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Bel Café recently introduced their new Bel Box, which is a lunch box on the go and it comes with your choice of a sandwich, a half Tuscan Kale salad, a cookie, and a small drink. Bring it back home or take it to the park for a picnic.  

Senior Pastry Chef, Tessa Faulker, recently launched a selection of new pastries including a Cinnamon Morning Bun, rosemary twist, raspberry vanilla scone, miso almond kouign amann, and the ham & cheese bostock.

Lots of new things happening and we were invited to check out these delicious treats.

Bel’s Picnic Box

You can choose from these sandwiches:

  • Ham and Cheese Mt. Moriarty cheese, smoked ham, mustard, sourdough bread
  • Smoked Meat Montreal style smoked beef, pickles mustard, rye bread
  • Herbivore roasted garlic hummus, baby gem lettuce, pickled red onion, cucumber, avocado
  • B.L.T. (or A.L.T.) bacon/avocado, lettuce, tomato

We got our box with the smoked meat sandwich, chocolate chip cookie, half Tuscan Kale Salad, and Flow Water.

It’s a solid box with everything you need for lunch.

Rosemary Twist

The rosemary twist is quite large and has many flakey layers. It’s like a croissant but twisted with the aroma of rosemary and hints of salt.

Cinnamon Morning Bun

This is covered in sugar and cinnamon, which makes it like a churro croissant. A tad messy to eat, so becareful.

Ham & Cheese Bostock

This was our favourite pastry as we tend to gravitate towards savoury pastries. It had a good texture that complimented the ham and cheese.

Miso Almond Kouign

The miso almond kouign is sweet and delicious like an almond croissant. The miso is subtle but works well.

Raspberry Vanilla Scone

Lastly, the raspberry vanilla scone is pretty standard but a touch on the sweet side. It also has a crumbly texture, so be careful when you eat this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, lots of new things happening at Bel Cafe. Of the things we tried, we really like the Rosemary Twist and the Ham & Cheese Bostock the most. They really have quality savoury pastries that stand out. Cinnamon Morning Bun was good and it reminded us of a churro.

With the weather so great this summer, it’s great to grab a few things and head to the close by parks or beaches.

Address:
1780 W 3rd Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://belcafe.com/

Raisu is a Japanese Izakaya in Vancouver and their sister restaurants are Kingyo, Suika, and Rajio. They specialize in Teishouku, which is Japanese for pre-set meals. It’s usually chef’s selection of items with miso soup and a bowl of rice.

We usually go to Raisu for dinner, but this was our first time having lunch at Raisu. They actually have some amazing lunch meals and kid sets available for dine-in.

We were invited to check out their lunch offerings at Raisu.

Patio

They have a patio and we always enjoy dining in this area. It is covered with a roof and there are fans to keep you cool.

Dining Room

They socially distance all the guests so eating indoors is comfortable and safe. Staff were all wearing masks too.

Menu

Kids Set $15

The kid sets are meant for children under 12 years old. You get a bit of everything to keep those picky eaters eating.

When we dined here, our Kids Set came with:

  • Chicken karaage
  • Ebiten with tartar sauce
  • Japanese omelet
  • Salad
  • Meatball with miso demiglace sauce
  • Grilled Veggies (bean, pepper, and corn)
  • Miso soup
  • Dessert (Japanese Lemon Cheesecake, but changes seasonally)
  • Drink ( Choice of orange juice, Calpico water, or Calpico soda)
  • Small Kid snack (Koala Bear cookies)

This is a really fun meal and a lot of adults wished they could have it too. It’s a good selection of fresh veggies, fried food, and treats. It was all good especially that Japanese Lemon Cheesecake. It was a pleasant surprise.

Lunch Meal Special $24

On the menu, you choose 2 items from these 4 available choices:

  • Chef’s choice sashimi (3 kinds)
  • Deep fried food (2 kinds)
  • Today’s meat dish
  • Today’s grilled fish

The set comes with rice, miso soup, small dish, pickles and salad.

The Chef’s choice sashimi was salmon, tuna and scallop served in a bowl with radish threads, seaweed, sprouts, and tobiko. Very fresh and good quality.

The grilled fish available today was salmon and mackerel served with lemon, minced daikon, and sauce. Mackerel is generally has lots of bones, a touch dry but very buttery in taste. If you don’t like picking bones out, this may not be the dish for you.

The meat dish today was beef steak served with green and mushroom. It was a touch overdone for our liking.

The deep fried food was a jumbo scallop with snow crab, and a 100% wagyu croquette. Solid dishes with the use of panko.

The small dish of the day was braised melon. It’s tasty but a touch on the salty side if you eat it by itself. It’s best eaten with rice to really enjoy this.

The salad, rice, and miso soup complete the meal. A filling lunch and you can’t so wrong with this. Very enjoyable.

Yuzu Lemonade

This is light and refreshing with carbonation and hints of sweet yuzu. Drinks aren’t included in the set, but it’s a nice accompaniment to the meal especially on a hot summers day.

Raisu Punch

This has Calipico, kiwi, pineapple, and aloe juice. we got this omitted with the kiwi because of personal allergies. It’s also a very light and refreshing drink to pair with the meal. It is a bit sweeter than the yuzu lemonade but it has more flavours going on.

Yuzu Parfait

Highly recommended even if you’re super full. Dessert is a separate stomach right? This has RAISU original yuzu gelato, yuzu rare cheese cake sponge cake, and yuzu cream on top. The yuzu gelato is really good and brings this whole dessert together.

