Event Archives - Page 8 of 9

In British Columbia

24th Annual Port and Chocolate Vancouver: Recap

October 19, 2015

The 24th annual Port and Chocolate Tasting in Vancouver hosted by Liberty Wine Merchants at Vancouver Rowing Club featured an array of ports and local chocolatiers from Vancouver. Tickets cost $29.99 and all proceeds went to the Vancouver Rowing Club to benefit amateur sports.

I was invited by Liberty Wine Merchants to enjoy the delicious port and chocolates they had to offer. I thought it would be fun to try all the different varieties of port since I just came back from the Okanagan.

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Featured Ports from:

Gonzales Byaas
Backyard Vineyards
Elephant Island Orchard Wines
Hester Creek
Rollingdale Winery
Gambrinus Elisir
The View Winery
Niepoort Vinhos
Heitz Cellar
Chateau Aydie
Dacalada Clemente
Smith Woodhouse LBV
Quinta

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Decadent Chocolates by:

Koko Monk
Zimt
ChocolaTas
Euro-Excellence
Eat It Up

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Representation by:

Andrew Peller Imports
Appelation Wine Marketing
Bacchus Group
Liberty Wine Imports
Lifford Wine & Spirits
Pacific Wine & Spirits
Mark Anthony
Peacock and Martin
Rollingdale Winery
Vino Allegro
and Vintage Corks LTD

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Port Wine is typically a sweet red wine served as a dessert wine, though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. In a sense it’s kinda like ice wine but originating from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. Of course it doesn’t need to come from Portugal since more and more countries are producing it like Canada, Australia, and other places.

I found the event was a great way to taste the different kinds of ports plus meet those who are producing the wine.

The taste varied from booth to booth, but I found for myself that I enjoyed the white varieties a lot more. Rollingdale Winery from BC, had 5 different ice wines and a Rollingdale Port.

To go with all the Port, chocolate seemed fitting and they brought together some cool chocolatiers like Chocolatas with their samples of salted caramels.

Their chocolates are quite pretty too.

There was a lot more Port booths than chocolate booths, but that was a good balance as you only can have so many sweet things after dinner.

There was even Hot Masala and Pink Pepper chocolates. Pretty cool varieties.

There was definitely no shortage of alcohol here. One of my favourites was the Quails Gate Optima for a dessert wine.

Koko Monk Chocolates had a lot of beautiful chocolates and the owners did a taste test by giving attendees a mysterious ganche and made us guess the flavours. I thought this was interesting since you are making your taste buds do all the work.

Overall, it was a good night for trying different ports and chocolates. I’m a newbie when it comes to wine, so this was a good chance to try a variety of them in one place. I went with my sister who really appreciates wine and she was so busy making sure they were available at the nearby liquor stores.

Website:
http://libertywinemerchants.com/

In Downtown

#Gastropost100: Celebration of Food and Drink

July 28, 2015

Have you wondered why people on Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr tag their food pictures with #gastropost? We’re not crazy, there’s a reason behind it.

Gastropost brings food lovers together by featuring weekly food missions where anyone with an internet connection to participate in submitting their yummy photos based on the mission. Your photos can be featured on their website or even the Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers if you’re in Vancouver. They also have this in Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.

Gastropost Vancouver celebrated their 100th mission by throwing a party at Yew Seafood + Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel. To appreciate Vancouver Gastroposters dedication to the weekly mission, they invited this fun community to snack and enjoy. Eating is what we do best. Nom. Nom. Nom.

For me, it was a great time meeting other fellow Instagramers in Vancouver. We always see each others photos of yummy food online but finally get a chance to meet IRL.

It’s always fun to see everyone pull out their cameras when a new dish arrived on the table. Everyone has their own awesome way of taking photos. There was a mix of smartphones, mirrorless cameras and DSLRs. You don’t need fancy equipment to make food look good.

Yew put together a bunch of delicious snacks featuring OceanWise Seafood and man, were they delicious. You can find some of the items on their regular menu.

Samuel Adams was featuring 3 of their beers – Summer Ale, Rebel IPA, and their signature Boston Lager. They were the exclusive beer sponsor for the event.

I personally love the Summer Ale as it is the lightest on of the 3 beers. The crispy citrus notes pair very well with the OceanWise seafood that was on the menu especially crab, tuna, shrimp and scallops. Refreshing too. I’m personally a beer drinking and prefer it over wine and cocktails.

You can’t have a party without beer right?

Seared Scallop with a Vanilla Bean dressing was one of my favourites. This scallop was pretty large. I couldn’t help but have a few of these.

Albacore Tuna with smoked sea salt and lime soy sesame. Delicious and nicely seared on the outside.

Humpback Shrimp is local and sustainable right from BC. The shrimp is served on a wooden spoon and has a lemon aioli sauce.

You couldn’t just have one…

Dungeness Crab Tacos with red miso, honey, radish and avocados. Another sustainable seafood and it’s on Yew’s regular menu. I love the crunch of the shell and then the delicious crab meat is inside. So good!

Green Garbanzo Bean Relish with parmesan cheese 2 way with cashew nuts. A delicious bite and I loved the parmesan!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho was a shot of the summer.

Executive Chef Ned Bell talked briefly about why it’s so important to support sustainable seafood and bring more awareness to OceanWise and SeaChoice. We only have one ocean and limited species of seafood, if we continue to over fish, our future generations may not be able to experience the same seafoods that we have access to now.

I would like to continue having Spot Prawns every year until I am an old granny.

After devouring all the delicious sustainable seafood, we all chatted the night away drinking and enjoying the other snacks that we spread around the room.

Finger food and alcohol is the best. The Samuel Adams Boston Lager paired better with these as there is a nice balance between the malted barley and hops. There is also a crisp refreshing feeling with a good amount of carbonation.

Mini BC Blueberry tarts with housemade vanilla bean soft serve were passed around to end off the night with a sweet treat.

There definitely was no shortage of beer, it just kept on coming.

Fresita is a sparkling wine from Chile. You will notice the distinct aromas of strawberry, cherry and citrus. Nice and refreshing.

Everyone there was Tweeting and Instagramming away.

Gastropost Alberta Community Manager -Brittney Le Blanc and Gastropost Vancouver Community Manager – Adelina Wong kick off the night thanking and recognizing all the awesome Gastroposters in the room.

Cheers to a great night and many more to come.

If you missed the first 100 missions, don’t worry, there are more! Just follow Gastropost Vancouver on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter to find out what are the next missions. If you don’t have those social media accounts, you can still participate and submit pictures through the website. Sign up for email notifications when the next mission begins.

Website: http://vancouver.gastropost.com/

In British Columbia

Vancouver Food Cart Fest: Every Sunday, All Summer Long

June 29, 2015

Food Cart Fest is Vancouver’s biggest celebration of street food and they are returning for a fourth year with more food carts and expanded entertainment programming that includes a live-music patio.

It goes on every Sunday during the summer from June 28th to September 6th, 2015 during the hours of 12pm -5pm.

