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Spud , the online Grocery Store has been a supporter in the local community since they have started and they put their heart on their sleeves to deliver some of the freshest products to customer’s homes. They currently service – Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, Calgary, and Edmonton.

During the pandemic, the team at SPUD has been working alongside local restaurants to launch their ready-made meals with packaging and labeling that is food-safe and retail-ready. These meals are now available to SPUD’s customers; however, SPUD is not requiring an exclusive listing. Their restaurant partners now have product options that they can list on any retail shelf around the country, giving restaurants further distribution channels, and providing consumers with more possibilities when it comes to restaurant quality products for home meals. 

Working with SPUD’s product developer, restaurants and local businesses are able to easily navigate the food labelling requirements at no cost to the brand. 

“We wanted to help restaurants broaden the sales of their local products, says CEO Peter van Stolk. We know what a difficult time this is for small businesses and particularly restaurants, so we decided to use our expertise to help these businesses become shelf-ready, not only for our customers, but also for other grocers and distribution services. Located under the Restaurant tab on SPUD’s home page, Greater Vancouver’s restaurant partners include among numerous other newcomers: Old Bird, Kokomo, The Garden Strathcona, Jamjar, Nuba, Rocky Mountain Flatbread, Dosanko, Mile One Eating House and Chambar.

At Nuba, Darragh McFeely reported “We are restaurateurs, and had done some meal kits in house, but the precise labeling was all new for us. SPUD has provided great support, giving feedback on our packaging, support on putting together nutritional information and barcodes, and greatly simplifying the process of going to the wholesale market.” 

Laura Scarr, Director of Product Development at Pemberton’s Mile One Eating House, was already in the process of developing a wholesale product program before connecting with SPUD, but still had many questions to navigate when it came to knowing how to label their products to comply with CFIA rules. “We often use a variation of ingredients in our recipe’s, especially as we work with local farms, ranches, fishermen and artisans, as the exact items can vary seasonally. The mushrooms in our BC Mushroom Chili include assorted wild and cultivated BC mushrooms depending on what is available” she mentioned.  ”When I had questions like this, SPUD’s consultant, Roger LaRochelle, had clear and thorough answers for me, responding right away to my calls and emails. We were able to get our products on the shelf far more rapidly than we had planned, due to his responsiveness. We are very thankful for the support and knowledge that SPUD have been so generous and openly sharing.” 

Citizens Table is a weekly meal delivery marketplace. They offer a weekly subscription service where Citizens Table delivers ready-to-eat meals that are made with love by local and independent Chefs right here in Vancouver. They’ve designed the experience to help you try a variety of local flavours, save significant time by reducing your need to grocery shop, cook, clean, and simply provide peace-of-mind knowing each week you’ll have a meal ready in the fridge.

Each dish is around $10.95. Meals are designed to stay fresh for 3 – 5 days after delivery, depending on the type of meal. You can customize you meal every week and skip any week or cancel anytime.

Vancouver Chefs

There are currently 16 different chefs and local companies where you can mix and match you meals for the week.

Kula Kitchen: Asha Wheeldon
Kala
ThaiTanic
Gary Hovey
Laura Rameriez
Nick Haddad
Sam Lillard
Urban Tadka
Tayybeh
Alaia Fayad
Ben Mui
Indish
The Juice Truck
The Food Story
Los Takos
Alejandra Ortiz

Referral Code

For your first order using our referral code, you get free delivery and we will also donate $15 to The Greater Vancouver Food Bank so they can turn that into $30 of nutritious food for our local community.

Link: https://bit.ly/3wW10t1

The Peri Peri Shack recently opened up in 2020 on Kingsway and Fraser in Vancouver. They have been very popular since opening mostly for takeout and delivery. A lot of people will compare them to Nando’s or Barcelos.

We were invited to check out The Peri Peri Shack for their signature menu items and see how they compare to their competition.

They also offer catering options and they are planning to open more locations in Vancouver.

Interior

Most people do takeout and delivery, but if you want to dine in, you can. There are a few tables inside, but with Covid restrictions, it is 5 customers at a time. Do note, that this number will fluctuate as go through the pandemic. best to check with them to stay up to date on what they allow.

Safety Measures

They are committed to keeping staff and customers safe during this time. They are operating at reduced capacity to ensure physical distancing, sanitization, and regular cleaning.

More on their Covid Safety Measures here: https://theperiperishack.com/covid-19/

Chicken & Rice

This is their most popular dish! The chicken is marinated in their signature marinade for 24 hours & flamed grilled to perfection. It is served on a bed of Basmati spiced rice and topped with the sauce of your choice. We got the citrus and herb sauce with this bowl

The chicken delicious and their sauce just compliments so nicely. It’s a great takeout item as it stays nice and hot. We really enjoyed it.

Flame Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The sandwich has flamed grilled boneless chicken breast topped with peri peri mayo, red onions, crisp shredded lettuce & slice of tomato on a brioche bun.  It’s a solid sandwich, but nothing outstanding.