Final Thoughts

The lunch sets for kids and adults are fantastic and fun. It’s a good way to try a bit of everything they have to offer. You definitely want to see what is on their daily special menu as it can rotate daily.

Don’t forget to end you meal with the Yuzu Parfait as we absolutely adored it.

Address:
2340 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.raisu.ca/

I love discovering new restaurant I’ve never been to, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, thats a little bit hard at the moment. Now, I rely on word of mouth and social media to figure out what restaurants are doing to innovate their business and keep things going.

The Hoké Poké is located in Kitsilano and they serve poke bowls. They are pretty far from me since I live in Burnaby, but a friend told me they deliver. They don’t always deliver, but you can always message them and ask.

I emailed my order and sent an e-transfer to the owner. Simple and with no issues. Food arrived on time and very fresh.

I ordered 4 regular sized poké bowls for the family to share.

Ohana Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with sweet shoyu, sweet onion, green onion, furikake, and cucumber. Nice classic combination of flavours to showcase the fish.

Yuzuke

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with yuzu ponzu, masago, green onion, cilantro, and furikake. The yuzu ponzu is a nice light sauce and the salmon and tuna still shine through if you want more of the fish taste.

Ono Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with sriracha aioli, masago, sweet onion, green onion, crispy onion. The ono was our favourite bowl. The sriracha aioli added a nice kick to the dish and it wasn’t too spicy either. Highly recommended.

Chef Special Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with their Chef sauce, green/sweet/crispy onion, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, masago, and furikake. This bowl is more saucy, but because of how much rice and salad was in the bowl, it was a good ratio. A good item to order if you can’t decide on a customized bowl.

Final Thoughts

The menu is limited but I don’t mind it at all. You get unlimited topping choices and I feel like the flavours are closer to the Hawaiian clean flavours. Simple and delicious.

Address:
1834 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://thehokepoke.ca

Neverland Tea Salon is a cafe in Kitsilano which serves up exceptional high tea service. For the month of February, they have introduced their Mad Hatter High Tea, which comes in regular, vegetarian, gluten-free/dairy-free, and vegan. I love these options as customers with dietary restrictions don’t have to feel limited in what they can indulge in.

With the Mad Hatter theme from Alice and Wonderland, guests are transported into a world of the unknown. The high tea is $38 per person, but with a glass of bubbly, it’s $48 per person. Not a bad price point since it’s a generous portion.

Interior

They have transformed the space with themes from the movie with clocks and decks of cards everywhere. Each table has their fun and unique centerpiece. If you look around, there is something interesting on the walls, on the table and other items dangling from the ceiling. They really put a lot of effort into this theme.

Regular Menu

Vegetarian Menu

Gluten-free/Dairy- Free Menu

Vegan Menu

Mad Hatter’s Teas

There are 3 tea recommendations for this theme – Queen of Hearts (black), Cheshire Chai (Rooibos), and A Very Berry Un-Birthday (Black).

We tried all 3 and each one is very different. Queen of Hearts is a black tea with hint of cinnamon. The Cheshire Chai is strong are aeromatic with spices, which is great with milk and sugar. The very verry un-birthday is another black tea with hint of berry. We really liked the Cheshire Chai a lot.

Pro-tip: Ask for warm milk instead of regular milk as it help retain the heat for your tea.

Amuse-bouche

The Amuse-bouche for this high tea is a chilled watermelon beet soup in a small jar labeled ‘drink me’. Doesn’t this remind you of the beverage Alice had before she went to Wonderland?

This was a very healthy start to the high tea. You have the hint of sweetness from the watermelon and the earthy taste of the beet juice.

Savoury

It’s all about the savouries to start and its located on the bottom tier. My favourites were the Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel, Roasted veggie croque monsieur, and the Smoked paprika crab salad roll. Very good portion sizes of all the savoury items.

Smoked paprika crab salad roll with red peppers, onions, chives and green goddess aioli

Coronation chicken salad on focaccia with green onions, cilantro, red pepper, mango chutney and Assam tea infused apricots

Roasted veggie croque monsieur with zucchini, kale, red
peppers and havarti cheese

Plant-based burger sliders with pesto aioli, arugula,
tomato on black pepper ‘squid ink’ brioche

Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel with asparagus and lemon herbed cream cheese

Scones

The top tier has the citrus scone with Devonshire cream and house-made jam. This was a very generous portion and did fill us up.

Sweets

The sweets are in the middle tier and it can’t be missed. By the time we got to the sweets tier, we were already pretty full. My friend packed hers to go, but I carried on and ate them all.

My favourites were the Chocolate ganache tart and the Strawberry mousse dome.

Vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate crumble base

Strawberry mousse dome with Tinkerbell’s Kiss tea ganache and milk chocolate pearls

Chocolate ganache tart with macaron shells and whipped
cream cheese

Mocha sponge cake on a brownie base with chocolate glaze

Final Thoughts

Overall, for the price, you really get full. It’s not pretentious in anyway and it feels very comfortable. We had a great experience and will be back again in the future for their high teas. The Mad Matter High Tea is fun and whimsical. They let you dress up if you feel like it.

Address:
3066 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://neverlandtea.com/

Baroness 小黑糖, a boutique bubble tea brand from Taipei specializing in brown sugar bubble tea is now open in Vancouver. This is their first location outside of Asia as the other locations are in Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are planned opening in Malaysia and Vietnam too.

With so many other bubble tea shops in Vancouver we wanted to see how they compare. They took over the previous Broadway location of InTea, which became popular for their white rabbit bubble tea.