The Food Cart Fest is located between the Cambie Bridge and Olympic Village. It’s easily accessible by transit.

Admission is $2.50, but there are ways to get in for free:

Free for Vancity Members
Free with a non-perishable donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society
Free for children 13 and under
Free for seniors 65 and over

Travelling on a bike and not sure where to keep it secure? There’s free bike valet so you don’t need to worry about your bike being stolen.

Food Trucks and Food Vendors

Every week the food truck vendors do switch up, so keep an eye out for which ones will be there.

The list includes:

There’s probably others that aren’t on this list.

Be ready for lineups! The most popular food carts like Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Tacofino will constantly have long lines. Especially during the hot summer weather, make sure you have sun screen on or a really big hat.

The Food

Lets be real, food is really the main attraction and everyone needs a bite of the Vancouver Food Cart Scene. I love food carts and summer is a great time to see them out and about at special events.

Mogu Japanese Street Eats serves up Japanese inspired burgers and their famous chicken karaage. You can also find them at the Richmond Night Market as well as their usual location in Downtown during the weekday.

Ebi Katsu has a breaded deep-fried prawn patty, house made Japanese tartar sauce, and lettuce. That patty is loaded with shrimp! Definitely try it out.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Karaage has marinated deep-fried chicken topped with their house made sweet chili sauce. A crowd favourite!

Dougie Dog serves up all-natural gourmet hot dogs. You may have heard of them because they made an unsuccessful pitch on Dragons Den.

La Mexicana Hot Dog has guacamole, salsa, bacon, jalapeño peppers, and topped with cheddar cheese. It was pretty spicy because of the hot dog and the jalapeño peppers, but the guacamole balances it out a bit more to cool off the initial spicy taste.

Johnny’s Pops is always a popular option for awesome popsicles! Make sure to grab some quickly because they sold out before 3pm on opening day. I waited too long and wanted it to be the last thing I ate here, but I was too late.

Don’t forget to take a photo of it first! Photo first! Eat second!

Don’t forget to stay hydrated. They have their odd booth called “World of Drinks”. Drinks range from $2 – $4.50.

Summer Patio

New this year is the summer patio with live music and alcoholic drinks. It is 19+, so make sure you have ID. They try to showcase the best craft beer and wine the province has to offer.

There are lots of tables and seats available in the area.

You just need to buy drink tickets to be able to sample the drinks. They are around $5.

While I was here, there was Maui Brewing Co, Laurelwood Public House & Brewery and Redhook Ale Brewery. Also Summerhill Pyramid Winery, River Stone Estate Winery and Bombay Sapphire.

I’m sure there will be a rotating selection of craft beers, wine and liqueurs.

Activities

Of course there is more to the food cart fest than just eating. They have included a few fun activities to keep you occupied like life-sized connect 4!

Super-sized checkers game.

They have big jenga too! These 3 games are all located inside the huge shady tent.

Ping Pong

An imitation beach with a live DJ.

The East Side Flea

They were here for the opening weekend. There are a variety of vendors selling some pretty neat stuff.

I’m not 100% if they will be back again, but you can check out their future locations on their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/eastsideflea

The food cart fest is a zero waste event and they try to divert as much waste away from landfills as possible. With the amount of garbage generated, it’s not great for the environment if we just chuck it all away. Last year the festival was able to run for 11 weeks, diverting 93% of the waste generated onsite. Thats pretty damn awesome.

I was actually quite confused how to separate my waste, but there’s usually someone around to guide you.

Overall, it is a fun Summer event in Vancouver. It’s a great way to hit a bunch of food carts at once all in one place. I did find on the opening day that the line up to enter the food cart festival was long and also certain line ups to the popular food trucks were also long. Paying an entrance fee and then paying for food seems a bit off since food trucks are all over the city on the weekday. Luckily, there are options for free entry.

This event isn’t for everyone. If you hate the sunny weather and hate lines, this isn’t the event for you.

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by the Food Cart Fest organizers for a media preview to sample some food and also I am an employee of Vancity. I ensure you that all thoughts are my own.

Address:
215 W 1st Ave (between the Cambie Bridge and Olympic Village).

Website:
http://www.foodcartfest.com/

In Chinatown

Okanagan Spring Brewmasters Dinner at Mamie Taylor’s

May 31, 2015

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner at Mamie Taylors a few days ago. The event celebrates the start of Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the launch of Okanagan Spring’s new Sonder Hefeweizen.

As a beer lover, I’m always intrigued by the different pairings with food and how it can transform a dish.

Okanagan Spring brewmaster Stefan Tobler along with Chef Tobias Grignon from Mamie Taylor’s walked us through the 4 course meal.

At our table setting, we had the menu, a bottle opener, and some glasses.

Beer Caesar was the first drink that came to all the tables, it uses Okanagan Spring 1516 Bavarian Lager as it’s base. I’ve never had a caesar with beer before, but it definitely adds a light crisp finish to the end of your sip.

Okanagan Spring Pale Ale is my absolute favourite beer! It’s clear and copper coloured, it is fruity on the palate and hearty in hops with a nice, round finish. It’s very light and fruity, so thats why I enjoy it.

They paired the Pale Ale with a Tuna Smokie with fennelkraut and dijonaise. Beer and Hot Dogs go together duh! The flavour of the tuna smokie was phenomenal and that bun had great texture.

Okanagan Spring Sounder Hefeweizen is their newest beer. It is natural, unfiltered and crisp. The golden coloured German-style wheat beer is made with a unique yeast strain that gives it a malty aroma and subtle banana-clove flavours with a dry, yet refreshing finish.

Cornmeal fried rock fish with cajun spices, orange, fennel, parsley and old bay aioli. The rock fish really crispy on the outside and then the meat was quite dense but still a tad juicy.

Okanagan Spring Cloudy Amber Ale starts with a floral, hoppy taste followed by caramel malt tones, making it a well-balanced brew. It is a hazy deep amber colour and kept unfiltered for a unique cloud on the pour.

I found this beer to be quite strong and hoppy. It’s not the typical beer I would normally drink.

Slow Roasted Porchetta with roasted apples, polenta, and a olive & herb puree. I found the porchetta quite dry, but the polenta and the puree were very enjoyable. Plus, the skin on the porchetta was so crunchy and enjoyable.

Okanagan Spring Porter has a rich, full flavour. It is nearly black in colour with a creamy head and a nose reminiscent of a dry stout. Not for the faint of heart, this is a beer for dark beer lovers. It has a slight chocolate tasting finish to the beer.

Brown Sugar Cake with a custard made with Okanagan Spring Porter. I love brown sugar cake and such a sweet dessert goes well with a dark beer.

With all the beers I’ve tasted tonight, my top 2 favourites are Pale Ale and Porter.

Overall, it was a great event to meet other beer lovers out in Vancouver and try the different varieties of beer that Okanagan Spring produces. It was a great way to start Vancouver Craft Beer Week ( May 29th till June 7th).

