Three Beakers Archives - Page 8 of 63

In Downtown

Goldies Pizza: New Location in International Village Mall in Vancouver

January 29, 2017

Goldies Pizza has opened their latest location in International Village Mall near Chinatown and Gastown. They are best known for their cheap and delicious thin crust pizza. Anyone that has been out late at night in Vancouver has probably been here after a few drinks.

Interior

The interior is small and gets busy later in the evening. There are a few tables and some large booths to sit in. You can eat in or do take out.

Pizza

They sell pizza by the slice and larger sizes of pizza. When we were here, they had a $2 price for all slices as they are newly opened. This was available for pepperoni, cheese and Hawaiian. Since we ate at 2 restaurants before coming here, we opted for a few slices.

We all had one slice each, but it was so good and only $2. The thin crust was very nice and crisp.

After getting the first slice, we ended up getting more. The second slice was bigger and the crust was a bit more charred, but that was ok because it was equally as tasty. If I’m looking for some good pizza that is cheap, I’ll stop at Goldies Pizza in the future.

We Rate Goldies Pizza:

Address:
508 Abbott Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://goldiespizza.com/

In Cafe

Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House: Cheese Cake in Vancouver

January 28, 2017

Trees Coffee is also known as Trees Organic that is popular for their cheese cakes. I came here with my mother in law over the holidays for some coffee and cheese cake. It was on her list of places to hit up while it town, so we just had to have an afternoon coffee and share a slice of cheese cake.

Coffee

I got a cappuccino while my mother in law had a mocha. Both very delicious and go very well with cheesecake.

Cheesecake

The Sin is their Chocolate and Cherry Cheesecake made with real Belgian chocolate and sour cherries.

The texture of the cheesecake was dense, but very delicious. The consistency was smooth and we really liked it.

A nice treat for the afternoon. Perfect for us to take a break, enjoy some coffee and cheesecake.

We Rate Trees Coffee:

Address:
1598 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://treescoffee.com/

In Bakery

Grounds for Coffee: Cinnamon Buns and Coffee

January 24, 2017

Grounds for Coffee has been around since 1993 making delicious cinnamon buns. They are made by hand with locally-sourced ingredients, to hundreds of locations across B.C. and Alberta. I was invited to stop by to try some coffee and cinnamon buns. I’m usually not in this area, so it was great to explore more shops on Alma close to UBC.

Interior

The interior is a bit dated, but it brings me back in time with all the pictures on the walls. A lot of people that were here were studying or reading while enjoying coffee or their cinnamon buns.

There aren’t a lot of seats here, but a good amount of people did take out.

Coffee

I got a latte to go with my cinnamon buns. It’s the perfect combination.

They sell 100% premium organic Arabica coffee beans, with at least 50 percent of their coffee sourced free trade at any given time.

Cinnamon Buns

Frosted or unfrosted, that is the big question, so I got both. The cream cheese frosting is so good, that you want lots of it smothering the top. It’s been a while since my last cinnamon bun but you can tell the difference of the ingredients and it’s made fresh. The cinnamon bun is pretty big, so even splitting one among 2 people is pretty good.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a nice place to stop by for a cinnamon bun and coffee. If you’re in the area, check it out. Just remember to get your cinnamon bun topped with the cream cheese frosting.

We Rate Grounds for Coffee:

Address:
2565 Alma Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://groundsforcoffee.ca/

In irish

Dubh Linn Gate: Old Irish Pub in Vancouver

January 22, 2017

Dubh Linn Gate is an Old Irish pub in Vancouver close on Main and Terminal. This is their second location, as their original location is in Whistler. I’ve been here a few years ago and I remember they had good food for a pub. Recently, they launch a few new items on the menu and we were invited to give this new menu a try.

The interior is quite cozy. There are long tables, booths, a bar. Even with their high ceilings, they were able create a nice vibe here. They even added a 2nd floor of seating here so you can look down and spy on people.

Beer

They have a large amount of beer on the menu from local to Irish beer. It can’t be an Irish pub without Irish beer like Guinness.

