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In Fusion

The Rise Eatery: Asian Fusion in Vancouver

The Rise Eatery blends the flavours of different regions around the world and say they are a globally-influenced restaurant, but a lot of the dishes feel like it’s an Asian-fusion restaurant. They are located in the South Granville neighbourhood. We were invited for a private event to try a few dishes off their menu.

Interior

The restaurant is split up in half so there is a bar area and then the dining area. They also have a patio in the back. The space has a nice feel and I love the large wooden tables.

Drinks

Geisha-Rita

This drink has sake, lychee, pink lemonade and togarashi. Very cute drink with a pocky stick too, but I really didn’t like the togarashi rim as it overpowered the subtle flavours of the lychee. Also, for the price, you probably want more sake in this.

Rain City Ricky

This has gin, cucumber, mint, lime, lemon grass and soda.

Old Timer, Newly Fashioned

Inside this concoction is maple, orange bourbon, thyme, bitters, and sour cherry.

The Last Strawberry Wit

I am definitely a beer person instead of a cocktail person. They have a good selection of local craft beers on tap. When I heard they had the Last Strawberry Wit from Fuggles and Warlock, I had to get it. You can get it as a pint or a sleeve and I went with a pint.

The Routine

This has ramen fries, cheese curds, miso gravy, kewpie mayo, bonito and furikake. A fun twist on the Canadian classic, but it fell short of expectations. The ramen cubes ended up to a bit soggy, so it didn’t retain it’s crisp texture.

Tuna Mole

There is a stack of spicy albacore tuna tartare, roasted corn guacamole and a side of lotus root chips. Beautiful dish, but the lotus chips were very thin and not crispy enough to enjoy.

Lo Hay Salad

In the salad, there is smoked salmon, cucumber, daikon, carrot, pickled ginger, onions, tomatoes, taro, pea shoots, crisp rice vermicelli, toasted sesame, toasted peanuts, and a apricot and a beet vinaigrette on the bottom. You need to mix and toss this around before eating to incorporate all the items together. It was a good salad but the smoked salmon felt like it didn’t incorporate very well into the concept.

Long n Green

This was a really good dish as the green beans are cooked with wok’d Haricot vert, butter, soya, and the housemade XO sauce. The XO sauce just pulled it all together. We ate every last bit of the sauce.

Shroom

This is a vegan dish as it has wild mushrooms, udon, silken tofu cream and cashew parmesan. It’s a great dish for those with dietary restrictions, great texture but I thought the sauce had a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Heart Attack Rise

There is Schmaltz stir fried rice pilaf, chicken confit, fried tofu curd and then a soft boiled egg on top. Mix in the egg and enjoy. It’s a good dish to share so each person can have a taste without getting a heart attack. I thought it was ok, but didn’t make me want to eat the whole bowl.

Steak Your Claim

On the wooden board, there is grilled 8oz rib eye steak with a streak of chimichurri sauce. The steak was cooked very nicely and was tender. The chimichurri sauce was very bright and fresh compliment to the steak. On the side, there is kennebec fries, shishito peppers, onions, tomato stir fry, chinese donut and a balsamic demi glaze. A nice incorporation of the chinese donut into the dish.

Shio Koji

There is Japanese potato salad and 4 skewers of salted rice malt roasted Maple Hills chicken thighs. An odd combination but it works. The chicken was very tender and flavourful.

Mean n Green

The matcha molten lava cake was very undercooked, so it was more molten than cake inside. On the other side of the plate was adzuki beans and adzuki ice cream. The ice cream was very icy and not smooth.

Final Thoughts

I like what they were trying to do with their Asian-fusion dishes but the execution on some dishes was a total miss. The presentation was beautiful but it didn’t hit the mark. Hopefully in time, they will take the feedback and improve their menu. It seems more like a place I would go for a drink and a few dishes but not a full dinner.

Address:
3135 Granville Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.theriseeatery.com/

The Rise Eatery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Brunch

Clough Club: Brunch in Gastown

Clough Club is now offering brunch out on their patio. They serve up badass cocktails and drinks, but now you can pair it up for brunch on the weekends. We were invited to try a few of their brunch offerings and cocktails to see what their brunch experience out on the patio is like.

Interior

There are a few seats inside, but with the beautiful weather, you might as well have it outside. Pros and cons of both options.

Crepes

Fried Chicken Savoury Crepe has spinach, onion, bourbon maple syrup, and hot sauce. Delicious! One of my favourite dishes since the chicken was so addictive. Also chicken and hot sauce is the best combination.

Brisket Savoury Crepe has caramelized onion, cheddar, kale, sunny side egg and hot sauce. That egg definitely adds a lot to this crepe.

Cannoli Sweet Crepe has ricotta, honey sweetened creme, and fresh berries. It was ok, but we wanted a little bit more sweetness from this dish.

Banana and Hazelnut Sweet Crepe has granola, nutella and fresh berries. We all really enjoyed this out of the 2 sweet crepes.

It’s great to see that they are putting their own fun twist to crepes. The savoury options were really good and I would come back for them.

Bacon Cheese Dog

The hot dog uses Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and topped with double smoked bacon, pickled onion, American cheese, sunny side egg and maple syrup. There is a side of tater tots as a nice touch. It’s a dressed up hot dog, perfect for those who need some indulgent food. You can also find something similar on their regular menu.