Vancouver has gone through the brown sugar bubble tea craze and people either love it or hate it. Baroness prides themselves on quality and has done a lot of quality control to ensure they can offer their customers the best. They have a mix of ingredients imported from Taiwan as well as local items like the Earth’s Own Oat Milk Barista edition.

We got a sneak peek to see what Baroness has to offer their customers.

Interior

The interior is a decent size and has seats for 2’s. Most people will grab their drinks to go, but if you can snag a seat, that is great.

Menu

Menu Provided by Baroness Canada

Purple Yam Fresh Milk 

This is one of their signature drinks and I can see why. The purple yam they use makes the drink very vibrant. I was observing how they make this drink, it’s definitely not fresh yams and was a dehydrated purple powder.

Upon first sips, it was pretty good. I ordered 50% sweetness and it was perfect. It would pair well with their taro balls.

Thai Milk Tea 

The Thai Milk Tea was very good as well. At 50% sweetness, it was just right where you can taste the tea and isn’t overwhelmed by the sugar.

I liked it with grass jelly, but you can also do the brown sugar with pearls but I felt like it was too sweet.

Uji Matcha Latte 

Uji Matcha Latte was pretty good. As usual, we recommend 50% sweetness and it had a better balance between the milk and matcha. It would go well with the pudding if you’re looking for a topping.

Brown Sugar Oat Milk with Pearls

The pearls were chewy and had a good texture. I found that there was a good ratio of brown sugar and pearls with the oat milk that wasn’t too sweet. I also got this 50% sweet.

Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar and Pearls

If you want the usual fresh milk with brown sugar and pearls, it’s pretty good. Make sure to mix it up to incorporate everything in the drink. It’s pretty good actually.

Final Thoughts

It’s great that they have Oat Milk for those who are lactose intolerant. Even if you’re not lactose intolerant, oat milk tastes really good. It has a good mouthfeel and a great replacement for milk.

There are a lot of customization that you can do to the drink and the toppings tasted really good. We didn’t try the whole menu, but their specialties are the brown sugar series and oat milk series.

If you’re in the area on West Broadway or passing by to/from UBC, check out Baroness.

Address:
2790 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.baronesscanada.com

Sweet Obsession in Kitsilano offers fine desserts and delicious cakes since 1993. Their passion for quality ingredients ensures their regulars keep coming back for all their special occasions and when a day calls to treat yo’ self. After my first visit, I can confidently say that I loved all of the cakes I tried and they’re definitely worth a visit.

When I asked what makes Sweet Obsessions different from other dessert shops, the manager beamed and said, “A woman picked up a cake for her daughter’s wedding yesterday. She said it’s the same cake she got from us for her wedding more than two decades ago.” In other words, Sweet Obsessions has become part of some family’s traditions.

Interior

Most of the interior space is occupied by cakes, baked snack packs and the coffee bar. There are a few tables available but they were filled-up for the duration of our visit. Luckily, there were a few tables outside and it was warm enough to eat on their patio.

Menu

The menu offer options for any time of the day. While most of their guests are from foot traffic, many of their regulars make a habit of visiting them as a weekly routine or for their special occasions.

Their cakes are all made in-house and most take nearly 24-hours to prepare. They are busiest on Valentine’s Day and on Mother’s Day. If you’re planning to order a cake, make sure to pre-order…or there may not be any left. 

Here’s what we tried:

St. Honore

This cake’s description reads like a list of things I love: puff pastry, choux balls filled with vanilla pastry cream & chocolate mousse, drizzled with dark chocolate. It’s impressive to look at and it’s delicious in every way!

Triple Chocolate Mousse

This is one of their most popular cakes. It has layers of dark, mocha and white chocolate mousse. Even though it’s a mousse cake, each layer is rich in flavour and very decadent.

Fruit Tart

Chocolate brushed pastry, filled with chocolate mousse, custard cream & topped with fresh fruit. The custard cream is perfect, but pastry shell is my favourite part of this dessert.

Passion Fruit Flan

Featuring passion fruit custard in a pastry shell. It’s light and fruity, better yet the candied citrus peel is made in-house!

Beverages: Mango smoothie and Matcha tea

I really love mango and I really love matcha, so I chose both.

The matcha tea wasn’t too sweet and was a delightful pairing while eating cakes.

Smoothies come in four flavours: raspberry, mango, strawberry, blueberry. It was a refreshing drink after eating the decadent desserts.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve read this far, I’ll share their secret. I loved the various crusts in all their cakes; each were slightly different but all had the perfect texture and taste. I asked what makes it delicious and the answer is, unsurprisingly, butter. Knowing it’s much more than that, I pressed for more information. I learned that in addition to the quantity they use, not all butter is created equal. Sweet Obsession uses New Zealand butter which boasts higher butterfat content than those readily available in Canada.

Sweet Obsession is a destination spot–it’s not located on a shopping street or on a major intersection–but they’ve been open for over 26 years. There are two owners: one is a passionate baker and one is a stickler for good customer service. In speaking to the manager, I also learned that most of their kitchen crew have been together for nearly two decades! The result is a shop that prides itself in the quality of its food and keeps their guests craving for their cakes again and again.

Address:
2611 W 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.sweetobsession.ca

No 1 Dumpling is a new Chinese Restaurant near Broadway and Burrard specializing in all things dumplings. When I saw it, I needed to come check it out with some friends as we love discovering new hole in the wall restaurants especially when it involves dumplings.