I went with Innis & Gunn from Scotland, which is an Oak aged beer. One of my favourite beers.

Brunch

Traditional Fry Up is their weekend brunch item with two eggs, house made Peameal bacon, Two Rivers banger, Oyama black pudding, roasted tomato, spuds, poached pears, house baked beans and toasted sourdough. It’s a lot of food all on one plate.

Boxty Bennies has whiskey cured steelhead, poached eggs, tomato hollandaise on top of a toasted muffin. There is also salad, grilled tomatoes and breakfast potatoes. They also have another version with peameal bacon instead of the steelhead. The bennies are good, but the poached eggs was more medium than soft.

Appetizers and Sharing

Scotch Egg is made of Guinness sausage surrounding a beautiful soft boiled egg. It is served with an piccalilli sauce.

Brussel Sprouts is roasted with bacon and then broiled with dubliner cheese and a hint of lemon.

Black Pudding Toasties has Oyama sausage on grilled sourdough with caramelized onion jam, tobacco onions, and a side of grainy mustard. It’s not a dish for everyone. Since I’m Asian, I’m pretty use to it. It has an iron taste as it is blood sausage.

Salad

Maple Kale and Chicken Salad has baby kale and roast butternut squash tossed in a maple mustard vinaigrette with beer brined chicken, dried cherries, almonds and sweet potato chips. Surprisingly, it was a pretty good salad. I loved the texture of the chips.

Burgers

The Central Burger has a 6oz St. Helens beef burger topped with pulled pork, stout BBQ sauce, Dubliner cheese, pickles, chipotle mayo, tobacco onions and lettuce. It is served with fries but can be swapped with salad or soup for a little extra. This was a really delicious burger and the fries were nice and crisp.

Veggie Burger has a house made patty topped with amber ale cheese, spicy chipotle mayo, pickled red onion tomato, sprouts, and salsa verde. A good option for vegetarians.

Main Street Meatloaf

It has a pork and beef meatloaf slow cooked and served with tobacco onions, creamy mash, mushy peas and gravy.

Lamb Shank

Slow braised lamb shank sits on top of their pearl barley risotto. It is them topped with a lamb reduction sauce.

Steak and Guinness Pie

This beautiful pie has AAA Alberta beef cooked tender in a rich Guinness gravy with spuds and carrots baked in a cast iron pan topped with a flaky golden pastry.

Dessert

The Central Sundae is made of Guinness, Bailey’s, and caramel ice cream layered with chocolate and caramel sauce topped with an Irish lace cookie, whipping cream, candied walnuts, sprinkles and a cherry.

A fun dessert to share and t’s not too heavy.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a good pub experience for drinks and food. The food is on point and the decor is very nice. The prices are higher than other pubs, but look out for their daily features and they also have happy hour if you want a deal.

We Rate Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub:

Address:
1601 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://vancouver.dubhlinngate.com/

In Bakery

The Birds and The Beets: Cafe in Gastown

January 21, 2017

Bird & the Beets is a cafe that is located in Gastown and they serve up coffee, sandwiches, breakfast and other snacks. We came here on the weekend have a few bites and coffee.

One thing I love about shops in Gaston are that beautiful brick walls. It adds so much character to the space.

By the counter, there is also taps for water. I love pouring my own water, its so much fun. I’m pretty weird.

Coffee

Latte was what I ordered to get me through the day. Waking up on weekends is tough, so a bit of coffee wakes me up. They use Bows x Arrows coffee beans in their drinks. Very good.

You can also pick up some beans too.

Sandwiches

Avocado and Slow Poached Egg Brioche Sandwich was topped with picked vegetables. It is an open-faced sandwich and was pretty good. A nice item to have with coffee.

Overall, it was a nice little hidden place in Gastown to chill with friends over coffee and some snacks. The interior is also very beautiful.