Fried Chicken & Waffles

Golden waffles is topped with buttermilk fried chicken, sunny egg, bourbon maple syrup and hot sauce. The fried chicken was surprisingly moist for white meat. A fun dish for brunch, but their quality of waffle could be improved.

The Hangover Burger

Inside the brioche bun is a beef chuck patty, American cheese, fried egg, iceberg lettuce, and tomato. Upon first bite, it reminded us of a Whopper because of the smokey beed patty. It was ok, but it would have been nicer if was more elevated and juicier patty.

Tater Tots

The tater tots were crispy and the perfect little things to accompany a meal. You must get a side of these.

Drinks

Food is one half of the experience at the Clough Club, you gotta indulge in the drinks.

Mimosa

A brunch classic drink is the mimosa – bubbly mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice. Really good especially when its fresh pressed orange juice.

House Radler is a combination of Driftwood Witbier combined with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. It is also topped with a slice of grapefruit. I love this so much.

Caesar

They also have really good caesars, not overly salty as they make their own mix from scratch. It is also topped with a tomato, bocconcini and bacon.

Final Thoughts

Overall, they have amazing drinks for brunch and a few of the dishes are hit and misses. If you go with the savoury crepes, you can’t go wrong. Just don’t forget the side of tater tots.

We Rate Clough Club: 

Address:
212 Abbott Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://donnellygroup.ca/clough-club/

Clough Club Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Roost: Cafe and Bistro in Strathcona

Roost Cafe and Bistro has been around for about a year in the Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. I came here for lunch with a friend since we wanted to try something new close by our office. I ended up finding this place through Google Maps. We saw they had some avocado toast, so we wanted to give it a try.

Interior

The interior is very cute and hip. They’ve really transformed the space to suit the people moving into this neighbourhood. They have bar seats, patio seats and a few tables inside.

Soup of the Day

We originally wanted some avocado toast, but they ran out of avocados before noon, so C went with the soup of the day which was a tomato soup. It is served with buttered sourdough toast. It was not very impressive.

Sandwich of the Day

I originally wanted another sandwich, but since there were no avocados in sight, I went with the sandwich of the day, which had pesto, ham, cheese and tomato between 2 slices of sourdough bread. It is served with a side salad with vinaigrette dressing. It was ok, but a bit pricey for $12.

Overall, we were not very impressed by this lunch experience. For the neighbourhood, the food is a bit pricey. It was too bad they didn’t have avocados stocked on a Tuesday since that option would have been better.

We Rate Roost Cafe and Bistro: 

Address:
789 Gore Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.roost.cafe/

The Roost Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Bakery

Bjornbar Bakery: Cafe in Edgemont

Bjornbar Bakery is located in Edgemont neighbourhood of North Vancouver. We wanted a cute place to have lunch after we finished the Grouse Grind. Since it was somewhat close by and heard this place was good, we made a visit here.

Interior

The space is cute and cozy. A nice neighbourhood space to hang out with friends and chat over coffee and treats. You order everything up at the counter and they give you a number and deliver the food to your table when it’s ready.

Cappuccino

I got a small cappuccino and it came with a sweet treat on the side. A nice touch. Good coffee and it was made very well. After I got it, I wish I got a larger size.

Old Skool Sandwich

This sandwich has ham, sharp cheddar, grainy mustard and a pickle inside the panini pressed sandwich. It was a really good solid sandwich. Just looking at the cross-section, there is a lot of ham and cheese inside. I really enjoyed this sandwich a lot.

Final Thoughts

Overall, its a great place for the morning or afternoon to indulge in treats and have a cup of coffee. I would definitly be back again.

We Rate Bjornbar Bakery: 

Address:
3053 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver

Website:
https://bjornbarbakery.com

Bjornbar Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Starbucks: Teavana Shaken Iced Tea Infusions Review

Starbucks just released 3 new Teavana shaken iced tea infusions to all locations across Canada. With the warm weather upon us, I always crave and iced tea, so I am glad they are expanding their iced tea line up. Teavana Shaken Iced Tea Infusions are made with just tea, fruit and botanicals – pure, house-steeped goodness with no artificial flavours or sweeteners. The fusions are an innovative flavour delivery that replaces syrups with freshly steeped herbal tea infusions to create a balanced flavoured iced tea.

Iced Peach Citrus Flavoured White Tea Infusion

Teavana Shaken Iced Peach Citrus Flavoured White Tea Infusion/Lemonade has Teavana White Tea combined with freshly steeped peach citrus fruit and botanical infusion and water or lemonade, lightly sweetened and shaken with ice. You can also ask it to be unsweetened. This was the favourite of the bunch.

Iced Strawberry Flavoured Green Tea Infusion

Teavana Shaken Iced Strawberry Flavoured Green Tea Infusion/Lemonade has Teavana Green Tea combined with freshly steeped strawberry fruit and botanical infusion and water or lemonade, lightly sweetened and shaken with ice.

Iced Pineapple Flavoured Black Tea Infusion

Teavana Shaken Iced Pineapple Flavoured Black Tea Infusion/Lemonade has Teavana Black Tea combined with freshly steeped pineapple fruit and botanical infusion and water or lemonade, lightly sweetened and shaken with ice. This was my second favourite of the three drinks.