Interior

The interior looks like a sushi restaurant, so I assume they only made minimal renovations prior to opening up. When you walk inside, you’ll see a brightly lit menu and a few tables in the front. There are larger tables in the back but the space isn’t very large. When we were here on the weekend, it seemed to get busier around 7pm.

Menu

Xiao Long Bao

The Xiao Long Bao comes with 8 pieces per ordered in a steamed basket. It was good but not as soupy as some other places in town. It wasn’t too salty and had a good flavour.

Spicy Soup Dumpling

The Spicy Soup Dumplings were really good. A good size to share among the table and there were a good amount of juicy dumplings inside. It has a decent spicy kick but it wasn’t too spicy at all.

Wonton Noodles

Wonton noodles were huge for what you pay for. Lots of noodles but the wontons could have been larger in size. It was pretty small so when you eat it with the noodles and veggies, it doesn’t stand out.

Peanut Butter Noodles

This peanut butter noodle is essentially dan dan noodles. It had a good amount of peanut flavour with a subtle spice behind it too.

Leek Pancake

The leek pancake is folded in half like a calzone and stuffed with leek and what seemed to be egg or tofu. They cut this up into 2 pieces so depending on how many people you are dining with, you may need more.

Green Onion and Egg Pancake

This is cut up into 4 pieces and had a good amount of egg and green onion inside. The exterior was crisp and delicious.

Guotie

These dumplings are pan fried and tasted good when you add some soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil to it.

Cucumber Salad

If you want some vegetables to balance out all the dumplings, the cucumber salad is good. It’s not marinated for a long time but it is delicious nonetheless.

Beef and Onion Dumpling, Steamed

They have a few varieties of dumplings but we chose the beef and onion dumpling and had them steamed. It comes with 12 pieces per order.

Chicken and Mushroom Dumpling, Pan Fried

This also has 12 pieces per order. The chicken and mushroom was really good and we found that having their dumplings pan-fried are the best as it adds texture to it.

Final Thoughts

The restaurant is homey and food is on point. The prices are also very fair. The downside is really the service as there is really one person taking care of the customers and 2 other people in the back preparing food when we were there. You really need to track the staff down to get water or tea refills, menu, bills and anything else. Don’t expect them to take any initiative of any kind to serve you.

Address:
1888 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.no1dumpling.com/

Pacific Poke has opened their newest location in Kitsilano, which makes 5 locations in British Columbia and Alberta with more on the way. Since 2016 at their original location in Chinatown, they have grown quickly by serving up poke with a Vancouver twist.

You can choose to build your own poke bowls or choose a premade one off their menu.

Interior

The space is pretty narrow, so there are only so many seats inside. Some people eat here and some take it to-go.

They also do delivery too if you need the convenience.

Menu

Build Your Own Poke Bowl

 

You start with deciding if you want a regular or large bowl.

The regular gives you 2 protein choices and 3 toppings. The large gets 3 proteins and 4 topping choices. Most people can do regular but if you’re a big eater, large is good for you.

Once you choose the size, you can choose your base:

  • organic brown rice
  • traditional sushi rice
  • quinoa salad base
  • kale salad base

You can mix it up too with half kale salad and brown rice if you want a bit of both.

There are a lot of protein choices, but my faves are usually sockeye salmon and ahi tuna.

Here are all their protein options:

  • sockeye salmon
  • spicy sockeye salmon
  • ahi tuna
  • spicy ahi tuna
  • crab & shrimp
  • ahi negitoro (ahi tuna belly)
  • seasonal selection varies

Next are the delicious toppings, which I find are pretty unique compared to other places in town:

  • cucumber & jicama
  • tomato kimchi
  • pickled red onion
  • spicy seaweed
  • beets & basil
  • jalapeno salsa
  • organic seaweed salad
  • fresh wasabi peas
  • avocado nori
  • tobiko

Don’t forget the sauce to coat your protein and toppings:

  • sesame miso dressing
  • citrus mayo
  • spicy mayo
  • pacific ponzu
  • wasabi mayo
  • sesame shoyu
  • ludicrous hot

Lastly the crunchy toppings. I personally love the wasabi crunch, but they are all pretty good as it adds texture to the bowl.

Once you’ve built your poke bowl, eat and enjoy!

The Main

The Main is one of their chef creations and a great choice if you’re indecisive on what ingredients to add to your bowl. This has sockeye salmon, spicy ahi tuna, crab & shrimp, jicama & cucumber, avocado nori, organic seaweed salad, citrus mayo, sesame miso dressing, shoyu, yuzu & lime juice, and herbs & sprouts.

Definitely a lot of ingredients packed in here and they all go so well together.

Drinks

After you build your bowl, they tempt you with their awesome beverages – Coco Panda, Yuzu Lemonade, Mango Mint Lemonade, and Yuzu Lemon Tea. All delicious with my favourite being the Yuzu Lemon Tea as my go to.

This time, we had the Coco Panda, which has coconut milk, pandan leaf and young coconut juice. Super delicious and refreshing with the subtle flavour of pandan.

Final Thoughts

Overall, solid poke options at Pacific Poke. One of my favourites in town as it gives you more unique topping choices. Plus their drinks are delicious.

Address:
2151 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.thepacificpoke.com/

Are you a Vitasoy fan? Growing up, we have always had this treat in our household since I can remember. It’s very nostalgic and Vitasoy is partnering up with 4 dessert shops in NYC, LA, Vancouver, and Toronto this Summer. Together, they will be bringing you unique summer Vitasoy desserts from June 30th to August 19, 2018. Some dates do vary.