Peri Peri Chicken (Quarter Leg and Thigh)

This is marinated in their secret blend of spices and flamed grilled in your choice of spice level.  You can choose from Original, Mild, Citrus & Herb, Mango, Hot, and Very Hot. We tried all their sauces and they are good, but very hot is indeed very hot. Our favourite sauce to pair with flame grilled is the hot.

Peri Peri Wings

We got the wings with their hot sauce and wow, so darn good. Highly recommend it if you love wings.

Mac & Cheese

The mac and cheese is made of a blend of cheeses topped with breadcrumbs. It was a bit bland and needed some more spice. Maybe ask for a side of hot sauce.

Fries (Original)

Of the two fries, I like the original one better as it pairs better with food.

Fries Peri Peri Seasoning 

The original fries seasoned with the peri peri seasoning. I did find it to be a bit salty.

Onion Rings

The onion rings were surprisingly addicting. I didn’t expect it to be, but it was crunchy and had a good breading to onion ratio.

Peri Corn Ribs

These are a recent addition to the menu and it is brushed with butter and their signature Peri seasoning and then flame-grilled. It’s really delicious and I highly recommend it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I did enjoy the food and I’ll be back for the flame grilled chicken and their chicken rice bowls. A solid item for lunch or dinner as it’ll get you full.

Address:
724 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://theperiperishack.com

I love exploring new local vendors where you can get fresh and organic food directly from the farmers. Instead of doing research to find those farms close to you, DirectFood.store has it all in one place online. The quality is very good and a lot fresher than what I find at other larger grocery stores. You know it’s not sitting in a warehouse waiting for it to be added to store shelves.

It’s a win for the customer and the farmer as DirectFood.store helps connect the two together. They are based out of Abbotsford and is situated in a good location to be close to the farmers and vendors. The team behind DirectFood.store is adding more vendors, so I’ve been noticing more variety of items being added each week.

Delivery

When your order arrives, it isn’t all packed in one box. It’s straight from the farms, so it’s not sitting in a warehouse and then boxed for each order. They act as an intermediary to connect you with the best produce in BC and have it delivered to your doorstep. Their delivery schedule is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The driver will text when they are close by and also give you a call when they have arrived. It’s all contactless, which is great.

Until May 2021, there is FREE DELIVERY with NO MINIMUM order to their service area. After this promotional period, the minimum purchase order is $45, which is easy to reach compared to other online stores.

Safety Protocols

For most families, safety is a number one concern during this time. They have several COVID -19 safety measures to keep everyone safe including customers, vendors and staff safe.

Here are a few steps they are doing to help you get fresh, local, and healthy groceries from farmers in their local communities:

  •  Contactless delivery
  •  Frequent cleaning/disinfecting of surfaces and boxes
  •  All staff required to inform management of any illness and stay home if not feeling well
  •  Masks are mandatory for all our staff and delivery drivers when meeting anyone
  •  Practice social distancing when picking up/delivering food

Area’s Served

Here are all the cities DirectFood.store can deliver to.

  • Abbotsford
  • Aldergrove
  • Burnaby
  • Chilliwack
  • Coquitlam
  • Delta
  • Fort Langley
  • Langley
  • Maple Ridge
  • Mission
  • Pitt Meadows
  • Surrey
  • White Rock
  • Port Coquitlam
  • Port Moody
  • Richmond
  • New Westminster
  • Vancouver

What We Tried

We wanted to try a few of their kitchen staples to get a good sense of their most popular items. We got the below:

All of these farmers and vendors I have never been to as it’s a little bit far from where we live, but so happy we got to try them. I loved how fresh and moist the High Point Meat Shop marinated chicken were. We put them on the grill and it was so delicious and tender. The tandoori wings were our favourite of the two. The McGillvary Creek Farm eggs were great too! I love how the box indicates when the eggs were laid. Other eggs I’ve seen in stores just indicate the best before date. I’ve never had bannock fritters before but the Bannock Queen did a great job! Each piece was nice and big and we inhaled them so fast. If you add some vanilla bean ice cream to them, it would be a delicious dessert.

Direct Rewards + Referral

They have a rewards program where you can refer friends to DirectFood.store. Introduce a friend to DirectFood.store and both you and your friend receive 625 points. You can use these points to redeem for future purchases.

When you collect 1250 points you will receive $10 off your next order of $55 or more.

You can use my referral code to get 625 points:
https://directfood.store/Signup?Referral=BEFA8C5229AB212CE281DBA7EB913659

Final Thoughts

It’s great to see more online food stores during this pandemic and it’s so great for families like mine that love to support local and have the convenience of being delivered to our door at a great price.When your order arrives, all your food is packed individually by farmers and vendors. It’s straight from the farms, so it’s not sitting in a warehouse and essentially harvested or packed as orders come in.

I’ve had a hard time finding quality microgreens in Burnaby, BC, so I was so excited to see Burnaby Organic Greenhouse Ltd very close by.