Customize your tea infusion

Like all things at Starbucks, these drinks are highly customizable. You can add sparkling water or lemonade to give it an entirely new flavour profile. I really enjoyed it with sparkling water for the refreshing bubbles. Not all stores can do this as it depends if they have the machine to making sparkling water. I would ask anyways because its good.

Final Thoughts

As a tea and coffee drinker, I like how they are expanding their tea options for customers. After trying them all, I would get the Iced Peach Citrus Flavoured White Tea Infusion with sparkling water and a little sweet.

Website: https://www.starbucks.ca/

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In British Columbia

5 Reasons to go to Playland Nights in July

Finally, an event we are all are looking forward to – Playland Nights for 19+. It is running every Friday for the month of July from 7pm till midnight. We checked out the first night of Playland Nights and had an absolute blast! If you are the first 100 people to purchase a ticket for the night, you get a special price of $22. The best way of saving money is to purchase tickets ahead of time and online rather than at the gate.

1. Craft Beers, Wines and Playland Inspired Cocktails

The grounds are fully licensed, so guests can enjoy their favourite beverage throughout the park while enjoying the games and rides. In addition to the craft beers, wines and Playland inspired cocktails – including Candy Floss Martinis, Candy Appletinis and Snow Cone vodka drinks, guest DJs will be spinning under the twinkling lights of Playland.

  2. Shorter Lines

For some rides, line ups were non-existent, which makes the experience much better. When the gates open at 7pm, there is barely anyone here, so come early before the crowds build around 10pm. A few rides that have slightly longer waits are – Wooden Roller Coaster, Atmosfear, The Beast, and Hellevator.

3. No Kids

If you don’t like kids or what to be away from the little ones for a night, you won’t find a single kid here. No kids, no criers, no problem.

4. Fun Rides and Attractions

The same great rides are open for all the enjoy. A few rides were closed, but there are 31 different rides and attractions to check out.

Even going on kiddie rides is really fun after having a few beers. Of all the times I’ve been to Playland. this was the most fun I’ve had here.

Most of the rides and attractions come with the ticket, but a few are extra like the Revelation and Drop Zone. Of the two, my favourite was the Revelation. Super fun, but it is $25 for 2 people.

5. Snacks

There are some stalls selling snacks to keep you satisfied during the evening. We found corn dogs and oreo churros. We didn’t fill up too much since we were focused on riding a lot of rides without getting too sick.

Final Thoughts

Playland Nights is awesome and I would highly recommend it if you are looking to do something different this July. Alcoholic drink and rides make a great combination. Don’t forget 2 pieces of ID when you enter and don’t think about sneaking in a flask because they check bags upon entry.

Website: https://www.pne.ca/playland-nights/

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In Dessert

BETA5 Chocolates’ Summer Ice Cream Socials Returns for 2017

BETA5 Chocolates Ice Cream Socials are back. It is Vancouver’s best kept secret to enjoy hand-crafted unique sundaes. The talented BETA5 team creates a new sundae every week. It happens every Saturday until September 30, 2017 from 1 – 5pm. With the hot weather in Vancouver, I’m always looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. We were given a sneak peek of what some of these sundaes look like.

The planned ice cream sundae line-up may include – Mimosa, Green Tea Latte, S’more, Melon Fro-yo, Black Sesame & Grape, Apple Pie, Mint Chocolate Chip, Raspberry Earl Grey, Peach Cobbler and more. Their quirky sundae ideas, like Mango Bubble Tea. Not only are all the ice creams and toppings made in-house, each weekly sundae is crafted with special attention to flavour, contrasting textures, and nostalgia.

Sparkling Mimosa Sundae

This sundae is comprised of mimosa sorbet, grapefruit sorbet, grapefruit + campari curd, orange cotton candy, orange madeleines, and sparkling manadarin chocolate. So refreshing for the summer with the sorbet and I would definitely recommend this.

S’more Sundae

This decadent sundae is made with dark chocolate ice cream, ceylon cinnamon ice cream, graham cracker macarons, toasted marshmallows, chocolate sauce, vanilla chantilly. If you are a chocolate lover, you will enjoy this. The macarons were also excellent.

Matcha Latte Sundae

We lastly tried the Matcha Latte Sundae, which has matcha ice cream, tahitian vanilla ice cream, matcha milk jam, vanilla mochi, red bean chiffon cake, and vanilla chantilly. This Japanese twist to a traditional sundae might tingle your taste buds if you love matcha.

Instagram It

BETA5 is bringing back their ‘weekly repost’ Instagram contest too.
To enter snap a picture at a weekly ice cream social and post to Instagram by the following Thursday, tagged with #beta5icecreamsocial (or DM direct to BETA5Chocolates). Weekly winners will be announced every Friday and will receive a $25 gift card and the chance to win the end-of-the-season grand prize.

How will you know what flavour they will have for the week? Check out their Facebook page a day before to find out. They will also be planning BETA5 pop-up ice cream socials  at different spots in the lower mainland. If you are a local or a tourist, you’ll love their ice cream sundae, but they also have cream puffs and chocolates too.

Address:
413 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.beta-5.com/

BETA5 Chocolates Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

Uninterrupted: Immersive Journey under Cambie Bridge

Uninterrupted has transformed Vancouver’s Cambie Bridge into a wild BC river this summer, immersing audiences in the incredible journey of migrating salmon. The spectacle runs just under 30 minutes – and happens 5 nights a week after dusk from June 28 to September 24. Tuesday to Saturdays around 10pm at Coopers Park.