These are the locations revealed so far:

  • Vancouver – 720 Sweets (July 7 to Aug 5)
  • New York – New Territories (June 30 to July 29)
  • Los Angles – ?
  • Toronto- Matcha Tea and Dessert (July 14 – Aug 12)

As I am in Vancouver, we were given a sneak peek of the Vitasoy x 720 Sweets collaboration prior to the launch, so lets see what you can expect on July 7th.

720 Sweets: Vancouver

720 Sweets have been known for their whimsical soft serve that was an instant hit when it open many years ago and has since opened various locations across the Lower Mainland. Their desserts are always stunning and the dry ice effect make it very photogenic.

The Special Vitasoy Creations

There are two options to choose from – Soy Good! and Oh Malt Goodness! Both are made with the 2 classic Vitasoy flavours – Original and Malt. They are so pun worthy with the naming of their desserts.

Soy Good!

A soy-milk soft serve with cornflakes, red bean, chocolate stick and condensed milk drizzle.

Oh Malt Goodness!

A malt soy-milk soft serve with maltesers, crushed almonds, Pepero sticks and caramel drizzle.

Behind the Scenes

The magic happens in their open kitchen where you can see the desserts being made. You have original soft serve on one side and then malt on the other. Once they pour in the delicious soft serve into the cups, it’s time for all the toppings.

Soy Good!

This soy-milk soft serve is topped with crushed up cornflakes, red bean, a chocolate stick and condensed milk drizzle. The Vitasoy is very subtle, but one it hits your tongue, it will bring you back to your childhood. Of the two, this was my favourite. The cornflakes were a nice touch to add texture and crunch.

Oh Malt Goodness!

This has malt soy-milk soft serve with maltesers, crushed almonds, Pepero sticks and caramel drizzle. Similar in look with the dreamy dry ice effect. The malt soy milk isn’t as strong in the soft serve, so you really need to concentrate to connect the flavours. Toppings complimented well and wasn’t too sweet.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the desserts were fun and it’s a great collaboration. With the subtle flavours of the soy milks, they did a good job incorporating the flavours and pairing with the toppings. If you’re a huge Vitasoy fan, you won’t want to miss this as it won’t be available for too long.

Also, from July 16 -22, 720 Sweets has a promo where if you purchase their Vitasoy creations, you can buy a 6-pack of Vitasoy for $1. Great deal!

Address:
3278 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://720sweets.com/

Rocky Mountain Flatbread just launched their new summer menu which features fresh, local ingredients. Since it is the perfect time to get amazing produce in and around the city, they really do their best to highlight these items. The summer menu is akin to shopping at the farmer’s market, getting the best seasonal ingredients, and knowing how to combine it all to create delicious salads, pastas, and pizzas.

Heirloom Avocado Toast

For me, the highlight is seeing the consideration they put into selecting their ingredients, including using the right tomato for a dish. For example, the Heirloom Avocado Toast featured sliced red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, while the Fire Roasted Pizza had multi-coloured cherry heirloom tomato. It is also topped with sunflower sprouts  and hemp hearts.

Fire Roasted Pizza

Rocky Mountain strives to offer nut free, gluten free, and vegan options. New to the summer menu is the Vegan “Cau” Cheese, their house-made vegan, nut-free cheese substitute made from cauliflower. It was used in the Vegan Fire Roasted Pizza, Harvest Farmer Pizza and the Plant Based Summer Green Salad.

Chorizo and Cod Pizza

While there’s an emphasis on fresh greens and vegetables, there is no shortage of options for omnivores. My favourite dish was the Chorizo and Cod Pizza, which starts with a spicy tomato base, chorizo, bell pepper, red onions, sun-dried tomato, mozzarella, and green onions, then topped with pan seared Ocean Wise cod. It’s packed with flavours, textures, and just the right amount of heat.

Fig and Goat Cheese Salad

Rocky Mountain salads are always tasty, always piled high, and the Fig and Goat Cheese Salad was no exception. It features assorted greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions tossed in Black Mission Fig dressing, then topped with sliced figs, goat cheese crumbles and Vancouver-grown sunflower sprouts.

Final Thoughts

The Rocky Mountain Flatbread’s summer menu is now available and it’s a great spot to take those who love pizza and salads. Rocky Mountain Flatbread has always been known for a space that is kid friendly in a relaxed atmosphere.

Address:
1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver

Website: http://rockymountainflatbread.ca/

Red Beef Noodle Kitchen specializes in Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup and it recently opened up near Cypress and 4th. I was looking up new restaurants that opened up and this one popped up. It looked good, so we decided to stop by after work for dinner.

Interior

The space is large and there are tables on either side of the table. Best for groups of 2’s or 4’s.

Menu

Salt and Pepper Popcorn Chicken

The popcorn chicken comes with green beans and fried basil. It goes well with the Taiwanese Beef Noodles and I do like the little bit of green with the dish.

Signature Beef and Tendon Noodle Soup

This only comes in one size for $12.95. It’s a good price as the noodles are very soft and delicious. The broth is tasty too.

You get a few chunks of beef that are tender and not too chewy. There were 3 large chunks of tendon too. It was a solid bowl of Taiwanese Beef Noodle.

Premium Red Beef Noodle Soup

This dish is more expensive at $18.95 but you get beautiful slices of certified angus beef. You get a choice between clear or spicy broth. When the dish is ready to be served, they come table side and pour the hot steaming broth over the beef so it cooks. They also give you a bowl if to put the meat aside if you don’t want it to over cook.

