Foodology
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North Burnaby

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In North Burnaby

Delicious Holiday Stocking Stuffers with Truffle Pig Farm to Bar Chocolate

With the holidays around the corner, what better way to add a little sweet treat to your family’s stockings than with locally made chocolate company – Truffle Pig Chocolates.

Why support local and Direct Trade

Truffle Pig Chocolates is based in Burnaby, BC and owned by Shelley Wallace since 2007. Recently, she made an ethical stand to source cacao that is direct, sustainable and fully transparent in how its harvested.

They proudly source their cacao directly from farmers with strong human values and pay them a premium above world market prices. Their Central American cacao is grown wildly, beyond organic, without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, which they can guarantee as they make personal trips to the farms to see the whole process. 

They have gone above and beyond by ensuring a completely transparent supply chain with traceable ingredients. I really appreciate this as not all companies go to these lengths to ensure they are doing things right.

Assorted Chocolate Piglets

They have assorted Truffle Piglets if you want a bite sized treat. The piglets come in:

  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Peppermint Piglets
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Piglets
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Piglets
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Piglets

All great flavours but the most festive one is definitely the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Piglets. Subtle peppermint flavour that isn’t too powerful.

Truffle Pig Bars

Their regular sized bars are a treat and great for sharing. They are shaped like piggies too and looks super cute. They come in:

  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Bar
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar with Crunchy Almonds and Sea Salt

I’m a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, so I naturally gravitated towards the 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar. All of them were great quality and you can’t go wrong.

Chocolate Dipped Gourmet Marshmallows

Inside is a marshmallow enrobed in chocolate and it’s just delicious. Pair it with some hot chocolate and it really hits the spot. My husband couldn’t stop eating these with a cup of coffee.

Princess Collection

The Princess Collection comes in a variety of flavours, In the 5 pack, there is – Earl Grey, Sea Salt Caramel, Lavender, Matcha and Praline.

You can’t just have one hahaha. It makes for a great gift.

Where to Buy Truffle Pigs

You can visit Truffle Pig at their store in Burnaby to meet the chocolate master herself and get it directly from the source. They also have an online store if you can’t make it to the shop.

There are a few retail shops that carry their products – Whole Foods, Urban Fare, The Gourmet Warehouse, and many more across Canada.

Address:
3686 Bonneville Pl #101, Burnaby, BC 

Website:
https://trufflepigchocolate.com/

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In Noodles

White Lotus Cafe: Vietnamese Cuisine in North Burnaby

White Lotus Cafe just opened up in North Burnaby in a plaza with Buy Low Foods. A few people told me to check this place out as people in the neighbourhood seem to enjoy it. They serve up a variety of Vietnamese cuisine.

Interior

The space is small inside and there are only about 4 tables. At peak times, it’ll be hard to get a table, so come early or even do take out. They seem to do a good amount of take out and delivery.

Menu

Vietnamese Coffee

An essential item to order at a Vietnamese restaurant is their coffee. It has condensed milk and freshly brewed coffee. It’s a bit strong for some but so good with the condensed milk. Make sure to mix it well.

The White Lotus Platter

You get 2 pieces of each item – BBQ pork skewers, meat patties, spring rolls, and sugar cane shrimp. It also comes with a variety of vegetables, vermicelli noodles, and fish sauce.

It’s a good item to share with the table with the variety of items that comes with this platter.

Com Rice Platter

This dish has broken rice with vegetables and a side of fish sauce and soup. You can choose between lemongrass chicken, lemongrass pork chop, or meat patty. M chose his with lemongrass chicken and added a fried egg on top.

The chicken had a lot of good flavour of lemongrass and was a solid meal.

Bun Bo Hue

This has vermicelli noodles in a spicy beef broth with slices of beef shank, pork meat, and Vietnamese ham. It is then topped with cilantro, coriander, and green onions. You can choose from mild, medium, or hot spiciness level too.

I went with medium and it was quite spicy and I can handle a good amount of spice. Other than that, the broth was clear and clean tasting, which was nice. There is also a good amount of meat in there too.

BBQ Pork Banh Mi Sandwich

We got take out for their banh mi sandwiches to get a good sense of the menu. Their buttered baguette is stuffed with mayo, pate, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, pickled daikon, carrots and BBQ Pork. M added extra meat and fried egg into his.