There are a lot of deals to be had, so make sure you keep an eye out as it’s well priced and the quality is superb.

Website:
https://directfood.store/

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DirectFood.store. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of DirectFood.store.

Thomakis Real Greek Yogurt has been a hit since they launched during the pandemic in Vancouver. Months into the business, customers can’t get enough of their Greek Yogurt. They sell out within seconds!

Their goal is to give their customers a taste of real Greek yogurt that is far superior than any of the Greek yogurt found in grocery store shelves. Upon first bite, we were hooked on Thomakis Real Greek Yogurt.

As demand for their yogurt surpasses what they can currently produce, they have leverage a lottery system where every Sunday at 8:30pm on Instagram ONLY, customers can put their name in for a chance to buy the yogurt for the week. Their flavours rotate regularly and you never know what they will create until a few hours before the lottery opens. Once your order is in, it gets delivered on Saturday morning.

They have plans to move into a larger commercial kitchen to increase production but for now, this is the system they have set up.

If you’re not on Instagram, they stock their yogurt on Legends Haul and Lee’s Market.

We have been fortunate to be able to have gotten into the lottery a few times and here are our ranking of their flavours. Do note, everyone’s personal tastes are different and I tend to go toward flavour’s that aren’t as tart.

Autumn Apple

This is essentially apple cinnamon and we loved how the stewed apples are enrobed in the sweet cinnamon sauce and paired with the yogurt. Absolutely addictive.

Vanilla Nice

A classic flavour and you can see all the vanilla seeds inside. Love how they use real vanilla. You can eat this on it’s own, with their crumble, or any other topping.

Love (Strawberry) and Hibiscus

What a great flavour combination of strawberry and hibiscus. We love the sweetness of the strawberries in the sauce and pairs great with their yogurt.

Momma’s Bak

This is essentially baklava made with roasted pistachios, roasted walnuts, a secret syrup infused with citus and spices. Also it comes with a filo crumble.

Passion Statement

This is a popular flavour featuring passionfruit on the bottom. It’s great but I personally find it a bit tart. My sister gobbles this flavour up.

Blueberry Bliss

Full of blueberry goodness on the bottom and is another classic flavour that they carry.

Lemon Curdilicious

When you mix this flavour with their crumble, it tastes like a lemon meringue pie. Another very popular flavour but it’s the tartness that gets to me.

Plainly Pretty

This is a great yogurt if you’re pairing it with fruits and granola. Not sweet at all and kinda cheesy.

Final Thoughts

Thomakis Real Greek Yogurt is one of those great ventures that started during the pandemic where people fell in love with. In under a year, they’ve managed to keep their customers wanting more and it’s worth the hype. It’s creamy, sweet, favourful, tart and made with so much love. Highly recommended.

Website:
https://www.thomakis.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thomakisyogurt/

I love seeing the rise of artisan yogurt shops in Vancouver. Krave Kulture Yogurt Yogurt Shop is the newest one to open in Edgemont Village serving up Artisan small batch yogurt made locally in North Vancouver.

We were invited to come taste a few of their signature yogurt bowls and frozen soft serve yogurt. My husband is a crazy yogurt lover and so was Baby E, so we made our way to North Vancouver.

Interior

There is a small eating area in the front with a few seats but with the pandemic restrictions, only one family at a time. Most people did take their yogurt to go.

PB+J Krave Bowl

This bowl has their base of organic vanilla yogurt, banana, peanut butter, chia seed, jam, granola, hemp hearts, date, and caramel.

It’s a must for peanut butter and jelly lovers. The star of the show is really the combination of the ingredients and the yogurt compliments it very well. It doesn’t over power any of the toppings which I found balanced very well.

Coffee Krave Bowl

This bowls has passion fruit, fresh berries, granola, slivered almonds, pecans, dark chocolate chips, coconut, coffee, and maple syrup. They add organic coffee yogurt to the base of the bowl.

It’s an interesting combination and even though we do love coffee, it was my least favourite bowl, but my husband loved it. We agree to disagree and that’s ok.

Cake Krave Bowl

This has their organic vanilla yogurt, chocolate banana bread, fresh berries, granola, almonds, and honey. Another delicious option and the chocolate banana bread makes this bowl a bit more filling. A good combination of different textures.

Mediterranean Krave Bowl

A savoury yogurt bowl may sound weird and I kept thinking that too until I tried it. This has the base of plain yogurt, marinated grape tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, fresh basil, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, rice vinegar, and garlic salt.

This ended up being my favourite bowl because I was shocked at how well it worked! Imagine a Greek salad but with really creamy feta.

Tulum Krave Bowl – $9

This is another savour bowl and it has mango, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil, lime, and tortilla chips. It’s essentially as taste of Mexico in a yogurt bowl. It worked well, but the Mediterranean Krave Bowl was still my favourite.