When it’s cooked, it doesn’t look visual appealing, but it is delicious. The meat is fatty and tender. Also the broth had a nice sweet corn taste to it.

Final Thoughts

Both versions of the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup were good. We both left very full and the soup broth were deliciously comforting. The service was mediocre but usually thats the way it goes at Chinese restaurants. If you’re looking for some Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in Vancouver, add this to your list.

We Rate Red Beef Noodle Kitchen: 

Address:
1947 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.redbeef.ca/

In addition to being a beautiful place to live in, the west coast provides a bounty of gourmet wild food that can be foraged. We joined a long table dinner featuring wild spring greens at Rocky Mountain Flatbread. It was a wonderful evening spent with delicious food by Chef Oliver Zaulauf, great company, and an informative discussion about nutrition.

The wild greens were brought by West Coast Wild Foods and they spoke to us about the health benefits of food that can be foraged locally. The menu included ingredients such as cattails, fiddleheads, mustard greens, knotweed, wild fennel fronds, onion flowers and spruce tips.

Cocktails and Bruschetta

We started with a refreshing cocktail flavoured with steeped spruce tips syrup. It was followed by the Wild Greens and Mushroom Bruschetta, a savoury appetizer featuring wild mushrooms picked at the Sunshine Coast. I learned that mushrooms are a good, non-animal source of vitamin D.

Salad

Next was a tasty salad with ingredients from the farmer’s market and foraged mustard greens which was adorned with onion flowers.

Nettle Pesto Pasta

The most surprising dish for me was the Nettle Pesto Pasta. It featured a nettle pesto with knotwood and cattails, topped with fennel fronds. As a gardener, I’ve only known nettle and knotwood as weeds. Nettle made for a tasty pesto and the knotwood stem had a surprising bright, lemony taste.

Farmers’ Market Pizza

Then there were pizzas! The Farmers’ Market Pizza had fiddleheads, cattails, tomatoes, and goat cheese. Fiddleheads are curled, edible shoots of the ostrich fern and are amongst my favourite seasonal delicacy. They are only available for eight weeks and must be prepared properly. Fiddleheads are a nutritional powerhouse rich in antioxidants and a great source of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. If you ever see them available at the farmers’ market, snap them up, cook them properly, and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious and nutritious meal.

Fig and Brie Pizza

Fig and Brie Pizza is one of their signature artisanal pizza. It is my favourite and you should definitely order it next time you visit Rocky Mountain Flatbread!

Chaga Mushroom Tea

Instead of coffee with our brownie dessert, we had chaga mushroom tea. Considered to be the “King of medicinal mushrooms”, chaga can be found on birch trees and is rich in antioxidants. It’s an anti-inflammatory, boosts immunity, and aids digestion. The tea blend is a mix of chaga mushroom, dandelion root, roasted chicory root, cinnamon, and orange. It tastes like a traditional christmas tea, and paired nicely with the brownie.

Address:
1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver

Website: http://rockymountainflatbread.ca/

Peaceful Restaurant rings in the Year of the Dog with auspicious and culinary dishes created by owner and Master Chef Charlie Huang. We were invited to check out Traditional Chinese New Year foods and dishes to ring in the new year. They currently have 7 locations across the Lower Mainland and you can get all these items on their regular menu.

Master Chef Charlie Huang

Owner-chef Charlie Huang’s culinary inspiration stems mainly from his upbringing in Xi’an, an ancient Silk-Road city in North-Western China. The cuisine in the city-region reflects the fusion of various cultures over the course of several thousand years, which Charlie has sought to bring to Vancouver and share with others. His cumulation of his various experiences and the desire to spread the experience and diversity of Chinese cuisine – he calls ‘homecooked comfort food’ – has led to the creation of Peaceful Restaurant.

He even did a dumpling demonstration to see how it’s all made by hand.

Sichuan Cucumbers 麻辣黃瓜

Woodear Mushroom Salad 涼拌木耳

Xi’an White Lamb Soup 羊肉泡饃

Sichuan Broth Braised Fish 水煮魚片

Xing-Jiang Cumin Lamb with Sesame Flatbread 孜然羊肉加燒餅

Mu-Shu Stir-fried Noodles 木須肉炒面

Chinese Rice Cakes 炒年糕

Sichuan Thousand Chilli Chicken 四川辣子雞

Sichuan String Beans 干煸四季豆

Dan-Dan Noodles 擔擔面

Sizzled Hot-Chilli Noodles 油潑辣子面

Xi’an Cold Steamed Noodles 陝西凉皮

Northern Pork Dumplings 北方水餃

Xiao-Long Bao Steamed Buns 小籠包

Peaceful Beef Rolls 牛肉卷餅

Pan-Fried Vegetable Dumplings 素菜鍋貼

Hand Pulled Noodles

I love hand pulled noodles especially when its freshly made. A piece of dough is repeatedly stretched and folded onto itself in order to align the glutens and warm up the dough for stretching. This dough is then pulled to about an arm span’s length. The puller then makes a loop with the dough, joining the two ends into one clump of dough, and inserts his fingers into the loop to keep the strand from sticking to itself. Doing this, the pull has doubled the length of the dough while fractioning its thickness. This process is repeated several times until the desired thickness and quantity is achieved.

Blade Sheared Noodles

With one hand holding the dough pointed downward at a 30º angle, and the other hand clutching a special sharp knife specifically made for this purpose, the noodles are shaved directly into a large pot of boiling water. It’s fast and has been described as an endless loop.