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by a PR agency to attend the event with a few other bloggers. The service and food is not representative of their usual dining experience since it was a special event.

Website: http://okspring.com/

In Brewery

Whistler Village Beer Festival 2014: Recap

September 17, 2014

Whistler Village Beer Festival is a 4 day event of tastings, workshops, awards, and cask showdowns. The main tasting festival event was on Saturday and was open to the public with over 200 types of beer and 62 breweries. The event attracted over 3,500 people!

It was held in the Whistler Olympic Plaza surrounded by grass, trees, and mountains. What better place would you rather have a beer in hand? It’s really a beautiful location.

Early Bird tickets were $30, General admission was $35 and GateCrasher Tickets were $45. The only difference is that GateCrashers get early access to the festival grounds one hour before it officially opens.

Your ticket includes:

WVBF Novelty Mug (4oz)
5 beer tokens
$5 off-site food voucher

If you want additional beer tokens, you can purchase them during the event for $1.50 each.

There were long waits right when the event opened up, so it’s best to be a GateCrasher to get early entry if you hate waits.

The breweries that were in attendance were:

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Bowen Island Brewing
Stanley Park
BrewHouse – High Mountain Brewing Company
SteamWorks Brewing Co.
Red Racer
Whistler Brewing Co.
Dead Frog Brewery
Lighthouse Brewing Company
Deepcover Brewers and Distillers
Parallel 49
Driftwood Brewery
Old Yale Brewing Co
Granville Island Brewing
Canuck Empire
House Sound Brewing
Four Winds Brewing Co

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At each booth, they have a selection of beer for you to taste. Just exchange one of the beer tokens for a sample. Having a taste of new beers really gives you a sense of what type of beers you enjoy the most.

I discovered I don’t like beers with a high IBU rating, like IPA. I do enjoy lighter beers or fruity beers. At the Samuel Adams booth, a beer that I enjoyed was the Summer Ale, which has a crisp taste with a hint of lemon flavour. I know, I’m such a girl when it comes to beer. I’m looking for good beers that will pair well with my weekly fried chicken trips.

Talking to the people at each booth was great to learn more about the beer as well.

There is also live music too. This little group of four dressed up in their lederhosen, played some fun music that went well with the festival.

Most of the music played was German Oompah-style music. What better songs to have at a beer fest right?

They also had a section with beer keg art from artists. Some of them looked pretty awesome!

Of course the crowd needed some snack to help them drink more beer! There were a few food trucks and vendors in the area served up pies, pizza, and pretzels. There are also tons of restaurants in the Village if you need a beer break.

They also have a few water stations if you need to rinse your mug or just keep hydrated.

Prost! The Whister Village Beer Festival is great for beer newbies and beer experts! Fun for all those who are over the age of 19. M and I definitely had fun.

What would you do for the love of beer? Travel a few hours to go to a Beer Fest, thats what we did! Plus, some booths had a cool swag like beer openers! Samuel Adams had a cool one with their slogan – For the love of beer.

The next Whistler Village Beer Festival is set for September 17 to 20, 2015. So, keep an eye open for tickets to go on sale next year.

In British Columbia

Vancouver Food Cart Fest 2014: Last Day Today

August 31, 2014

Vancouver Food Cart Fest gathers about 20 of the top food carts in Vancouver. It happens every Sunday near the Olympic Village till August 31st. If you haven’t made it down there yet, it’s their last weekend! It runs from 12pm till 5pm. Entrance is free to Vancity and Car2go members, this year it is also free with a non-perishable food donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Or else, you have to pay $2 for the entrance fee.

Some of the participating food carts include:

Blue Smoke BBQ
Aussie Pie Guy
Chili Tank
Didi’s Greek
Dougie Dog
Festro the Rolling Bistro
Finest at Sea
Guanaco Salvadoran Cuisine
Holy Perogy
JJ’s Trucketeria
The Juice Truck
The Kaboom Box
Le Tigre
Mogu Japanese Street Eats
Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck
PazzaRella
Roaming Dragon
Soho Road
Street Meet
Tacofino
Taser Grilled Cheese
The Reef Runner
Vij’s Railway Express
Yolks

Not all of them are there at the same time, but you can always check with the Vancouver Street Food App to see who’s there.

Le Tigre is there and they serve up modern Chinese food. They always serve up some pretty amazing food, so I just had to stop by to have some.

BBQ Pulled Pork Steamed Bun has BBQ sauce, leaf lettuce, cabbage slaw, and fresh herbs.

Crack Salad has cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lemon juice, cracked chili, capers and parmesan. It reminds me of the brussel sprouts from The Flying Pig. This was a tad oily, but it was really good and addictive.

Johnny Pops was there and they are one of the most popular little carts there. They have delicious artisan popsicles. Most of the fruits and ingredients are locally sourced and made in Vancouver .

Mixed Berries and Mint Popsicle was absolutely fantastic. Great for the hot summer weather and packed full of flavour.

Some food carts definitely have long lines and with the hot summer weather, it can be a bit of a pain. Since the Food Cart Fest is open till 5pm, try avoiding the busy times around noon. I came here around 2pm and the lines were quite manageable.

There are white tents in the centre to eat your food in the shade. On hot busy days, everyone wants be be under there. You may need to stalk people for tables.

Website: http://www.foodcartfest.com/

In Downtown

EAT! Vancouver 2014: Food + Cooking Festival

May 31, 2014

EAT! Vancouver is a food and cooking festival held in BC Place on May 30th till June 1st, 2014. Adult admission is $15 and a lot of people wonder if it’s worth it. There are tons of exhibitors around, celebrity chefs and a few seminars to attend. To get the full experience, you should plan a few hours here to make sure you check out the Food Network Celebrity stage and the cheese seminars. Take a look at the schedule online on their website to plan it out.

Here are some old write ups about the past few EAT! Vancouver festivals that I’ve been to:

The Dairy Farmers of Canada host cheese seminars and demonstrations throughout the day. This particular image was for Friday evening, so the times change each day.

The seminars fit about 80 people and are always full by the time it starts. If you have some time to kill, might as well learn a bit and try a bunch of cheeses.

If you don’t have time to do a seminar, you can always stop by their tables of cheese samplers. They have so many cheeses to sample! Blue cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, havarti, etc.

If you are a Food Network fan, you must go to the Celebrity Stage! You might be able to catch Rob Feenie, Chuck Hughes, Lynn Crawford, Vikram Vij and Ned Bell.

On Friday evening, I got a change to see Vikram Vij!

The Bites area is where there are a few restaurants serving up appetizer portions of their signature items. You need to purchase tasting tickets to be able to redeem them for the food.

These restaurants include:

Basil Pasta Bar
Beavertails Pastry
Bella Gelateria
Café Kathmandu
Dunn’s Famous Restaurant
Gramercy Grill
Jamaican Pizza Jerk
Max’s Restaurant – Cuisine of the Philippines
Pacific Bottleworks Company
The Glowbal Collection

I actually find this list a bit small because in past years, they would have a lot more options.

