Foodology
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Dessert

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In Cafe

Miss Lina Crepe Cakes: Pastries and Drinks in Richmond

Miss Lina Crepe Cakes in Richmond is another new addition to Alexandra Road for desserts. There have been a few dessert shops in Metro Vancouver opening up that specialize in Crepe Cakes, so it’s interesting to see the demand for them. They also have a liquor license if you want a boozy drink to go with your sweet treats.

We came here specifically for the crepe cakes but they do have other items on the menu like Afternoon Tea.

Interior

The interior is nice and has lots of tables for small to large groups. They try to make the decor look luxurious with the simple and light colours.

Menu

Matcha Crepe Cake

Matcha crepe cake is a classic flavour with 25 layers of matcha creme and crepes. It’s definitely a labour of love to create, but delicious to devour. Matcha is generally bitter, so you will have to like matcha to fully enjoy the balance of sweet and bitter tastes.

Earl Grey Crepe Cake

Earl Grey tea is infused into this crepe cake with a good balance where the earl grey shines through and overall isn’t too sweet. Pair it with some tea and it hits the spot.

Taro Crepe Cake

Have you heard of taro crepe cake yet? It’s a pretty great combination that I don’t see that often. If you are a taro fan, you’ll enjoy this. The natural colour of the taro shines through and it’s very good.

Final Thoughts

The crepe cakes that we tried were very delicious and delicate but can be pricey as you are paying over $12 per slice. Even their rainbow crepe cake has a price tag of $16. Definitely not an everyday indulgence.

Address:
1200-8580 Alexandra Rd, Richmond

Website:
https://www.misslinacrepecakes.com/

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In Cafe

Crackle Creme: Fall Inspired Crème Brûlée in Vancouver

Crackle Creme is a cozy cafe located in Chinatown specializing in crème brûlée, cute macarons, waffles and drinks. As the Fall is almost upon us, they are releasing 3 new crème brûlée flavours – Apple Pie, Pumpkin Spice and Malt Spice. 3 flavours that capture the Fall season.

Interior

The interior is small, so there aren’t too many seats inside. A lot of people come to get treats to- go or they sit a short little while enjoy their crème brûlée fresh.

Menu

Apple Pie Crème Brûlée

All their ingredients are made in-house and use fresh ingredients in their crème brûlée.

They torch the crème brûlée in front of you, so there is no mystery at all. Apple pie crème brûlée is topped with an apple mixture that accentuates the flavour just like an apple pie without the crust.

This was our favourite of the 3 flavours.

Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée

The Pumpkin Spice crème brûlée has spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to make the classic Pumpkin Spice flavour. It has an interesting combination of flavours as a crème brûlée with these warm Fall flavours. If you’re a Pumpkin Spice fan, this might be for you.

Malt Spice Crème Brûlée

The malt spice is an interesting flavour with a stronger alcohol taste compared to the other 3 flavours. If you like a boozy kick to your crème brûlée, this might be for you.

Pandan Coconut Crème Brûlée

We tried a few more crème brûlée on their menu and the pandan coconut has a subtle flavour of the pandan leaf and a stronger coconut taste. It was pretty good in my opinion if you enjoy pandan.

Thai Iced Tea Crème Brûlée

Thai Iced Tea infused in their crème brûlée is a good combination, but don’t pair it with their Thai Iced Tea or else it’s too much of the same flavour.

Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea

If you’re looking for some beverages to go with some desserts, they have some Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea for a limited time.

Thai Iced Tea is a classic drink, but the Thai Jasmine Iced Tea is very interesting and floral in taste. We really enjoyed it a lot.

Macarons

They have the cutest macarons available at the café with different cartoon characters. It makes for a really great gift too.

Final Thoughts

If you’re wanting to find a place with an amazing amount of crème brûlée flavours, you’ll definitely find something unique at Crackle Creme. They have so many that it’s hard to choose what to order.

Website:
https://www.cracklecreme.com/

Address:
245 Union St, Vancouver, BC

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In Cafe

SweetHoney Dessert: Now Open in Richmond

SweetHoney Dessert is a new Hong Kong style dessert restaurant in Richmond. It’s tucked away in a small plaza near Aberdeen Mall. They serve many hot and cold soup based dessert items.

