours, we hit 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all within a few blocks away.

These cocktail crawls are a great way to see more of the neighbourhood and explore the cocktail scene in the area all in one night. You’ll be able to take old favourites and discover new ones too. it’s always best to attend these cocktail crawls with a few friends so you can try some of their drinks too.

By being part of the tour, you are part of the Vancouver Gourmet Club as a member where you get discounts at select featured restaurants around town and future cocktail crawls.

Sai Woo

Sai Woo is a casual Asian fusion eatery on Pender Street. It has a rich history and the culture kept alive with a modern twist.

At this location, we were treated to one of three cocktail options and appetizers too.

Chinatown Mule

This is their take on a Moscow Mule and it has Jack Daniels, Ginger Beer, Bitters, and Fresh lime.

3 Day Bender

This drink has Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, Aperol, Averna Amaro, and Fresh Lemon. The stronger of the three drinks, but still very good.

Carioca

This drink has Cachaca 51, Guava Juice, Orange Juice, Fresh Lime, and Sloe Gin. Fruitier of the 3 options and easy to drink. it has a very similar look to the Chinatown Mule.

Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls

The spring rolls were crisp and deliciously savoury inside.

Mantou Buns with duck confit

These big buns have their duck confit filling. Imagine like a Chinese sandwich.

Black Lounge

Black Lounge is located outside of International Village and when you walk inside, everything is sleek black with hints of gold.

Gold Cocktail

This has Jameson, Lemon Ginger Honey, and topped with fabulous Gold Flakes.

White Cocktail

This has Vodka, Creme de Cacao, Frangelico, Cream, and extra Gold Flakes too. This drink was really good since it reminded us of a chocolate milk with the creme de cacao and cream.

Black Cocktail

This cocktail messes with my mind since it looks like coca cola. It has Hornitos Tequila, Cherry Brandy, Disaronno Amaretto, Cranberry, Charcoal, and Candied Ginger.

The charcoal really gives it the black look that represents Black Lounge. The candied ginger was a nice touch to add some contrast to the drink. The amaretto did give the drink a bit of a sweeter kick.

Fried Cauliflower

Of the two appetizers, this was my favourite. It has a nice crisp batter and paired with a spicy mayo.

Coconut Prawns

This was the second appetizer served family style. It has the coconut batter over the pieces of large shrimp. It is also served with the spicy mayo.

The Keefer Bar

Last but not least is The Keefer Bar, know for one of the best cocktail programs in Vancouver. The space is reminiscent of a Chinese underground apothecary. They also have great happy hours where you’ll find some of the drinks featured in the cocktail crawl on their regular menu.

Rosemary Gimlet

This is my absolute favourite. It has gin and their house made rosemary lime cordial with a sprig of rosemary. You must order this if you enjoy rosemary.

Pineapple Daiquiri

This delightful drink has grilled pineapple infused rum, fresh squeezed lime juice & maple/ yum zhi mushroom syrup.

Jack Soul

Daniels & Jack Daniels Fire, fresh squeeze lemon juice, house ginger syrup, bitters topped with soda.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was fun trying three cocktail bars in Chinatown and discovering new drinks. Definitely worth it being able to try all 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all in one night.

Check out Vancouver Gourmet Tours for future cocktail crawls in other neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

Website: https://www.vangourmetclub.com/