Gluten Free Options Archives

Jugo Juice: Cali Crush, Avocado Toast, Green Glow and Cranberry Chia Pudding

February 6, 2018

Jugo Juice has been my quick go-to to grab something satisfying, and healthy. My past favourites have been the PB and Chocolate, and Big Blue Protein. The Mighty Kale is another favourite I adopted from one of my previous co-workers who would have it everyday for lunch! If I was feeling extra hungry, I would grab a wrap, like the Sweet Chili Chicken.

Cali Crush

I had the pleasure to visit the Jugo Juice in Yaletown to try out their new, featured smoothie, the Cali Crush. This smoothie is packed with grapefruits, lemons and oranges, and is balanced out with strawberries and a hint of cucumber. With all the citrus fruits packed in a Cali Crush, you’re sure to get more than your daily recommended amount of vitamin C, try 349%! Since vitamin C may lessen the duration and symptoms of a cold, this smoothie would be the perfect aid during the cold winter months.

The Cali Crush is slightly tart and sour, but is perfect if you love citrus flavours.There is the option of having whey protein added, which softens the flavour’s tangy zing. I preferred the Cali Crush with the whey protein added because it tasted less tart, and slightly sweet.

Avocado Toast

I can’t think of a better food pairing to the Cali Crush than one of Jugo Juice’s avocado toasts. There are three delicious flavours to choose from, which is all atop a toasted Terra Breads sourdough:

Sriracha Honey with Hemp Hearts
Olive Tapenade and Fresh Basil
Chipotle Corn and Black Beans

My favourite of the three was the Sriracha Honey. I love a good combination of spicy and sweet flavours, and an avocado toast is the perfect vehicle for this delicious sauce. The drizzle is so good, that it actually inspired me to try and make my own Sriracha Honey! The toasted Terra Breads sourdough is crunchy on the edges, and a good chew closer to the middle of the toast. The Olive Tapenade avocado toast was also very tasty! The great thing about avocado toast is that even if I pig-out on more than one slice, I won’t need to feel guilty since it’s healthy!

Green Glow

In addition to tasting the Cali Crush and the avocado toasts, I tried the Green Glow, which has coconut water, avocado (can’t get enough), kale, tropical juices, pineapple, and banana. I couldn’t help but feel good after drinking a great-tasting smoothie, especially since the word “glow” is in its name!

Cranberry Chia Pudding

I also couldn’t help from being curious about the Cranberry Chia Pudding, which has cranberry juice, coconut milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, and strawberry and blueberry compote. It is topped with granola form Terra Breads, which adds a textural contrast to the creaminess of the chia pudding. This was a little cup of happiness for me, and I would get this again as a healthy snack (or breakfast, or dessert). I could eat this anytime!

Final Thoughts

The food tasting at Jugo Juice has reminded me how much I enjoy a really good smoothie, and healthy food options. So if you’re looking for a winter pick-me-up, give the Cali Crush, and one of the delicious avocado toasts on their menu a try!

Address:
202 Davie St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.jugojuice.com/

In Farm to Table

Burdock & Co: Farm to Table on Main Street

November 11, 2015

Burdock & Co is located in the heart of Mount Pleasant. They are best known for their family-style dining crafted from organic ingredients. I was invited to dine here with a few other bloggers and media to learn more about Burdock & Co.

Chef Andrea Carlson and her team uses local suppliers ranging from B.C. farms to local urban gardens and highlights their offerings in new and eclectic dishes.

The space includes communal dining experiences where neighbouring patrons can converse over approachable dishes, naturalist wines, craft beers, and bespoke cocktails.

Pioneering the locavore movement, the menu adapts according to local seasonal supply, providing interesting and ever-changing culinary experiences.

Alongside Burdock & Co.’s vision of sustainable dining comes a celebrated collection of naturalist wines, expertly chosen by Wine Director, Matthew Sherlock.