SweetHoney Dessert takes pride in preparing all ingredients in-house daily. They let us know that they don’t use powdered additives, instead they grind the raw ingredients in their kitchen. This extra step makes a difference in taste, texture, and quality. The morning is spent doing prep, then they open at 3:00pm until 12:00am everyday.

SweetHoney Dessert Richmond is part of a franchise that have over 600 locations in China, over a dozen in California, and now its first location in Canada.

Interior

The interior is cute, well lit, and welcoming. It’s a large space with plenty of comfortable seating. As part of a franchise, the look and feel is consistent with other locations throughout North America.

Mango, Strawberry, and Durian Pancakes

SweetHoney Pancakes is fruit and fresh cream wrapped in surprisingly thin crepe. The wrap is so delicate, there is one dedicated staff trained to make them.

We tried mango, strawberry, and durian. My favourite was the strawberry, which had sesame flecks on its wrapper and provided a flavour contrast.

Durian and Thai Black Glutinous Rice

Fresh durian and black glutinous rice ball are served on vanilla “frost”. Frost is a semi-sweet sauce that is half liquid, half very finely shaved ice. It looks liquid but retains a slushy texture as you eat it. The durian is flown in from Thailand.

Mango with Grass Jelly in Vanilla Frost

This is one of their most popular items. It’s served with a generous amount of fresh, ripe mango. The grass jelly and their signature vanilla frost is a great combination.

Mango Pomelo Sago Tofu Pudding

These are all ingredients that I know and love together. SweetHoney makes its own tofu in-house, which was very delicate and semi-sweet. The pomelo bits were a burst of flavour. It’s cool, refreshing, and is easily my favourite item on their menu.

Sesame and Almond Soup with Glutinous Rice Balls

SweetHoney also serve warm dessert options. They toast, grind, and make all the ingredients in this dish within their kitchen. It’s tasty, comforting, and would be a perfect cold, weather treat when fall arrives.

Final Thoughts

I visited during the heatwave and the cold desserts were a perfect way to cool down. The fruits were all very fresh and juicy.

Fair warning: the portions are large, and because the warm soup can be quite filling, make sure to bring a friend or two. Treat it like dimsum, more people means more options!

SweetHoney Richmond is slightly difficult to find because of the parking lot layout, but it’s worth visiting. They offer so many ingredient variations and options, that everyone can find something they will like.

Address:
160 4200 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.sweethoneydessert.com/

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In Burnaby Central

Soft Peaks Ice Cream: Now Open in Burnaby

Soft Peaks Ice Cream has opened their latest location in Burnaby on Kingsway close to Crystal Mall and Metropolis at Metrotown. This popular shop got it’s start in Gastown and has finally made it’s way to Burnaby. It’s pretty exciting because it means fans don’t have to travel all the way downtown for their delicious treats.

Interior

The interior is large and spacious with lots of seating inside. It’s not your typical seating as there are benches on the side.

Menu

Strawberry Milk Tea

They even have milk tea on the menu. It is made with real strawberry puree, and you can tell the difference with the artificial ones. It’s fresh, light and milky. Great choice for the summer.

Blueberry Milkshake

They also have a blueberry milkshake on the menu. It is made with their signature organic milk soft serve, milk, and real whole blueberries. Really nice to sip on this thick milkshake and enjoy the pairing of the sweet blueberries.

They also have other rotating flavours based on seasonality.

Organic Ice Milk Bars and Swirls

Their ice milk bars are made fresh in-house with their signature organic milk soft serve recipe. You can have them as is or smothered in chocolate. They have a bunch of rotating flavours on the menu.

We tried the dipped matcha as well as the strawberry. The size of it isn’t too large, so you won’t feel too guilty eating the whole thing. They are very creamy, but we liked the matcha.

Honeycomb Soft Serve

Their handcrafted soft serve is made with Avalon organic milk, a touch of sweetness, and is then churned to smooth consistency. There is crunchy corn flakes on the bottom and its’ topped with a piece of Okanagan and Fraser Valley honeycomb. It wasn’t too sweet at all, which was very nice. It’s a classic combination, which was made popular in Korea many years ago.