Frozen Yogurt

If you’re looking for a frozen treat, they have frozen yogurt made in-house too. You can have it in a kids cone, regular waffle cone or their charcoal waffle cones. It’s been a while since my last froyo, but this hit the spot.

I didn’t feel guilty giving Baby E the frozen yogurt because it’s not as sweet as regular ice cream.

To Go Yogurt Jars

If you are looking for something more simple to go, they have their 1 Litre yogurt jar and their fruit bottom yogurt cups.

Their 1 Litre jars last for 4 weeks and as it comes in a glass jar, you can bring it back to get a discount. The first jar will cost you $18, but once you bring back the jar, the next full jar is $14. A nice $4 discount. The flavours do vary from season to season.

The fruit bottom yogurt cups feature their house-made jams topped with yogurt. These flavours change seasonally as well.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s great to have a yogurt shop in town as there aren’t any around. Locally made yogurt is so much better than the grocery store version and there is no comparison. Love how Krave Kulture Yogurt Shop is open and we recommend it.

Address:
3151 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.kravekulture.ca/

Brick’N’Cheese is a new Vancouver fast food takeout concept brought here by 2 guys from France in 2020. They wanted to bring a popular French street food, the French tacos, to the streets of Vancouver. French tacos is essentially a tortilla wrap filled with protein, fries, a secret cheese sauce, toppings, and more cheese – complete comfort food.

They operate out of Coho Commissary Kitchen (1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver) and do take out and delivery via SkiptheDishes and Uber Eats. There are more eateries operating with this model, but rest assured the food is great and made in a commercial kitchen to keep you safe.

Fish’N’Chips Brick

This brick has fried fish, tartar sauce secret cheese sauce, and plenty of french fries. You can also add cheese to it for an additional charge.

It was really good! Our favourite of the 3 we tried! It really reminded us of a filet o fish. Highly recommend it!! Very satisfying.

This will be available until the end of February, 2021.

Hot’N’Spicy Brick

This has extra lean ground beef, red hot sauce, cheddar, Jalapenos, and fries. I love the kick of spice and pairs so well with the ground beef. Juicy and holds up well in the brick.

Custom XXL Brick

Are you ready for a challenge? They have XXL Bricks if you’re feeling up for a challenge! It has a double tortilla, 3 proteins, double cheese sauce, and double the fries. No one has ever finished this in one sitting as it is massive.

I customized ours with ground beef, chicken breast, veggie patty, spicy mayo sauce, cheddar, and bacon. It was good but definitely enough to share!

We usually get full off half a regular brick as it’s so carb heavy. We tried to attempt this but it’s really hard. If you’re up for the challenge, definitely take a video and share!

UberEats Promotion

Starting Sunday, January 17, 2021 for 2 weeks they will be having a buy one get one free offer on any small preset bricks. A great deal if you want to check it out.

Final Thoughts

Overall, these bricks were good. It was well constructed and juices didn’t leak out. It holds it’s shape and have some weight to it just like a brick. Of the proteins, I like the ground beef, fish, and chicken. I did feel the crispy chicken and nugget options make it drier.

It’s definitely comfort food!

Website:
https://brickncheese.ca/

Address:
1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Teapurin is an online-based business on Instagram selling and delivering premium Japanese pudding in Greater Vancouver. “Purin” is Japanese for pudding. Owner and operator – Jessica specializes in tea-flavoured pudding, thus how the name came to be.

We chatted with Jessica to find out more about Teapurin as we absolutely love her desserts. It’s really one of the best in the city and I hope it continues to grow.

Secret to Teapurin

They make purin rich in tea flavour by using high-quality tea imported from Japan. For example, they only uses ceremonial matcha instead of baking matcha in the matcha purin. Then they pair it with simple local ingredients to get the quality. There are no artificial flavouring, colouring additives or preservatives in these tea purin.

The regular lineup includes matcha (green tea) houjicha (light roasted green tea), kuki-houjicha (dark roasted green tea stem), and genmaicha (roasted rice green tea) purin.

These are gluten-free, egg-free, and nut-free. They also offer seasonal flavours. Their first one was kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) and the current seasonal flavour is chestnut. 

The beginnings of Teapurin

Jessica started creating the recipes for tea pudding years ago when she wanted to make the pudding she had tasted in a Japanese tea house back in Tokyo.

The pandemic motivated her to make this into something more official and that’s when Teapurin was created. Work has kept her busy, but with social plans on the pause as well as many other activities, life showed down a little and helped her reflect on life and purpose. Mental health was very important to her.

Keeping Safe

They are starting off in a home kitchen like most online businesses in the beginning stages. If they ever grow, they would love to use a commissary kitchen, but right now the revenue isn’t enough to justify using a commissary kitchen.

That being said, they do sanitize kitchen surfaces and equipment before and after each usage. Food preparation is done with masks, gloves and hair net at all times.

