Cafe Archives - Page 21 of 28

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Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe: Pies and Milk Tea

September 2, 2013

Chinatown in Chicago was a place I wanted to check out. Usually on my travels, I just have to stop by to see how it compares to Vancouver’s Chinatown. I usually find that no matter where in the world you go, every Chinatown has a similar odor of fresh produce and dried medicine.

I wanted to grab a little snack, so my aunt suggested Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe for some egg tarts or little baked goods. People usually come here for egg tarts and pork buns.

On the inside, there are display cases for cakes and the baked goods. There are lots of round tables where you can order other items off the menu that aren’t buns or tarts like noodles and rice dishes.

Chicken Pie and HK Style Milk Tea. The chicken pie was good. Nothing fancy and inexpensive. I found the milk tea to be a little bit too sweet, so ask them to do it half sweet.

Curry Beef Turnover and HK Style Milk Tea. The outer layers are nice flaky and crunchy with the savory fragrant beef curry on the inside.

Overall, it’s a nice hole in the wall restaurant. No fancy decor, but has some good food.

We Rate Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe:

Address:
2158 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2158+S+Archer+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60616,+USA&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=2158+S+Archer+Ave,+Chicago,+Illinois+60616,+United+States&z=16 “]

In Bakery

The Pie Shoppe: Pies, Pies, Pies

August 20, 2013

I was walking around Chinatown with my coworkers and we came upon a cute little shop on Gore Street called The Pie Shoppe. It’s really a great neighbourhood since you have other awesome places close by such as Harvest, The Parker and Oyster Express.

[vimeo id=”60409159″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

Video of The Pie Shoppe.

When we walked into the shop, it was so tiny, so you can see everything that they were doing. So cute!

It’s so homey and the smells are just fantastic.

They sell pies by the slice or the whole pie. You can order the pies ahead of time or you can just come as see whats available.

My coworker got the Chocolate Pecan pie and thought it was the best thing ever.

I decided to get the Caramel Apple Pie for my Social Media Network teammates for a meeting. The crust is SO good! Nice and crunchy with the sweet apple filling on the inside. This size feeds about 8 people.

We all loved it and would definitely return again. Yum! It’s a bit pricey, but it seriously good pie.

We Rate the Pie Shoppe:

Address:
721 Gore Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thepieshoppe.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=721+Gore+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6A+2Z9&sll=49.891235,-97.15369000000001&sspn=45.72347923378347,88.1395350118194&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=721+Gore+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+2Z9&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Caffe Brixton: Cafe in Chinatown

August 18, 2013

Caffe Brixton is located in Chinatown and it’s a nice addition to the area. It’s hip and has a nice seating area to work if you have a laptop.

My coworkers decided to come here since Phnom Penh had a 40 minute wait and we were not going to attempt wasting a majority of our lunch time waiting for table. We are hangry people.

Grilled Pesto Chicken with Balsamic ($7.50) was really dry! That chicken didn’t seem very fresh or perhaps the grilling method ruined the chicken.

Gluten Free Breakfast Falafal Bake ($6) was ordered by two of my other coworkers. It looked like a delicious dish and tasted good too.

They ordered 2 but only 1 arrived. I think there was a mix up in the kitchen. When the dish arrived, it was the wrong item. Which confused us, but on a second try, it finally arrived. That was kinda crappy.

Quiche Sauteed onion and roasted eggplant was delicious according to Mags.

Overall, some of the food can be a hit or miss. The service was kinda crappy too since they messed up one of our orders. Not a pleasant experience if one dish arrives when everyone else is done theirs. Nonetheless its still a nice place to chill and do some work on your laptop or have a meeting.

We Rate Caffe Brixton:

Address:
212 East Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.caffebrixton.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=212+East+Georgia+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hl=en&geocode=+&hnear=212+E+Georgia+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+0B1&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Beefy Beef Noodle House: Beef Beef Beef

August 17, 2013

M and I tried going to Zakkushi without a reservation, but we would have to wait over an hour for a table. So, we opted to eating at Beefy Beef Noodle House as we’ve heard they had good Taiwanese food. Seeing that it was Summer, the interior was quite cold and it didn’t help that they were playing a winter-themed thriller movie on their TVs.