Other  Soft Serve Flavours

There are a few other flavours pictured here:

  • Matcha Forest
  • Snowberry with matcha condensed milk drizzle
  • Sunrise in California (Yuzu marmalade)

There are a lot other signature flavours on the menu too like the Mudslide, which is my personal favourite with TimTams.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of delicious treats here at Soft Peaks. They have added a few new items to the menu since my last visit. From soft serve to drinks, there is something that will help you cool you down this Summer.

Address:
115-4603, Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://softpeaks.ca/

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In Cafe

Stuffies Pastry Cafe in North Vancouver

Stuffies Pastry Cafe is located in North Vancouver and they create delectable treats that are almost too cute to eat. We were invited to check out a few of their signature items likestuffies and cro-tai. Who knew such a cute store would be located in this area. They have only been open for a few months but it’s something unique to come to a cafe tht specializes in these pastries.

Interior

There are a few tables inside where you can enjoy your treats. You order at the counter and you can watch them create all their stuffies and cro-tai with their cool machines. If you were always curious how they were made, you can find out here as you watch them.

Menu

Cro-Tai

Cro-tai gets it’s name from being a hybrid of a croissant and a taiyaki. They comes in a bunch of different flavours depending if you like savoury or sweet tastes.

Here are all the options:

  • Bacon & Egg
  • Sausage & Egg
  • Egg & Cheese
  • Pizza
  • Thai Chicken
  • Tuna Salad
  • Ham & Cheese
  • Nutella
  • Vanilla
  • Cinnamon
  • Blueberry

The exterior is crisp and not too buttery or heavy. One of of favourite flavours was the nutella. What better way to enjoy this than with the sweet hazelnut and chocolate spread.

Stuffies

Stuffies are their signature items they sell in stores. They come in fish or bear-shapped patry, also there can have a vanilla or red velvet filling inside these pastries.

If you want to be a bit more fancy, you can have them decorated with icing and sprinkles.

They hand decorate the fishies and bears and if you want to customize them for a special occasion.

His and hers bears for weddings or anniversaries.

Makes for fun gifts too and can be individually packed.

Stuffies Soft Serve

The soft serve waffle cone shaped like a fish opening its mouth is crunchy and tastes similar to corn pops. The ice cream is vegan, which was a big surprise to us, but it still had a creamy texture to it. The toppings were simple with mostly syrups, sprinklings, or cereal. We wished they used more fruit, nuts, or even bbt toppings would be a great touch.

Below were the 3 we tried.

Coco Heaven

This has a chocolate and vanilla soft serve with mini chocolate bar, chocolate dipped pretzel, dark chocolate sauce, and choco rocks.

Beary Berry

This fun version has sprinkles, strawberry syrup, gummy bears and a strawberry and blueberry skewer.

Orient Express

This last one that we had consisted of red bean paste, rice puffs and a skewer of mochi.

Iced Matcha Latte

They also have drinks too if you want a beverage to go with your pastries. This is the Iced Matcha Latte.

Final Thoughts

Overall, cute concept and I can see their stuffies as great gifts for parties or any other special occasion. Very cute characters that kids and adults would love. Also very affordable prices too.

Address:
571 Oxford St, North Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://stuffiespastries.com/

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In Burnaby Central

Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake at Metropolis at Metrotown

Uncle Tetsu is best known around the world for their famous Japanese Cheesecakes. They opened up at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC and there are always long line ups even though it has been open for a few months.  Be prepared for a line up from anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

This is their 6th location in Canada but first in British Columbia. The rest are in Ontario.

As you get closer in line, you can see the workers putting together all the cakes and confections. The demand is very high that they can’t pump out the cheesecakes fast enough, but that’s ok since that means it will be very fresh. I went to another location in Honolulu that wasn’t busy and the quality wasn’t good at all.

Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake

These 7 inch cheesecakes are a must and made by hand every day. Because of the long line, these are always fresh, so it comes very warm. Even when we got home, it was still nice and warm.