Best Compliment for a Small Business

Purin is a household food in Japan, but here it is almost like a foreign concept. There are lots of new businesses coming up with cheesecake and cream puffs, but Jessica doesn’t think there is any other place that offers chestnut and kabocha purin. She hopes the novelty will be appealing for customers to give them a try, but it also means they have no idea what the feedback will be. So, if a customer likes their purin, then that makes them happy. The best compliment is a repeat customer!

Looking Forward to 2021

They have some exciting things coming up in 2021. Currently, they’re working on new recipes for 2021 seasonal flavours as well as some creative new toppings.

They also hoping to expand our delivery areas so more people can give Teapurin a try.

Taste Test

We tried the matcha, hojicha, genmaicha, and chestnut purin and they were all so good. It was smooth and not too sweet. The tea flavour is strong and balanced well, but the chestnut got us hooked. Very delicious!

Definitely worth it to check them out as they have free delivery around Metro Vancouver with 6 or more purins in an order.

Website:
https://teapurin.com/

Kitchen by Maji creates delicious Chinese meal prep kits for those who want a quick meal without the fuss. The owners behind Kitchen by Maji had a restaurant in Richmond called Maji, but decided to go the route of high quality meal prep kits to fill the need in the market for Chinese comfort food. I’ve seen a lot of meal prep kits around town, but its great to see more Chinese options that are really really delicious.

Everything is made at their Oak street location in Vancouver and they use high quality ingredients to craft these delicious meals. All items are freezer-friendly and have a good shelf life, so you can order a lot and not worry.

They aim to create these meal for those who want to prep their meals quickly and with little to no kitchen skills.

What I love about their packaging is that there are many ways to heat of the meals in their ready-to-serve packaging. Some dishes require a bit more time than others, but you won’t be disappointed.

They sent me a few kits to check out.

Delivery

They currently do free delivery if your order is over $120 for the Greater Vancouver area.

They are able to deliver to Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, New Westminster, Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Tsawwassen, and White Rock.

If you don’t live in those cities, just contact them to see what’s possible.

Taste Test

We didn’t try everything on the menu, but I do prefer the saucy dishes where you can just pair it with rice. A lot of the kits feed 2 people, so that’s perfect for our little family of 3.

The noodle dishes were great as well. Love the handmade noodles that have a fantastic taste and texture. Each noodle dish does feed 1 person and you can stretch it out to 2 people if you want, but you may need something else with the meal to get full.

Don’t forget to add their spreads to your order as they are really good. A nice treat!

Beefy Beef Noodle
Chicken Laksa Soup
Deluxe Seafood Congee
Curry Braised Brisket
Milky Custard Paste

Top Selling Dishes

I reached out to them to ask what are the top 5 selling dishes so far and here is their answer.

  • Asian Style Beef Brisket
  • Taiwanese Traditional Braised Pork Belly
  • Curry Braised Brisket
  • Beefy Beef Noodle
  • Chicken Laksa Soup

All great choices!

Final Thoughts

I loved how easy the meals were to prepare and the cost is very reasonable. We enjoyed it so much that we put in a big order. Now I’ll have a freezer full of delicious food ready to go whenever I get lazy to cook lunch or dinner.

I highly recommend them if you want to give it as a gift. Great for new parents, grandparents, or just anyone who wants a good quick comforting Chinese meal.

Address:
8335 Oak St, Vancouver, BC V6P

Website:
https://kitchenbymaji.com/en/

The Canucks Marketplace is a new culinary experience that celebrates favourite local food brands, gives Canucks fans access delicious meal kits, provisions and team apparel, for a premium hockey celebration in the comforts of home. As the Canucks are back on the ice, you can enjoy meal from Rogers Arena delivered to your door or you can do pick up and enjoy a fun fan experience grabbing your meal.

We opted to pick up our order and experience the drive in.

They have partnered up with Top Table Group for offer their line of TopTable2U line of meal kits, Grasse Floral, Nightingale, Dirty Apron, Medina Cafe, Sportsbar, Earnest Ice Cream, Glory Juice, Uncommon Cake, and Farm + Home Grocery. A great selection to get a taste of all those eateries in one place.

We tried a few different items that they had available from their marketplace:

  • Elisa Burger Kit
  • Fin’s Party Pack for 4
  • Banana Cream Pie
  • Prawn and Scallop Paella with Lemon Aioli

There’s a nice selection for all occasions and for all cooking skill sets. There are some TopTable2U kits that can take a while to prepare.

A few of my favourite things you should consider getting is Earnest Ice Cream, Prawn and Scallop Paella with Lemon Aioli, Banana Cream Pie, Truffle Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Lasagna, and Burrata and Heirloom Beet Salad.

Prices are fair and there is lots of variety.

Website:
https://marketplace.canucks.com/

Locvl Delivery is a local delivery company based out of Richmond, BC and they deliver fresh florals, cakes, baked goods and other local gifts to your door. With the pandemic, it’s a much needed service to continue celebrating milestones whether it be a birthday, anniversary, wedding, etc.