Agassiz Rice Congee with Halibut also has white soy sauce, fried onion, and cured yolk. As an Asian person, at first I wasn’t quite sure about this dish since I would normally see this in a Chinese restaurant. It’s not a very classy dish. More like Asian comfort food.

Tagliatelle Pasta is slathered with basil butter sauce, Fermiere cheese, and forest mushrooms. I loved the sauce! Very good!

Scallop and Green Onion Dumplings comes with a rose hip vinegar dip. It was ok, but nothing transformational.

Brioche and Smoked Marrow Pull-Apart Buns with an onion cream and sardine hash. This was a fun spin on cinnamon buns, but with a savoury touch.

Rosemary Smoked Clam with Potato Cream has pickled mussels and chanterelles. The clams and mussels were fresh.

To end off the meal, you gotta have dessert. No meal is ever complete without something sweet. They’ve got a dark chocolate pudding and then a crisp fruit tart.

Overall, the meal was delicious and they really took different types of cuisines and put a spin to it. The portions are a bit small, so it’s definitely good to come as a group and order family-style so you can try a bit of everything.

We Rate Burdock & Co:

Address:
2702 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.burdockandco.com/

In British Columbia

Nice Vice: Vancouver’s Dairy-Free, Plant-Based Micro Creamery

August 30, 2015

Nice Vice is Vancouver’s dairy-free, plant-based micro creamery. I first saw them at the Vancouver’s Farmers Market in their Nice Vice Van. They sell premium, dairy-free vice cream to Vancouverites with various flavours.

When I was there, they had 4 flavours:

Chocoholics Anonymous
Strawberry Fiends Forever
Tripped Out Tropical
Lemonhead

4oz for $5 or 16oz for $10

I went with the Chocoholics Anonymous (4oz – $5). I chose this flavour as it is a good base test to see how it compares to chocolate ice cream.

Their containers are made out of straw so they are 100% sustainable, recyclable, and compostable.

Since the ice cream was still pretty cold when I got it, they advised us to let it sit for 10 minutes to soften before eating.

Once it thawed a bit, it was not bad for dairy- free ice cream definitely better than others.

Since I can eat dairy, I would still prefer the regular stuff. For those that do have a dairy allergy, it is a good option. From my dairy-free friends, they have said it’s a good relief to have something close to ice cream so they aren’t in pain afterwards or have to pop lactose pills.

If you don’t catch them in their van, they currently have a temporary shop at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Richmond until September 7th.

Website:
http://www.nicevicecream.com/

In Delivery

Culver City Salads Delivered by Foodee

August 28, 2015

Since it’s a beautiful summer, a few of my coworkers decided to order a group lunch from Foodee, a Vancouver food delivery service for corporate offices. There are lots of restaurants to choose from and it’s pretty hard to choose a place to pick from. Everything looks good.

A delivery fee of $15 is added to the bill, but if you have a large order divided up by the group, it’s not too much. We had to make a minimum order of $40 as a group.

We decided to get salads for lunch from Culver City Salads. Their mission is to provide the city with a healthy, whole, nourishing meal while creating the smallest impact possible. They work to reduce food waste, repurposing and composting every last bit of trimmings. You’ll notice they use 100% compostable and biodegradable containers and packaging, and use local produce where possible.

Quinoa Salad ($11.55) is vegan and gluten-free. The salad features seasonal greens with quinoa. It’s a good-sized salad and you will get full from it for lunch. My coworkers really liked it. There were carrots, avocado, lettuce, beans, pumpkin seeds and other things.

Vermicelli Noodle Salad ($11.55) is also vegan and gluten-free. It features seasonal greens with vermicelli noodles. There were chick peas, cabbage, carrots, kale, radish, avocados and other veggies.

Both salads were good and felt super healthy. It’s too bad there are only 2 options on Foodee.