We saw they had a Top 8 Food list, so we relied on that to order the best items.

House Special Beef Noodle in Soup ($9.50) had some pretty fresh ingredients. M was quite pleased with the quality of the veggies. The beef was tender and the broth was decent. The bowl was pretty big, so he couldn’t finish it.

Curry Beef Brisket with Rice ($9.50) it comes with 2 small side dishes . It was marinated bamboo shoots and cauliflower. The beef brisket was decent it had lots of beef brisket chunks in it.

I still prefer to get my beef brisket curry dish from Mui Garden. If you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about.

Overall, the dishes that we had were decent. It’s a good place for a lot of young people to chill and have some bubble tea to catch up.

We Rate Beefy Beef Noodle House:

Address:
4063 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.jynoodle.com/index1.html

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=4063+Main+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V5V+5C8&sll=49.891235,-97.15369000000001&sspn=45.72347923378347,88.1395350118194&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=4063+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+5C8&z=16″]

In Cafe

Matchstick Coffee: Local Coffee Roasters

August 10, 2013

Matchstick Coffee is located on Fraser and Kingsway, just a few stores down from Les Faux Bourgeois. M and I were eating nearby and a coworker suggested we walk a block over to try his favourite coffee spot.

It’s a little bit hidden, but if you walk around, you’ll find the big ‘M’.

This place is pretty hip. A good place to chill with friends, do some work on your laptop, or have a meeting.

The space is pretty perfect and the interior is aesthetically pleasing.

They sell their coffee as beans and even have some little pastries.

Almond Milk Latte ($3.75) I tried getting soy but that wasn’t an option. I’ve never had a latte with almond milk before, but it really made this latte taste weird. Also almost sour tasting. It was hard to drink.

Cold El Llano Brewed Coffee ($3.25) was ordered by M and he loved it. He liked the taste as it had hints of macadamia nuts and plum.

Overall, it’s a great place for brewed coffee, but stay away from the Almond Milk Lattes. I’d definitely come again for a regular latte and just sit and chill here.

We Rate Matchstick Coffee:

Address:
639 East 15th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.matchstickcoffee.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=639+E+15th+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V5T+2R6&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=639+E+15th+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+2R6&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Smart Mouth Coffee: Croissants and Lattes

August 1, 2013

Smart Mouth Coffee is located in the heart of Gastown. I came in the morning with kamsicle to get our daily coffee. I’ve never been here before and for some reason I always thought it was a bar for some reason.

They always have cheeky signs outside the store. They change everyday and are quite funny.

The interior has the “Gastown” look with its brick walls. Strangely, they also sell beer here too.

There are lots of sandwich choices too. I was tempted to grab a sandwich, but it’s only breakfast time. I probably need to come back to try one.

Good thing there were a few pastries there.

Almond Croissant was actually massive. Tons of almonds on top! The croissant itself was a bit dense and took me a long time to finish. Not the best almond croissant out there.

Soy Latte had a nice strong taste. Good stuff.

Overall, pretty good place to do some work or to grab a snack. The service was definitely lacking here, but it doesn’t really impact your experience since its more of a grab and go place in the morning.

We Rate Smart Mouth Coffee:

Address:
117-131 Water St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+4M3&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+4M3&z=16″]

In Bakery

Berry Good: Dessert Cafe in Richmond

July 29, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Berry Good in Richmond. My last visit was 3 years ago. All the cakes are homemade and created in very small batches. They are closed on Wednesday and Sunday, and the other days they open in the evening.

This time when looking at the menu, I thought it was interesting how they have a section for Korean drinks. It definitely caught our attention, so we had to try the grain latte.