We just reached 20,000+ followers on Instagram. Something I never imagined when I started this whole foodie journey a decade ago. Thanks for being part of this journey as we eat our way across the city. Locvl Delivery sent us a little gift to celebrate with balloons and The Graze Company’s Graze Box full of delicious goodies. 

Delivery

Before your delivery arrives, they will text you before arrival. There is also a link that will let you know exactly where they exactly are. If you’re not home or you’re gifting it to a friend, thats enough time to alter someone to grab the delivery.

Hearts Confetti Balloons

They have different balloons to choose from on their website. You can get the ones with big letters and numbers filled with helium or more simple balloons like these.

This particular one is their Hearts Confetti balloon set.

The Graze Company – Small Original Graze Box

They sent us the The Graze Company‘s Small Original Graze Box for us to munch on. The small size feeds 2 people, but more people can definitely snack on it. It makes a lovely gift as there is a good amount of variety.

There were fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, dips and even honeycomb.

When it arrived, it was nice and cool. If you aren’t consuming it right away, put it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Locvl Delivery has some very nice things in their local marketplace to help make someone’s day a little extra special. The cakes from Buttermere and L’otus Cake Boutique are very popular and the delivery fee isn’t too high.

If you want $10 off your first delivery, use the promo code ‘FOODOLOGY10’.

Website:
https://www.locvldelivery.com/

Kawaii Salads in Vancouver specializes in Japanese salads in jars. Layered salads in jars isn’t a new concept and was very trendy on Instagram and Pinterest a few years ago. What makes them stand out is their pairing of ingredients and their homemade salad dressings.

Behind Kawaii Salads is Keiko and Yasuyo who created these Japanese salads in jars because couldn’t find Japanese-style salad dressings to pair with their salads. They use fresh high quality ingredients that might even convert salad haters. Their ultimate goal is to offer flexible work hours to women who are looking for opportunities to get back into the workforce. I love how they are making our community that much better.

We were invited to try out their different salads.

Pick up and Delivery

You can order pick up at the Coho Commissary on East Georgia in Vancouver. When you get there, just call and they will bring out your order.

If you opt for delivery, they have partnered up with Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Skip the Dishes. You just need to be in the delivery zone.

What’s in the Jar?

You’ll find these items inside:

  • Mixed greens
  • Your choice of protein (chicken or tofu)
  • Veggies
  • Toppings
  • Beans
  • Grains
  • Dressing (Pink Beet-licious, Popey the Green, Sunny Carroty, Sesame Street, and yuzu sweet)

More specifically, it has carrots, red cabbage, quinoa, cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, edamame, corn, broccoli, mixed greens, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. These items could potentially change from season to season.

The salads dressings are Japanese-style, homemade, vegan and made with all-natural ingredients. 

Vegan Salad (Tofu)

The vegan salad with the fried tofu has chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, carrot, red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, corn, edamame, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mix greens. It is paired with their Pink Beet-licious dressing.

The salad is best poured into a large bowl and mixed up. I put them in really big bowl and I was surprised at the portion size. You can eat it by yourself and be really really full or share among the table.

Protein Salad (Chicken)

The protein salad with chicken has chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, carrot, red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, corn, edamame, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mix greens. It is paired with their Sesame Street dressing.

This dressing was very good! My favourite of the two just because I really love sesame flavours. The combination of textures and flavours worked very well.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to get back to a healthy diet, Kawaii Salads might spark that habit. For me, I’ve been eating way too much fried chicken and sweets during the pandemic that I really miss salad now. The prices are fair and you can do pick up or delivery in Vancouver.

If you do have a sweet tooth, Kawaii Salads also sell cookies and brownies too. They are Japanese flavoured and also less sweet.

Website:
https://www.kawaiisalad.ca/

Address:
1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Takenaka Vancouver specializes in Japanese Bento Boxes to go. They craft these beautiful boxes using a combination of fresh local and Japanese ingredients. It’s not easy opening up a business during this pandemic, but these take out bento boxes are perfect for this time of year. With more picnics and get togethers during phase 3, these are a great way to feed small to large groups. They also have plans of launching their food truck and catering services soon too.

Owner and Chef Shogo Takenaka has spent the last 15 years at Kingyo Izakaya and Raisu showcasing his culinary talent. Both locations are known for their ornate bento boxes.

We were invited to try out their popular Family-sized bento boxes.

Pick Up and Delivery

You can order pick up at the Coho Commissary on East Georgia in Vancouver. When you get there, just call and they will bring out your order.

If you opt for delivery, they have partnered up with Uber Eats, Door Dash, Ordereze and Fantuan. You just need to be in the delivery zone.

Family-Size Deluxe Seafood Bowl

This is their stunning deluxe seafood bowl that serves 4-6 people. It comes on their bed of original sushi rice mix topped with sashimi, seafood cubes, egg, ikura, veggies, and spot prawns or uni depending on the season. They provide soy sauce and wasabi to go with the big bowl. It’s more like a sushi pizza or a platter. It is then topped with gold flakes for some extra bling.