The beautiful cinematography captured in BC rivers is digitally mapped and projected across the underside of the bridge. It was honestly stunning. At first I wasn’t expecting much, but I was blown away. If you haven’t checked it out, you should go.

You can bring your own chair to sit on or lie down at the playground as its very comfortable since the floor is spongey. Very family friendly and runs all Summer.

Website: http://uninterrupted.ca/

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In British Columbia

Classic Canadian BBQ with a Twist from President’s Choice

Over the Canada Day long weekend, I made it a mission to test out the new BBQ grill and enjoy time with my dear friends. The essential ingredient is food. President’s Choice came out with a few awesome items for their Summer Insiders Collection.

Burgers and Smokies

I was so excited to try the PC Our Great Canadian Thick & Juicy Beef Burgers and the PC Smokies Poutine Flavour Fully Cooked Smoked Pork Sausages. Definitely not your normal burger patties or smokies.

Available only for the summer, the maple leaf shaped patty  was a fun way to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. It comes frozen, so it’s not that impressive until the beautiful grill marks makes an appearance. It is made with 100% Canadian beef. If you’re at the grocery store, you’ll want to check out the PC Loads of Canadiana Beef Burgers as it’s a bit different since it combines Canadian beef, rich cheese curds, bacon and a classic Montreal-style steak spice into one thick patty.

A handful of deliciousness. We put a slice of cheese on top to get the ooey gooey melted cheese. My choice of cheese was habanero Monterey Jack cheese since it was red and white to match the theme. I kept it simple with a tosated bun, lettuce and some sauce to let the patty shine through.

The poutine smokie has real French fries, gooey cheese and a touch of gravy seasoning. It was so good and decadent. I added some shredded cheese on top for more cheesiness.

I would totally recommend this for your Summer BBQ. It’s the best combination. You’ll want to have both of their burgers and smokies at your BBQ.

Maple Marshmallows

I don’t have an open fire pit in my backyard, but a gas powered stove does the trick to roast marshmallows. Revolutionize your s’mores with these large maple-flavoured marshmallows created for campfire toasting and s’more building. You’ll notice the sweet maple aroma from the PC Maple Flavour Marshmallows as they cook, the flat shape also makes them easily fit between graham crackers.

Cold Brews and Teas

We love our wines and iced tea, but the PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee was a great addition for coffee drinkers. It is a smooth and full-bodied, this cold brew coffee is prepared by steeping roasted ground coffee beans in filtered cool water for about 20 hours. Made with dark roast 100% Arabica beans, it’s equally refreshing black or with a splash of milk. You can also pair it with their PC Coconut Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert to make an affogato.

Mango Salsa

It’s not a party without some snacks. In addition to bags of SmartFoods white cheddar popcorn, we had PC Mango Salsa and some Canada themed tortilla chips. The salsa has juicy mango and pineapple, roasted green tomatillos, zesty lime and lemon, and cilantro leaves come together in a vibrant fresh-tasting salsa. The sweet and savoury fruit salsa makes an unexpected yet delightful dip to serve with tortilla chips. You can also add it with your favourite grilled food items.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always stressed about having a BBQ party with all my friends and not knowing what they all want to eat, but as long as we are in good company with delicious food and drinks, we are happy. Summer gives us the perfect opportunity to come together and celebrate our country over twists on Canadian classics. I’ve been a customer of PC products since I can barely remember and their products are pretty solid for taste, innovation and price. There’s everything you have in store. Plan your next Summer backyard party by picking up a few of these awesome products.

Website: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/insiders-collection.html

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In Car

2017 Chevrolet Trax Premier AWD: Review

2017 Chevrolet Trax Premier AWD is a small SUV catering for any lifestyle with modern technology, a flexible interior, and impressive efficiency. A spent a week testing this vehicle around town to get a good feel for the car in the city, the subburbs, and in the wilderness. For my next car, I want to get an SUV, so it’s really great to test a few that are out there in the market. Small compact SUVs are very popular now especially for city driving as you can escape from the city and head off to close by adventures.

Exterior

The Chevrolet Trax is tall and not that long. It’s great for the city since it’s not too large to find into the small parking stalls. I had no trouble fitting this car anywhere.

With the rear facing cameras, parking was a breeze and I never had to break a sweat.

There is also has Side Blind Zone Alert, so when you’re changing lanes, it will alert you if any cars or objects are in that area. One of my favourite features of modern cars in definitely the technology that enables you to be a safer driver.

For a compact SUV, it has a pretty generic look when you compare it with some other models out there. For this year’s model, you’ll notice the slightly edgier look with the big, new hexagonal grille on the front of the car and the elongated LED headlights that sweep upward as they wrap around to the vehicle’s sides.

Interior

The trim inside is jet black/ brandy leatherette trim. It wraps around the dash and on all the seats. It adds a pop of colour on the inside, but doesn’t exactly give you that luxurious feel.

The push button start is a great feature since you don’t have to dig into your purse to get the keys. The remote also has remote starting, so you can turn the engine on while you are outside the vehicle.

Chevrolet’s signature MyLink infotainment system is operated via the seven-inch touchscreen, is fairly basic and had some features I didn’t need. I would be nice to have a basic map, but they do have the OnStar turn by turn navigation instead.

I found it a better experience plugging in my iPhone to activate Apple CarPlay. If you have an Android, you can turn on Android Auto. This way you can look at navigation, have hands-free calling and texting, and music playing from your collection.

Did you know, the car be be turned into a roaming Wi-Fi hotspot? The kids can stop complaining and stay connected. You can connect up to 7 devices too. All three trim levels include a 4G LTE wireless trial from OnStar that consists of three months of service or 3 gigabytes of data, whichever comes first.

The passengers seat is roomy and there is plenty of head room. The only complaint from passengers was that the seats were a bit stiff and the headrests were not as comfortable. There is a 120v outlet in the back too.

With their partnership with Bose, the audio is pretty awesome. With all the Chevrolet cars I’ve tried, all my passengers really loved the audio quality.

With the compact size of the car and roomy space for occupants, the trunk space does suffer a bit. It’s hard to carry a lot of large bags and luggage with a full car.

Drive

It was comfortable driving in this car. The suspension handles potholes and bumpy roads with minimal rattling inside the car. Steering is quick and responsive especially on turns. I still wouldn’t recommend you go off-roading. As I drove all around, the fuel efficiency is pretty decent.

When accelerating on the highway or going up steep hills, the engine could be a bit more powerful.

Final Thoughts

This car isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth a look for city dwellers who want to use it for city driving but also have the capability of going outside of the city for some adventure. It is packed with technology features that make driving this car fun and customizable to you. It’s definitely a solid car, but there is tough competition these days for a compact SUV as other automotive manufactures are entering this space.

Website: http://www.chevrolet.ca/

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In Gastown

Haru Korean Restaurant in Gastown

Haru Korean Restaurant is open in Gastown serving homey Korean food. My friend and I were passing by for dinner and decided we wanted to give this place a try. We love to wander around downtown to find whatever restaurant interests us so we can find more of the hidden places around town.

Interior

The interior is mostly wooden with accents of this colourful stripped fabric. There is a decent amount of space for small to large groups. For large groups, they take reservations.

Tea

As we sat down to look over the menu, they gave us some hot tea.

Complimentary Salad

The green salad has radishes and a light vinaigrette. A nice start to the meal.

Complimentary Kimchi

Kimchi is a must at any Korean restaurant and it usually comes complimentary, It’s part of the whole experience.

Kimchi Fried Rice

This is fried white rice with kimchi, pork, onion and topped with a round fried egg. The kimchi fried rice was ok, I found that it needed a bit more kimchi and it was very very oily with the onions.

Jap-Chae Noodle

There is stir fried clear noodles with veggies seasoned in house special soy sauce. A good portion for an individual.

Seafood Pancake

The seafood pancake is pretty big. It has seafood and green onion in the batter, but I thought it was pretty average. Nothing special to have it stand out.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food here was average and nothing stood out. Some dishes were pretty oily and unnecessarily greasy. I can see this would be a good lunch spot.

We Rate Haru Korean Kitchen: 

Address:
324 Cambie St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.harukoreankitchen.com

Haru Korean Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Burnaby Central

Sugar Lab: Cafe in Burnaby

Sugar Lab is a new dessert cafe in Burnaby and they specialize in Mille Crepes. A few other cafes in Richmond have them, but now it’s closer to the suburbs of Burnaby. It’s a bit hard to find but keep your eyes open. It’s on Grimmer Street and Kingsway.

Interior

The place is small an cozy with one large communal table and 4 other smaller tables. Some people do take out to avoid the lines.

Menu

Green Tea Crepe Cake with Red Bean

The layers of all the crepes and cream were pretty good. The red bean is a bit sweet, so it over powers the subtle green tea crepes.

Tiramisu Mille Crepe Cake

The chocolate and coffee taste is stronger in this crepe cake. Good texture and it was delicious.

Mango Pancake

Mango Pancakes come 2 pieces per order. Inside the square crepes is whipped cream and a chunk of mango. I always enjoy this kind of dessert.

Serradura Pudding Plant

There are layers of pudding, cream and crushed up graham crackers. It was a decent dessert. Not too sweet either.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a cute new cafe with great desserts. It’s pretty unique when it comes to Burnaby. Always great to have more variety of desserts here.

We Rate Sugar Lab: 

Address:
5376 Grimmer Street, Burnaby

Sugar Lab Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In BBQ

Whiskey Six BBQ: West Coast BBQ in Vancouver

Whiskey Six BBQ is an organic, local, sustainable barbecue joint nestled in the heart of East Vancouver. I came with a few foodies to eat mass amounts of meat to kick off the long weekend. A few of us have been eyeing this place to see how their BBQ would compare.

Interior

The space is small and they don’t take reservations. First come first serve. On a Thursday, it didn’t start getting busy until around 7pm.

Beer

I got the Strange Fellow’s Talisman West Coast Pale Ale as I thought it would be great to pair with BBQ.

 Windsor Meats Sausage

We got 2 links, and chose braised greens and wings as our sides. It also comes with a slice of Fife Bakery bread, mustard and pickle. The sausage was good and it had a kick of heat to it. We added $2 extra for the wing option and it was worth it. As they are whole wings, so its meaty. The braised kale needed a bit more seasoning to it.

Johnston’s Back Ribs

We got the full rack of ribs and we got the fries and smokey beans. The ribs were more like smoked ribs so it’s not a wet rib.

Johnston’s Prohibition Pulled Pork

The pulled pork was really good and we got it with the coleslaw, and southern biscuits. The 2 biscuits that came with it tasted more like baking soda and was missing something.  I liked the coleslaw as it had a delicious tang to it.

Free Range Farmcrest Smoked Chicken

The chicken was tender and had a good flavour, but it reminded us of rotisserie chicken. We got the coleslaw and potato salad.

Blue Goose Cattle Co. Organic Beef Brisket

Of all the BBQ meats that we had, the beef brisket was our favourite.

Final Thoughts

Overall, their BBQ is different that what we were used to. The flavours are more tame and it’s not saucy. They put their own twist on West Coast BBQ and to us it didn’t stand out.

We Rate Whiskey Six BBQ: 

Address:
826 Renfrew Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.whiskeysixbbq.com/

Whisky Six BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

Yah Yah Ya Ramen in Downtown Vancouver

Yah Yah Ya Ramen opened their second location in Vancouver and they specialize in Yokohama-style ramen. The style of ramen blends tonkotsu and shoyu broth together to give a unique blend of broth. We were invited to try their special Cold Ramen only available in the summer.

Interior

There are 2 larger communal tables inside and a bunch of other smaller table. Lots of space for ramen lovers.

Menu

Japanese Ocha

Once of my favourite drinks to have at a ramen bar. You can have it sweetened or unsweetened. I would definitely recommend having it unsweetened so you can taste more of the tea.

Gyozas

These come in 6 pieces per order. A decent pan fried on one side. A good item to share among a table of friends, but it still felt a bit average.

NO. 1 Shoyu Ramen

You will find 3 pieces of toasted sesame, 2 pieces of chashu, egg, spinach, and their pork soy sauce ie-kei soup base. Very delicious and highly recommended if it’s your first time here. You can choose the texture of the noodle (hard, normal or soft), the richness (heavy, normal or light) and oil (more, normal, or less).

Black Ramen Tonkotsu

Inside you will find 3 pieces of toasted seaweed, bamboo shoots, 2 slices of chashu, and ramen egg. Delicious as well. It’s hard to choose between their bowls of ramen.

Mazesoba

In this bowl, you’ll find pork meat, toasted seaweed, bean sprouts, green onions, bamboo shoots and a golden egg yolk. You mix this all up really well and then enjoy. The flavour of all the items coat the noodles and is enjoyable.

Cold Ramen

This is only available in the Summer. It has sliced chashu, sliced red ginger, sliced egg, bean sprouts and cucumber. Mix it up and enjoy. A good choice to cool down for the Summer, but I still have a huge craving for a hot bowl of ramen even if it’s super hot outside.

Spicy Cold Ramen

If you want a kick of heat, they have a spicy cold ramen too. It has sliced chashu, kimchi, seaweed, bean sprouts and cucumber.

Salmon Don

You can have this as a combo with your ramen or on it’s own. The piece of salmon on top is very meaty.

Negi Chashu Don

Another don option if you like their chashu. I thought this was ok as the sauce felt a bit overpowering.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Yah Yah Ya Ramen is a pretty solid ramen shop. With so many ramen shops on Robson Street, they do stand out for their Yokohama style ramen. If you’re in the area, check it out.

We Rate Yah Yah Ya Ramen: 

Address: 570 Robson St, Vancouver

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

Yah Yah Ya Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Canadian-inspired Recipes for your Summer BBQ with President’s Choice

Canada Day is almost upon us and since the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canadian Confederation is upon us, there is lots to do around town. For those who are not ready to brave the crowds around town, you can celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada in your own home. One of my favourite grocery stores – Loblaws has some awesome President’s Choice branded items that can be transformed into Canada-inspired dishes for this weekend.

I personally love Canada Day because it’s my sister’s birthday, there’s fireworks, hot weather, and it’s a long weekend. I hope you can spare some time and spend some time around the dinner table with family and friends.

Moose Ear Doughnuts with Cold Brew Glaze

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Serves: 16
Prep time: 45 minutes
Ready in: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) warm water (100°F/38°C)
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) active dry yeast (one 8 g pkg)
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 tbsp (70 mL) warm milk
  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) PC Sunflower Oil
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) PC Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2-½ cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Glaze:

  • 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee

Directions:

  1. Stir together warm water and pinch sugar in small bowl or liquid measure until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until frothy, 5 to 8 minutes.
  2. Whisk together egg, milk, coffee, sunflower oil, salt, vanilla and remaining sugar in large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture.
  3. Whisk flour with baking powder in separate large bowl. Add to yeast mixture; stir just until dough comes together. Knead gently to form smooth ball. Place in separate greased large bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
  4. Gently deflate dough. Divide into 16 equal pieces; shape into balls. Roll out 1 ball on lightly floured work surface to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick oval. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough.
  5. Add enough vegetable oil to large wide saucepan to come 2 inches (5 cm) up side; heat until deep-fryer thermometer reads 375°F (190°C) when inserted in oil. Working in small batches, carefully lower dough into oil. Cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let cool 5 minutes.
  6. Glaze: Whisk icing sugar with coffee in separate large bowl until smooth. Working 1 at a time, dip 1 flat side of doughnuts in icing sugar mixture; transfer, glazed side up, to rack set over sheet of waxed paper. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Working 1 at a time, dip glazed side of doughnuts in icing sugar mixture again. Return, glazed side up, to rack. Let stand until set, about 5 minutes.