Hot Five Grain Latte ($2.95) is pretty good. You will need to stir it around a bit because I found that there was a concentration of powder on the bottom of the cup.

Iced Korean Grain Latte ($3.99) this is the cold version of the drink above.

The cakes listed on the menu are not correct because they change everyday. Go to the fridge by the cashier to see whats available. Once they run out for the day, its gone. There’s always something good to munch on.

Green Tea Chiffon Cake has the moist green tea cake inside with the layers of cream surrounding it and sprinkles of matcha.

Earl Grey Cheesecake was really really good! The best combination. The earl grey flavour is strong and well integrated throughout the cheesecake.

Green Tea Roll in a sense in kinda similar to the Green Tea Chiffon Cafe, but in a different form.Yet again, the cake is moist and wrapped up with whipped cream. Delicious.

Overall, the cakes were great and you really get the homemade feeling from this cafe. On the other hand, service is alright. The drinks came at staggered times after the cake.

We rate Berry Good:

Address:
#1120-8766 McKim Way ( In Excel Centre)
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1110-8766+McKim+Way,+Richmond,+BC+V6X+4G4&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1110-8766+McKim+Way,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+4G4&z=16 “]

In Bubble Tea

Strike: Taiwanese Food in Kitsilano

July 21, 2013

Strike is a Taiwanese Restaurant near UBC and they will soon open another location in Richmond. I came here twice before and I’ve been addicted to their sizzling plates. You can super full for $12.

I came here again for a ChineseBites dinner with my fellow food bloggers.

Yam Fries is probably one of the last things I would think would appear on a menu of a Taiwanese restaurant. It tasted good, but I wouldn’t normally order it off the menu unless I wanted something to nibble on with bubble tea.

Wonton with Chili Oil was good. Meaty plump wonton pieces wrapped in a thin wonton wrapper. If you like it more spicy, go ask for some hot sauce.

Stewed tofu with garlic sauce was alright.

Five spice beef wrap was ok. It fell apart easily as the wrap itself was a bit thick.

Deep fried chicken nuggets is a must have dish at any Taiwanese restaurant. Well seasoned and very crunch. Yum.

Thai style chicken was good, nice sweet sauce on top, but of all the deep-fried chicken items, I would stick with the Deep fried chicken nuggets.

Deep fried pork chop was tender, well seasoned and I really did enjoy this. Good appetizer if you just want to pick away at something.

BBQ chicken is probably not an item you want to order on its own. You may want to order it as a combo with rice. The skin in spiced really well.

House special beef noodle soup was ok, but I found the beef to be a bit tough.

Taiwanese cold noodle is a great item for the summer. It has peanut sauce, cucumbers, carrots and the noodle. You mixed it all up together and enjoy.

Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Rice with meat sauce, tea egg, pork fluff and pickled mustard greens. It was really good! One of the must order items here.

Taiwanese style chicken steak with black pepper sauce is one of my favorite item to order here. You have so much going on with this dish and you will get full. Highly recommended. You can choose either noodle or rice.

Taiwanese style steak with black pepper sauce is the same as the dish above but just the protein is different. I liked this dish too but My personal preference is to get the chicken instead. Don’t get me wrong, both dishes are awesome.

Milk Tea with Pearls is definitely a must if you want to indulge in the whole experience. I wanted to get it with real milk, but they didn’t have it on hand to accommodate. They did use the powdered milk to make it. It tasted good, but

Overall, the food is pretty good at Strike, but the best way to enjoy your time at Strike is to order the combos or the sizzling plates.

We rate Strike:

Address:
3217 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strike/113553352131031

In Bakery

Forty Ninth Parallel Cafe and Lucky’s Doughnuts

July 19, 2013

On Main Street lies 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters that also serve Lucky’s Donuts. They keep it simple in this cafe by just serving coffee and donuts. You can’t come here without being tempted with a donut to go with your coffee.

Kamsicle and I decided to take a break at work and head to here for a snack. I’ve always heard much about it but never stopped by until now.