Cold Cut Banh Mi Sandwich

This has their buttered baguette with mayo, pate, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, pickled daikon, carrots and cold cuts. This is their regular size and it’s still a great size for $5. The bread was crisp on the exterior and fluffy inside. The pickled veggies were a bit sweet for my personal taste, but I still liked the amount of meat.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a great addition to the neighbourhood with decent Vietnamese cuisine. You can dine in or do take out and the prices are reasonable for the area.

Address:
 5901 Broadway, Burnaby, BC 

Website:
http://www.whitelotuscafe.ca/

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In Japanese

Ramen Gaoh: New Ramen Shop in North Burnaby

Ramen Gaoh is a new ramen shop in North Burnaby on Hastings and Willingdon. They are the newest concept from the Menya Kouji Group, which also has Ramen Gojiro and The Ramen Butcher.

What is unique about Ramen Gaoh is that they specialize in miso ramen. Since they have been open for a few days, there have been large line ups due to a great $6 special, but that is now over. As menu prices are back to normal, there was still a line up during peak hours on weekends. Hopefully this dies down as weeks pass by.

Interior

The space isn’t too large but fits groups of 2s and 4s well. Any larger and it’ll be hard to fit.

There is indoor seating as well as heated patio seats.

Menu

Green Tea

They give everyone cold water, but I wanted some green tea, so they change for hot green tea. Pretty standard green tea and nothing exciting.  You can always ask them to refill it with hot water.

Karaage

We got the original karaage and it came with 4 large pieces and a wedge of lemon. They have other versions with tartar sauce or teriyaki sauce too.

The exterior was crunchy, moist inside, and full of flavour. Highly recommended and great for sharing.

Okonomiyaki Gyoza

Each comes with 5 pieces with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and green onions. They use their original pork gyoza made in-house.

They have different gyoza topping like miso mayo, spicy and trufffle too.

Shiro Miso

This uses white soy bean paste. Generally, it is more mellow and sweet for a lighter miso flavour in the broth. My friend added an ajitama egg and butter to her ramen.

Scorpion Ramen

This is their signature spicy ramen and the broth is made from chicken and pork with their secret miso blend. You can get it in 3 levels of spiciness as well as numbing.  At level 2 spiciness and level 1 numbing, it still packs a punch.

Misotarian Ramen

This is the miso ramen for vegetarians. It has a creamy miso and soy milk broth topped with assorted vegetables and a portobello mushroom. I added the spicy garlic sauce as well as some chashu. Not so vegetarian anymore.

It was decent if you like miso-based broths. I wished there was more of the spicy garlic sauce since it didn’t seem as fragrant. The portobello was a big size and gave the dish a nice meaty texture without the meat.

Final Thoughts

Ramen Gaoh is a great addition to the neighbourhood giving people a taste of miso based ramen. Is it my favourite ramen joint? Definitely not, but that’s only because I’m not a big fan of miso ramen. If you are, then this might be the place for you.

Address:
4518 E Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.ramengaoh.com/

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In Event

Crave the Heights 2018: Discover the flavours of North Burnaby

Crave the Heights is back for 2018 brought to you by The Heights Merchants Association. From August 17 to 26, 10 participating restaurants will have affordable set menus, new food specials, happy hour food, and drink discounts.

The following restaurants are participating this year:

  • Pear Tree Restaurant
  • Cristos Greek Taverna
  • Butchers Block BBQ
  • The Gray Olive Cafeteria
  • Chez Christophe
  • Glenburn Soda
  • Green and Oak Malaysian Restaurant
  • Noodle Paradise at Jane’s
  • Chad Thai
  • La Villetta

I have lived in Burnaby since I was born and this area keeps on evolving with new eateries opening up every year adding to the diversity of Burnaby Heights. I love this neighbourhood and it’s 30 minutes away from Downtown Vancouver.

Here are a few places we checked out for Crave the Heights this year.

Gray Olive Cafeteria

Gray Olive Cafeteria is serving up their G.O. Reuben Sandwich for $12. It has housemade corned beef, garlic multigrain bread, swiss cheese, coleslaw, housemade thousand island, side of honey mustard pickles. A delicious comforting sandwich available on the weekends and weekdays for the duration of Crave the Heights.

Glenburn Soda Fountain

Glenburn Soda Fountain is one of the most popular places to hit up this summer. They are offering 4 different desserts inspired by The Heights restaurant neighbours to create a special menu of sundaes taking influence from around the world.

  • Southern Charmer (Butchers BBQ Block)
  • It’s all Greek to Me (Sfinaki Greek Taverna)
  • Hanoi Joy (Broken Rice)
  • Tongue Thai-O (Chad Thai)

We tried the It’s all Greek to Me as most of the other choices were sold out. It is inspired by Sfinaki Greek Taverna, a few blocks away. It has classic Greek flavours with a Canadian twist. You will find Maple Walnut ice cream, crumbled baklava, honey walnuts, whipped cream and topped with a baklava bite. It is a sweet and nutty treat.