I love how they use seasonal seafood to keep this as fresh as possible. They do recommend bring a cooler if you are travelling long distances to make sure it stays cool.

There is a lot of rice so you have to make sure you don’t grab too much sashimi and leave all the rice. It’s all about the ratio. This bento is definitely filling and you will want the soy sauce and wasabi to add a bit more flavour the dish.

If you don’t want want to go deluxe with the seafood, there is also the Family-size Seafood Bara Chirashi which is cheaper.

Family-Size TAKENAKA Special A La Carte Set

If you want more cooked items instead of raw seafood, this family-size TAKENAKA special A La Carte set is a great option. This also is great for sharing with 4-6 people. Chef chooses what goes in it and it’s usually a sampler of items from their menu.

Our set had these items and may change:

  • Chicken karaage
  • Ebi mayo
  • Sashimi Salad
  • Omakase Aburi Sushi
  • Pickled vegetables
  • Ramen eggs

If you wait too long, the karaage and the ebi mayo will go limp because of the moisture in the box. We put it in the oven to reheat and it did the trick. I thought this set was a great way to try the different items on the menu and it’s quite affordable.

This box was eaten up very quickly and our favourite items of it was the chicken karaage and ebi mayo. Can’t go wrong with fried goodness.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t have such a large group of people to feed, they have smaller bento boxes and salads as well. I really enjoyed these family-sized options as we are always with immediate family, so sharing food isn’t a concern as we see each other daily. Everything is very fresh and made to order.

Address:
1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://takenakavancouver.com/

KitKat Chocolatory has closed their in-store experiences due to Covid-19, but that doesn’t stop Canadians from ordering a special box of special edition KitKats to indulge in.

For Mother’s Day, my husband ordered me a gift box of 4 KitKat Chocolatory exclusive flavours from their online store. Each bar is handmade in Canada, which is great to hear.

Spring Shortcake

This special KitKat is made with berry flavoured white chocolate with freeze-dried strawberries and shortbread. I liked the textures of the strawberries and shortbread. It wasn’t too sweet and let the aroma of the strawberries shine.

Raspberry, Be Mine

This KitKat has dark chocolate with raspberries and cacao nibs. I really liked this. Cacao nibs grave it a nice texture and crunch, which the raspberries were fragrant. Highly recommended.

Totally, Butter Tart

This special edition KitKat has milk chocolate with pecans, shortbread cookies and toffee. This one was a bit sweet for me and I felt the toffee really sticks to your teeth afterwards.

Delightfully, Coffee, and Donuts

This ones has donut flavoured milk chocolate with ground coffee and sprinkles. The dominant flavour is the donut with a hint of vanilla to compliment the coffee. This KitKat has a lot going on and was sweet compared to the other ones.

Final Thoughts

I love eating KitKat, so this was fun trying the new exclusive flavours. There are 2 more that we didn’t get – Stop & Smell the Roses and Ruby, I’m Yours.

At $8 per bar, it’s not cheap, but it’s not available anywhere else. My favourite were the Spring Shortcake and Raspberry, Be Mine.

Website:
https://www.madewithnestle.ca/kitkat-chocolatory

Everything at Railtown Cafe and Catering is housemade and they strive to use premium, local, and organic ingredients where possible.

They have their new take out meal program, which is available for pick up and delivery at the Granville or Railway St locations. Their current promotion is when you purchase 5 meals you get the 6th free.

We got a sneak peek at a few of the items on the take out meal menu at Railtown.

Heat-and-Serve Meals

Their heat-and-serve meals are a great option for yourself or to gift others. There’s a little something for everyone.

Chicken and Roasted Mushroom Rigatoni with madeira cream.

Smoked Turkey Pot Pie with spring vegetables and puff pastry (deconstructed).

Mom’s Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and country gravy. 

Traditional Lasagna, bolognese, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil.

Poached Salmon and quinoa salad with roasted mediterranean vegetables, and citrus herb dressing.

Chicken and Rib Combo, white and dark meat, slow cooked baby back ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and caesar salad.

Four Cheese Lasagna with spinach and house made ricotta (vegetarian).

Neha’s Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Curry with basmati rice (vegan).

Bread

What I was surprised to learn about Railtown is that they have a great bread program. They have demi focaccia, demi baguette, and ciabatta bun for sale. I didn’t know this and when we tried the focaccia and baguette, we really enjoyed it.

Seasonal Ice Cream Flavours

For their Spring/Summer ice cream flavours, there are:

  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate brownie
  • Pistachio
  • Burnt honey almond
  • Cold press coffee
  • Caramel corn
  • Lemon creme fraiche
  • Peach sweet tea
  • Passion fruit sorbet
  • Strawberry sorbet

Final Thoughts

It’s another option for take out that you can just heat up quickly without any fuss. The bread was very very good and we would definitely order that again. The portion sizes are great for an individual and will fill you up.