They have lots of seats and seems like a really cool place to just chill and do some work.

I got a Soy Latte and it was really good. Nice, strong and great taste.

Salted Caramel is a classic old fashioned donut dipped in a creamy caramel and finished with maldon salt. It wasn’t too sweet, but the caramel does stick a little bit to your teeth.

French Cruller is a French choux paste fried and topped with a vanilla glaze. This was very good! The donut was very soft on the inside and not too sweet.

Overall, I quite liked this place. It’s simple and not complicated. A great addition to the neighbourhood, and I’ll definitely be back.

We Rate Forty Ninth Parallel Cafe and Lucky’s Doughnuts:

Address:
2902 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.luckysdoughnuts.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2902+Main+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V5T+3G3&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=2902+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3G3&z=16″]

In Cafe

The Mighty Oak: Neighbourhood Coffee Shop

July 16, 2013

The Mighty Oak is literally your neighbourhood coffee shop. It is located in the middle of a residential area with nothing but houses. Imagine just waking up and walking a few houses down to grab a coffee and a treat. Flo and I were in the area and just had to check this little place out.

They are also a small grocery store. They sell pies, Earnest Ice Cream, Nice Pops and so many other little things. If you are in some need of some yogurt or ingredients, I’m sure you can find it here.

It’s very cute. Instead of having a front lawn, I suppose they wanted a coffee shop/grocery store instead. Even though I don’t live in the area, it really brought me back to my childhood where you would go with your parents for a short walk to get a nice treat.

The interior is very nice and simple. You can tell the owners put a lot of their heart and soul into the business.

Since it was a very hot day, Flo and I decided to get some Ice Lattes and a Baileys Pecan Butter Tart.

Iced Latte was just what I needed on a hot summers day. It was nice and strong. Just perfect.

The Baileys Butter Pecan Tart was very cute and from the outside, you definitely see more crust than filling.

When we cut into it, there’s a good amount of filling and doesn’t make it too sweet. It paired well with the coffee.

I couldn’t resist but to get a Raspberry and Basil Nice Pop. The flavour was really delicious! It wasn’t cheap though, it was about $4. The amount of fruit they pack in there is pretty good.

Overall, we liked The Mighty Oak. Cute little place! We will definitely be returning when we’re in the area.

We Rate the Mighty Oak:

Address:
98 W. 18th Ave.
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://themightyoak.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=198+W.+18th+Ave.++Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=198+W+18th+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+3B8&z=16″]

In Cafe

Qoola Plus: Now Open in Richmond Centre

July 15, 2013

Sometimes people do crazy things to get what they want. M has been craving frozen yogurt for weeks now and of all the yogurt places in Vancouver, we had to drive all the way down to Richmond for Qoola Plus based on CoffeeGuy’s recommendation.

We’ve been to a few Qoola locations before, but this one is different. It’s Qoola Plus. What makes this location a little bit more special? They serve coffee, sandwiches, pizza and salad.

It’s a nice option here if some of your friends want froyo and some want food.

The interior is quite nice and modern with lots of seating.

Some of the seating is quite comfortable. Nice large lounge chairs, which are great for relaxing and chilling with friends.

They have 10 flavours at a time similar to some of the other froyo places in town. The froyo is by weight, so you don’t need to fill up your entire cup.

After you fill your cup with froyo, you can begin choosing the toppings that you want on top.

I usually skip right to the fruit section where I find my favourite toppings. Seriously, fruits are the best.

Once you’re done, you take it to the cashier and weight it. I don’t exactly remember what the price per weight was but I remember it was something decent.

I got mine with the original flavour with mango, mochi, raspberries and kiwi on top. My favorite way of enjoying froyo…with lots of FRUIT!

M got the original flavour too but he packed his cup with fruits, mochi and these weird juicy balls.

Our other friend got the watermelon sherbet with a variety of different toppings. The cups are reusable. You can bring it back next time and get $0.25 off your order.