We Rate Culver City Salads:

Website:
http://www.culvercitysalads.com/

Location:
Varies

In Dessert

MELU Juice and Health Bar: Healthy Option in Downtown Vancouver

August 21, 2015

MELU Juice and Health Bar is a new addition in Downtown Vancouver. They serve up a variety of cold press juices, smoothies, nut mylks, detox water, oatmeal, chia puddings, salads and health bars.

They recently opened a few weeks ago.

Their space is quite nice and good for a quick healthy lunch.

The price is a bit high since spending $18 for lunch seems like a lot.

They have a few varieties of salads, but a cool item they have is their Undercover Spaghetti and Meatball, which has zucchini noodles and vegan meatballs.

Cold press is a juicing method that extracts juice with no heat and minimum oxidization, thus preserving all nutrients. In each jar, there are about 2 -3 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies. The juices come in 250 ml or 500 ml jars.

Black Magic – Activated Bamboo Charcoal, Cayenne, Lemon, Himalayan Pink Salt, Agave, Pure Filtered Water
Easy Green – Pear, Grapefruit, Cucumber, Kale, Celery, Parsley
The Hulk – Apple, Romaine Lettuce, Jicama, Lemon, Kale, Mint, Ginger
RADical Detox – Cucumber, Pear, Radish, Kale, Bell Pepper
Grapefruit Heartbeet – Pineapple, Grapefruit, Beetroot, Lemon, Mint
Orange Glow – Carrot, Apple, Pineapple, Tomato, Ginger
Berry Beetiful – Apple, Tomato, Beetroot, Strawberry
Winter Wonderland – Winter Melon, Apple, Kale, Spinach, Celery

All the juices were pretty good and easy to drink compared to the other cold press juices out there in the market. Black Magic stood out as it is completely black but it tastes like lemonade. Easy Green and The Hulk are good green juices I would recommend.

Melu-juices-black-magic

Melu-juices-wall

All their drinks have a legend to show what their benefits are. I love this wall that they have in their store. Pictures are quite cute.

They also have the juices as part of their various cleanse programs too.

Melu-juices-cleanses

Health bars ( 3 for $14 or 6 for $26) are freshly made here and they are available in a variety of raw, vegan, and/or gluten-free options.

Mangolicious Health Bar – Mango, Walnuts, Almonds, Cashews, Coconut Mylk, Shredded Coconut, Dates, Agave Nectar
Kind of a Fig Deal Health Bar – Raspberry, Figs, Coconut Oil, Pecans, Oats, Dates, Himalayan Pink Salt

Cocao Banana Split Health Bar – Banana, Cashews, Walnuts, Coconut Oil, Shredded Coconut, Dates, Cocoa, Himalayan Pink Salt

So Fudgin Good Health Bar – Avocado, Coconut Cream, Coconut Oil, Cocoa, Pecans, Dates, Agave Nectar, Himalayan Pink Salt, Strawberry and Goji Berry Topping

Frosty the Carrot Cake Health Bar – Shredded Carrot, Dates, Walnuts, Shredded Coconut, Cashews, Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Lemon, Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Himalayan Pink Salt

Lemon Razz Health Bar – Lemon, Coconut Cream, Coconut Butter, Almonds, Dates, Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Himalayan Pink Salt, Raspberry, Lemon Rind, Mint and Shredded Coconut

Out of all of them my favourite was the So Fudgin Good Health Bar. The name is just perfect because it was SO good! So addicting. If my office was closer to MELU, I would always order this.

Melu-juices-so-fudging-good

Nut Mylks are made using activated almonds or cashews for an easy-to-digest and convenient meal on the go. Definitely more filling than the other drinks they have.

There’s currently 4 flavours:

The Big Fig Mylk – Activated Almonds, Figs, Raw Vanilla Bean, Agave Nectar, Himalayan Pink Salt

Cacao Monkey – Activated Cashews, Banana, Raw Cacao, Chia Seeds, Himalayan Pink Salt

The Pink Elephant – Activated Cashews, Strawberry, Raw Vanilla Bean, Agave Nectar, Himalayan Pink Salt

Cold Brewhaha – Activated Almonds, Cold-Brewed West End Coffee, Agave Nectar, Himalayan Pink Salt

Of the ones I’ve tried I quite like the Cacao Monkey as it reminded me of a chocolate banana sandwich in a liquid format.