Final Thoughts

Traditional Chinese New Year foods and dishes include noodles, dumplings, fish and nian gao (glutinous rice cake). They symbolize happiness, longevity, an increase in wealth and prosperity.

A few of my favourite items of the night were:

  • Sichuan Thousand Chilli Chicken
  • Xi’an White Lamb Soup
  • Mu-Shu Stir-fried Noodles
  • Sichuan String Beans
  • Peaceful Beef Rolls

If you’re looking for a very casual restaurant for Northern Chinese cuisine, check out Peaceful Restaurant. There are many locations, but this particular one we went to is on West 4th Ave in Kitsilano.

Address:
2394 W 4th Ave, Vancouver

Website:
http://peacefulrestaurant.ca/

Neverland Tea Salon is located in Kitsilano and is a popular cafe serving up high tea. They take inspiration from Peter Pan, thus the name Neverland. What stands out is their variety of high teas that can cater towards vegans and those who are gluten and diary free. Good for groups of people with dietary restrictions, so they can dine together. We made a reservation ahead of time to ensure a spot.

Menu

Interior

There are a few things that remind you of Peter Pan in the dining area, like a big quote.

The details of the tea cups, chairs and utensils give it a nice look.

Demi Tea

Two of us got the Demi Tea set which includes 6 items (3 savouries, 2 sweets, and 1 scone). It also comes with up to 2 pots of tea for $25 per person.

English Breakfast

I got the English Breakfast and added some honey and milk to my cup of tea. A classic.

Savouries

Tarragon chicken salad with candied walnuts, salt-roasted pears & pickled grapes.

Lemon-herb mascarpone, cucumber and arugula.

Thai red curry egg salad with mango chutney, cucumber and red pepper.

Sweets

New York vanilla cheesecake on red velvet blondie base.

Cinnamon crumble date square.

Citrus scone with cream and house-made strawberry jam.

Tiger Lily Jasmine

For my second pots of tea, I got the Tiger Lily Jasmine as a good way to end the meal.

Final Thoughts

The scone was delicious and so were the sweets. I felt like the savouries were a bit of a let down as they weren’t as interesting, but the Thai Red curry egg sandwich has a good depth of flavour. What’s good about Neverland Tea Salon is their varieties of high tea. You can get different sizes of the high tea and there are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Good to get a group together that has varying dietary options.

We Rate Neverland Tea Salon

Address:
3066 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://neverlandtea.com/

The Ellis opened this Summer in Kitsilano serving up delicious Pacific North West Comfort Food. They are named after Ellis Island, as it was the pivotal point of entry for over 12 million immigrants. It’s a symbol of freedom and discovery.

My hubby is a huge brunch fan, so we decided to check out their brunch offerings.

Interior

There is a large bar, table top eating, and more tables on the side. It wasn’t too busy on a weekend morning, but they did roll out their brunch recently.

Coffee

Coffee is a must for us when having brunch. They also have a good mimosa and caesars, but we just weren’t feeling it when we visited but it’s definitely what we will order next time.

Fried Chicken French Toast

This is definitely a unique item. It has Frosted Flakes French Toast topped with powdered sugar. Then whole wheat breaded chicken and chicken gravy. M added Thick-cut bacon as a side. He absolutely loved this dish. A bit sweet, a bit savoury, with yummy textures.

Biscuits and Gravy

You get toasted buttermilk biscuit with 2 large sausage patties, 2 eggs, grilled onions and chicken gravy. The portion of this dish was good.

The eggs were soft poached and done perfectly. It oozed out with such grace.

Beans on Toast

The thick cut sourdough bread is topped with bacon & molasses baked beans, 2 eggs and fresh tomatoes. I saw this on the menu and had to try it as it’s not something I would order but it was recommended by the staff.

These eggs are also perfectly poached and the flavours melded very well.

Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed the food and will definitely be back with more friends. Frosted Flakes French Toast is a must!

We rate The Ellis

Address:
2204 York Ave, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.theellis.ca/

Although I may not be vegan, I can appreciate delicious vegan food. It’s been easier for me to accept vegan desserts since they don’t have dairy, but I’m open to expanding my palate with other vegan dishes. Rocky Mountain Flatbread introduced their all plant-based menu during a vegan-inspired dinner and improv comedy show. Roman came along and pleasantly surprised me with how much he enjoyed the vegan offerings (he’s not even close to being vegetarian).

The evening started out with cocktails. We sipped on RMFB’s White Sangria, which had cranberries, apples and a dash of cinnamon. It was crisp and refreshing and is a great Fall cocktail.

The other drink we sipped on before the improv show started was a Dark & Stormy, which I enjoyed because of my love for ginger beer. The only critique I had for this cocktail was that it needed a good stir since all the good stuff settled to the bottom.

As we got some appies on our plates and settled into our seats, the four players of the night came and introduced themselves to the guests. They encouraged our participation by calling out suggestions to direct their dialogue.

One “game” was called “Make it better. Make it worse. Make it vegan,” which had the guests call out one of the three options. It was funny hearing how silly the dialogue got as the comics made us laugh in between bites of food.

In addition to the vegan options, RMFB also had vegetarian (and even a meat lover’s option for people like my fiancé). I focused my tasting experience on the vegan options and here were some of my favourites:

  • Mushroom Caps
  • Bruschetta
  • Beet and Arugula Salad
  • Margharita Pizza
  • Wild Mushroom Pizza
  • Mushroom Ragout Pasta

The mushroom caps were roasted and stuffed with sundried tomato hummus and came with an organic tomato sauce dip. The bruschetta was simple and tasty. Both of these vegan appetizers were great starters to nibble on while we sipped on cocktails.