The experience at this Qoola was pretty good. As they are still in their soft opening stages, they are perfecting processes here and there to best meet the needs of their customers. The staff was very friendly and was eager to educate customers on their products.

Overall, I did like the ambiance of this Qoola. They offer free wifi, so it make it a good spot to just have a snack and do some work or have a small gathering or meeting.

We Rate Qoola Plus:

Address:
6060 Minoru Boulevard (Richmond Centre Mall)
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.qoola.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6060+Minoru+Boulevard+Richmond,+BC&hnear=6060+Minoru+Blvd,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6Y+2V7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cheat Day: Seriously Good Gourmet Grilled Cheese

July 8, 2013

There’s a new restaurant in town called Cheat Day. It’s a cute little cafe that lets their customers indulge in gourmet grilled cheese. Cheat Day is a clever name since most people tend to try to go on a diet but reserve one day out of the week as their “cheat day” to indulge in whatever they want. In this case, its grilled cheese.

I came here during lunch hour with Magz. We have cheat day every day of the week, so we were not worried about our waistlines.

When we went inside, the space is quite narrow but there are seats on the side. The cool thing about the tables are they are made of wheel barrows.

On the left of the wall is this sick murals. I thought the bear and the little penguins were really cute.

On the right side are tons of toy soldiers and tanks. Never thought I would see that done before.

More toy soldiers. As you can tell, the interior is very playful and perfect for hipsters.
They sell Phillips Soda – Intergalactic Root Beer and Sparkmouth Ginger Soda.

They even have little plants at their tables. Ok ok, enough of the cool little decorations, lets dig into the food.

Peach Brie ($8) has brie, caramelized onions, peach chunks and peach jam on your choice of bread. We had it on brioche bread and it made it taste so amazing. This grilled cheese is the most gooiest grilled cheese I’ve ever had in Vancouver. Magz had a fun time eating it as it dripped on her hands and onto the table.

She was in heaven for the duration of the lunch hour.

Bacon Grilled Cheese ($9) comes with smoked gouda, mushrooms, caramelized onions, arugula, roasted garlic and bacon on brioche bread.

The exterior has a perfect crust and a gooey centre. When you bite down into it, it’s music to your ears.

This grilled cheese isn’t as gooey as the Peach Brie Grilled Cheese, but is still very stringy as you bite into it. I loved it.

Overall, we had a great experience here during lunch and was not disappointed all. Will definitely be returning.

We Rate Cheat Day:

Address:
552 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://cheatday.ca/

Twitter:
@CheatDayVan

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=552+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=552+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3J5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie: Chocolates Galore

July 5, 2013

Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie is located on Hastings Street in North Burnaby. It’s pretty awesome to see that The Heights is starting to get some amazing shops in the area. Over the past few years, I’ve always complained about how few dessert places we have. My go-to place was always Cumpari’s on North Road.

The interior of Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie is quite small with a few high tables near the windows. Not a great place for large groups, but it s a nice quiet setting for a few friends to catch up over some cakes.

M was intrigued by all the chocolate, so he decided to get one of each. I think he didn’t know which ones to choose, so he got them all. Each piece is $1.40 and is a bit pricey, but they look very pretty.

Noix de Coco et Passion
Praline Amande
Citron et Thym
Pistachie
Mango
Gianduja Dark
Tanka Amande
Kalamansi Framboise
Noix de Coco
Caramel
Gianduja Milk
70% Ganache

He ate them all quite quickly. All those in one sitting. He didn’t even leave me a piece. He said they were pretty awesome.

Besides chocolate they also have a variety of cakes and tarts. We came near the end of the day so most of the goodies were gone. All their treats looked quite cute.

Trio de Chocolate ($4.50) has layers of dark, milk and white chocolate mousse. It’s quite small and it can be easily gobbled up in a few bites, but did taste pretty good.