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Canada Day Burgers with Thousand Island Sauce

The bun: Canadian white and rye flour seasoned with Montreal steak spice. The patty: 100% Canadian beef proudly shaped into a maple leaf. The sauce: Tangy and patriotically red Thousand Islands-style dressing. Meet the unofficial Canada Day burger.

[tabs tab1=”Canada Day Burgers with Thousand Island Sauce”]

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Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

  • Half of a shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) PC Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Sriracha Tomato Ketchup Blended with Sriracha
  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Baby Dill Pickles with Garlic, drained and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
  • 4 frozen PC Thick & Juicy Maple Leaf Beef Burgers
  • Half of a red onion, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick rounds
  • 4 PC Canadian Burger Buns, split
  • 2 leaves Boston lettuce, halved
  • 2 PC Flavour Burst Tomato of Yore Beefsteak Tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 slices PC Zesty Garlic Deli-Sliced Dill Pickles

Directions:

  1. Preheat barbecue to medium heat.
  2. Stir together shallot, mayonnaise, ketchup, baby dill pickles, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
  3. Place frozen burgers on greased grill. Close lid; cook, turning once, until instant-read thermometer reads 160°F (71°C) when inserted sideways into burgers, 10 to 12 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, place red onion on greased grill. Close lid; cook, turning once, until grill-marked, 6 to 8 minutes. Place buns, cut sides down, on greased grill. Close lid; cook until light golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Divide lettuce among bottom halves of buns. Top with burgers, shallot mixture, red onion, tomatoes and sliced dill pickles, dividing evenly. Sandwich with top halves of buns.

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Maple Pecan S’mores Dip

No campfire? No problem. This oven-baked dessert dip packs all of the gooey chocolatey-marshmallow goodness of the classic fire-pit treat – no flames needed! Keep it traditional and dive in with graham crackers, or achieve sweet-and- salty nirvana and enjoy with potato chips.

[tabs tab1=”Maple Pecan S’mores Dip” ]

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Serves: 20
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (250 mL) pecan pieces
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) PC Salted Country Churned Butter, melted
  • 1 pkg (270 g) PC The Decadent Milk Chocolate Chips
  • Half pkg (400 g pkg) PC Maple Flavour Marshmallows (about 14)
  • Graham crackers, pretzels or potato chips, for dipping

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Stir together pecans and melted butter in 9-inch (23 cm) cast-iron skillet or pie plate. Bake, stirring once, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  2. Sprinkle chocolate chips over pecan mixture. Bake until chocolate is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Arrange marshmallows in single layer over top of chocolate s’more. Bake until marshmallows are puffed and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

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I hope these recipes will inspired you to make an awesome Canada Day feast.

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In Buffet

Saffron Indian Cuisine: Lunch Buffet in Burnaby

Saffron Indian Cuisine is a popular restaurant for their lunch buffet as it is a very affordable price. My family was in town, so we called ahead for reservations to ensure all 9 of us would be seated for lunch promptly. I’ve heard lots about this place but I haven’t been here yet.

Interior

For weekday lunch, this place was packed. A few walk-ins and a few reservations. There was a good flow of people until around 1:45pm.

The interior isn’t that impressive, but it does the trick. The lunch buffet area is on the right side with all the dishes all lines up.

Naan

Naan bread is delivered to the table and you can ask staff anytime to refill your basket.

Round 1

I went with salad, veggie pakora and tandoori chicken for round #1. The tandoori chicken could have used more depth of flavour and spice. You can tell the spice level is toned down.

Round 2

This round, I got more curry to eat with the naan bread and a few more pieces of veggie pakora. All goof flavours but I wished there were more options in the buffets with spicier dishes.

Dessert

Kheer is a rice pudding, which I really enjoyed. It sweet but not overly sweet. The other items was like a mango yogurt with grapes. I personally didn’t like it.

Final Thoughts

The buffet lunch is a great deal but as it’s made in large batches, it caters to their general customer. If you love extra heat in your curry, you might want to order from the regular menu. I would have preferred playing a similar price for one really good dish at medium heat. Thats just my personal preference. If you like your dishes mild and have more variety, the lunch buffet is for you.

We Rate Saffron Indian Cuisine: 

Address:
4300 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.saffroncuisine.ca/

Saffron Indian Cuisine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Uncategorized

Canada 150 Summer Essentials from Sobeys

With Canada Day just a few days away, more companies are creating product to help customers celebrate Canada 150. Sobeys is celebrating its 110th anniversary in line with Canada 150 with an array of patriotic products such as maple-leaf shaped burgers, Birthday Cookies, Mustard and Hops Gold Rush sauce and maple-flavoured ice cream bars.

Birthday Cookies

With their patriotic shapes and vibrant Canadian-colours and flavours, its pretty playful. They have a twist on the original maple cookies, these cookies are filled with velvety cream cheese-flavoured icing.

Maple Leaf-Shaped Angus Beef Burger

These 100% Canadian Angus beef maple-leaf shaped patties come frozen and will save yourself time shaping patties into this look.

Spirited Mickie – Mustard and Hops Gold Rush

Made with mustard and a hint of Canadian pale ale, the new “Mustard and Hops Gold Rush”Sensations by Compliments Spirited Mickie BBQ sauce is delicious brushed over seafood or burgers. I personally was impressed by this sauce as I enjoyed it in my burger. I can also see it being dipped with chicken strips.

Maple-Flavoured Ice Cream Bars

With the incoming heatwave, keeping cool is key. These unique maple-flavoured ice cream bars are made with real dairy cream and isn’t overly sweet.

You can find all these items at Sobeys owned stores like Safeway and IGA, which is more prominent on the West Coast. All these items are available for a limited time only. So, get you fill of everything Canadian before it’s gone.

Website: http://celebrate.sobeys.com/

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In Kelowna

A Day in the Okanagan for National Best Friends Day

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending National Best Friends Day with my foodie friend – Dee from Gastrofork. We met in 2011 at this event called Bake for the Quake and I bought banana bread from her for a good cause. All these years later, we’ve been great friends going on trips, eating great food, and geeking out together. Ford Canada sent us on a trip together and we chose Kelowna and Lake Country to be our destination of choice. Here are a few of the places we went in about 24 hours.

We left Vancouver early in the morning and spent about 5 hours each way on the road in our Ford Focus Titanium, with the awesome Apple CarPlay feature, we were able to make sure we got to our destination on the most effective route, but also jam out to Backstreet Boys.

Salted Brick

Our first stop was Salted Brick in Downtown Kelowna for a quick stop for lunch. They are a premium charcuterie shop and restaurant. They source their products locally and you can feel the passion they have for their food. Sharing is caring so we had some oysters, a charcuterie board and their 16-hour Roasted Brisket Sandwich. I enjoyed this spot for such simple yet flavour packed food.

Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery

We wanted to try some spirits in the Okanagan as it’s a bit more unique in the area among all the wineries. We tried a flight and I left with the black currant liqueur. Very delicious and mixes well with drinks and even sparkling wine.

Kangaroo Creek Farm

Our most exciting and squee-worthy destination was Kangaroo Creek Farm just North of Kelowna. They have so many unique animals that you can interact with – Kangaroo, Wallaroo, Wallaby, sugar glider, pot-bellied pig, emu, parrots, peacock, goats, fancy chicken, capybara, and a lot more.

Our favourite part was holding the precious little baby joeys. They had a few cute ones ready to be cuddled. The albino one was so cute that I had to hold him in my hands.

Sugar Gliders were another one of my favourite animals to hold and interact with. He loves climbing around peoples arms and even finding pockets to burrow into.

Meet Squeakers, this pretty bird was talkative and we both thought he was so precious.

We were sad to leave Kangaroo Creek Farm, but if we were here any longer, I would have been tempted to take one of their animals.

Arrowleaf Cellars

Next stop was Arrowleaf Cellars. We made it a mission to go to wineries that we have never been before to continue understanding the diversity of wineries in the Okanagan. Arrowleaf is a family-owned and operated winery with a strong commitment to local since 2001.

They have a picnic area, tasting room and a fantastic patio. I grabbed a glass of white wine to enjoy with the beautiful view. Since we needed to drink responsibly, I made Dee be my designated driver.

Ex Nihilo

Around since 2010, they have been crafting wine as a family. We went into their tasting room and tried 5 of their different wines for $5, but since we bought a bottle, that fee was waived.

It’s a lovely place and there were people celebrating huge milestones at the bistro for a birthday. Their wines were really good enjoyed our short time here.

Gray Monk Estate Winery – Grapevine Restaurant

Gray Monk Estate Winery is a stunning place with also a great view. We stopped for dinner at Grapevine Restaurant for more delicious meals that are crafted by Chef Siever.

I’ve always wanted to come here to enjoy their amazing wine and try their dishes. We shared a few appetizers to start and then dug into the main courses.

I indulged in Bombay Blackened Duck Duo and Dee had a tenderloin. The views and service were great and we took in all the beautiful views of the area.

Chasing Sunsets

As the sun set over the valleys of the Okanagan, we found a few view points before heading off to the resort for some rest and relaxation. The funny thing about this photo was that Dee was in the car making strange gestures at me and I didn’t understand what she was doing. She opened the door and told me there was a wild deer behind me. He’s got my back literally.

Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa

We got to Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa with plenty of time to spare. The night was still young to do lots of exploring and relaxing. Built in 2010, Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa is a great wellness resort spa destination in North America. I’ve wanted to come here for a long time as I’ve always hear such amazing things about this place.

When you walk around the resort, you will find 3.5 million Swarovski crystal elements. It’s absolutely stunning.

An awesome part about the resort is the exclusive access to the seven unique aromatherapy saunas and steam rooms, experience showers, igloo, indoor pool complete with underwater music and starry Swarovski crystal sky, hot pool, outdoor infinity pool, Kneipp water therapy, Tea & Serenity Relaxation Rooms, and the Keiser-equipped fitness studio.

We spent some time at the spa and then headed back to our room for the night.

In the morning, there was a complimentary breakfast at their restaurant, so we enjoyed out meal while looking out into the views of the lake.

Recap

Our getaway for National Best Friends Day was awesome and we were happy that Ford Canada was able to make it happen. In around 24 hours, we were able to enjoy the best of the Okanagan and I was able to show Dee one of my favourite places in BC – Kangaroo Creek Farm. What is awesome about our friendship is that we are so chill about everything, have similar tastes in food and just love to be silly. It’s definitely hard to find great friends, so make sure you keep them close.

If you want to check out a video recap of our trip, check out Dee’s video below on her Youtube channel.

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