The area was a bit sparse and disappointing. I was waiting to see what options there were before purchasing tasting tickets, but I decided not to.

The booths were similar to past years, you will find some of the bigger booths offering a large amount of samples. Bosa Foods is always my favourite!

You can sample food and buy some products.

They even make lattes for free.

Urban Fare always has a nice display and this year its a bit larger. There are chocolate samples, caviar, and a few other items.

They also have a corner for exotic fruits to purchase. Square watermelon, mangosteen, etc.

Liberte has a large truck and lots of people were lining up since you get a lot of yogurt.

They let you have one opened package and 4 additional ones to take home!

If you want more yogurt, Oikos has a truck as well.

You choose your flavour of yogurt ad granola toppings of your choice.

Lots of samples to be had at the vendors.

Some places even have discounted products, which is great.

Even Starbucks makes an appearance with their Refreshers.

Overall, this year’s EAT! Vancouver experience was alright. If you have been to ones in the past, you really aren’t missing out on much.

Website: http://www.eat-vancouver.com/

In British Columbia

2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival Recap

March 14, 2014

If you’re not a seasoned wine enthusiast, going to the Vancouver International Wine Festival can feel like an overwhelming thing. Thinking back, intimidated would be a good word to describe my experience in 2013. Eek!

While the set up was similar to last year, there was one thing that the organizing committee did differently that also worked to ease the nerves of those that might not know where to start. When you enter the room, you get the option to take a short quiz to help you find your style of wine. The different styles were represented by coloured circles that appeared on the signs above each vendor. That way, people could see from a distance which styles of wine each maker created.

One of my friends took the quiz and at the end, I did notice that he did tended to gravitate towards the more rich, complex full-bodied wines by the end of the night.

The theme of this year was France with a focus on “bubbles” so the first section of the tasting room was all about France. The second half of the room were the vendors from other countries.

I think that when people think of French wines, big expensive names pop up in our minds like Lafite. I’ve got to admit that I’ve been influenced by friends to try specific bottles but with wine, all you really have to do is trust your taste buds. It doesn’t really matter how much it costs but what matters most is, did you like it?

Aside from just the tasting room sessions, I was also lucky enough to be able to attend one of their many wine seminars offered throughout the week – France: Find your Style. The seminar was led by Angela Aiello and featured a panel of 10 representatives from wineries. Starting from the light whites to the full-bodied reds, the group was taken through a tasty journey through each region. The passion of the winemakers was so evident and it made me realize that wine really is an art to them.

As a consumer, not all works will appeal to you but once you find your style, you start knowing what to look for. So as someone who’s looking to learn more about wine, I found it useful to write down what you liked and what you didn’t like. Also try to pick out the smells and flavours in each sniff or sip!

Here’s what I found noteworthy to my palette:

Chateau du Cleray Muscadet 2012 (France)
Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, smells of sweet apples and pineapples. Also very crisp and refreshing to drink. It smells a lot sweeter than it tastes.
Taiitinger champagne brut reserve (France)
Wow, talk about bubbles. The tiny bubbles just dance on your tongue. Very easy to drink. Thoughts point to lemon, apples, and white flowers.

A German wine producer to look out for coming soon to BC liquor stores are a few rieslings from Schloss and Johannisberg.

There’s no better place than the Vancouver Wine Festival for trying new things. What’s also great is that you can buy some exclusive wines not yet offered in BC Liquor Stores! So if you liked a specific bottle, be sure to check if it’s exclusive to the Wine Festival store.

Looking forward to 2015’s focus on Australia! In the meantime, drink and be merry. 🙂

Website: http://www.vanwinefest.ca/

In Downtown

Mosaic Grille & Bar: Taiwanese Tasting Menu

February 10, 2014

Chef Thomas Heinrich is back at it again with more Chef Tasting Menus. This time, he focuses around Taiwanese cuisine after his recent adventures in Taiwan for Taste Taiwan Culinary Contest.

His menu isn’t trying to imitate Taiwanese cuisine, but take the flavour characteristics and put a West Coast twist to his dishes. I was a bit nervous and curious in trying the menu because I had no idea what to expect.

From January 17th till February 13th, you can indulge in the 4 course Taiwanese Tasting Menu for $45.

Fish ball with scallion and pork dust
Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod
5 spiced braised pork belly
Pineapple cake

For an extra $20, you can have the wine pairing that go with each course.

The wines included are:

Gray Monk Riesling
Cedar Creek Chardonnay
Rosemount Estate Shiraz
Hester Creek Pinot Blank

When I think about Taiwanese cuisine and alcohol, the first thing that comes to my mind is beer. Taiwanese beer is pretty damn awesome. Having wine is a nice twist and definitely sets the mood especially with their amazing view of Burrard street. Makes it more romantic.

Complimentary bread arrived at the table and there were rolls and multigrain bread.

Fish Ball Soup with Scallion and pork dust was quite a surprise. The broth is made of ground pork and ginger. Very aromatic and full of flavour. Pretty good broth.

The fish balls were made of ling cod and scallop. Once you taste these, it will blow your mind. Normal fish balls from the grocery store don’t compare to these fish balls. The texture was light and fluffy and absorbed the broth well.

Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod is beautifully presented. This dish also has ginger, green onion, lemon vinegar fluid gel and the peanut mochi balls. The cod was cooked perfectly and the tea was not overpowering. It added a nice subtle flavour to the fish.

My favourite part of the dish was actually the peanut mochi balls. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly was the ultimate test of mastering the Taiwanese flavour. It has licorice root, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel seed and baby leeks. The pork belly was a very large portion! Once you slice some and put it in your mouth, it just melts in your mouth. The pork belly they used a good cut! The marbled layers are just beautiful.

Pineapple Cake has a kiwi sauce, black sesame ice cream and a starfruit chip.

Once you cut into the pineapple cake, the beautiful filling inside is revealed. My favourite part of this dish was the sesame ice cream, oh man, thats good stuff.

Overall, I was very impressed by the tasting menu. The way he fuses the use of fresh and local ingredients with the Taiwanese flavour profile really was a winner. M and I left really full and happy.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/

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In Bakery

Hot Chocolate Festival: Terra Breads

January 29, 2014

Terra breads is participating in the 4th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival put on by City Food Magazine. From January 18th till February 14th. The event is a fundraiser that supports the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Centre program of PHS Community Service Society and East Van Roasters. It’s really a great cause and I would highly encourage people to go out there and grab some hot chocolate.

There are many more restaurants and shops participating:

Beaucoup Bakery
Bel Cafe
Bella Gelateria
Blenz
Chocolate Arts
Chocolaterie De La Nouvelle
Cocoa Nymph
East Van Roasters
French Made Baking
Gem Chocolates
KoKo Monk Chocolates
Last Crumb Cafe
Leonidas
Mink Chocolates and Cafe
Schokolade Artisan Chocolate
Soirette Macarons and Tea
Terra Breads
Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe
Thomas Haas
UVA Wine Bar

I went to grab a hot chocolate from Terra Breads as it is a few minutes from my work.

‘Call me a Cab’ Hot Chocolate ($4.95) has cacao barry extra brute hot chocolate with cabernet, cinnamon and pear.

I liked the combination of flavours and didn’t really taste alcoholic at all.

It is served with a pear crisp and a cocoa sugar cookie. Very nice touch! Terra Breads always creates some awesome variation of hot chocolate. Last year, they had the Stand Up and Stout, which was hot chocolate and beer.

Address:
1605 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.terrabreads.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1605+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2715469,-123.106828&sspn=0.0053762,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1605+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+3B7&z=16″]

In British Columbia

Dine Out Vancouver: Street Food City III

January 23, 2014

Street Food City is back for the third time brings together a plethora of Vancouver Food truck in one convenient location. It’s been very successful in the past years and keep coming back. I remember my first time here in 2012 when I got some Hot Chocolate from the Juice Truck.

The event is completely free and they feature a bunch of food trucks from January 22 to 26, 2014 outside the Art Gallery.

11:00am – 3:00pm Wednesday through Friday
11:00am – 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday

The food trucks participating include:

JJ’s Trucketeria
Roaming Dragon
Feastro
Holy Perogy
Dougie Dog
REEL Mac
Aussie Pie
Reef Runner
Vij’s Railway Express
Roaming Dragon
Guanaco
Le Tigre
Tacofino
Mom’s Grilled Cheese
Soho Road
Mangal Kiss
Yolks
Eli Serious
Mogu
Chili Tank
Taser
Kaboom Box
The Juice Truck.

It’s a great selection of food trucks and you will definitely find something you like. I came around 1pm, so the lines were manageable. The popular food trucks definitely have longer lines.

Lots of the tables were occupied, so you definitely need to stalk your way to find a seat. It sucks if you are with a bunch of people because you may not get a seat. Perhaps bring it back to the office to eat or eat somewhere else close by.

My pick was JJ’s Trucketeria because of their menu. The prices range from $5 to $8 and will be guaranteed full. Plus, Filipino food is pretty damn good.

Garlic Fried Rice Big Plate ($8) has a bed of garlic fried rice, a fried egg, Filipino BBQ Pork and a vinegar sauce. It smell so good and it made everyone want to line up just to get it. It’s a filling meal and worth the $8.

I only had one stomach, so I could only make one stop while I was here. My other coworker went to Le Tigre to get a soup and sandwich.

I did enjoying stopping by Street Food City for lunch. You have lots of options and can’t disappoint. Its a little bit chilly outside, but it’s much better than sitting inside a food court. Expect long lines during peak lunch hour.

Website: http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/events/street-food-city/

In Cafe

Waves: $2 Lattes for January

January 22, 2014

Waves $2 latte deal is back! Now I don’t need to have a Starbucks Treat receipt to wait for a coffee after 2pm. The deal is pretty good and its a medium sized latte. I always drink lattes, so as you can see, it hurts my wallet if I always buy it at regular price.

My girlfriends and I came on the weekend to just chat and chill over the $2 lattes.

Waves on Commercial Drive was packed on the weekend. Lot of people studying and hanging out.

The latte was pretty good and is a great size. It is an espresso based drink that is bold and balanced. The steamed milk that sits on top makes the drink sweeter. Some people add sugar, but I just like it as is. The latte art is definitely a plus.

Go grab one before January ends.

Website:
https://wavescoffee.com/

In Chicago

Street Food Artistry in Chicago

September 1, 2013

On August 11th, 2013, during our vacation in Chicago, we took a visit to Street Food Artistry – a one day event celebrating of Chicago’s hottest street food and art scene . It was located in Zhou B Art Center. Being a tourist, it just seemed like the festival was in the middle of no where. There was a lot of old buildings in the area.

Admission is $10 for adults and once you get inside, food items from the trucks go to a maximum of $5. For some reason, we just walked in without paying the $10 admission. We were very confused.

Attendees could enjoy a Food Truck Pavilion with some of Chicago’s favourite food trucks, an art exhibit showcasing local artists, a marketplace with designers and handcrafted pieces, and the Street Music Stage outside the gallery with entertainment.

While we were there, there was someone playing the electric violin and a belly dancing lesson. It was actually a pretty fun time.

Some of the food trucks and vendors that were there were:

Dia De Los Tamales
Gelato De’Oro
Getta Polpetta
Baby Cakes
Curried
Herby Pop
Porkchop
Cheesie’s Pub and Grub
Izzie Sparkling Juice
Jerk
The Fat Shallot
Puffs of Doom

There were so many delicious options that I was a little bit overwhelmed.

The Street Food Artistry was a pretty cool event. If you did a bit of digging around, there were a few deals online for discounts and something on Groupon. It’s still a fun time if you really love to eat at food trucks and check out local artists.

Website: http://streetfoodartistrychicago.com/

Porkchop

Since I was feeling a bit full from the previous meal, I decided to check out Porkchop Food Truck. It looked and smelled pretty good. As you can tell by their name, they sell a majority of items with pork. Yum! Too bad they didn’t have any pork belly today.

I wish I could have went to more food trucks, but I really couldn’t fit any more in to my stomach.

Pork Ribs ($5) had a very delicious BBQ sauce and the meat was quite tender and fell off the bone. Yum.

Website: http://chicagoporkchop.com/

In Event

Joy of Feeding 2013: 16 cooks. 16 different ethnic backgrounds.

July 9, 2013

The 3rd Annual Joy of Feeding was held at UBC Farm on Sunday June 30th. The event celebrates the creation of simple, home cooked meals from various heritages around the world. In Vancouver, we are blessed with so many diverse food options but there are still some cuisines that you can not find in any restaurant.

Whats unique about this event is that it does not feature restaurants, but it features household cooks that share their dish from their country. The countries represented were – Malaysia, Columbia, Caribbean, Fiji, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, Basque, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Scotland, Lebanon, and Serbia.

The tickets were $50 each, but there was a Vancity member perk offer where you could get a 2 for 1 deal. My coworker snagged me 2 tickets, so I was a happy camper.

It was beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It was during the same week as the supposed “heat wave” that hit Vancouver. It was very hot, but tons of people gathered at UBC Farms to chow down on some amazing food. There was also lemonade, water and Vij’s Chai to go with the food.

At every single booth, there were lines up but they went pretty quickly. The cooks prepared well ahead of time to deal with long line ups.

Alfredo Perdomo served up Caribbean Jerk Chicken.

A lot of the cooks were very open about sharing their love of food with the people attending the event.

Yana Lobacheva shared her Meat Dolma from her Azerbaijan and Ukraine background.

Elena Serrano served Tortilla de Patatas from her Basque background.

There was a lot of food and I wasn’t disappointed at all. You could probably eat till you have food coma or get flustered by the heat.

There were some really cool cooking techniques used too. An old oil barrel converted into a pizza oven.

Smoked Salmon was made in a smoker by Angelina Frote and her little helpers.

It was very hot, so staying at the event for over an hour was a little bit difficult if you were not in the shade. I definitely needed a hat, but unfortunately I don’t own hats.

There was even some Mariachi dancers. Anyone can join in the fun, but its encouraged that everyone participates in the fun.

Everyone was giving a cookbook with all the recipes of dishes that were featured at the event. You can go home and recreate the dishes and instil the importance of cooking at home. Whether its cooking with local ingredients with your family or putting on a dinner party for friends. My favorite item from the event was the Tarte de Sucre by Genevieve & Patrick Robert.

Definitely keep this event on your radar for next year if you are interested in the celebration of whole foods, culture and cooking!

Website: http://joyoffeeding.com/

In BBQ

Chinatown Night Market: Closest Night Market to Downtown

July 6, 2013

The Chinatown Night Market has changed a lot since I was a kid. With the emergence of the other Night Markets in town, the quality of the Chinatown Night Market isn’t as good as it used to be. Despite that, it still attracts thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the festivities. It’s the closest night market to the Downtown core, so it makes sense. If you’re in the area, take a short stroller here and then enjoy the sunset at False Creek near Science World.

The Vancouver Chinatown Night Market is open from May 17th till September 8th, 2013 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Related Link:

2011 Chinatown Night Market Food Vendors

The market spans from Main Street to Columbia Street on Keefer street. The block is closed off so people can walk freely on the streets.

There are a few stalls that sell toys, jewellery , clothing, and a lot of random stuff.

I honestly never come here to buy things. It’s all about the food for me. But when it was about 10 years ago, I would come here to buy pokemon cards. Nowadays, there’s nothing very spectacular from the vendors.

Bar-B-Q

There’s a stall that sells a lot of skewers. It’s one of those staple items that you must have at a night market.

Bubble Gallo Tea House

There’s bubble tea too. Perfect for the hot summer weather.

Dim Sum Express

The food area is quite popular and the most congested part of the street. There’s even Dim Sum Express, they have a food truck near Waterfront station too.

Potato Tornado

One thing that was a must for MedicalGiraffe and I were the potato tornadoes. You might know them as hurricane potatoes…. depending on where you’ve been. It’s $3.75 each and you can choose your seasoning. They also sell popcorn chicken for $4.50.

This was a popular stall, so the food did take about 10 minutes.

The way that they cut the potatoes is with a drill. Very strange but I guess it gets the job done. Then they deep fry it for the crunchy goodness. The last step is sprinkling on the spices.

We got our ketchup flavoured potato tornado and it sure looked pretty. The taste was ok, but it was very very oily.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki was another item on our mind. It was very very busy at this stall, so it took about 20 minutes to get our order.

They had a lot of people waiting for them, but it took me a long time to figure out something was off about this stall.

All the balls looked ready and perfect to eat, but they took a long time to cook. After watching them for a while, we realized they were frozen store bought takoyaki heated up in these pans.

She wasn’t poking to see if the batter in the centre was cooked, she was seeing if it was not frozen on the centre.

6 pieces for $4.50.

We did feel a bit ripped off since we now know we could probably go to T&T and get a gab of frozen takoyaki for that price.
It tasted passable, but sucks that it wasn’t prepared the way it should be.

Bubble Waffles

There was also bubble waffles too. 1 for $3.75 or 2 for $6.50.

Near the other side of the Night Market seemed a little more Gastown-like with artist, local produce, plants, and jams on sale. There were also 3 Food Trucks there too – JJ’s Trucketeria, Holy Perogy and Ze Bite.

JJs Trucketeria

JJ Trucketeria is a Filipino themed Food Truck. I’ve always wanted to go for a visit but they are usually on Fraser and 43rd. Way too far for me to get to during lunch.

During the night market, they had salads, garlic fried rice plate, panwiches and their market bowls. Their prices are pretty good for a food truck. We really wanted to try their meaty items but we held back and decided to try the market bowl.

Market Bowl ($5) has brown rice, carrots, leeks, caramelized onions, yams, black beans, chick peas with their signature JJ sauce. It is completely vegan, so good for those people with dietary restrictions.

MedicalGiraffe and I didn’t particularly like this item since it was mostly the brown rice mixture with a bit of sauce.

Ze Bite

Ze Bite was there selling their amazing French food.

Nice Pops

Nice Pops were selling some gourmet popsicles with 4 flavours:

Rhubarb and Cardamom
Cucumber, lime and Chili
Strawberry and balsamic Vinegar
Strawberry and buttermilk

The prices are $4 each or 3 for $10.

Cucumber, lime and Chili starts off with the refreshing cucumber and lime flavours but them the spicy chili taste kicks in. MedicalGiraffe’s mouth was literally on fire. She can handle her spice, but this was definitely spicy.

Rhubarb and cardamom was very refreshing. Highly recommended.

On the day that we went, there was outdoor karaoke. Surprisingly a lot of people were fearless and stepped up on the mic. There was a variety of songs sang by people of various ethnicities.

The Chinatown Night Market is not as impressive as the Richmond Night market, so don’t go out of your way to come here. If you are in the area after dinner Downtown, you can just take a stroll over here after dinner.

Website: http://vancouverchinatownnightmarket.com/

In British Columbia

EAT! Vancouver 2013: Food and Cooking Festival

May 25, 2013

Eat Vancouver is back for its’ 11th year. It’s a food and cooking festival that brings together food lovers in Vancouver with some amazing exhibitors. It’s held at BC Place on May 24th – 26th. Entrance is $14 (online ticket) and $16 at the door. Buy the ticket online if you want to save $2.

Here are some old write ups about the past 2 EAT! Vancouver festivals that I’ve been to:

Even way before starting this blog, I remember coming here in my University days. It has evolved over the years to have different activities for everyone.

This year there are about 250 exhibitors. Lots of sample to taste and some booths charge $1 – $5 for special types of samples. You either pay cash or in the form of tickets that you can purchase.

Urban Fare has a large booth sampling various items like quinoa salad. They were giving out coupons for free coffee at their stores too. Their booth is like a mini-store, so you can purchase anything here. They have a variety of pasta, salads and fruit.

You can even purchase items that they have displayed on the shelves. Look carefully at this picture, you’ll find some very odd sounding cereal.

Near the Urban Fare booth, they were also giving out samples of Cloud 9 Gluten free baked goods.

Coconut Bliss was giving out ice cream samples. Surprisingly good! I can’t believe it’s dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free and non-GMO. Their ice cream is usually a bit expensive, but it’s good you can take some $1 off coupons to use for later.

Kitchening & Co. was there selling their delicious macarons and cookies. They are the only macaron booth here. The creator Carly wasn’t there when I went, @wongers and @apwong was there representing.

No samples at this booth, but you definitely should grab some of their macarons and cookies. They are softer in texture but has a lot of flavour and depth.

Snackbox was promoting their subscription-based snack box service filled with organic and gluten-free snacks. I’ve done reviews on some of their snack boxes before and they are definitely worth the money. They aren’t selling them at the event, but you can sure win one.

Rain City Soups was giving out samples of the ginger carrot soup. It wasn’t my favorite soup that they had but their other soups are pretty awesome.

A Good Portion was sampling their variety of pistachio nuts. I love pistachios and what I enjoyed about these is that it’s not too salty.

Hopcott Premium Meats was sampling their sausages and jerky.

Bosa Food always has a large variety of samples like risotto, cheese, crackers, and sauces. It’s one of the popular booths.

So many beverage samples!

You know when you get thirsty from all the food samples, you come to these booths to get a refreshment.

Peanut Butter & Co. has crazy peanut butter flavours. I dare you to try the spicy one.

There’s so many booths at EAT! Vancouver. There’s no way I would be able to visit everyone and tell you where has the best samples of food, but there’s a large variety. There’s also a handful of booths that aren’t even food related… like jewelry, car services, and phone services.

Free Cheese Seminars

Besides eating all the samples, they have cheese seminars. You should line up early so you are guaranteed a spot. It is usually filled by the time the seminar begins. It’s presented by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, so you’ll probably learn everything you need to know about cheese.

Schedule:

Saturday May 25th
12:00pm, 1:30pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:00pm, 7:30pm

Sunday May 26th
11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm

Culinary Classes

Culinary Classes are $28 each and you have to buy tickets in advance online. Most of the spots are sold out, but its pretty cool that you can learn how to sharpen knives, bake cakes, learn about brunch, gluten-free baking, and other stuff.

Demonstrations

Some booths had demonstrations of their own. They must have learned something interesting.

Food Network Celebrity Stage

This was my favorite area. You can see a few of the Food Network Celebrities take the stage and do some demonstrations.

The Celebrity Chefs that will be there are:

Rob Feenie
Chick Hughs
Bal Arnsen (Spice Goddess)
Anna Olson

Celebrity Chef Throwdown

Celebrity Chef Throwdown was pitted 3 amazing chefs together to cook an entree in 20 minutes using a secret ingredient.

Competitors:

Rob Feenie – Executive Chef, Cactus Restaurants Ltd.
Anna Olson – Host of Food Network Canada’s Bake with Anna Olson
Trevor Bird – Chef/Owner of Fable Kitchen & Runner Up on Top Chef Canada Season 2

Erin Cebula of Entertainment Tonight Canada hosted the event and chose the secret ingredient to be Ninja Ginger Beer from Granville Island Brewing.

After a fierce 20 minute battle, the judges – The Spice Goddess and Erin declared Rob Feenie the winner.

I thought it was pretty cool seeing them in real life. It’s always one of my highlights of Eat Vancouver is to see them. I watch a lot of Food Network when I’m bored.

Bites of Vancouver

Beside the Food Network Celebrity stage is a section called Bites of Vancouver that features 16 different local restaurants.

The list of restaurants are:

BeaverTails Pastry
Bella Gelateria
Cafe Kathmandu
Dunn’s Famous Restaurant
Ebo Restaurant
Establishment Lounge
Frankies Italian Kitchen & Bar
Glowbal Restaurant Group
Gramercy Grill
Jamaican Pizza Jerk
New India Buffet
Noodle Box
Secret Location
Spice Up Indian Cuisine
Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen
Tacofino

You will need to purchase a sheet of tasting tickets 20 for $10 or 10 for $5. Some items can use up a lot of tickets, so make sure to browse the booths before you buy your tickets. You might need more or less depending on what you want to eat.

Siddhartha of Siddhartha’s Kitchen was there serving up Butter Chicken and their spinach paneer.

If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I love their spinach paneer. You must get that if you’re here.

Tacofino was serving up some beef tartare tacos and Chilled Avocado soup.

I got the chilled avocado soup and it was pretty darn tasty. The presentation was good too. The downside is that it was for 8 tickets. It gobbled up a large chunk of my tickets.

The Glowbal group was serving up large meatballs and mini New England Clam Chowder. It was really cute, so I couldn’t resist.

It tasted ok and I wasn’t disappointed.

The verdict, if you’ve been here a few times before, you may not enjoy it as much as some other years. There’s a lot of repeat vendors, so you may not be as enthused as you would have been before.

If you’ve never been to EAT! Vancouver and you love food, it is definitely an event for you. Plus, it’s awesome to see the Food Network Celebrities there.

Website: http://eat-vancouver.com/

In Downtown

Vancouver Christmas Market 2012: Mulled Wines, Brautwurst, and Schupfnoodle

December 2, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited to come have a tour of the Vancouver Christmas Market and write about my experience. No worries, I had KoreaGirl with me to keep it unbiased!

The Vancouver Christmas Market is back again for December! The market runs from November 24th to December 24th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza. It is for all ages and showcases German culture through crafts, food, and entertainment.

Since it is outdoors, remember to put on a thick jacket and mittens! Especially kids! You will probably spend about an hour here if you stroll around and have a few bites to eat. Try to plan your day around the weather since it’s not fun coming here in the rain.

On the opening weekend, there were lots of people lined up.

There are over 55 vendors with authentic German products and some other booths that are quite random, but you can keep reading below to see what I mean.

German Gluhwein

At the German Gluhwein booths, you can indulge in alcoholic mulled wines. If you’re not the boozy kind of people, they also have apple cinder.

Here is the menu at the booth and corresponding prices.

Traditional Gluhwein ($6+$2 deposit) is the traditional beverage of the holidays in German-speaking countries. It is prepared with red wine and spices. The drink packs a punch! It’s quite alcoholic and not for everyone.

Apple Gluhwein ($6 +$2 deposit) is another version and is seasoned with apples. It also alcoholic tasting too.

Black Forest Delicatessen

Black Forest Delicatessen is the most popular booth at the Christmas Market! They are best known for their German Bratwurst and Bavarian Weisswurst. The sauerkraut makes it so good.

Their menu and prices.

All those sausages!

Schnecken Brautwurst ($7.92) is a grilled spiral brautwurst with sauerkraut on a bun. It’s really good! Anything with brautwurst is good.

Das Deutsche Nudel Haus

Das Deutsche Nudel Haus serves up German Schupfnudeln (rolled noodle), as a savory dish with sauerkraut and bacon, or sweet with sugar and cinnamon.

Here’s their menu and prices.

Schupfnoodle with Double Smoked Prosciutto and Sourkraut ($8.48) is definitely filling but would have used more seasoning and filling to give it a better flavour.

Besides food, there are lots of cool items to look at. From ornaments to crafts.

Lots of German-made items.

Cheese! The items they serve are so good too!

Even though there are a lot of German booths, there was also a handful of booths that were not representative of the German culture. For example the cultural hut was promoting the sales to a Chinese performance.

Hurricane Potatoes was here too selling their delectable treats. It is in no way German, so I was very surprised they were here. Since there is no Richmond Night Market in the Winter, come to the Christmas Market for these addictive potato twirls.

There was also Canadian Kettle Korn Extreme giving out samples of yummy kettle corn.

If you want a taste of Canadian Maple Syrup, there is the Sugar Shack to fill up on that sugary goodness.

There is usually a long line up for this area. If you are wondering what they have in here, its a variety of ornate German decorations from clocks to tree ornaments.

At the center of the market is a bandstand.

There are various performances throughout the day and people can listen to holiday music or other forms of entertainment.

There are fun rides on the carousel for kids too! Me and KoreanGirl had fun even though we are not kids anymore. The best part is fighting over the most beautiful horse.

Overall, I’ve been to the Vancouver Christmas Market for the past 3 years and I felt it was strange that the original idea of the market has been a bit diluted this year by letting other types of booths to be part of the market. This is not to say the other booths are bad or anything. This is a strength of the Canadian culture to be inclusive of all.

Have you been to the Vancouver Christmas Market yet?

Dates: November 24 to December 24
Time: 11:00am – 9:00pm
Location: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza
Website: http://www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com/

Admission:
Adults (13+ years): $5 General Admission ; $2 Monday to Friday 11am -4pm
Youth (7 -12 years): $2
Child (0-6 years): Free

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In Chinese

Richmond Night Market 2012: Bakudanyaki, Le Tigre, Icy Bar + More

June 15, 2012

The Richmond Night Market is back! You may be confused why there are 2 night markets in Richmond, I am also confused but I heard there was a feud of some sort. After a four-year hiatus, Raymond Cheung, the founder of the original Richmond Night Market brings it back to a new location close to the Canada Line. There are 250 booths sellingitems such as Korean socks, colored contact lenses, stuffed animals, iPhone accessories, and other cool gadgets. There are also 80 vendors serving up the oh-so-delicious food that definitely attracts the whole city to come here.

Unfortunately, there is a fee of $1.50 to enter the night market, but the parking is complementary and very close! Imagine the admission is the cost of parking…much better than getting a parking ticket right?

By 7pm (the start of the night market), there were already lines into the parking lot of the night market. There is only one entrance and one exit out of this huge parking lot, so be expected to wait. You can also alternatively park at a different skytrain and just take transit down here.

Most people come here just for the food. There is always a crowd near the food area. It’s best to come early before huge lines begin to develop.

There are also a few table that you can sit down and eat your food. Don’t be afraid to eat with strangers if you desperately need to sit down to eat. Near this area are washrooms too.

Whatever you do…don’t buy the drinks from the Coca-Cola staff, they are severely over-priced! Might as well spend your money on something more delicious.

Daikichi Bakudanyak

Bakudanyaki was originally a food truck near the River Rock Casino a few years ago and they are back!! They were the originators of the huge takoyaki balls.

Cost: $5 per huge takoyaki balls
Flavours: Original, Chili, Wasabi, Curry, plus one special feature
Filling contains: Squid, cabbage, corn red ginger, shrimp, rice cake, quail egg and green onions
Website: http://www.bakudanyaki.com/

They cram an enormous amount of filling inside.

Wasabi Huge Takoyaki ($5) is the size of a baseball. All the huge takoyaki’s have the same fillings, the only thing that differs is the sauce they put on top. I chose wasabi since I wanted to be adventurous. The taste of wasabi is quite mild, so it won’t be super spicy. I really enjoyed it and the filling inside the takoyaki is very hearty. You must try this!

Le Tigre – Modern Chinese Cuisine

Le Tigre is one of the new Food Trucks that will be hitting the streets of Vancouver this Summer. They have a stall at the Richmond Night Market, so we had to have a taste of their skewers. What we noticed was the skewers were cheaper than some other stalls, plus they had some very enticing skewers. You definitely need to check out this place!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeTigreCuisine
Twitter: @leTigre_Cuisine

These are way cooler than all the skewer stands at the Richmond Night Market. It’s not just a skewer of meat, they dress them up with sauces and other cool ingredients.

Wouldn’t you want men in hipster hello kitty glasses serve you? We thought it was quite cute.

FoodQueen ordered:

Kickass Rice -$3.50
Pork Belly Skewer – $2.50

FoodPunk ordered:

Mochi Skewer
Pork Belly Skewer
Beef Skewer
3 skewers for $6.50

I ordered:

Beef Skewer
Chicken Skewer
Pork Belly Skewer
3 for $6.50

BBQ Squid

If I could read Chinese, I would let you know what the sign says. Sadly, I dropped out of Chinese school very early so I am no help at all. I really wanted to find some BBQ squid since I kept seeing people’s tweets about them. I didn’t know which ones were good, so I just went to the stall with the longest line up.

You pay at the right and then you line up again and pick up at the left side.

They don’t give you a piece of paper or anything…so I think they trust their customers to be honest. When you get to the man grilling all the squid, he will ask you if you want it regular or spicy.

Spicy Grilled Squid ($6) was spicy. I thought I had a high tolerance for spicy food, but I guess I was wrong. The squid was a bit chewy, but the flavour was good. If you can’t handle your spice, just get the regular one.

Cherry Fruit Juice & Icy Bar

I’ve fallen in love with this stall many years ago. It’s my go-to place for anything mango related. I’ve also been to their location in Crystal Mall a few times for their shaved ice and it’s never disappointed. I would highly recommend this place too.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherryicybar
Additional Locations: Crystal Mall, Parker Place

Mango Tapioca Icy ($5) was definitely needed after all the salty and spicy food. Plus it was a hot day too. It has layers of mango, icy, tapioca and milk. I loved it!

Red Bean Ice Cream Mochi Icy ($5.50) was what FoodPunk ordered. It was big, but she said it wasn’t as thirst quenching as the mango icy.

QQ Egg Puff

QQ Egg Pugg is a bubble waffle stand at the night market. They have some very unique flavours of bubble waffles. I think they use the Bubble Tea powder in the bubble waffle to give them the color and taste. There are a lot of bubble waffle stands in the Richmond Night Market, so you have tons of options. FoodQueen and FoodPunk chose this because their banner was very cute.

Original, Chocolate or Strawberry – $3.50
Coconut, taro, mango, red bean, cheese or matcha – $4

Coconut Bubble Waffle ($4) looks like the original bubble waffle, but don’t be fooled. It did have a very subtle taste of coconut. it tasted ok, but the waffles looked pretty squished and deformed.

Taro Bubble Waffle ($4) is bright and purple inside due to the taro powder. It was very sweet and tasted like artificial taro.

Rotato

Rotato serves up the hurricane potatoes. The line up was quite long and was about a 30 minute wait. It seems to be the only stall that served these. We didn’t line up, but they do have this really cool illustration about what you can do with your Rotato.

Care For Life Foundation – Wishing Tree

At the Richmond Night Market, the Care For Life Foundation set up a series of artificial trees for people to make a wish. We browsed around and looked at a few wishes. We found a lot of wishes about relationships and how people want their relationship to last till the end of time. Very cute!