Box of Macarons ($9.95) comes with 6 flavours. The different flavours that they had were caramel, chocolate, coconut, lime basil, limoncello, maple syrup, passion fruit and pistachio. I have no idea which flavours were in the box since I got it as a gift for MedicalGiraffe. She did say they were tasty.

They also have bars of chocolates too.

It’s a nice change to have such a delectable pastry shop in the area. If you are passing by this area, definitely stop and go inside. Parking is a little bit tricky but there should be some on Beta Street.

We Rate Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie:

Address:
4712 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4712+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4712+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5C+2K8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar: Amazing Waffles

June 17, 2013

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar has been on my list of places to eat for a while. I even got 4 emails from readers telling me about this amazing place. If you wrote me an email, trust me, I have never forgotten! Nero is located on Robson street across from the Safeway. It’s a small little place and doesn’t have too many tables to accommodate large parties. The two times that I have went, it was very hard to find a seat.

They serve 2 types of waffles, the Belgium waffle (light and crispy) and the Liege Waffle (Soft, sweet and chewy). You can then choose to have them sweet or savory. I always seem to get sweet since I usually come here after dinner.

Banella ($6.95) with a liege waffle. Banana on top of the waffle with a dish of nutella. It’s a classic combination that anyone would love. FoodQueen ordered this, so check out her blog post soon.

Rudolph ($9) on a brussels waffle. It is topped with whipped cream, fresh raspberries, vanilla ice cream, Belgium chocolate mousse and drizzle of chocolate. This was AMAZING. My absolute favorite. The brussels waffle was so light and crispy like the description. SO good! After this, I will always have a brussels waffle. MMMMmmmmmm.

Mocha ($8.90) on a Brussels waffle. It is topped with vanilla ice cream, 60% dark chocolate, and espresso infused whipped cream. GastroFork ordered this, so you can see it on her blog.

Razz ($7.50) is on a Brussels waffle. It is topped with fresh raspberries and dark chocolate. It was really good as well. After having a taste of their brussels waffle, I’m hooked. Now I can see why they have lineups out the door.

Overall the waffles are great, but the service can be a bit atrocious during peak hours. When I came with Amy and Dee, we were told we were not supposed to save a table before we ordered our food. I totally understand the logic, but there wasn’t a line up in front of us. We just wanted to secure a spot so we didn’t have to get our order and stand up. Putting that aside, I really do love their waffles. I haven’t been able to find such a delicious brussels waffle in Vancouver until I came here.

We Rate Nero Beligian Waffle Bar:

Address:
1703 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.nerowaffles.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1703+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1703+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Strike Taiwanese Restaurant: Near UBC

June 16, 2013

My friend told me I had to go check out Strike on Broadway closer to UBC. There’s a lot of Taiwanese Restaurants in town, but only a handful of them are really good. TaiwaneseGirl kept telling me I had to come here. All of her recommendations to me are pretty solid.

As usual, I can’t say no to trying new restaurants, so we came here for dinner. We found street parking right outside the restaurant and wasn’t too difficult.

Five spice beef wrap ($5.75) comes cut up in 4 pieces. Beware the toothpicks, but other than that, its a decent beef wrap.

Deep Fried Chicken Nugget Rice Combo ($8.50) comes with rice, 3 side dishes and the deep-fried chicken nuggets. The food was well executed and nothing seemed weird at all.

Taiwanese Style Steak with Black Pepper sauce on a sizzling plate with noodles ($11.95) this is probably one of the most popular items. It looks really good and boy was the meat mighty tender. If you’re a fan of black pepper sauce. You should get this.

I don’t know too many Taiwanese restaurants in this area and it seems like a good addition. Most items are under $10 and you get a good amount of food.

We rate Strike:

Address:
3217 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strike/113553352131031

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In Brunch

The Waterfront: Breakfast in Gibsons, BC

June 3, 2013

We were heading to the Sunshine Coast and as we left the Langdale Ferry terminal, we decided to make a stop at Gibson for a few hours before continuing on our journey. I’ve never been outside of the Lower Mainland in BC, which is very odd since I was born here. Perhaps I may have forgotten, but it was good to get away for the weekend and explore some new places.