We Rate The Birds and the Beets:

Address:
55 Powell Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.birdsandbeets.ca/

In Bakery

Honey Donuts: Sweet Treat in Deep Cove

January 16, 2017

Honey Donuts is a popular spot in Deep Cove to indulge on their donuts and coffee. They serve up home cooked and freshly prepared wholesome food.

The small beautiful village of Deep Cove is 20 minutes away from Vancouver and is popular for kayaking, paddle boarding, boating and of course hiking. The downside is that parking is super tough to find when it’s busy. Also, use debit cards or cash when coming here.

Interior

There are a decent amount of seats inside and outside, but if it’s raining, most people prefer a seat inside where its warm and dry.

We came here over the holidays and it seemed like most people at Deep Cove was here getting lunch.

All the coffee is self-serve. So, you pay at the counter and they serve yourself. Refills are not free.

Coffee and Donuts

We managed to find a seat quickly as another party just left. We had our donuts and coffee ready for our afternoon snack. There were 4 types of drip coffee available, but I just chose the Honey Blend.

Classic Donut was huge and had a light cake-like texture inside. It seemed like it was soaked in honey and I didn’t feel like it was too sweet.

Chocolate Donut is like their classic donut dipped in chocolate. M didn’t really like this as the texture of the donut wasn’t what he expected. Different texture than a traditional donut as it was a bit oilier.

Overall, it’s a nice place to have a snack in the afternoon. It is very popular, so it can get very very busy at peak hours.

We Rate Honey Donuts:

Address:
4373 Gallant Avenue, North Vancouver

Website:
http://www.honeydoughnuts.com/

In San Francisco

(M) Ike’s Place at Sweet Inspiration in San Francisco

January 13, 2017

Sweet Inspiration is serving (M) Ikes’s Place Sandwiches and I was very confused about this location and why it was called Mike’s Place. When I was in town, I spent quite a lot of time searching online if I was going to the right location. Long story short, Ike’s lost their lease to their original location and collaborated with Sweet Inspiration to serve his sandwiches, but they couldn’t name it Ike’s Place due to some city violation, so they changed it to Mike’s Place.

As we got here, we were still very confused if we would be getting authentic Ike’s Sandwiches.

There was plenty of sandwiches to choose from. We got them to-go and decided to eat it before our flight back to Vancouver.

Wonzo Sandwich

Wonzo Sandwich has Halal chicken, Ranch, Bacon, and Cheddar. It is also served with lettuce and tomatoes. You can have your sandwich with your choice of bread – Dutch Crunch, SF Sourdough, French Roll, Whole Wheat, or Gluten-Free. We went with dutch crunch.

Montana Sandwich

Montana Sandwich has Halal chicken, Asian Sesame Dressing, Bacon, Avocado, and Jack cheese. I went with the SF Sourdough.

Both sandwiches were very heavy and filling, but taste wise, it was a bit mediocre. It was a bit heavy on the dressing.

We Rate Mike’s Place:

Address:
2239 Market Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.sweetinspirationbakery.com/

In Brunch

Jane on Larkin: Cafe in San Francisco

January 12, 2017

Jane on Larkin in San Francisco is a local cafe that serves coffee, toast, breakfast, pastries and other items. I was on the hunt for a breakfast spot that also sold avocado toast.

Coffee

Coffee is definitely a staple in any cafe. I went with a Cappuccino

Avocado Mash

Avocado Mash has avocado, cracked black pepper, poached egg, pickled shallot and jalapeño. It was beautiful and very delicious, but I felt the pickled jalapeño was a bit too much especially in the morning. It sure cleared up my sinuses.

Breakfast Sandwich

Egg White Sandwich with spinach and avocado with provolone and a dash of sriracha served on your choice of house-baked sourdough, multigrain bread or baguette. Super healthy sandwich.

Overall, Jane on Larkin was good. We were able to get a table early in the morning. Food looks pretty and tasted good.

We Rate Jane on Larkin:

Address:
925 Larkin Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.itsjane.com/

In Japanese

Men no Kura: Ramen in Vancouver

January 11, 2017

Men-no Kura is another new addition to the ramen community on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver. There are several ramen shops in close proximity, so competition is high.