The vegan pizzas were delicious, it almost made me forget that there was no meat! If I were to eat one all to myself, I know I won’t feel guilty about it since it’s a healthier option and I’m also getting my serving of veggies (which I usually forget about). Since I can’t really enjoy cheese, RFMB has a house-made vegan cheese called “Cau Cheese”. It’s made with cauliflower, nutritional yeast, organic apple cider, lemon juice and garlic. It’s a tasty alternative to cheese and I love that it’s lactose-intolerant friendly.

The owner, Suzanne, was so kind to even offer me a dairy-free dessert which came as their seasonal sorbet offering. Their Black Currant and Lemon Sorbet packed a tart punch of flavour and is definitely a palate-cleanser. I would recommend sharing this with someone since the portion is quite generous.

Roman and I enjoyed an evening of laughter and delicious plant-based dishes. It’s great having a place like RMFB that has vegan options, especially for people with dietary restrictions or food allergies.

Address:
1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver

Website: http://rockymountainflatbread.ca/

If there’s one thing I absolutely enjoy about weekends, it’s brunch! I was happy to try out Rocky Mountain Flatbread‘s brunch menu, and here are some highlights. A shout out goes to Roman Pastor for taking these delicious photos.

Top left: Double Smoked Bacon Omelette. Top right: Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon Bottom left: Chorizo Hash. Bottom right: Scrambler

My fave brunch dish is Eggs Benedict. RMF offers an Eggs Benedict with the choice of having it served with avocado, smoked salmon or ham. I tired it with smoked salmon (which is my go-to choice for pairing with a poached egg smothered in Hollandaise Sauce). I find a perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk as a visual and textural pleasure, so when I broke into the egg with my fork and the yolk was not runny, I was slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, the Eggs Benedict was delicious.

​Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon

We also tried the Scrambler, which Roman really liked since he prefers scrambled eggs. The contrast between the creaminess of the scrambled eggs, Crimini Mushrooms and avocado and the crunchiness of the toast made for a tasty bite.

Scrambler

I’ve had pizza for breakfast, but now how RMF does it! The Market Breakfast Pizza is the best of both worlds, with two eggs, organic tomato sauce, mozarella, spinach, crimini mushrooms, red peppers, three herb pesto and parmesan. It has all the veggies I love, plus eggs and cheese. If you have a hard time deciding what to eat for brunch, you won’t go wrong choosing this option.

​Market Breakfast Pizza

The Yukon Pizza is another yummy choice for brunch. This pizza is quite filling since it is loaded with local potatoes, organic tomato sauce, mozzarella, two eggs, smoked bacon, tomatoes and green onion. If you’re feeling extra hungry, the Yukon Pizza will definitely fill you up!

​Yukon Pizza

After brunch RMF’s Co-Founder, Suzanne, gave us a little tour of their microgreen garden out back. She spoke on the process of growing micrgreens and even gave us a taste of their rocket arugula and mustard greens. These were the freshest herbs I’ve ever tried, and they were both peppery in flavour, with the mustard greens having a more prominent, slightly spicier taste.

Roman and I enjoyed our brunch in Kits at Rocky Mountain Flatbread. The impromptu tour of the microgreen garden gave me a better appreciation for what Rocky Mountain Flatbread does: provide delicious food made with locally sourced and organic ingredients. The brunch menu offerings are delicious, and the service is always friendly and hospitable.

Address:
1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://rockymountainflatbread.ca/

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Roman and I had a great time at the Paint & Sip event at Rocky Mountain Flatbread. BC landscape artist, Tara Higgins, gave us a painting lesson, after we enjoyed some of the features on RMF’s Spring menu.

We started off the night with some cocktails that included the Triple Berry Mojito, Shaken Margarita and Earl Grey Gin. I really liked the Triple Berry Mojito; it was fruity, refreshing and finished off with a touch of fizz. The Earl Grey Gin was surprisingly light and smooth, which is perfect for easy drinking.

Triple Berry Mojito

Earl Grey Gin

We were all pretty happy as we watched the food come out. I’ve never been so excited to see salad! There was the Spring Green Salad and the Fig & Goat Cheese salad. Both salads were garnished with Vancouver-grown sunflower microgreens. I really enjoyed the Fig & Goat Cheese because the sweetness of the fig dressing perfectly contrasted the sharp, and creamy goat cheese.

I love pasta, and Rocky Mountain Flatbread knows how to do pasta right. I especially enjoyed the Bacon & Snap Pea Pasta. Anything with bacon is good, and this pasta was no exception. It was very tasty!

The flatbread pizzas offered were also delicious, and included the Fig & Brie, West Coast, Tequila Cod & Shrimp, and the Farmer’s Market. I was able to try a few, but missed out on the Fig & Brie. It must have been very good because it was gone just as quickly as it was placed on the table! I’ll be going back for that one.

As we finished up our last delicious bites, Tara taught us how to paint birch trees, using techniques she learned throughout her artistic career. It was fun being creative with the painting, and it was so interesting to see how each of us interpreted it differently.

Tara Higgins is in town to showcase her paintings at Art! Vancouver. Her “bold brush strokes and intuitive sense of colour allow her paintings to become striking impressions of the unrefined, richly textured landscapes that inspire her.” You can find out more at TaraHiggins.com.

Interested in checking out Art! Vancouver? You can purchase tickets here.

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato