Edge Yuandian is a tea and juice bar in Vancouver on West Broadway, they pride themselves of using fresh fruits in their beverages. So many healthy bubble tea alternative type of shops are popping up in Vancouver and it’s a nice change.
They are open Tuesday to Sunday from 1pm to 10pm.
Interior
The space is very nice and there are these cloud structures on the side of the walls which makes for great backdrops for photos.
There is a bench on the side where you can shift around tables to accomodate your group. Most people end up taking their drinks to-go.
Menu
Puppy Love
This is one of their seasonal drinks. It has peach, strawberry, lemon, mint leaf, oolong tea, and soda. You can get it with varying degrees of sweetness and ice levels. The drink was refreshing with the addition of the soda. It’s an alternative to bubble tea if you love fruits.
The other seasonal drink is the Raspberry Noel with raspberry, soda, mink leaf, and soda. We didn’t get a chance to try this but sounds refreshing as well.
Mango Tofu Tea
The mango tofu tea is great for those who love tofu and fruits. It’s an interesting combination that I’ve never seen before. It has mango puree, tofu and oolong tea. The tofu flower is soft and smooth in texture like a dessert cup.
This was our favourite of the 3 that we tried. It’s essentially like a dessert rather than a drink. Filling too.
Signature Fresh Fruit Tea
This is what they are known for. You can choose you tea base of either black, green, or oolong tea. They it as passion fruit jam, kiwi, strawberry, orange, apple, watermelon, mango, and cantaloupe.
It was a good standard fruit tea that has more variety of fruits than some shops in town.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s a cute shop that is photogenic and has different fruit inspired drinks. They are a juice and tea shop, so you won’t find that traditional bubble tea drinks here. Good for those who love fruity drinks. Their drinks are generally not too sweet so that good as fruits bring in a lot of natural sweetness on its own. We did get all drink half sweet so that was it too.
Nulife Living Food Café is a plant-based restaurant in Coquitlam and since I was in the area, I wanted to check it out as it’s a great concept in the neighbourhood. It’s really hard to find a good vegetarian or vegan cafe around this area.
I went to stop by for a quick lunch and since I am on a diabetic diet, the menu works really well for me. They are raw, organic, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Interior
The cafe is open during the day and has that cafe vibe where you can just sip on coffee all day and have some snacks. There are tables for small to large groups and it isn’t too busy at all, which is nice.
Menu
Iced Nutty Latte
You can get the latte warm or iced, but I opted for iced to mix things up. They use their home-made nut milk and espresso to make this drink. You can tell the nut milk gives it a nice nutty flavour that isn’t too overpowering and works with the espresso.
Organic Zesty Cilantro Sushi
This originally has their young coconut meat blended with almonds, but they told me about their ‘taco meat’ and gave me a sample so I can try which one I liked. I opted for the taco meat and it’s wrapped with cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and garlic wrapped in nori. It is also served with a salad on the side.
It may not look like much but the textures really went well together as the walnut gave it the crunch that it needed. It won’t fulfill your craving for real sushi, but it will do as a substitute.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the prices aren’t cheap but it takes a lot to put these dishes together that meets to many dietary restrictions. The menu has a good amount of items.
Cafe Sweet & Beans is located in South Burnaby right under Sushi Oyama. They are a full-service restaurant offering a delicious menu with drinks, savoury and sweet dishes, as well as desserts.
We were invited to check out a few of their specials and enjoy brunch during the long weekend.
Interior
The interior is a good size and we did observe families having brunch here as well as lots of people on their laptops studying. A good mix of both I suppose, but either way, it’s pretty bumping in here.
You order at the counter and then find a seat to sit down.
Chicken Tower
The leaning tower is made of chicken wings of at least 6 pieces and they were pretty big as well. It’s a popular item to order and is coated with their spices with a tiny hint of spice.
They have this on special for Wing Wednesdays for $9.99 with purchase of a beverage. It’s originally on the menu for $13.
Belly Benny
This isn’t your typical eggs benedict. It’s more open-faced and kinda deconstructed around the plate. There are big cubes of pork belly, onion jam, raisin jam, hollandaise, sourdough bread, poached egg, arugula, cauliflower puree, and parmigiano cheese.
There’s definitely a lot going on in this plate, so it was hard to figure out where to start. Just dig in! Nonetheless, the dish was very delicious and the flavours did go well together.
Strawberry and Mango Lava Bread
There are a few different versions of the Lava bread like banana and Injeolmi. Injeolmi seemed to be pretty popular compared to all the flavours, but we went with Strawberry and Mango. The dessert is filling and can easily be shared among the table. We found it was a little heavy on the syrup on the bread but other than that, the fruits had a tasty glaze on it.
Mango Smoothie
The mango smoothie was half sweet and it’s a nice option for those who want their beverages less sugary. It was good and refreshing.
Matcha Latte
We got this in a large size with half sweet and it was a decent standard matcha latte. Nothing fancy.
Final Thoughts
Cafe Sweet & Beans has a lot of items on the menu that will cater to those who want a full meal or just want a drink to hang out with friends. It’s a good space to just chill, study, or have a meeting. It’s a much needed addition in this neighbourhood.
Spiritea just launched their brand new drink – Brown Sugar Peach Jelly as their alternative to Brown Sugar Milk Tea. It is their healthier and upgraded version of the Brown Sugar Milk Tea that has been popping up all over Asian and now in Vancouver.
At Spiritea, they take pride in using all natural and fresh ingredients. They do not consider themselves a bubble tea shop, but they do want to continue to present new and delicious alternatives that will satisfy those cravings.
Brown Sugar Peach Jelly
This drink features peach resin, a natural sap that forms on peach trees. It has a jelly like texture and contains many health benefits. Give it a good shake before consuming so you can incorporate all the ingredients together.
They use quality ingredients, so there is fresh milk and the overall drink isn’t too sweet. The peach jelly texture is like birds nest or some sort of crushed jelly. There isn’t much taste to the peach jelly, just added texture since it replaces pearls in their version of this drink.
The drink will cost you $6.50 and comes in their Spiritea bottles so you can reuse it for some other purpose afterwards too.
Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, BC
We are back at Bobii Frutii in Richmond BC to try even more items off the menu with some friends. Last time we only made a small dent in the menu, but there is so much more to try beyond their signature drinks.
I really like their drinks since it’s more tea-forward and not too sweet. They really take their time to craft the drinks, so the quality is definitely there. Plus, the drinks look pretty amazing.
There are some drinks like the matcha series are a tad more expensive but that’s because of the ingredients they use must be imported to retain the similar standards of Bobii Frutii around the world.
Interior
The space is quiet during the weekday, so that means there are tons of tables and wifi if you’re looking for that sort of thing.
I Don’t Want to Work
This has Oolong Tea, Milk and Butterfly Pea Boba. It’s not too sweet at all and the essence of oolong is nice. Very similar to the extraordinary milk tea but not as sweet.
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
This has Strawberry, Mango, Milk and Yogurt. Similar to the other drinks, they keep them in separate layers without mixing. It’s nice that you can taste both of the layers. Yet again, another good drink for the Summer.
Pandora Treasures
This beautiful drink has lemon, honey, Butterfly Pea Bobii and their Original Bobii. Definitely more icy but the lemon and honey combination work well together. Would be great and refreshing for a hot summers day.
Uji Snow
One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.
There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.
Uji Snow Koicha Thick Tea
We were intrigued by this on the menu as it said ‘thick tea’. It’s very similar to the Uji Snow but with stronger intensity of matcha. If you look closely, it does have a darker colour to it.
Mermaid’s Tears
Sounds like a sad drink but isn’t. It is made with blended ice with mango, lemon, honey, milk and topped with Butterfly Pea Bobii.
Definitely super Instagrammable and delicious. It will give you a brain freeze if you drink it too fast but the flavours are nice.
Grapefruit Oolong Tea
This was a special they had in store and it has fresh grapefruit, and oolong tea in a slush format, then topped with a real slice of grapefruit. Very refreshing and the oolong tea is strong and compliments the grapefruit well.
Childhood Memory
This has brown sugar, bobii, and organic milk. Since the brown sugar milk beverages are making a big splash in Asia and now in Vancouver, almost every bubble tea shop has their own version.
This version by Bobii Frutii isn’t too sweet but has a good ratio of the bobii, milk and brown sugar. Definitely one of my favourites as I feel other places in town are too sweet or have bad pearls.
Yuzu Green Tea
This is very nice. The green tea taste pairs well with the yuzu like those Korean marmalade beverages. We got is as a slush but you can make it how you like. You can add different bobii to it too.
Uji Milk Foam
Look at the intense colour of that uji matcha. They do not skimp out of matcha at all. It is topped with the cheesy salty sweet milk foam on top. It’s not for everyone but if you are a milk foam lover, this might be for you.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Bobii Frutii is one of my favourite bubble tea places in Metro Vancouver, but it’s always a bit far for me personally as it can be a 45 minute drive. When I am in Richmond, I would recommend it to friends. The quality is there and is unique aesthetic quality when you look at the drinks.
Tsujiri finally opened in Richmond, BC after a long anticipated wait. They specialize in Japanese matcha desserts that are just addictive. I went to their Edmonton location last year and was surprised their concept in Vancouver is a bit different.
Reservations
They have 2 dining areas – one for walk-ins and another for reservations via OpenTable. When I saw them offering reservations, I jumped at the chance and got a table of 4 on their 2nd day of operations at Tsujiri Pastisserie where they serve their Japanese-style High Tea.
There is also another option for Tsujiri Soba Barbut that is only for the evening with an exclusive soba menu.
These 2 locations are one and the same, it’s just a bit deceiving because they seem like 2 different places. They only have 4 tables available for reservations and can only sit for 1.5 hours which is still plenty of time.
I would highly recommend getting a reservation to avoid lining up in the cold. For myself, I went with my parents, sister and my very very pregnant self so waiting wasn’t something I wanted to do.
Tsujiri Patisserie Menu (Afternoon)
Ebiten Udon
There is only one udon on the menu and it is made with old-fashioned udon noodles in a light kombu bonito dashi broth with ebi tempura, shiitake mushrooms, tenkasu crumbs, kamaboko fish cake and green onions.
A very classic dish popularized by the Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. If you’re looking for something savoury before dessert, this definitely warms the stomach.
Unagi Dashi Chazuke
Another savoury item on the menu is their Dashi Chazuke that comes in your choice of salmon sashimi or grilled unagi. We went with grilled unagi since it’s so hard to deny that craving.
It’s a beautiful set with rice, marinated sesame kombu, tamago yaki, soba roll, green onions, wasabi, and a sprinkle of rice cracker garnish.
There is also a pot of that comforting broth that you can pour over the rice and add in whatever ingredients you want into it.
It was very good and so comforting on a cold day. We really liked how interactive this dish was.
Matcha Souffle Pancake
This has matcha-infused souffle pancake that is very airy. It is then dusted with powdered sugar and served with matcha ice cream, hojicha ice cream and whipped cream.
The pancake has a lot of matcha flavour and not too sweet at all. The ice cream served with it was a bit icy and didn’t do much for the pancake.
Matcha Parfait
A popular item as it’s served in a glass with layers of matcha warabi mochi, azuki beans, shiratama, yuzu rare cheesecake, sweet chestnut, roasted rice sprinkles and an iconic tea box moaka.
Discovering each new layer was tasty to our tastebuds and we were really intrigued by the cheesecake in the middle.
Sakura Parfait
This is similar but it has matcha warabi mochi, shiratama, hidden sakura surprise, traditional sakura kuzu mochi and sweet chestnut on top. I love the layers of the matcha frozen dessert paired with all these items. I really liked this and the different texture worked so well.
Hot Sencha Green Tea
This is a popular Japanese tea that is well-balanced in bitterness and natural sweetness. Good when you want to stay warm while enjoying some cold desserts or hot savoury dishes.
O-Matcha Latte
You can get this drink cold or hot. There are also soy milk and lactose free milk available if you have dietary restrictions.
I mixed this before drinking and it was good. Not too sweet and not too bitter.
Yuzu O-Matcha
This was an interesting yuzu infused tea and it is served cold. It has a rich and bitter matcha paired with fruity, refreshing yuzu honey drink. My sister enjoyed this but did not it was a tad sweet compared to the other drinks.
Cakes to go
We had to get some cakes to take home since we couldn’t fit anymore sweets into our stomach. They have a variety of tea infused cakes at the counter that are made daily in limited quantities. We arrived here at 2pm and by 3:30pm, all the matcha-inspired cakes were all sold out. We were able to get our hands on a few before it was all gone.
The cake flavours change up daily, so you’ll never really know what’s available until the day of.
Opera Cake
This is the same one that comes with the Japanese Style High Tea. We opted not to get the high tea set since it was a bit on the pricey side but we did want to really try the opera cake. It has alternating layers of cream, red bean, matcha cake, and other things that pair nicely together.
Matcha Cake
I can’t remember the name of this cake but it has matcha spongecake with cream and red bean in the centre.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad they finally opened as we’ve been anticipating it for the longest time. It’s great to have more dessert options in the area especially in this plaza. It’s definitely not cheap when you order certain items. The 4 of us ended up spending over $100 but maybe we ordered excessively. My other friend had a party of 2 and spent around $50. Nonetheless, the desserts, drinks and food are good.
I would go again but I would not line up for it. I really like the reservations via OpenTable but for the time-being, you have to book it in advanced as there are limited seats.
Matcha Cafe Maiko is a great place for matcha and Hojicha dessert lovers. When I was in San Francisco, I knew I needed to make a visit while we were in Japan Town. I couldn’t miss this chance. As it was in the middle of the weekday, it wasn’t busy at all.
They started in Honolulu, Hawaii and is making a massive expansion across the United States and soon in Richmond, BC too. I’m looking forward to the Richmond location as it’s 30 minutes away from my home.
All of their products are imported from Japan from Harima Garden.
Interior
The shop in Japan Town is small, so there are only a few seats inside, but most people just take it to go and walk around while consuming the delicious desserts.
Menu
Maiko Special (Mix)
This has a bit of everything – matcha and vanilla cream together along with matcha chiffon, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi.
A great parfait to devour yourself or to share. I ate this all to myself and I was so damn happy. I loved every part of this parfait. Highly recommended.
Soft Serve Mix
This has a twist of their matcha ice cream and vanilla ice cream in a crispy cone that they make fresh daily. Classic!
Final Thoughts
I loved the quick stop at Matcha Cafe Maiko and excited for the opening of the Richmond, BC location as well. The desserts are solid and will satisfy any matcha craving.
Crack Coffee Roasters is a new addition to the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood near Joyce and Kingsway. They recently just opened in January 2019 and they are a micro roastery producing some top notch espresso for their coffees. My friends and I were having lunch a few shops away and I made sure to make a stop here for a coffee.
Interior
The space is quite nice and the owner’s dog – Celine will be there ready to greet you at the door. Very friendly dog and she really wants you to shake her paw and give her cuddles.
It’s very cozy, so whether you are studying or chilling with friends, you’ll feel comfortable in this space. Or even just people watching.
Coffee Options
There are a variety of brewing options for your coffee if you want to get fancy – siphon, pour over, drip, espresso, Americano, or a latte. You can also do iced versions too.
There are quite a few bean options too with different flavour profiles. I am not a bean expert but I just let them do the choosing for me. They do have a few diagrams on how the different beans taste like. Very helpful to know those tasting notes.
They also have cakes on the menu too.
Latte
My friends ordered lattes as it was a cold day outside and they loved the latte. Good execution of the drinks and great taste of the espresso used. Nice latte art too.
Iced Latte with Coffee Jelly
I went with an Iced Latte with Coffee Jelly as it was one of the beautiful drinks I saw on their Instagram account. I like how they separate the layers so its coffee jelly, milk and then espresso.
I mixed it together to incorporate all the items. It was really good and the coffee jelly gives it a nice texture too. One of my favourite iced lattes in town.
Final Thoughts
We spent a few hours here drinking coffee and enjoying each others company while playing with Celine. If you love coffee, dogs and a cute cafe setting, definitely check out Crack Coffee Roasters.
Cacao 70: Sweet House on Granville Street serves up sweet treats to customers who come in. They currently offer a Valentine’s Day special menu until February 17th, 2018.
The regular items in the shop focus on waffles, brunch, dips and drinks.
Interior
The space is very narrow but you can find some seats along the left side of the shop, but not a lot of large tables for big groups.
Raspberry Waffle
This has strawberries, raspberries, whip cream and chocolate drizzle on top of the waffles. We were pleasantly surprised it wasn’t as sweet as it looked. A good balance!
The portion size was good as it has 2 layers of waffles, so share-ability is great for two people.
Raspberry Hot Chocolate
We enjoyed this too as the raspberry flavouring was more authentic to the real fruit rather than artificial. It balances the waffles well as it is sweet because it is a hot chocolate.
Berry Romantic Combo
There is also the Berry Romantic Combo for $33.50, which has a raspberry waggle, single fondue platter and 2 raspberry hot chocolates. Perfect for 2 people to share and enjoy each other’s company.
Ganache Pâtisserie is always crafting up something new for each holiday season. For Valentine’s Day, they have launched their Saint Valentin Cassis Hojicha Chocolat 2019.
The cake is inspired by their current Fall/Winter collection and continues with the fragrant hojicha theme.
Saint Valentin 2019
There is a combination with layers of fragrant hojicha chocolate cake, a fruity cassis mousseline filling, a hojicha créme brûlée, a lavender-cassis guimauve and fresh blackberries. The entire cake is finished in a pink and grey marbled buttercream with a dripping chocolate glaze that is adorned with white chocolate fans, pink rose macarons, gold-dusted blackberries, Valentine’s chocolate decor, crispearls and gold flakes.
The cake was delicious and not too sweet at all. The layers were moist and almost brownie-like. The hojicha makes its presence known and works with all the other ingredients in the cake to really balance out the fruit.
The cake is designed to be shared generously with that special someone, though able to feed 4-6 people. It is available starting Friday, February 8th for $39.95 and pre-orders are highly recommended for pick ups on Valentine’s day.
Bonbon aux The Chocolat
If you’re looking for something else Valentine’s Day themed, they have their Bonbon aux The Chocolat, which has 3 different bonbons in a box – Earl Grey milk chocolate, matcha dark chocolate, and hojicha milk chocolate. It makes for a great gift for those who love tea infused in their chocolate. You can’t go wrong with any of those flavours.
Final Thoughts
Of course, they still have their regular menu with an assortment of cakes and other sweets, but definitely check them out for some of the best cakes and sweets in town for your special somebody.
DALINA has opened their second location and it’s slated to officially open on Monday, February 11, 2019 just a short distance from Vancouver General Hospital if you’re looking for a grab-and-go meal during the day. We were invited for a sneak peek of the space and items on the menu.
As the space is smaller, there aren’t a lot of grocery items at this location. It’s pretty sparse and mostly has to-go meals and drinks.
Interior
At 900 square feet, they sit 35 people in this space. It is very beautiful and has textures of white tile, white oak, concrete, stainless steel and marble textures. Insta-worthy interior.
Grab-and-go meals
Looking at their fridges, there are dozens of freshly prepared meals including salads, sandwiches, wraps, and pastries. In addition to the artisanal coffee DALINA has become famous for, featured drink additions will include Superfood Smoothies and Hoochy Booch Kombucha on tap.
All dishes are being created by DALINA executive chef Simona Bonelli, who brings her blend of healthy, innovative, and authentic fare to this new take-away menu. Aside from the baked goods, drinks, and coffees, most menu items will run between $10 to $15 and will come in compostable packaging.
There is wifi in the space if you need to connect to the internet. They also have still and sparkling water on tap, which I absolutely love. A nice little touch.
Lattes
I’ve always been a fan of their lattes and hot chocolates on the menu. It’s just acozy spot to just catch up with friends in the beautiful space. Glad there is another location to do that in.
Local Sweets
They work with a lot of local bakeries to fill their pastry area like Dipped Doughnut Co, To Die For, and Flour Girl Baking. They make some amazing vegan treats and they really do taste good. My favourite was the Banana Cream doughnut.
Final Thought
It’s a great addition to the area and I can’t wait for them to open their doors. Perfect for those who work in the area for a quick meal, coffee, or a drink.
Iktsuarpok Coffee Stand is the cutest little coffee shop in Gastown. There are no seats and you just order your drink at the window. Rika and Kento are behind Iktsuarpok Coffee Stand and while we were in line waiting, it was nice to see them chit chatting with us once our order was ready.
We saw them on Instagram and read a few articles online and knew we had to make a visit as their concept was unique.
Menu
The menu is limited with 3 items but you can’t go wrong with them.
White
This is a latte made with Moving Coffee beans, which is from Vancouver too. Milk and espresso never tasted so good. It really hit the spot and the latte art looks great too. Highly recommended.
Green
If you want a matcha latte, they have that too. It’s been pretty popular, so sometimes they run out of it. Be sure to check Instagram to see if it’s available. We initially planned to come here weeks ago but then we noticed they ran out of matcha, so we waited till it was back in stock.
You can ask them to adjust the sweetness or have none at all. The matcha tasted like it was high quality and you can taste it.
Final Thoughts
A lot of people who come here know that its there. Some people miss it completely as it is an obscure location where you have to look at the window to order. They have gained quite a following since they’ve opened. The quality of the drinks show and it’s a unique experience to order your drinks like a drive-thru…or in this case – walk-thru.
They are open on weekdays 8:30am to 4:30pm. On Saturdays, they are open 10am to 4pm.
Bobii Frutii just opened their first Canadian location in Richmond BC and started in Taiwan, with another location in Singapore. They specialize in Instagrammable bubble teas that don’t have any artificial preservatives, stabilizers, or artificial colouring. The drinks are very beautiful, but we decided to stop here to see if it lives up to the hype.
Interior
The store has a few seats inside but its not too busy when we went on a weekday afternoon. The interior has a lot of concrete greys and brown woody colours.
Menu
Extraordinary Bubble Milk Tea 不甘平凡
This extraordinary bubble milk tea is made with layers of red tea, milk and brown sugar pearls. A classic choice and you can really taste the subtle brown sugar in the pearls that aren’t too over powering and it works nicely with the tea and milk. Delicious. Make sure it mix it before you drink it to incorporate all the layers.
Don’t Want to Work 不想上班
The name of this drink is so cheeky. It is made with oolong tea, milk and their Butterfly Pea Pearls. It looks similar to the extraordinary milk tea and taste similar but less sweet due to the type of pearls.
Uji Snow 宇治初雪
One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.
There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s a good quality of bubble tea, looks great, tastes great, but it is higher in price compared to other bubble tea shops in the area. With so many options in Richmond, it’s definitely hard to compete.
Spiritea Drinks is located at Aberdeen Centre and they specialize in cold brewed tea and desserts. They soak the tea leaves in a low-temperature glacial water, which releases the tea tannins and caffeine to produce a smooth and rich tea aroma. It retains catechin and tea polyphenol of the tea leaves to lower blood sugar, increase metabolism, and good for tea lovers. They brew all of their teas on the spot in a special teaspresso machine
They aren’t a bubble tea shop and do not offer any toppings to their beverages. The owners want to provide healthier options and have been perfecting their drinks for the last year. A lot of their drinks use their green tea base, fresh fruit and sugar cane sweetener. No artificial sweeteners or powders are used.
Interior
The interior is beautiful during the day and night with it’s white and pink colours. It is modern, elegant and cute.
A lot of the tables are arranged to fit 4 people, so it’ll be hard to get a large group in here unless you start rearranging tables and chairs.
Menu
Jade Green Tea Cloudtea
This can be made hot or cold. You get a deep jade green tea flavour with the salted cream foam on top. They make the foam in small batches so it stays fresh, thick and delicious.
It’s a good option if you love green tea.
Super Combo Fruitea
This is one of their popular drinks on the menu. It has pineapple, passion fruit, orange, lemon slices, lime slices and a strawberry shaken with green tea and cane sugar. It is a solid fruit tea that is refreshing and light.
Very Berry Cloudtea
If you love berries, you’ll enjoy the very berry cloudtea. The mixture of tea, fruit and foam worked well together.
TanCho Black Tea
This comes in a cute skinny bottle. The quality of the tea is very nice, but it’s a pretty standard black milk tea compared to other shops.
Macarons
They have 4 different varieties of macarons on the menu to pair with their teas – salted caramel, matcha, lychee and earl grey.
Chocolate Mousse
The chocolate mousse has layers of cake and crisp crunchy layers. If you are a chocolate lover, you’ll really appreciate this cake.
Very Berry Cake
This has a layer of cream on the outside and on the inside, there is a berry jam and cake on the inside. The highlight of the cake was really the layers inside. We felt like there was a tad too much cream and it threw of the ratio.
Christmas Tree
This has 3 triangle cakes that make up this Christmas Tree. There is matcha, mango, and very berry flavours. Very cute concept but fairly regular cakes.
Cheesecake Snowflake
Probably the cutest cake of the bunch as it’s shaped like a snowflake and perfect for the holidays. It has more of a cheesy taste to it, so, it may not be for everyone. We still enjoyed it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Spiritea Drinks is a great addition to the Richmond area and inside Aberdeen Centre. It’s great that their concept of healthy tea and fruit beverages use quality ingredients. The prices are slightly higher than other cafes, but the quality is there. It’s a nice place to sit with friends and just chill over tea and dessert.
Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, B
There is a new French bakery on West Broadway close to City Hall – Forêt Noire Pâtisserie. They just opened a a few weeks ago serving up delicious treats like croissants, macarons, chocolates, cakes, and beverages. They have a few other items planned on their menu like sandwiches to cater to different times during the day.
Interior
The space is about 2,000 square feet with some seats inside and outside on their patio.
They can’t fit many large groups from the tables observed as most of them seem to be tables of 2.
Beverages
On the menu, they have a variety of hot and cold beverages – teas, coffees, and other non-caffeinated drinks.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
They have a spiced hot chocolate served with a whole cinnamon stick. A nice way to enjoy an aromatic hot chocolate that isn’t too sweet or bitter.
Latte
I went with a latte to go with the pastries. A good ratio of espresso and milk.
Cheese Croissant
This croissant is crisp and butter on the outside and the inside is stuffed with feta, ricotta with fresh herbs and lemon. It was good to have more of a savoury item as it was around noon.
Apricot Danish Puff Pastry
The puff pastry is crisp and buttery with the apricot and creme in the centre. Pretty good item for texture and sweetness.
Mont Blanc
The Mont Blanc has made of muscovado sablé breton, mascarpone rum cream, yuzu compote, chestnut cream, coconut meringue, and a marron glacé.
An interesting flavour combination with the yuzu incorporated into it, but it balanced out the other ingredients to keep it a tad light.
Paris-Brest
This has pâte à choux, hazelnut mousseline cream, homemade praliné and hazelnut craquelins.
This classic item was good with all the different textures. It is a bit sweet on its own, but when paired with a latte, it’s not as noticeable.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good addition to the City Hall area where you can get pastries, coffee and hang out with a friend. There are a lot of options on their menu too which is nice.
Convenient to get to and there is metered street parking around.
Starbucks Canada is ready to reveal its latest and largest store with the opening of the new Starbucks Reserve Bar as of Tuesday, December 11 at 700 W Pender Street (at Granville) in Pacific Centre. With over 4,000 square feet, they can seat 150 guests. This is the largest Starbucks in Canada and features their rare and exclusive small-lot coffees.
This location is the 4th Starbucks Reserve Bar to open in Canada and Vancouver is lucky to have two Reserve Bars now. The other location in Vancouver is located on Main Street.
Interior
This large space is a stunning spot for locals and tourists alike to meet but most of the fun comes from sitting at the bar, chatting with the knowledgeable baristas, and watching them move around the laboratory-like setup as they personalize your cup of brew.
A wall of windows lines the length of the store flooding the space with natural light and drawing customers in. Design elements include a prominent coffee bar crafted from rich walnut wood, copper accents reminiscent of the company’s flagship Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, and a striking backdrop of Michelangelo Marble. It’s distinct brown, black, and gold colouring calls to mind coffee growing regions around the world.
At the back of the shop, you can get your usual beverages and food if you like your classic Starbucks order.
What to expect
Featuring rare Starbucks Reserve coffees, the bar gives baristas a platform to engage in a dialogue with customers over a variety of brewing methods, from the state-of-the-art to the time-honoured, including: a manual Black Eagle espresso machine, Clover brewing system, Chemex brewer, Siphon, coffee press, and Nitro Cold Brew taps.
One of the most unique experiences is getting your coffee brewed using the Siphon. It’s picture worthy and is a sensory experience.
It’s a great way to try different brewing methods made by the experienced baristas. You’ll definitely learn a thing or two.
Menu
Exclusive Drinks
There are a few amazing drinks that you can only get at Starbucks Reserve Bars. My personal favourite is the Hazelnut Bianco Latte made with Starbucks Reserve espresso, steamed, house-made hazelnut praline–infused milk. It is amazing and tastes like a liquefied Ferrero Rocher. SO damn good! You can also get it iced too.
Don’t forget their affogato if you are looking for a cool sweet treat. You can have it the classic way with a shot of espresso or you can make it a float with their cold brew.
Exclusive Small Plates
Say hello to Chorizo Mac & Cheese, which is surprisingly good for Starbucks. It costs $7.95 and sits at 680 calories.
The other item is their pear, bacon, and brie flatbread for $6.95 and at 270 calories.
Final Thoughts
There is lots to discover at Starbucks Canada’s newest Reserve bar in Downtown Vancouver from exclusive drinks to exclusive food.If you’re int he area, give them a visit.
Spade Coffee in Vancouver serves up brunch all week long on Commercial Drive. It’s a cozy cafe serving up coffee, spirits, treats and small plates. If you want a cocktail and croissant, you can do that too. It is owned by Sammy Piccolo, an award winning Barista and the owner of Prado Café.
What differentiates Spade Coffee is their freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.
Interior
There are long communal tables as well as smaller ones throughout the cafe. It’s a chill spot and there are people catching up, people on their computers, and people who are just chilling over a coffee and book.
Brunch Menu
Latte
Coffee is a must here since they have some great beans and talented baristas to craft up your drink.
Breakfast Bowl
The Breakfast Bowl has arugula, seeds, house pickles, marinated artichokes, roasted red pepper, two poached eggs, and prosciutto.
It was simple, light and one of the only options that has minimal carbohydrates on the menu. Since my doctor put me on a strict diet, I love how there are options on the menu.
The yolks were poached perfectly so it oozed with grace.
Meat Breakfast Sammy
The meat breakfast sammy has a poached egg, prosciutto, aged cheddar, onion jam, green mayo, and greens on a brioche bun.
A solid choice to pair with coffee and tasted good.
Final Thoughts
A quick brunch for the 2 of us Spade Coffee on Commercial Drive. The atmosphere is chill, so its very casual and a great space to catch up with friends over brunch and coffee.
Ganache Patisserie has launched their newest Bûches de Noël which will feature 2 modern interpretations of the classic yulelog and 2 of their classic flavours. We got a sneak peek of these 4 flavours of their Bûches de Noël.
Traditional Bûche de Noël Bûche au Marron Café
Bûche au Marron Café takes a coffee chiffon cake rolled with a Zephyr Caramel coffee ganache, a chestnut mousseline filling, chestnut pieces and vanilla buttercream finish.
Both yulelogs are decorated with meringue mushrooms, fondant snowflakes, woodland inspired chocolate decor in contrasting colours.
The cake is super most and surprisingly good. A nice strong coffee aroma when devoured.
Bûche au Chocolat
Bûche au Chocolat takes a chocolate roulade sponge rolled with a dark chocolate ganache and dark chocolate mousseline filling with sour cherries and chocolate buttercream.
This one reminded us of Black Forest Cake due to the chocolate and cherries, but of course an elevated version.
You can order yule logs in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
8” size (feeding 8-10 people) for $46.95
12”size (feeding 12-15 people) for $65.95
Modern Bûche de Noël
Bûche Caramel Cafe Pistache 2018
This starts with a base of moist chocolate cake covered with a coffee cocoa nib crunch supporting a duo of espresso milk chocolate mousse and Zephyr Caramel chocolate mousse while a hidden core is composed of moist chocolate cake, a dark chocolate mousse with cranberries and a pistachio parfait. The entire bûche is sprayed in milk chocolate velvet with a dripping Zephyr Caramel chocolate glaze and is adorned with marbled milk and white chocolate leaves, pistachios, cranberries, cocoa nibs and white chocolate bark bookends.
Eating this was a symphony of flavours and a lot of textures from the pistachios, cocoa nibs, and cranberries.
You can order this in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
6″- $39.95 feeds 6-8 ppl
12″- $69.95 feeds 12-15 ppl
Bûche Coco Amande Chocolate
This is comprised of a dark chocolate almond mousse studded with caramelized almond pieces surrounding a middle of a coconut cream, pineapple curd and toasted coconut sablé with a chocolate coconut brownie base. The bûche is covered in a coconut chocolate glaze with glittery gold glaze stripes, white chocolate bark, caramelized almonds, white and dark chocolate crispearls, coconut shavings and dark chocolate curls and endplates.
If you love almonds, this is the cake for you.
You can order this in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
6″- $39.95 feeds 6-8 ppl
12″- $69.95 feeds 12-15 ppl
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something unique and festive this year to take to holiday get togethers, check out Ganache Patisserie for their Bûches de Noël.
You can now pre-order and available in-store starting Sunday December 8th, 2018. They advise to order in advanced for pick ups between Dec 20th and 24th as holiday hours will be in affect afterwards.
If you want something smaller, don’t forget about their smaller cakes made just for the Fall and Winter.