I came here at night with a few friends to have 2nd dinner.

Interior

There is a large communal table and then a few smaller tables for other groups. Tables are clean and there is a nice modern industrial look to the space. Staff are nice and helpful too.

Dashimaki

There are 2 types of dashimaki – Japanese rolled omelette at Men-no kura.

Dashimaki mentaiko
Dashimaki cheese

The omelette was soft, warm and the center was filled with either of those salty delicious filling. Delicious. Of the 2 types, I liked the cheese one a bit more.

Japanese deep fried chicken karaage

Japanese deep fried chicken karaage is their most popular item. It is very tender and super juicy with a nice crisp exterior. Very enjoyable and a great item to share.

Tonkotsu Black Garlic

Tonkotsu Black Garlic Ramen is one of their most popular ramen on the menu. It has a rich broth, chashu, garlic chips, and green onions.

Tsukemen

They have Tsukemen on their menu. You can have the noodles hot or cold. You have a choice of 3 different broths to choose from:

Original
Garlic Miso
Spicy

Deluxe Tsukemen

Deluxe Tsukemen comes with extra toppings of ramen egg, bamboo shoots and chashu. The broth is served in a mini hotpot so it stays warm. There was also some fried garlic chips on the side. The broth is quite rich, so without the hot flame underneath, it would congeal. The broth is very favourful and if it’s too rich for your liking, they can dilute it a bit more for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the ramen at Men-no-Kura was good. Their broth is much richer than other ramen shops, but I prefer it that way. It was good ramen, but with so many other ramen shops out there, it’s hard to choose. I still have another favourite, but if I was close by, I would come here again.

We Rate Men-no-Kura :

Address:
1773 Robson Street, Vancouver

In Bar and Grill

St. Regis Bar and Grill in Downtown Vancouver

January 10, 2017

Taking over the kitchen and updating the menu at St. Regis Bar & Grill is Executive Chef Daniel Ackland, who had a challenge of finding a fine balance of refreshing existing favourites and creating new dishes which seamlessly blend into its casual, comfort-focussed philosophy. Chef Daniel Ackland had a clear vision for reshaping the food program and he’s proudly launched a completely refreshed menu for the fall and winter. We were one of the first people to give this menu a try.

I came here 5 years ago when I worked at BCIT across the street, so it’s a nice way to revisit.

Quinoa Salad

The quinoa salad has mint, cranberry, cherry tomato, roasted roots, greens, feta cheese, and a citrus vinaigrette. A nice healthy option if you’re not into heavier food on the menu.

Regis Burger

The Regis Burger is a classic burger made fresh daily. The patty is made of house ground beef blend is a mix of 100% AAA Chuck and Brisket. It is topped with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on a brioche bun with smoked onion & garlic aioli. It is served with skinny fries or you can substitute it for soup, salad, yam fries or onion rings for a little extra.

Veggie Burger

The garden burger patty is made of chickpea, couscous & roasted hazelnut. It is topped with jack cheese, onion gastrique, salsa, and grainy dijon mayo on a onion bun. The patty was huge and made it hard to eat, but was definitely missing something.

Pizza

Italia Pizza comes with mozzarella, Napoli salami, salsiccia picante, prosciutto, and chiffonade basil.

Fungi Pizza has mozzarella, shallots, mushrooms, and truffle oil.

Margarita Pizza has bocconcini, mozzarella, basil, and tomato.

The pizzas were ok, but I didn’t enjoy the dough or the toppings.

Short Rib with Garlic Mash Potato

Short rib has garlic mashed potato, shallot confit, steamed spinach, red wine jus, and frizzled onion. Super tender short rib. I really enjoyed the dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Penne

Chicken and mushroom penne has broccolini, shallot, thyme butter, and lemon. The dish was ok, but I needed more sauce to it. A bit dry and needed some more butter and lemon to coat the penne a bit more.