Address:
97 Railway St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://railtowncafe.ca/features/

Tim Hortons in Canada is releasing their DIY Mother’s Dream Day Donut Kits until May 12, 2020. They are the first large fast food company to make a DIY Kit that brings the family together to recreate a classic item on the menu.

As Canadians love their donuts, the DIY Donuts is great for families to gather around the table to create their best donut creation. Whether you are near or far from the mother figure in your life during the Covid-19 Pandemic, there’s always a Tim Hortons close by.

What’s inside?

Each DIY Donut kit contain:

  • 6 plain doughnuts
  • 1 container of chocolate buttercream icing
  • 1 container of vanilla buttercream icing
  • 1 container of colour confetti sprinkles
  • 1 container of chocolate chips.

Instead of making your own donuts, they have the donuts ready for you.

How much is it?

The kit is $9.99 in most locations across Canada, but prices can vary.

Final Thoughts

If you’re comfortable going out to pick up this DIY Mother’s Day Dream Donut Kit from Tim Hortons, you’ll have a fun time with the family without messing up the kitchen at home.

Website:
https://www.timhortons.ca/

With Covid-19 Pandemic, we are all cooped up at home with no where to go. We have been sending out a lot of gifts to family and friends to make these time a little bit more cheerful. I’ve been sending out a lot of pastries, but not coffee since drinks are a bit harder to deliver.

Luckily, Starbucks and Uber Eats is making it easier to send some much needed caffeine and treats to that special someone. The new ‘Share This Delivery’ feature launched on Uber Eats.

You submit the order like any other delivery, but make sure you know your friend’s address ahead of time. You wouldn’t want to accidentally send the order to yourself.

‘Share This Delivery’ feature

After placing a Starbucks delivery on Uber Eats, you will be prompted to share the delivery. Once selected, your friend will receive a tracking link as well as the option to include a message that they can share through text or email.It’s a great way to track the delivery without your friend wondering how many minutes they have until it arrives.

Uber Eats Tracking Link via Text
Uber Eats Tracking Link via Email
Starbucks Contactless Delivery

Starbucks is also providing a $0 delivery fee for a limited time (taxes/fees apply) with Uber Eats. 

New to Uber Eats? Use promo code ‘eats-diana20225ue’ for $5 off a $15 order.

Alternatively, you can also order ahead and pay using the Starbucks app and pick up the order from a barista at the door or at the drive-thru.

A classic tradition in our household is to go get brunch for Mother’s Day as we celebrate around the table stuffing our face full of food. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 Pandemic, we must celebrate a little bit differently this year.

Glowbal has found a way to bring the buffet experience to you. They have created their Mother’s Day Brunch at Home for $60 and it serves 2. My mom loves buffets and is probably obsessed. She’s the types of person that will browse through the buffet slowly and makes sure she tries everything. This usually takes up the entire time limit of our seating. It’s kinda cute.

How to Order

You can pre-order for pick up by Saturday, May 9th by:

  • Calling 604-602-0835
  • Emailing info@glowbalgroup.com

They also do delivery via UberEats, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash on Sunday, May 10th.

What’s Included?

Brunch Items

  • Classic Eggs Benedict with Honey Ham & Hollandaise Sauce
  • Smoked Salmon Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce
  • Classic Hash Browns with Parmesan Cheese & Fresh Herbs
  • Roasted Leek & Fennel Sausage

Carving Station

  • Carved US Prime Striploin, Crusted with Pommery Mustard & Fresh Herbs
  • Slow Oven Roasted Porchetta with Fennel Seeds, Roasted Candied Garlic & Honey Rosemary

Lunch Items

  • Rigatoni Pommodoro with Fresh Basil, Roasted Tomatoes & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Homemade Gnocchi Tossed in Pesto Cream & Sundried Tomatoes

Seafood & Salad Station

  • Chilled Snow Crab
  • Poached Tiger Prawns
    **Served with Cocktail Sauce & Lemon
  • Slice of Sockeye Smoked Salmon
  • Baby Mixed Greens
  • Quinoa Salad
  • Pasta Salad

Breakfast Pastry Station

  • Assorted Loaves & Miniature Muffins
  • Baby Sugared Donuts
  • Mini Tiramisu
  • Mini Assorted Pastries 
  • Chocolate Nibs

Mimosa To Go

They also have Mimosas To Go for $30, which contains a bottle of bubble and orange juice to complete the meal.

Final Thoughts

It’s a great selection of buffet items for 2. You can pop it in the oven or microwave to reheat when it gets home. We found that more than 2 people can enjoy this great Mother’s Day Buffet as not everyone will want a piece of everything. It’s a great price and the quality is there. I personally loved the carving station because I love meat. My mom loved the seafood as per usual.

Definitely pre-order with Glowbal ahead of time to ensure you have your Mother’s Day Buffet for 2 ready.

Address:
590 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.glowbalgroup.com/glowbal/