Melu-juices-detox-water

Detox Waters are made with seasonal produce to increase their taste and nutrient value. It’s definitely lighter than their juices and smoothies.

Overall, pretty delicious treats and juices, but it is a tad expensive. They do use quality ingredients in all their juice and drinks, so its one reason why it’s so high. I did find a few of my favourite items like the So Fudgin Good Health Bar, Cacao Monkey, Black Magic, Easy Green and The Hulk.

We Rate MELU Juice and Health Bar:

Address:
1110 West Pender Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.melujuice.com/

In Gluten Free Options

Glory Juice: New Location Near Olympic Village

July 30, 2015

Glory Juice just opened their third location near Olympic Village on 2nd Avenue. Since I work close to this area, I thought I would grab a healthy lunch from this place. I brought along CoquitlamGirl to check this place out.

Also, right around the corner is Earnest Ice Cream. Best place for dessert ever!

They have a few seats inside and it’s a nice open space for lunch time. A lot of people went to grab take out, so it wasn’t too busy inside here.

They have so many juices available, but if you aren’t good at committing to a flavour, you can grab a sample if they have it available. The flavours range from pure veggies to sweet citrus tastes. It’s tough for a first timer to choose.

I grabbed a Small Pad Thai Salad and a small Mixed Citrus cold pressed Juice. I was feeling pretty healthy today.

The Mixed Citrus was one of the sweeter juices that had. It contains orange, grapefruit and lime.You can taste there is a dominant flavour of oranges.The juice is also organic, raw, unpasteurized, with no added water, sugar or preservatives.

The Pad Thai Salad came with a peanut sauce to enrobe all the veggies with its yumminess. There isn’t any noodles in the salad, but it was more like a bowl of thinly sliced vegetables with sauce and sesame seeds.

Overall, it was a good healthy lunch. The price is a tad high, but its understandable since a lot of effort goes into their juices and food, plus its organic where possible.

We Rate Glory Juices:

Address:
78 East 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://gloryjuiceco.com/

In Gluten Free Options

Aqua Sushi: Sashimi Brown Rice Bowls

July 6, 2015

Making a revisit to a restaurant is always great as I always discover new things on the menu. The food at Aqua Sushi has always been of great quality and I’ve been making a lot of trips there recently for lunch. My office is close by, so it’s a great alternative to the other restaurants close by.

I recently noticed their Sashimi Brown Rice Bowls that were pretty substantial for a lunch hour meal.

Spicy Tuna and Negitoro Brown Rice Bowl ($11.50) has all the sashimi mashed up with pickled ginger, veggies, wasabi on a bed of brown rice. What I liked about this rice bowl is that you can mix up the rice, tuna and negitoro all together so every bite tastes delicious. The brown rice by itself is also very delicious.

It’s a good gluten-free alternative, but don’t forget to ask them for gluten-free soy sauce! They also have less-salt soy sauce.

Wild Salmon and Tuna Brown Rice Bowl ($11.50) has 3 pieces of tuna and 3 pieces of salmon with the wasabi, pickled ginger, greens and on top of the brown rice. A beautiful and healthy lunch. I always take a wasabi lump out as I find its too much.

Overall, great spot for lunch with super healthy options.

We Rate Aqua Sushi + Juice Bar:

Address:
1764 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://aquajuicebar.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1764+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1764+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+1H9&z=15 “]

In Cafe

The Nosherie: Soup, Salads and Sandwiches in Downtown

May 20, 2015

The Nosherie is located in Downtown Vancouver serving up healthy options to the office crowd during the week. They are only open for breakfast and dinner. It was during the lunch hour that me and Jess would come here to check this place out. I’ve seen mixed reviews online but I wanted to give it a try.

They serve up breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, smoothies, and salads.

They have about 6 different salads daily. They look quite delicious. Since it was closer to the end of lunch, you can clearly tell people loved the broccoli salad and roasted beet salad.

Sandwich + Soup or Salad – $12.00

Miso Massage Kale with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries was a pretty awesome salad. Very simple with that amazing miso sauce. I was so addicted!

Reuben sandwich has Montreal smoked beef brisket, cabbage sour kraut slaw, seeded mustard, smoked cheddar cheese, on a toasted pumpernickel bread.

The sandwich was not bad at all! Not the best reuben sandwich, but it was packed full of ingredients.

Large Soup + 1 Scoop Salad – $8.25

Yam Salad/ Kale Massage Salad apparently you can just get half of one salad and half another. The soup was good and warming.

Overall, it’s a decent place for lunch but the prices are a tad high for what you get. It reminded me a little bit of Tractor on Burrard, but with less options. For the area that it’s in, it’s good to have a healthy option.

We Rate Nosherie:

Address:
575 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.thenosherie.com/

In Bakery

Patisserie Daniel: Bakery in Victoria

December 21, 2014

Patisserie Daniel is a little shop in Victoria that makes a crazy amount of baked goods, plus they are best known for their wedding cakes. In 2014, they were named as having Canada’s Prettiest Wedding Cakes by Wedding Bells.

The store has a lot of baked goods especially during the holidays. Floor to ceiling basically. The store is small, so there is no seating inside. Most people buy the baked goods and then take it home.

Chocolate candy cane bark

Candy Cane Biscotti was cute and goes great with coffee.

More Candy Cane Biscotti

A lot of great items for gifts if you are going over to a friends for the holiday.

They do have their other savoury treats

More sweet treats that aren’t holiday related. They have really yummy treats that keep patrons coming back.

Chocolate Tart was delicious. It has a bit of raspberry on the bottom with a bit of cake, them topped with chocolate mousse and strands of white chocolate. M and I gobbled these up.

You will want to come here early when they open when they have their full stock, within a few hours, most of the stock is all gone.

We Rate Patisserie Daniel:

Address:
1729 Cook Street,
Victoria, BC V8T 1C8

Website:
http://www.patisseriedaniel.com/

In Gluten Free Options

Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar: Fresh Made Pasta

November 30, 2014

Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar specializes in pasta even though they are a pizzeria. All the pasta is made in-house and they also have gluten-free options. They are located in Kitsilano near Burrard and West 5th Avenue. There is street parking and underground parking as well.

The interior has the open kitchen where you can see them putting your dishes together or firing up your pizza in their oven. There are lots of tables to accommodate small to large groups.

Burrata Cicheto was served on a spoon and also has tomato jam, balsamic pearls, pistachio, pink peppercorn and mint. It was a delicious bite that left us wanting more.

I still prefer their regular burrata dish, its so good!

Truffled Fettuccine has funghi misti, truffle oil and pecorino romano. It was a good dish and not too over powering with the truffle oil. Good balance of flavours. I am a huge fan of mushrooms, so this dish really was eaten quite quickly. nom nom nom nom nom. The Fettuccine noodles were cooked al dente.

Risotto Di Bufala has mozzarella di bufala, over dried tomatoes, thyme, cashews, and arugula pesto. I love creamy risotto! Carbalicious! It was really good. Mmm Mmm Mmm

Handcut pappardelle served with tender rabbit, roasted tomatoes, California black olives, white wine, pecorino cheese, arugula and olio al tartufo.

Yes, they serve rabbit and it tastes like chicken. Maybe you were better off not knowing what protein is in this dish. It was good and adventurous to those who have not tried rabbit before.

Braised Beef Cheek Ravioli has onion confit, black pepper and tarragon cream sauce, and orange zest. The one thing that threw me off about this dish is the orange zest. The ravioli were large and stuffed with a good amount of beef.

Sausage Orrechiette has fennel pollen, allepo pepper, and parmigiano reggiano. This was M’s favourite because of the chunks of sausage.

Sicilian Cannoli has bufalo ricotta, citrus oil, orange blossom water and pistachios. Delicious cannoli and its the perfect size.

Overall, Nova has a good variety of pasta on their menu with unique ingredients.

We Rate Novo Pizzeria:

Address:
2118 Burrard Street
Vancouver

Website:
http://www.novopizzeria.com/

In Gluten Free Options

Fernwood Inn: Dinner in Victoria

October 10, 2014

Fernwood Inn is committed to providing locally sourced organic products, wild seafood, and Victoria’s best micro brews. They have a large dining room and an outdoor patio. They also have a private Art Room that can be reserved for groups of over 60 people.

You can’t miss this building as it is large and yellow. I came by after work with my coworkers and we had a quick dinner before heading back to Vancouver.

Saltspring Island Mussels ($13) is steamed with oven roasted tomatoes, crispy pancetta, and a garlic butter white wine sauce. It is served with garlic toast. There was lots of mussels in this dish and it was enough for 4 people.

Those mussels were really plump and delicious. It was really good! The broth was perfect for dipping bread into. Mmm Mmm Mmm I love garlic and of course mussels.

Fernwood Burger ($13 + $1.50) has a sirloin beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion and smoked paprika aioli on a ciabatta bun. We added sauteed mushrooms on top.

Thai Curry Prawns ($9.50) has black Tiger pawns sauteed in a coconut curry with sweet mango chutney, cilantro, lime and bean sprouts. Served with garlic toast.

Look at that prawn hiding inside.

Wild Rice Jambalaya ($17) has organic brown and wild rice sautéed with creole vegetables, slow simmered with prawns, clams, ham and chorizo sausage in a spicy tomato broth. There is garlic toast on the side.

The “Inn” Salad ($12) has triple cream brie, wild blueberries, butter roasted macadamia nuts, tart apple vinaigrette and greens. It was a decent salad. The ingredients were fresh, but I didn’t feel like all these ingredients really blended together. The macadamia nuts were really delicious.

Overall, it was a nice casual place to dine and their patio is much more relaxing than their dining area. If it’s a nice sunny day, definitely go sit at the patio.

We Rate Fernwood Inn:

Address:
1302 Gladstone Ave
Victoria BC

Website:
http://www.fernwoodinn.com/

In Bakery

Panne Rizo Gluten Free Bakery: Black Forest Cake

October 6, 2014

Panne Rizo is a local Gluten Free Bakery with locations in Kitsilano and South Burnaby. They only sell Gluten-free items and have won Georgia Straight’s People’s Choice Winner for Golden Plates for both 2012 and 2013. Also, they were voted Top Choice Cafe of 2014. They have also been around for over 15 years.

I received a SocialShopper voucher redeemable for an 8-Inch Gluten Free Custom Cake or Black Forest Cake from Panne Rizo. As my little sister is Celiac, she gets really sad when she can’t eat cakes or suffers through the side effects of eating gluten. It’s usually the latter, but she loves bread and cake.

I called them to order the cake with 48 hours notice. They won’t take any orders under that time.

This place has shelves upon shelves of baked goods. They also serve lunch here as well.

Or you can grab some pies, pizza, or sandwiches to go.

Black Forest Cake originates from Germany and is known for their layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then, it is topped with more whipped cream, chocolate shavings and cherries.

When I was a kid, we ended up having a lot of black forest cake for some reason. So, fast forward 20 years or so, I had the delight of trying black forest cake again.

There’s lots of whipped cream, 2 layers of chocolate cake and the cherry jam in the centre. I got the whole family to taste test and they thought it was ok. My little sister thought the cake was dense and had too much whipped cream.

We all had our varying opinions, but Black Forest Cake alone isn’t very exciting. I would suggest choosing a different cake with the voucher and pay a little bit more for their chocolate hazelnut cake or carrot cake.