Spicy Noodle Bowl

Spicy noodle bowl has sauteed teriyaki chicken, mixed vegetables, and green onion.

Quarter Chicken Plate

Quarter chicken dinner has BBQ chicken, coleslaw, skinny fries, and gravy. The chicken was tender and I loved the BBQ sauce on the outside.

Warm Cookie Skillet

Warm cookie skillet has white chocolate chip cookie, shaved dark chocolate, chocolate sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream from Mario’s Gelati. This was my favourite item of the night as it is soft and warm contrasting with the ice cream covered in chocolate. A real treat.

Overall, the dishes were a hit and miss. For a bar and grill, they have a diverse menu of bar classics mixed with the more decadent dishes on the menu.

We Rate St Regis Bar and Grill:

Address:
608 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.stregisbargrill.com

In Dineout

Dockside Seafood Restaurant: Dineout Vancouver

January 9, 2017

Dockside Restaurant is participating again in Dine Out Vancouver from January 20 to February 5, 2017. They are offering guests with their 3 course meal on Granville Island for West Coast Cuisine for $40. Reservations should be made in advance.

I came here for a preview of the menu prior to Dine Out Vancouver with a few other media people to see how their menu is like.

Dine Out 2017 Menu at Dockside

Appetizer

Dockside Crab & Shrimp Cakes
Duck Prosciutto Tart
Winter Green Salad

Entree

Linguini Vongole
Roasted Zucchini
Beef Wellington

Dessert

Panna Cotta
Chocolate and Apricot Mousse

Appetizer

Winter Green Salad has Manchego polenta croutons, French beans and a herb vinaigrette. A good start of the meal as its light and refreshing. The polenta croutons add a bit of crunch and texture to the salad.

Dockside Crab & Shrimp Cakes has charred lemon aioli, and mango salsa on top. 3 pieces to each plate.

Duck Prosciutto Tart has housemade duck prosciutto, onion jam, arugula and balsamic reduction. The delicious fatty duck prosciutto pairs balances with the arugula. The tart gives it a crunchy texture.

Entree

Beef Wellington Truffle has mash potatoes, market vegetables and red wine jus. I felt that the meat was cooked more to a well doneness.

Linguini Vongole has Manila clams, white wine cream sauce, and reggiano cheese. The pasta was creamy and there was a good amount of clams. Since the clams were cooked separately, it didn’t integrate too well with the pasta.

Roasted Zucchini is the vegetarian option. It has eggplant puree, cucumber and fennel salad and topped with toasted pine nuts.

Dessert

Chocolate and Apricot Mousse Layer Cake is lined with apricot puree and fresh berries.

Panna Cotta has lemon grass, lime leaf, passion fruit puree and mint. A refreshing end to the evening meal.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the menu is pretty balanced to cater to those with different tastebuds. The portions are a good size too.

We Rate Dockside Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
1253 Johnston Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://docksidevancouver.com/

In Noodles

Pho Xe Lua 24: Vietnamese Cuisine in Vancouver

January 8, 2017

Pho Xe Lua 24 is a little restaurant on Cambie Street serving up traditional Vietnamese food. A few of us came here for dinner an event. We all haven’t been to this restaurant yet, so we decided to come in and give it a try.

Just note, it is cash only.

Appetizers

Shrimp Salad Rolls comes with 4 pieces and a dipping sauce. It good, packed with vermicelli noodles, lettuce and shrimp held together by the rice paper. The sauce was delicious too.

Deep-Fried Chicken Wings comes with crisp pieces of wings and drumettes. The sauce that came with it was nice and tangy, which balanced well.

Vermicelli

Lemongrass Chicken with Spring Roll and Vermicelli had the chicken cooked well, the spring roll was crisp.

The fish sauce poured over the vermicelli was good.

Pho

Extra Large House Special Pho was what we ordered since we wanted to see how big this bowl really is. There’s a bit of everything in here from beef balls to tripe to rare stake. Good clean tasting broth that wasn’t too salty.