The only way to get here is by Ferry from Horseshoe Bay and it takes about 40 minutes. Gibson is a small coastal community of about 4,200 people.

There wasn’t too much to do but we did stop by Gibson’s landing to have lunch and explore. We mostly stayed by the ocean to take some pictures and oddly enough play a lot of rock, paper, scissors.

The Waterfront was where we went for lunch. We came here because we saw they have a delicious sounding breakfast menu. We couldn’t say no to breakfast.

The interior has a nice view of the harbour if you happen to sit by the window.

Coffee ($2.50) was something that was needed on any trip. It’s refillable too.

Corned Beef Hash ($12.60) also has tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, 2 poached eggs, and sprinkled with cheese. I found this dish to have more potatoes than corned beef. It was a hearty item to order but it did have a lot of excess oil.

Small Breakfast ($9.90) comes with 2 eggs, toast, hashbrowns and your choice of wither 3 strips of bacon, 3 sausages, or 2 slices of ham. CoffeeAddict chose the sausages. It was decent, but not the best breakfast.

Reuben ($11.95) comes on grilled rye bread with sauerkraut, mozzarella, and Dijon mustard. It also comes with your choice of salad, fries or soup.

Overall, the food as ok, but the service was a bit frazzled and slow at times. The prices are a bit high compared to what you would find in Vancouver.

We Rate The Waterfront:

Address:
440 Marine Drive
Gibsons, BC

Website:
http://www.waterfrontgibsons.com/

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In Bakery

Chicco: Japanese Parfaits

May 23, 2013

Chicco has been on Robson street for a long time and I remember coming here a long time ago for Parfaits with friends. It’s great that it’s still around serving up their Japanese versions of parfaits. The parfaits have changed up slightly, but still a very cool thing to eat.

The shop is quite small, so it’s hard to find seats if it’s during peak hours. If the weather is nice, you could always go to a nearby park to walk around and munch on this.

Green Tea Parfait ($7) contains a cube of green tea mousse, rice cake, whipping cream, corn flakes, sponge cake, vanilla gelato, green tea jello, red beans, green tea gelato and a green tea stick. This is the most popular item and is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. It’s not a heavy dessert and its like a very fun cereal to eat.

Mango Parfait ($7) contains a strawberry macaron, strawberries, cube of mango mousse, mango ice cream, strawberry jelly. whipped cream, corn flakes, sponge cake, and scoop of strawberry sorbet.

Very Berry Parfait ($7) contains a strawberry macaron, strawberries, blueberry, strawberry sorbet, whipped cream, corn flakes, sponge cake, and strawberry jelly.

All of the parfaits are somewhat structured similarly but the flavours are different. It is definitely expensive for what you get but when you get it, it looks beautiful. I would highly recommend the Green Tea Parfait.

We Rate Chicco:

Address:
1504 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.chiccocafe.com/

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In Cafe

Ali Shan Restaurant: Meal Under $10

March 31, 2013

Ali Shan Restaurant is a Taiwanese Restaurant located in Crystal Mall. I was in the area with my coworker and we wanted some lunch before heading back to the office, so we went to Ali Shan for a quick bite.

All items either come with daily soup or cold tea. We chose the tea as we wanted something refreshing. It was good and it was sweetened.

Braised Pork Belly with Red Fermented Sauce ($7.20) comes with egg on rice, pickled vegetables and a side dish.

Beef Hotpot ($6.90) was inexpensive, but the hotpot broth was rather bland. Even though it is a good deal and has lots of items packed into the pot, it’s not the most delicious thing I’ve eaten. It’s decent for the price.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this place but the price is good if you want an inexpensive lunch. The service is alright, but it does take a bit of time for the food to arrive at the table. There are a lot of other options in the area too. They are cash only.

We Rate Ali Shan Restaurant:

Address:
4500 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

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