La Villetta

La Villetta is an Italian restaurant that has been around on The Heights since I can remember. They are know for their signature dishes like Scallopine al Cognac and Lamb Osso Bucco.

They are offering a few food specials for Crave the Heights.

They have a red sangria for $5.50. A big glass with seasonal fruits to pair with your meal. Nice and refreshing for the summer.

There is a $15 Seafood platter featuring mussels and clams in white wine sauce. Drizzle a little bit of lemon and it will make for a good starter to go with the rest of your meal.

This was only a small taste of whats on the Crave the Heights menus being offered. Check out the full menu on their website to see what else is being offered. Just make sure to visit before August 26 or else these specials will be gone.

Website:
http://www.burnabyheights.com/news/crave-the-heights/

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In Cocktails

Personas: Drinks and Bites at Grand Villa Casino

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

Interior

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

Weekly Specials

Mexican Bulldog Para Dos

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

Personas L.I.I.T.

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

Cotton Candy Cosmo

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

California Sushi Taco

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

Ebi Prawns

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

Sticky Ribs

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

Chicken Wings

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

General Hao’s Chicken

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

Thai Shrimps Flatbread

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

Fig, Cheese and Honey Flatbread

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

Tropic Thunder Flatbread

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

Falafel Wedge Salad

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

Poke Bowl

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

Persona’s Burger

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

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

Bourbon St. Blackened Chicken

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

Short Rib Pappardelle

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

Final Thoughts

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

 

Address:
4331 Dominion St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://mypersonas.ca/

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In Malaysian

Green and Oak: Malaysian Cuisine in North Burnaby

Green & Oak is a new restaurant in North Burnaby on Hastings Street specializing in Malaysian cuisine. They took over the previous location – Mr Chili. A few of us came here for dinner to try it out.

Interior

The space is large and there are lots of seats for small to large groups. We made a reservation ahead of time since we had a large group for dinner.

Menu

Satay Skewers

The skewers come in chicken, pork or beef. Each order is 1 piece each, so we got 3 of each. The skewers were all ok, but could be a bit more juicy.

Roti-Canai

This is freshly made in-house and it is Malaysian flatbread.It comes with 2 pieces cut up and served with a curry dipping sauce.

Chicken Wings

These are deep-fried whole chicken wings and it comes with a garlic lemon dip. Very crunchy on the exterior and the meat inside was very juicy. It comes with 3 pieces per order.

Hainanese Chicken

The whole chicken comes with 4 soups and 4 rice dishes as well. It is a popular dish in Singapore as the chicken is cooked in delicious chicken stock and served in a red chili and ginger dipping sauces.

The Hainanese chicken was ok but nothing amazing. We wished it was served a bit warmer.

The rice was a bit oily but the soup was delicious.

Seafood Laksa Noodle Soup

This is a curry-based soup with tofu, bean sprouts, egg, lemongrass, lime juice, coconut milk, vermicelli noodles and seafood. You can also ask for it with egg noodles too. The flavour is different than most laksas in town, so people either love it or hate it. I really enjoyed the broth and I could eat the whole bowl.

Mee Goreng

This has egg noodle with beef, shrimp, tofu, cucumber and tomato. It was ok.

Belachan Fried Rice

This is fried rice with dried shrimp, chili pepper, pork, shrimp, egg, and sou sauce. This was pretty average too.

Char Kuey Teow

This was delicious. It has fried rice noodle with shrimp, tofu, pork, egg, chili, and soy sauce.

Malaysian Curry Rice

This is put together with curry paste, lemongrass, shallot, onion, basil, other herbs and is served with steamed rice.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I love the look of the space and the service was decent. Some of the dishes are a hit and miss. I enjoyed the chicken wings, Char Kuey Teow, and the laksa.

We Rate Green and Oak: 

Address:
3760 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

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In Cafe

812 Cake and Dessert: Korean Cake in Burnaby

812 Cake and Dessert denotes their 8 signature cakes and desserts, crafted from a 12 step baking process. They specialize in cakes and desserts all handcrafted. All items here are inspired by local, seasonal ingredients and prepared daily. They are located close to Gilmore skytrain in Burnaby and there are parking spots out front.

Cakes

When we arrived, they have most of the cakes available but one of them was sold out.