Overall, I think I will need to make a revist to really have their true colours shine by trying some cookies and bread.

We Rate Panne Rizo Gluten Free Bakery:

Address:
1939 Cornwall Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.pannerizo.com/

In Canadian

The Green Moustache: Juice and Smoothies in Whistler

September 27, 2014

The Green Moustache is located in the Whistler Village and serves up juices, smoothies, and healthy food. M and I were spending a day in Whistler and needed a place to have some juice. We passed by Green Moustache and decided to give their drink a try.

Besides smoothie and juices, they have salads, soups, rice bowls, and raw food treats. It’s good for people with restrictive diets.

Dali Smoothie (16oz -$8) is a berry smoothie.

Chaplin Smoothie (12oz – $6.50) is a mango and banana smoothie.

Both smoothies taste good but we both had a liking towards the Chaplin Smoothie because of the banana. Banana does wonders for a smoothie.

Overall, it was a nice stop for a smoothie on the ride back to Vancouver. It’s a cute little place too.

We Rate The Green Moustache:

Address:
4340 Lorimer Rd
Whistler, BC

Website:
http://greenmoustachejuice.com/

In Gluten Free Options

Healthfare: Counting those Calories

September 23, 2014

Healthfare is a restaurant located in Market Crossing on Marine Drive. They have salads, smoothies, sandwiches, and other healthier items. M and I were passing by and thought we should try it out instead of going to McDonalds.

All the menu items have calorie counts if you are into controlling your daily calorie intake.

They have a few seats inside but M and I decided to just do take out.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie ($5.29) was good and you get a nice balance of strawberry and banana. It’s a decent smoothie. Good to have if you’re on the go and need something quick. It is 305 calories.

Mmmango Smoothie ($5.29) had a strange taste, like a strong honey taste. I wonder what type of mango they used.

Not So Butter Chicken Rice Bowl has 452 calories, which is not bad at all. It has brown rice, which is a nice touch if you hate white rice. It also comes with pita bread and cucumbers. M thought it tasted ok.

Greek Village Salad ($7.99) has mixed field greens, english cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, slice red onions, herb goat cheese and balsamic dressing. I needed a basic salad and it came in the large styrofoam container. A few of the field greens were a bit wilted and changing a dull green color. The cucumbers didn’t taste fresh either. It was probably cut up earlier in the day. There also wasn’t enough dressing as it needed more acidity.

Overall, the food was ok, but it needed to be a bit more fresh. Perhaps it’s because I went later in the evening.

We Rate Heathfare:

Address:
7366 Market Crossing
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.healthfare.ca/

In Four Beakers

Ask For Luigi: Addictive Pasta in Vancouver

September 12, 2014

There is one place I love to take guests to in Vancouver, that place is Ask For Luigi. They just have very good freshly made pasta every night. When M’s relatives were in town, I took them here since I knew it would be a hit with them. Plus, it’s really hard to get good pasta in Korea. I wanted to blow their taste buds away.

As usual, I made a reservation a week in advance for 5:30pm on Saturday. I always find they have quick and efficient service right at the beginning of dinner time.

Pappardelle and Duck Ragu ($19) is one of my favourites. Order this now!

Luigi’s meatballs ($14) is a great starter and you can add any amount of additional meatballs if you don’t have the exact amount for the table. We had to add one more onto this plate. It comes with some toasted bread on the side. Mmmm it’s one of my favourite meatballs I’ve ever had! It is very flavourful and has a nice texture with the added pinenuts.

Saffron Risotto and Clams ($18) is another wonderful dish! The clams were fresh and of course had a lot of flavour packed into them. When you eat it with the creamy risotto, it’s just heavenly.

Tagliatelle, Fennel Sausage & Rapini ($18) had bits of sausage dispersed throughout the dish. Yum.

Spaghetti Nero, Octopus and Jalapeno ($18) has an odd look to it, but trust me, it’s was another amazing dish. The octopus was tender and very enjoyable.