Overall, we had a good time dining here, the food was good and the price was cheap. The 3 of us spent $40 after tax and tip. Not bad at all. If you’re in the area and want large portions of good food at good prices, it’s here.

We Rate Pho Xe Lua 24:

Address:
3346 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Mama’s: Breakfast in San Francisco

January 7, 2017

Mama’s on Washington Square was where we had breakfast on the last day we were in San Francisco. Apparently it was a local favourite, but now it is mostly tourist. We came a few minutes before opening and the line was down the block. Everyone wanted a taste of what Mama’s was offering.

Once you get through the line, you’re line up again to order before getting seated.

The staff are very friendly, so have patience with them because it so busy.

I started off with a coffee as I need some caffeine before the day begins. A cappuccino for me and freshly squeezed orange juice for my friend.

Farmers M’Omelette has smoked bacon, baby spinach, grilled leeks and Sonoma goat cheese.

M’Omelette’s are served with Mama’s Grilled Potatoes and your choice of toast. You can choose from white, whole grain, rye, english muffin or sourdough baguette. I went with the sourdough.

The dish was very good and filling for brunch.

Florentine Benedict has baby spinach and sautéed mushrooms. There are also two poached Petaluma Farms eggs served on a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce and Mama’s Grilled Potatoes. My friend enjoyed the dish.

Monte Cristo has roasted turkey breast, honey baked ham, cheddar and Gruyère cheese battered in egg and grilled, served with homemade jam. This is one of their signature items and we had to split this between the two of us. Highly recommended. I loved the balance between the savoury and sweet.

Overall, it was an experience to eat here. The food was great, but that line up was very long. We tried our best to get here earlier, but everyone else had the same idea too.

We Rate Mama’s:

Address:
1701 Stockton St, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.mamas-sf.com/

In lunch

Frog Hollow Farms: Avocado Toast in San Francisco

January 6, 2017

When I was travelling in San Francisco, I had a crazy addition of Avocado Toast. When I was at the Ferry Terminal, I took a visit to Frog Hollow Farm to get a taste of their toast.

The Shop

They serve pastries, sweet and savoury treats, and other items.

Even fresh fruit.

The Menu

They have a pretty small menu, but good items that people can easily grab and go at the Ferry Terminal.

Avocado Toast has garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper on Acme green onion bread. I got the full size for $10.99, which is pretty expensive, but it looks so beautiful.

After eating this all, I was super satisfied and really full.

We rate Frog Hollow Farm:

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, Suite 46, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.froghollow.com/

In Chinatown

Juniper: Happy Hour in Chinatown

December 31, 2016

I love the abundance of Happy Hour options near my office. My coworkers and I wanted to grab a quick drink after work to celebrate the holidays. We headed to Juniper as they had a earlier happy hour than some other places.

On their happy hour menu, they have:

Beer on tap
Cider on tap
Cocktail on tap
Wine on Tap
Aperitif

They also have some food options too.

I’m a beer drinker, so I got the Four Winds La Mason Saison on tap. The beer is part of Four Wind’s Notus Series, named after the Greek God of the South Winds, is a series of their low-ABV brews.

It has a light body with a pale golden hue. This dry table saison is brewed with spelt and rye and then fermented with wild yeast for notes of pepper and tropical fruit.

We rate Juniper:

Address:
185 Keefer Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.junipervancouver.com/

In Brunch

Homer St. Cafe: Brunch in Vancouver

December 27, 2016

Homer St. Cafe serves brunch on the weekends and I always have lunch with my brunch buddy to try new places around town and catch up. I’ve been here for events before but never brunch.

I started off with a Cappuccino. A nice airy foam above the espresso. A coffee is always great to start off the day especially for brunch time.

Maple Chicken and Bacon Cobbler was what I ordered. Their butter milk biscuit sits above the other ingredients. It is a small portion but the biscuit fills you up. The bacon was thick cut and very delicious. The chicken had a hint of maple but wasn’t overpowering at all. It felt like a nice hearty breakfast.