Tiramisu

I got a slice of the tiramisu and it has layers of mascarpone cream and espresso chantilly. The slices are a good size and delicious.

Sweet Potato

This has sweet potato mousse made with freshly cooked sweet potato and diplomat cream. One of my favourite sweet potato cake I’ve had. Highly recommended.

Salted Caramel

This cake has salted caramel chantilly made with house made salted caramel sauce and fresh whipping cream. I personally wasn’t a fan of this cake.

Strawberry Cheese Tart

Strawberry Cake

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with fresh strawberries.

Blueberry

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with house made blueberry compote.

Blueberry Cheese

This cake is different as it has cheese mousse with house made blueberry compote.

Iced Tea

They also have different teas and coffees on the menu to go with the cakes. We had the Basic Black Iced Tea and the Berry Herbal Tisane.

Final Thoughts

There are some really good cakes here at this cafe.

We Rate 812 Cake and Dessert: 

Address:
4208 Dawson St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://812cake.com/

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In Four Beakers

Atlas Steak and Fish: Burnaby

Atlas Steak + Fish is the new restaurant inside the Grand Villa Casino and Hotel in Burnaby. It has taken the old location of EBO and is a modern twist on the iconic North American steakhouse.

They selecting fine ingredients, explore global flavours, showcase unique cooking techniques, and engage through table-side service. These are all elements that speak to their commitment in crafting a truly distinctive dining experience in Burnaby.

Interior

The dining space is very nice and great for any occasion. They even have a private room with lots of seats if you want something more cozy and intimate for your group.

El Diablo

Start the night off with an electrifying cocktail. It has Sauza Silver Tequila, Crème de Cassis, fresh lime juice, and Ginger Ale presented with sparks of fire using cinnamon. From the name of the cocktail, you would think it would be spicy, but this was such a refreshing cocktail. We really enjoyed it.

Agua de Valencia

This yummy drink has dry English gin, fine orange liqueur and orange.

Lobster Bisque

At the centre of the bisque is a seared scallop and roe. The broth had a lot of depth and essence of the lobster. It may not look that great, but it was delicious.

Steak Tartar

This has hand minced tenderloin, miso mustard, pickled daikon quail’s egg, and gnocco fritto. Mix the ingredients together and then eat.

Steaks and Mains

Only the top percentage of Alberta Angus Reserve Beef and U.S.D.A Prime make the ATLAS cut and are selected for dishes. Sourcing from North America’s top producers, they seek out the ultimate commitment to quality and stewardship to ensure the best in marbling, tenderness, and flavour. The steaks are hand-butchered from the top breeds, hand-selected, and aged before being prepared in our mesquite-fired Josper oven.

Chili Ribbed Cowboy Rib Steak

With got the steak done medium rare without the chili rub. The steak was very tender and it was 16oz, so it wasn’t small at all.

There were some leftovers, but we were happy to have it for another meal.

Tomahawk Pork Chop

This has snake river farms kurobuta pork chop, smoked pork belly and apple relish with warm potato salad. It was suggested that we order this as medium. This was recommended by the staff and it was also tender and delicious. We enjoyed the pairing of the apple relish on top.

Whipped Brie Mashed Potato

We got this on the side to share and it was so smooth and fluffy. Who knew brie and mashed potatoes would be so good together. Highly recommended.

Roasted Wild Mushrooms

Ultimate savoury side dish to share for the table. I enjoyed the variety of mushrooms in this.  Another winner.

Salted Caramel Creme Brulee

It comes in a mason jar with the torched sugar on top. It is served with chocolate dipped biscotti. A good comforting classic dessert.

Baked Alaska

If you’re looking for something unique, try the baked Alaska that is flambed tableside. How cool is that? It’s a dinner and a little show.

The layers are made of raspberry coconut ice cream, lemon sorbet, orange vanilla cake, and italian meringue.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we enjoyed the experience and it’s something that Burnaby is lacking. They bring some exciting dishes that aren’t easy to find in the area. I would recommend Atlas for intimate dinners for special occasions.

We Rate Atlas Steakhouse and Fish: 

Address:
4331 Dominion St, Burnaby

Website:
http://atlassteakandfish.com/

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In Brunch

The Gray Olive Cafeteria: Best Brunch in Burnaby

The Gray Olive Cafeteria in Burnaby Heights is a hotspot for brunch on the weekends. I’ve come here quite a bit for brunch and every time, it’s consistent and very delicious. Plus, it’s just minutes away from place.

Interior

The space isn’t large as it’s pretty narrow. It’s pretty hard to fit large groups in here unless you go really early or wait for a while. I usually like to come here around 10am since after than. lines start to form. If you are a group of 2, waits are never that long.

If there is a wait, put your name and number on the list and take a stroll in the neighbourhood. They will call you when your table is ready.

Latte and Iced Coffee

Coffee is best to have in the morning if you love to be caffeinated. If you like it hot or iced, you can’t go wrong pairing it with brunch items.

Thai Iced Tea

They also have 2 versions of Thai Iced Tea, one with half & half and then another with coconut cream. Both of them are super damn good and I’ve had it several times.

Chicken & Waffles

A little bit pricey, but you have 2 fried boneless thighs, waffle, spicy Korean ketchup, maple syrup, and whipped brown butter. The waffles are well made, crisp on the outside a fluffy inside. The thighs we juicy and so delicious.

The Kitchen Sink

This has 2 eggs, sauteed veg, green onions, sausage, bacon, cheese, the g.o. potatoes. A little bit of everything in this bowl and it’s filling.

Pork Belly Breaky Sandwich

This sandwich has a thick cut of pork belly, egg, arugula, chives, chili marinated tomatoes, toasted sesame mayo, and a burger bun. The egg is supposed to be marbled egg, but my friend got it cooked through.

G.O. Potatoes

The side of G.O. Potatoes with the smoked shallot aioli is a must. Those potatoes are crispy and addictive.

Avocado Toast

The avocado toast has mashed avocado on sourdough and topped with oven roasted tomatoes, and balsamic reduction.

Final Thought

Overall, ever since my first bite, I’ve been hooked and have taken so many of my other friends here. A great weekend spot for brunch and I’ll be back.

We Rate The Gray Olive: 

Address:
4190 Hastings Street, Burnaby

Website:
http://www.thegrayolive.com/

The Gray Olive Cafeteria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Event

Crave the Heights: Delicious eats from August 16 to 30

Crave the Heights is back from August 16 to 30 with eateries crafting up full set menus, special appetizer deals, Happy Hour features, and after-dinner dessert selections for neighbours, visitors, and foodies to enjoy. I love the Heights and have lived in Burnaby for my entire life. The area has evolved and  lots have great restaurants have opened up in the last few years.  The full list of 2017 participating restaurants are:

  • The Pear Tree
  • La Villetta
  • Cristos Greek Taverna
  • Chad Thai
  • Butcher’s Block BBQ
  • The Gray Olive Cafeteria
  • Jane’s at the Heights
  • Caffe Divano
  • Chez Christophe
  • Glenburn Soda Fountain

I went to check out a few of these places on the list for Crave the Heights.

Glenburn Soda Fountain

Glenburn Soda Fountain has four cocktail themed treats that is only available for Crave the Heights. Whether you come earlier in the day or late at night, it’s always Happy Hour here.

This is the Cold War sundae made with vanilla ice cream, Kahlua, chocolate sauce, white chocolate ganache and chocolate pearls. The other sundaes are Mai Tai Fine, Derby Delight and Whole Lotta Cool. If you’re not into boozy sundaes, you can still indulge in their regular menu. Their milk shakes are always my favourite.

Butchers Block BBQ

Butcher’s Block BBQ has a special where you get free cornbread, iced tea, or lemonade with the purchase of any regular BBQ Platter. I got the 2 meat platter with beef brisket and pulled pork. It is also served with coleslaw and fries. We went with the free iced tea to pair with it. The BBQ was pretty good.

Gray Olive Cafeteria

Gray Olive Cafeteria is one of the newer restaurants in the neighbourhood specializing in breakfast, brunch and lunch. They are not open for dinner, but they have been plenty busy since opening. For Crave the Heights, you can find their Pork Belly Bao with a nice succulent piece of pork belly, sesame mayo, radish kimchi, green onion, and cilantro. The other feature – Fried Chicken Bao has a delicious piece of fried chicken, korean pickles, and chogochujang.

Final Thoughts

There is definitely lots to see and eat in Burnaby Heights. There’s more awesome eateries than what I included, but definitely check out what they are offering on their website. You definitely want to check out some of these menu items before August 30th.

Website: http://www.burnabyheights.com/events/crave/

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In Chinese

Mr Chili Noodle House: Chongqing Cuisine in Burnaby

Mr. Chili Noodle House in Burnaby specialized in Chongqing cuisine. Sherman had a coupon he had to use up before it expired, so he was nice enough to invite myself and some other foodie friends to check out this place. I’ve passed by this restaurant so many times, but never though about coming here till now.

Interior

The interior is beautiful. It reminded me of a cafe, but with no coffee. I didn’t expect this place to look so nice and modern.

Drinks

You can ask for tea or water when you get a seat. The cups are really cute too.

Spicy Pig Ear

The pig ears were thinly sliced and had a good amount of spice to them. It was really good.

Chicken with Chili

So damn good. This is their smaller size and the chicken was so moist and flavourful. Even if you took the chili sauce away, the chicken would be fantastic on its own. I would highly recommend this.

Hot and Sour Potato Vermicelli

This was definitely spicy and it had a good balance of spice and sourness. There is minced meat and peanuts in here too.

Beef Noodle Soup

There are chunks of beef in this soup with nice marbling of fat. The broth was clean and not overly salty. They don’t use any MSG in their dishes. A good sold beef noodle but I felt like it was missing something.

Spicy Fish Tofu in Soup

This is one badass dish with tons of Szechuan peppercorn and the fish and tofu hiding inside. We tried not to eat the peppercorns as it would numb our mouth. The soup wasn’t very spicy at all.

Curry Beef Brisket Pot

Here is a pretty big bowl of curry to share with the table. You probably want to order this with some rice.

Stir Fried Green Beans

The stir fried green beans were ok, but we found it to be a bit old as it didn’t have a nice crispness to it.

Kung Pao Prawns

This dis was ok as well. You need to grab a piece of chili to go with the prawns to balance out the sweeter sauce with the pepper.

Final Thoughts

The spicy dishes were super delicious but a few other dishes were a miss. Its still really good to have a Chongqing restaurant in North Burnaby as its hard to find.

We rate Mr Chili: 

Address:
3760 Hastings Street, Burnaby

Website: http://www.mrchilinoodlehouse.ca/

Mr.Chili Noodle House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Bakery

Chez Christophe: Pastries, Sandwiches and Holiday Treats

Chez Christophe is located in North Burnaby and they recently moved locations to a larger venue. There’s more seating and a lot more treats to be had. Since I live pretty close by, I was invited with a few other bloggers to check out a few of their new holiday items as well as their other items on the menu.

Sweet Treats

They have lots of delicious treats at the counter. Small cakes to larger ones for parties.

Freshly baked pastries are in basket that fill the aroma of the shop.

Their decadent chocolates are lined row by row.

Behind the Scenes

There is a huge window where you can see Chez Christophe work on some of his chocolate sculptures. It’s pretty fascinating.

Holiday Showpieces

All sculptures are created onsite with their award-winning Swiss chocolate Carma, which is unique to Canada. The pieces are completely edible and consists of hollow chocolate in its entirety, airbrushed with cocoa butter.

Sliding Penguin was my favourite. He looks so cute with the little santa hat on.

Abstract Santa is bright a red just like the big man.

Holiday Bear is probably really popular with the kids.

Santa’s Boot is decorated with a few chocolate treats.

Large Acorn is pretty cool, there are hidden chocolates inside. All you need to do is crack it open.

Lunch Time

We sat down to enjoy a few of their items on their menu to give more of a more thorough review.

Hazelnut Pain au Chocolate was flakey on the outside with a lot of layers. There was a good amount of chocolate in the centre too.

Creme Salee was an interesting pastry. I didn’t like the crust, but the filling was like a delicious custard.

Croissant Sandwich was pretty good here if you want a savoury lunch crossed with their croissants. You have Irish ham, provolone, arugula and aioli in this. Simple but delicious.

Beef Brisket Multigrain Croissant was put in a panini press, so the exterior. The grilled onions, mustard and that flavourful brisket was even better than the croissant sandwich.

Kalamansi Chocolate Tart has a bright orange centre covered in 70% dark chocolate ganache.

Paris-Brest has a choux pastry with almond hazelnut praline buttercream and kalamansi gel. I wasn’t a fan of the tart kalamansi gel.

Chocolate Bar Trio has:

  • Honey Ganache and Gingerbread Caramel
  • Eggnog Ganache and Marzipan
  • Mandarin ganache and Mandarin Jelly

He also has macarons at the store too. I didn’t end up trying these as I was so full eating all the other things here.

Hot Chocolate was really good and rich. They also topped it off with cocoa that is shaped like a heart.

Overall, a few good items to pick up at Chez Christophe. What they are best known for are the chocolates and some pastries.

We Rate Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie: 

Address:
4717 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.christophe-chocolat.com/

Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Event

Caffe Divano: 4 Weeks of Specials and Giveaways

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Caffe Divano has been in my neighbourhood for a very long time and they are celebrating 8 years in Port Moody and 17 in Coquitlam. A big milestone and they have been keeping the neighbourhood caffeinated.

The Beecroft’s opened Caffé Divano’s first location in 2008. The duo’s vision for its Port Moody café was to offer the neighbourhood a place where members of the community could feel at home.

To celebrate this milestone, Lisa, Patrick, Gabi and Jules, invite you to participate in their month of giveaways. From October 31st – November 30th, they will have a month of delicious offers and be giving away daily prizes each week with one grand prize.

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Specials and Giveaways

Motivation Monday: Happy Hour

  • 9am – 11am: $3 latte or a $2 scone or muffin
  • Enter in-person to win a $20 Gift Card – drawn weekly

Thirsty Tuesday: Awesome Afternoons

  • 3pm – 5pm: $3 spanish lattes and $2 off all desserts on Tuesdays
  • Enter in-person to win a free lunch or breakfast – drawn weekly

#TBT Giveaway

November 14th-18th Business Card Giveaway

  • At each location, drop off your business card between November 14th – 18th
  • WIN: 10 boxed lunches delivered to your office on Monday, November 21st

#DoGoodDivano Saturday Giveaway

  • With all purchases on Saturday, you can enter to win the grand prize drawn at the end of November
  • Grand Prize: $200 Caffe Divano Gift Card & $200 Donation to a charity of your choice

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Caffe Divano Anniversary Events

Celebrating 8 Years in Port Moody

  • Monday, October 31st – 11am Anniversary Cake Cutting
  • Location: 101 Klahanie Dr, Port Moody, BC V3H 0C3

Celebrating 17 Years in Coquitlam

  • Wednesday, November 9th – 11am Anniversary Cake Cutting
  • Location: 3003 Burlington Dr, Coquitlam, BC V3B 6X1

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If you are a returning customer or a new one, definitely check them out for the month of November.

Website:
http://caffedivano.ca/

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In Fast Food

Costco Canada: Deep Fried Chicken Wings

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Costco locations in Canada have chicken wings. A few months ago, they secretly added these to some of their locations. When I heard a few friends got their hands on these, I had to grab a bunch for dinner.

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I came right here after work to the Willingdon location in Burnaby. A pound is $4.99 and family-size (3 pounds) is $13.99. They seem to have lowered their prices as the original prices were covered. It’s odd to see prices go lower rather than higher.

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They deep-fry all their wings in a separate fryer than their other items. Since everyone else wanted wings and they can only make so much at one time, I waited about 25 minutes around 6pm on a Friday.

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Make sure to get a hot sauce and BBQ sauce to dip your wings into. It helps add a bit of flavour. They gave us 1 hot sauce and 2 BBQ sauces for this bucket.

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I got the family-sized bucket and it has about 32 pieces. M and I shared this and we were able to do a pound each. There are wings and drumettes in the mix. It is a bit crunchy, but it’s got nothing on Church’s Chicken.

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It’s fun to try something different. It’s decent, but it’s lacking the super crisp exterior. The wings aren’t overly seasoned so it pairs well with the sauces. I preferred the hot sauce and M preferred the BBQ sauce. The wings are best eaten hot, so the skin a bit more crisp.

We rate Costco Wings: 3rated

Address:
4500 Still Creek Dr, Burnaby

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In Four Beakers

Kilala: Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby

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Kilala has been in the North Burnaby neighbourhood for about 10 years now. After all that time, I finally came here for a visit with M. It is a small sushi bar, so it can get pretty busy around dinner time. The outside of the shop may not look like much but their sushi is delicious.

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They started us off with some tea and even gave us a whole pot of it so we could refill it ourselves.

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We started off with some nigiri to see how it compares to other places.

Tamago was nothing like other restaurants. I loved the layers of the egg and how it towered over the ball of sushi rice. M loved it and i think its so far his favourite tamago.

Hokkaido Scallop Nigiri was really fresh and the pieces of scallop were very plump.

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Next was the Unagi Battera with eel on top of pressed sushi rice. I love the car on the unagi and its so flavourful. It’s a pricey item to order, but its so good.

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Look at that. So So good!

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Toro Sashimi comes with 7 pieces and it is nice and fatty. The chef really knows his stuff.

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Assorted Nigiri comes with 14 pieces of sushi – 1/2 tekka maki, 1/2 kappa maki, and 8 nigiri selections from the chef. There is a little wasabi hidden under the sashimi, so watch out.

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All of the nigiri were pretty delicious. My favourite were the tamago and saba. All the others were pretty standard.

Overall, it’s a nice hidden gem in North Burnaby for good Japanese sushi. The prices can be high for some items, but the quality is here. You won’t find too wide a selection for cooked food. It is mostly sushi rolls and raw items.

We Rate Kilala: 4rated

Address:
4749 Hastings Street, Burnaby

Kilala Sushi Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Japanese

Sushi UOmo: Sushi in North Burnaby

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Sushi UOmo is located in North Burnaby in the Heights. M and I were looking for a new sushi place to eat dinner at. I’m trying to find more restaurants that I haven’t eaten at in the area and Sushi UOmo was a place I’ve never tried yet.

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This place was busy on a Tuesday and they are open till 10am everyday. Normally a lot of restaurants close on Tuesday since it is one of the least busiest days of the week. It seems to be working that this place is open.

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Miso soup came at the start of the meal. A pretty standard miso soup, but it was a nice touch.

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Hamachi Sashimi is a yellowtail tuna. It has a buttery and rich flavour. It has a higher fat content than regular tuna.

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Tonkatasu is served with salad and rice. A big piece of deep-fried pork. Great as an individual dish or to share.

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Aburi Don was a very interesting dish. It had the rice underneath with the torched tuna on top with an creamy sauce. There is a bit of salad on the side. The sear on top could have been a bit better with more char.

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Shrimp Tempura comes in either 4 pieces or 7. M and I chose the 4 pieces so we could have 2 pieces each. Crunchy exterior with lots of batter around the shrimp.

Overall, Sushi UOmo was ok. The price of their dishes are affordable and you get a good amount of value.

We Rate Sushi UOmo: 3rated

Address:
4280 Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC

Sushi UOmo Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Fast Food

Pizza Hut Canada: 5 Cheese Stuffed Crust with Bacon

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Pizza Hut Canada had their promotion for 5 cheese stuffed crust pizza and if you got a medium or large, they would also stuff it with bacon.

M saw this online and he just had to make me try it. Of course I never say no, since I love all types of food even fast food…especially fast food.

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We got the medium Pepperoni Lover’s, which has extra pepperoni and cheese. It’s such has the classic pizza topping that you can’t go wrong with. I try to avoid veggies with my pizza.

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As for the stuffed crust, it was pretty hollow and needed more cheese stuffed inside. Maybe 5 cheeses wasn’t enough to fill the cavity. Other areas had more cheese that others. The bacon also wasn’t stuffed inside, it was more on the edge of the toppings area and the crust.

This was just my experience, but maybe at other locations its done better.

Website: https://www.pizzahut.ca/

Pizza Hut Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Fast Food

Subway Canada: Butter Chicken Sandwich

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Subway Canada has introduced their new Butter Chicken Sandwich for a limited time. Canadian’s have been asking for more unique flavours in their neighbourhoods, so they are starting to roll out limited edition flavours. In the West Coast, I don’t think diverse flavours are a problem here, but perhaps more in the smaller communities across Canada.

I used to eat at Subway a lot in my early teens, but as I got older, I rarely make visits here. M comes here if he needs something quick and convenient.

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The Butter Chicken Sandwich features all white meat chicken tossed in a butter chicken glaze that is infused with a fragrant mix of ginger, cardamom, coriander and cinnamon. The sandwich is free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.

All the butter chicken is portioned out ahead of time.

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The person asked us what veggies and sauce we wanted on top. Apparently there isn’t any additional butter chicken sauce to add the the sandwich. It was had to pick a sauce that didn’t clash with the butter chicken sauce coating the chicken. You wouldn’t add BBQ sauce to it or honey mustard.

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You can get it as a 6″ sub or a footlong.

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Foot Long Butter Chicken Sandwich with Italian bread, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise was a good sauce to balance out the butter chicken and not over power it. The flavour did come through and was oddly satisfying.

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6″ Butter Chicken with flatbread, the works, and sandwich sauce. I hate making decisions so I added everything into it. The sandwich sauce masked the butter chicken sauce a bit, so it wasn’t a good idea. Also the banana peppers overpowered the spice of the butter chicken. What you choose to add into it can really change the experience.

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Overall, the butter chicken sandwich is a nice option if you come here a lot for lunch. It’s convenient and quick.

Of course, it’s not for everyone especially with all the controversy surrounding Subway in the last little while.

Website:
http://w.subway.com/en-ca

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

Disclaimer: I was provided a gift card from Subway Canada to try the Butter Chicken Sandwich, but all thoughts are my own.

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