I was a bit skeptical about Uncle Tetsu, but upon having a slice, I would see the allure of the soft and fluffy cheesecake. It’s flavourful and you must have more than one slice.

Honey Madeleine

Honey Madelines are another item that they sell at this location. It is a moist and buttery cupcake with a subtle sweet honey taste. They recommend you pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds to warm it up.

Final Thoughts

The Cheesecakes and Honey Madelines are delicious, but the only thing that throw me off are the wait times. It is slowly decreasing, but waiting around 1 hour is too much for me. Thankfully my mom was nice enough to share with me her bounty from Uncle Tetsu. If you can get your hands on the cheesecakes, it is very delicious.

Address:
4700 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://uncletetsu-ca.com/

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In Cafe

Nana’s Green Tea: Matcha Drinks and Soft Serve in Waikiki

Inside Yokocho Gourmet Alley in Waikiki is Nana’s Green Tea, a Japanese Tea House that specializes in tea-based drinks and desserts. Vancouver has one opening up very soon, but when we were in Waikiki, we had to come for a treat and enjoy the air conditioning inside the building.

At first the shop was a bit hard to find, but we eventually found it in the centre with the fake cherry blossoms.

Iced Uji Cha

This green tea is iced and isn’t sweet, which is great because it was refreshing and went well with the sweet soft serve. I highly recommend it if you want something to cool down from the hot Waikiki weather.

Hojicha Soft Serve with Warabimochi

My friend ordered the hojicha soft serve in a cone and you can eat it with a spoon. Great depth of tea flavour in the soft serve and that warabimochi went so well with it.

Matcha Soft Serve Sundae

This has the matcha soft serve with red bean, rice flour dumplings and warabimochi. Great combinations of flavours and textures that don’t overshadow the matcha soft serve.

Final Thoughts

I really liked Nana’s in Waikiki and happy now that it’s open in Vancouver as well. You really can’t go wrong with Japanese soft serve ice cream. It’s great for the Summer and Winter. hahaha. If you’re ever in Waikiki, make sure to stop by for a taste of Japan.

Address:
2250 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI

Website:
http://www.nanasgreentea.com/

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In Dessert

Rostizado: Dessert in Edmonton

Rostizado is a Modern Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Edmonton. I was recommended to come here late at night for dessert. I love desserts and have a little sweet tooth for churros.

Flan de Queso

This is a Mexican caramel custard folded with cream cheese and garnished with shaved almonds. Very delicious, silky smooth and rich. It might be a tad sweet for some people, but still enjoyable.

Churros

This is fried Mexican dough coated with sugar and cinnamon. It is served with salted pasilla milk chocolate and dulce de leche sauces. Freshly made and highly recommended! Easily sharable among the table too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, even though we came here for just desserts, we had a good time chatting and enjoying good desserts. If you’re here for dinner, make sure not to skip out on dessert.

Address:
10359 104 Street #102, Edmonton, AB

Website:
http://www.rostizado.com/

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In Cafe

Tsujiri Edmonton: Japanese Matcha Desserts in Downtwon

Tsujiri is a Japanese-chain for tea-based desserts with over 155 years of history. Primarily focusing on matcha – ground up green tea with many health benefits as it is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. They have matcha parfaits, floats, and other treats.

When I was in Edmonton for 3.5 days, I came to Tsujiri 3 times as I had an obsession to try as many things as possible before they open in Vancouver.

Menu

Vanilla Mix Soft Serve

The Tsujiri Soft Cream is delicious. It comes in either matcha or vanilla mix. With vanilla mix, you get both matcha and vanilla swirled into the waffle cone. They fill it up very well, so you get your moneys worth. Plus, it looks and tastes great.

Shiratama Parfait

It has matcha soft serve, sweet red beans, shiratama balls like mochi, and a sprinkling on kinako (soybean flour). It’s a lovely dessert but I felt that the red beans were way too sweet and overpowered all the items in this parfait.

Houjicha Float with Vanilla Mix

Houjicha is roasted green tea, thus the dark brown colour. It is mixed with ice and blended into a slushy. Then I got it topped with the vanilla mix. The slushy was a bit thick, so you need to wait a little bit for it for it to melt.

Matcha Cream Puff

The cream puff is dusted with matcha powder and icing sugar. It was sitting in the display case for some time, so the puff wasn’t as crisp, but it was stuffed with a lot of matcha mousse.

Iced Sencha

This drink was very refreshing on a hot day. It’s just iced sencha and not sweet. Just straight up tea. Highly recommended if you love tea.

Matcha Roll Cake

There is a good ratio of cake to matcha cream and not too sweet. A great balance of bitter and sweet. I really enjoyed it.

Final Thoughts

After coming here 3 times to try a bunch of items, my favourite items are the ones that are simple like the soft serve in a cone, iced sencha, and roll cake. The red bean was too sweet and floats were too stiff.

Address:
10173 109 St NW, Edmonton

Website:
http://tsujiri-global.com/

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In Chinese

[Sneak Peek] Vitasoy Summer Dessert Collaboration with 720 Sweets

Are you a Vitasoy fan? Growing up, we have always had this treat in our household since I can remember. It’s very nostalgic and Vitasoy is partnering up with 4 dessert shops in NYC, LA, Vancouver, and Toronto this Summer. Together, they will be bringing you unique summer Vitasoy desserts from June 30th to August 19, 2018. Some dates do vary.

These are the locations revealed so far:

  • Vancouver – 720 Sweets (July 7 to Aug 5)
  • New York – New Territories (June 30 to July 29)
  • Los Angles – ?
  • Toronto- Matcha Tea and Dessert (July 14 – Aug 12)

As I am in Vancouver, we were given a sneak peek of the Vitasoy x 720 Sweets collaboration prior to the launch, so lets see what you can expect on July 7th.

720 Sweets: Vancouver

720 Sweets have been known for their whimsical soft serve that was an instant hit when it open many years ago and has since opened various locations across the Lower Mainland. Their desserts are always stunning and the dry ice effect make it very photogenic.

The Special Vitasoy Creations

There are two options to choose from – Soy Good! and Oh Malt Goodness! Both are made with the 2 classic Vitasoy flavours – Original and Malt. They are so pun worthy with the naming of their desserts.

Soy Good!

A soy-milk soft serve with cornflakes, red bean, chocolate stick and condensed milk drizzle.

Oh Malt Goodness!

A malt soy-milk soft serve with maltesers, crushed almonds, Pepero sticks and caramel drizzle.

Behind the Scenes

The magic happens in their open kitchen where you can see the desserts being made. You have original soft serve on one side and then malt on the other. Once they pour in the delicious soft serve into the cups, it’s time for all the toppings.

Soy Good!

This soy-milk soft serve is topped with crushed up cornflakes, red bean, a chocolate stick and condensed milk drizzle. The Vitasoy is very subtle, but one it hits your tongue, it will bring you back to your childhood. Of the two, this was my favourite. The cornflakes were a nice touch to add texture and crunch.

Oh Malt Goodness!

This has malt soy-milk soft serve with maltesers, crushed almonds, Pepero sticks and caramel drizzle. Similar in look with the dreamy dry ice effect. The malt soy milk isn’t as strong in the soft serve, so you really need to concentrate to connect the flavours. Toppings complimented well and wasn’t too sweet.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the desserts were fun and it’s a great collaboration. With the subtle flavours of the soy milks, they did a good job incorporating the flavours and pairing with the toppings. If you’re a huge Vitasoy fan, you won’t want to miss this as it won’t be available for too long.

Also, from July 16 -22, 720 Sweets has a promo where if you purchase their Vitasoy creations, you can buy a 6-pack of Vitasoy for $1. Great deal!

Address:
3278 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://720sweets.com/

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In Cafe

Faubourg: Lavender Tea, Lavender Latte, Lavender Pastries and More

Are you a fan of lavender? Faubourg in Vancouver has launched their lavender collection containing  new items that will tempt lavender lovers. Through these new items, they are taking guests to the lavender fields of Provence France. If you love lavender, you definitely want to check out these treats and drinks.

As we came here for a tasting, all the pastries we tried were sample sizes and do not represent the normal portion sizes.

Lavender and Strawberry Pastry

This has lavender honey and sage mousse paired with a sweet strawberry gelee and a lavender vanilla sponge cake.

Blueberry and Lavender Opera Cake

It has layers of blueberry infused almond sponge cake, blueberry jam, lavender ganache, finished with a blueberry gelée.

Lavender Earl Grey Macaron

Macaron infused with lavender and earl grey.

Blueberry and Lavender Chausson

This flakey pastry is filled with a blueberry and lavender jam.

Lavender Black Tea Latte

Lavender Latte

Final Thoughts

The introduction of all these lavender items are actually really delicious. My two favourite items were the lavender latte and the blueberry and lavender opera cake. The other items were good too, but if I had to choose one drink and one treat, those would be it. You can find these new menu items in their lavender collection at all locations – West Vancouver, Downtown, and Kerrisdale.

Address:
769 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://faubourg.com/

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In Dessert

Perverted Ice Cream: Not so Sexy Ice Cream in Vancouver

Perverted Ice Cream is the latest dessert shop to open up in Downtown Vancouver. They are known for their stylish black and white brand with creative ice cream combinations on their menu. I was Downtown with my friends and we decided to stop here for a sweet treat to the end of the night.

Interior

The space is really small, so it’s all grab and go. There is a very very tiny waiting area with merchandise you can purchase.

Some of the items here are cheeky, but still not too perverted.

Matcha Macho Man

This has cream and chocolate swirl soft serve, Mondo matcha, coconut crumble, and black chocolate wafer in a naked cone. It’s essentially a dressed up twist cone. The flavour combination was ok.

Cocoa-Dependency

There is chocolate soft serve, chocolate sauce, and chocolate pieces all in a naked cone. This is a go to for the chocolate lovers out there.

Beg For S’more

This has chocolate soft serve, cocoa, chocolate sauce, graham cracker, and toasted marshmallow.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the flavours were decadent, but the ice cream cones really didn’t wow me. It wasn’t perverted or X Rated enough for my liking. Their marketing and branding are great but felt like it fell through when we ate the ice cream.

Address:
797 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://pervertedicecream.com/

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In Dessert

Milky Way Ice Cream in Regina

Milky Way Ice Cream is a Regina staple for locals even when it is -20c outside. That means no melting ice cream. It’s something I’ve never experienced before. When I visited in early June, the weather was around 20c, so this place was buzzing with people getting cones. There is free parking out front and in the back.

Menu

There are so many things on the menu from milkshakes to hot dogs.

Banana Split

I got a classic banana split because I haven’t had one as a kid. It has a whole banana cut into 2 slices, 3 scoops of vanilla soft serve, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, pineapple sauce and whipped cream. All they were missing was the cherry on top. It was pretty big, so it was really hard finishing it all.

Final Thoughts

If you want some nostalgia, you’ll definitely want to come here. They even have twist cones too.

Address:
910 Victoria Ave, Regina, SK

Website:
http://www.milkywayicecream.com/

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In Cafe

[Sneak Peek] Nana’s Green Tea in Vancouver BC

Nana’s Green Tea is opening in Vancouver, BC on June 6th, 2018. Nana’s opened in Tokyo 10 years ago and is a Japanese cafe specializing in all things matcha. Matcha is powdered green tea popularly used in drinks and desserts. All the green tea leaves at nana’s are sourced from Kyoto, a production centre of high quality matcha. I personally love it and I first had Nana’s in Honolulu and damn, it was good.

There are 79 other locations around the world and they are aiming for 100 by 2019. Hopefully that means more locations in Vancouver and the rest of Canada.

Interior

The space is very narrow and deep. There is more seating in the back if you want to spend some time here enjoying your meal.

The design of the space is mostly wood and stainless steel with black and white walls. I like the art work on the walls as it reminds you of tea leaves with the variations of green colour.

Menu

Matcha Chocolate Latte

This is a smaller version of what would be served normally. You can get this iced or hot. It is made with the base of a matcha latte with whipped cream and chocolate.

Hoji-cha Shiratama Float

This was our favourite of the 3 we tried. The rice flour dumplings add a nice  chewy texture.The hoji-cha ice cream and latte have such good  deep tea flavours. Highly recommended.

Azuki Strawberry Latte

If you are a red bean fan, this might be for you. There is some strawberry syrup in the bottom with red beans. As the red beans are at the bottom, you suck them up in your straw like bubble tea. Unfortunately, this was my least favourite since I personally don’t like red bean.

Fresh Tuna with Curry Tartar Sauce Donburi

If you want something savoury, they have donburi bowls. This was amazing. The rice was very soft, the tuna was fresh and lightly marinated. There is also some veggies and then topped with curry tartar sauce. Man, if they put the curry tartar sauce between two pieces of bread, I would eat it all the time. It is also served with miso soup too. There is lots of seaweed in it too, which is nice.

Matcha Shiratama Parfait

One of the most popular and photogenic dessert is their matcha shiratama parfait. This is made of layers of matcha syrup, matcha pudding, vanilla soft serve, corn flakes, rice flour dumplings, azuki paste, matcha ice cream, whipped cream and more matcha syrup. This is the ultimate matcha dessert to share with friends.

Matcha Roll Cake

The matcha roll cake has a matcha sponge cake, then rolled in whipped cream and an intense centre of more matcha with a strong bitter taste. Watch out if you’re eating this as there is so much matcha that it may stain your lips.

Matcha Gateau Chocolat

This cake was surprisingly really good. It doesn’t look like much but it has a good balance of matcha and sweetness.

Final Thoughts

Nana’s Green Tea is a great addition to the Kerrisdale neighbourhood and I was pleasantly happy with the quality of their sweet and savoury dishes. They open on June 6th, 2018, so I can foresee line ups for the first week of opening.

Address: 2135 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.nanasgreentea.com/en/

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In Dessert

Mosquito: Dessert and Champagne Lounge in Vancouver

Mosquito is a dessert and champagne lounge in Vancouver located right in the heart of Gastown. There aren’t that many high-end dessert shops in the area, so we decided to come here after dinner for a drink and sweets. The lounge is very small, but is very relaxed for just hanging out with friends.

Menu

Pistachio Mille-feuilles

This layered dessert has pistachio crème légère, roasted strawberry, cocoa nibéstreusel,  strawberry jelly, and cocoa nib ice cream. We really enjoyed this dish due to its textures of the pistachio cream and streusel. It was devoured quickly and enjoyed by us all. The dessert is really a work of art since there are so many elements that make up the dish like those white chocolate feathers.

Thai Basil & Raspberry Chocolate Bar

This is constructed out of light chocolate mousse, Thai basil parfait, raspberry marmalade, blackout sponge, raspberry and chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was more like a sorbet due to the raspberry. This was a beautiful dessert but when it came to texture, it was all soft. It would have been nice to have a crunchy texture to the dish.

Earl Grey Tea

To go with dessert, I got their Earl Grey Tea in a small pot. We had some drinks before coming here, so we opted to caffeinate instead.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s one of the only sit down dessert restaurants in Gastown with a good vibe.  It’s definitely a place if you want to keep the conversation going after dinner with drinks.

We Rate Mosquito: 

Address:
32 Water St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://mosquitodessert.com/

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In Dessert

Ciao Bella: Half Price Pasta on Monday and Tuesday

My coworkers love to eat, so I always have a good time visiting new restaurant and revisiting old ones. I haven’t been to Ciao Bella in years, so we went for some pasta and dessert. They have been on Denman Street in Vancouver for a long time just a few minutes away from Stanley Park and Robson Street.

They have weekly half price pasta on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Interior

The interior hasn’t changed a single bit after all these years. It seems to be stuck in time which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even though it was past Christmas, there were still holiday decorations up.

Drinks

We started the night with some drinks. If there isn’t something you want on the menu, they can make it for you. One of my friends is picky, but they were able to make her a manhattan with margherita mix.

They can do caesars too and mocktails.

Menu

Complimentary Bread

Bread arrives at the table and you can dip it into some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Di Mari Pasta

This dish has baby shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, basil and button mushroom in a white wine sauce.

Carbonara

This has pancetta, egg yolk, garlic, parmesan cheese and cream. It’s a rich dish, but classic. So thats why I ordered it. It was cooked al dente and was good.

Linguini alla toni

In this pasta, you will find baby shrimp, calamari & capers in a white wine tomato basil cream sauce

Tiramisu

The tiramisu has layers of mascarpone, lady fingers, and coffee. It is topped with cocoa powder and drizzle of chocolate.

Final Thoughts

The food and service here is ok, but for 50% off pasta on Monday and Tuesday, it was worth it. On a regular night, its a bit expensive for what you get. There are lots of other Italian options in Vancouver

We Rate Ciao Bella: 

Address:
703 Denman St, Vancouver

Website: http://www.ciaobellavancouver.ca/

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In Cafe

Bibble & Sip: Coffee and Creampuffs in New York

We were looking for a cafe to grab some coffee and we stumbled upon Bibble and Sip Bakery Cafe.  They make all of their items in-house from pastries to the syrups used to sweeten our drinks.

They are trained in French Confectionery and inspired by Asian flavours, even their savoury treats bring you the best of the East and West. They are best known for their big cream puffs and they sell out quickly. When we came here, all the the cream puffs were ready to be served. Noon is a pretty good time to come here.

Interior

The space is a decent size with a few chairs and tables. Most people grab items to go.

Matcha Cream Puff

The cream puffs are the best. It has a nice crispy exterior and inside there is lots of matcha cream. If you come here, you must get a cream puff. Highly recommended. You will not regret it.

Latte

A latte was my drink of choice as I needed some caffeine. It was pretty standard and no complaints here. It kept me awake for the morning of going around New York.

Melon Pan

The Melon pan is  filled with melon milk cream and has a crisp crust on the exterior. When biting into it, the bread was pretty dense and dry. It took away the delicate flavours of the melon. I wouldn’t get this again.

Final Thoughts

Come here for Coffee and the cream puffs when you are around the Times Square area. Even if you’re not in the area, it’s a good spot to visit for the ultimate cream puff.

We Rate Bibble & Sip: 

Address:
253 W 51st St, New York, NY

Website:
https://www.bibbleandsip.com

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In Cafe

Yandoux Patisserie: Desserts in Olympic Village

Yandoux Patisserie is a new dessert shop and serves tea sets as well. I’ve passed by several times since I work in the area and was always curious. A lot of people stop by to pick up a few treats for home, but if you have time, they have their tea set for $48 per person. All their other individual cakes are around $6 per piece.

Interior

The space isn’t too large but has a clean minimalist look. A good space to hang out with a bunch of friends.

Matcha Opera Cake

This has layers of matcha sponge cake, chocolate, marshmallows and topped with a strawberry. It has a strong matcha flavour and the chocolate compliments it nicely.

Orange Blossom

There is a layer of pistachio sponge, almond sponge cake, pistachio ganache, and vanilla cremeux and orange cream. I enjoyed this.

Rouge

This tasty cake has mascarpone, cheesecake, raspberry and a lychee coulis. Highly recommended too. A few bites and you’ll devour it all.

Egg

This cute little egg is made of greek yogurt for the egg white, mixed fruit curd for the yolk and a base of almond sponge with whipped ganache for the nest.

We had to cut inside to see if the centre looks just like an egg and sure enough it was perfect. It was delicious and I like the tang from the greek yogurt with the fruit curd.

Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince is based off the classic book. I happen to be a huge fan, so I was mesmerized by the dessert made of Tahiti vanilla mousse, rum, and a passion fruit curd. The exterior has a vibrant blue colour and sprinkles of edible stars.

I’ve noticed a bit of inconsistency for this batch of Le Petit Prince. Some pictures I’ve seen online has more of a dark blue with white speckles that make it more of a galaxy. This one was more blue/purple. Other than the look of it, it still tasted good.

Final Thoughts

It’s good to have a cute dessert shop in the Olympic Village area as there aren’t many options in the neighbourhood unless you travel deeper into Downtown Vancouver. The taste of the dessert were good and their cakes change up so you won’t really know exactly what they have until you arrive.

Address:
1731 Manitoba St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.yandoux.com/

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