Roast of the Day had sausage and pork belly over some roasted potatoes. It is served with bread and eggs on the side.

Overall, it was a nice space to dine, servers were nice and the food was good.

We Rate Homer St. Cafe:

Address:
898 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://homerstreetcafebar.com/

In Bakery

Chez Christophe: Pastries, Sandwiches and Holiday Treats

December 23, 2016

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

Sweet Treats

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

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

Their decadent chocolates are lined row by row.

Behind the Scenes

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

Holiday Showpieces

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

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

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

Holiday Bear is probably really popular with the kids.

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

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

Lunch Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chocolate Bar Trio has:

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

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

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

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

We Rate Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie:

Address:
4717 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

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

In Fusion

Osum! Kitchen + Lab: Baogers and MoNoodles in Steveston

December 21, 2016

Osum! Kitchen + Lab is a new fusion restaurant that specializes in making unique baos and noodles. Besides being a restaurant, they are also a food lab that experiments with new creations. They have hopes of having special tastings and collaborations in the future.

They are located in Steveston on Bayview Street. The restaurant is small and with only 2 tables. We noticed some people doing take out and smaller groups here. Wen we left, there was even a birthday party.

I was invited to OSUM! to give a few of their items a try.

Their main items are Baogers, MoNoodle, Osum!Noodle and Cha. There’s not a large variety of items, but you’ll find something to enjoy.

Baoger

OSUM! Pork has slow-braised pork belly, cucumbers, pickled greens, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and OSUM! garlic peanut & sesame sauce. Nice warm bao backed with ingredients but it is a bit hard to eat as there is the pork floss covering the top of the baoger. You’ll need to use the wrapper to keep those hands clean.

OSUM! Beef has tender braised brisket, pickled greens, crispy shallots, toasted pine nuts, and OSUM! spicy peppercorn sesame sauce. I hint of spice but not too much.

OSUM! Chicken has grilled cheesy chicken, cucumbers, cilantro, crunchy cheese puffs, and OSUM! Korean sweet spicy sauce. A very playful creation, but the cheese puffs ended up being a bit limp because of the sauce in the baoger.

OSUM! Nutella is a fun items for kids with a sweet tooth. It has all-natural Nutella, crushed peanuts, raw premium almond flakes, and marshmallows.

OSUM! Noodle

Hot Dry Noodle has tender braised pork belly, handmade thick noodles, bean sprouts, pickled greens, scallions, cilantro, crispy shallots, homemade chili oil, and their OSUM! signature garlic-sesame-chili sauce. I like this dish as it has a lot of complimentary ingredients that work well together and has a kick of spice.

Coco-Curry Chicken has grilled chicken, handmade thick noodles, cucumbers, bean sprouts, lemongrass, pure coconut milk, crispy shallots, and OSUM! lime coconut-curry sauce. It is also topped with slices of cheese. I found the cheese to be a bit unnecessary. It sure made it a bit more fun, but

MoNoodle

Multi Mushroom needs 2 days in advance to create. It has handmade kale monoodles, assorted mushrooms, pine nuts, kale chips, truffle oil, bean sprouts, cilantro, peppercorn oil, and OSUM! special mushroom sauce. What is unique about this dish is their noodle is a single 1m long handmade broad kale noodles that fits in a bowl. It’s a good dish if you are vegan or love mushrooms. This is one of the more expensive dishes on the menu due to the ingredients.

Drinks

They have a few drinks on the menu. They have bottled fizzy drink and hot drinks on the menu.

I had the Cocoa Ovaltine to warm me up as it was a cold snowy day outside.

Overall, my favourite item was the hot dry noodles as the flavours worked really well together and wasn’t as fusion as the other dishes on their menu. When it comes down to their food, it depends on your flavour palate. As they are still quite new, I am sure they will continue to work hard to work out the kinks.

We Rate OSUM! Kitchen + Lab:

Address:
125 3531 Bayview Street, Richmond

Website:
https://www.liveosum.com/