Overall, it was another great dinner at Ask for Luigi and I would highly recommend it…as long as you are willing to make reservations ahead of time or have to wait in line for a table.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

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In Fairview

Shishinori: New Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver

September 4, 2014

Shishinori is a new little Japanese Restaurant near Broadway and Cambie. My coworker told me to check this place out as it was in her neighbourhood and went back several times. I decided to come here with a bunch of my coworkers during lunch to get their lunch a try.

The space is quite nice and simple. The space is very cozy, so there aren’t a lot of tables available during peak times like lunch. Your order first up at the counter and then find a seat to sit if you are eating in.

All the utensils are already on the table.

Smoked Wild Salmon Eggs Benedict ($9) comes with tea and salad. It’s interesting how this comes on a bagel. It seemed like she had some issues eating it, but maybe it was just her being clumsy. She seemed to really enjoy her meal nonetheless.

Hawaii Ahi Poke Bowl ($12 +$2.50) with added cold tea and coffee jello dessert.

Ahi Tuna Carpaccio Bowl ($12 + $2.50) with the added enoki miso soup and cold Iced Green tea. It was a very healthy meal!

Matcha Parfait ($6) is great if you have a sweet tooth. There is cereal, green tea jello, mochi, green tea ice cream, pocky, strawberries, chocolate syrup, sponge cake and some other stuff. If you order a meal and this, you’re gonna be quite full. Get this if you want a sweet snack.

Overall, the food here is quite nice and healthy (besides the matcha parfait). The downside is that it is pricey.

We rate Shishinori:

Address:
2328 Cambie St
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/shishinori

In Gluten Free Options

Graze: Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant in Vancouver

August 14, 2014

Graze is a vegan restaurant in Vancouver that has an all plant-based menu, which includes their beverages as well. They make sure all their ingredients are organic and locally-sourced when possible.

Chef Karen McAthy is the culinary genius behind the food. The concept is for people of all eating preferences to be able to find something that they can fall in love with. From strict vegetarians to flexitarians, There’s bound to be something on the menu to tickle your taste buds.

I came here with VeggieGirl after work. I needed someone that loves vegetables to have a fair review since it would be very hard for me to give up steak and pork belly. I do appreciate vegetables and could eat carrots and tomatoes all day long.

The interior is quite beautiful. We came here at 5:30pm for an early dinner and it wasn’t very busy. It started picking up around 7pm.

Graze Organic Ginger Beer ($5) is non-alcoholic and comes with a wedge of lime. Good balance of flavour and it was very good.

Dark and Stormy ($9) has Flor de Cana Rum, ginger beer, lime and ginger. VeggieGirl did enjoy it and the alcohol wasn’t too potent, but she did find there was a bit too much lime for her liking.

Vegetable Menage a Trois ($10) comes with 3 featured veggies. When we were here, there were carrots, dragon tongue beans, and squash. It also came with a phenomenal pesto sauce. The veggies were lightly grilled to It makes for good finger food. That pesto sauce was frickin fantastic!

Portobello Filets ($9) is gluten free and the coating is made with pepita, spices and corn flour, then panned until crisp. It is paired with a pink peppercorn aioli. I love portobello mushrooms, so naturally I was addicted. The crust was delicious and crispy and went well with the aioli.

One of their featured small plates for the night was the fermented collard leaf wrapped ‘chorizo’ with turnip puree, patty pan tempura, chili oil, and tomatoes from their garden.

The dish definitely tried to emulate the texture of chorizo, but it has no meat at all. It had a spongey texture but still delicious.

Macaroni ($14) has brown rice pasta in a smoky coconut cheddar sauce, crispy eggplant & toasted nut crumble over a potato pavé, seasonal vegetables. You can add their house-smoked tofu & fresh tomato for $3.

Those seasonal veggies are mighty pretty.

Paella ($15) has spicy bomba rice, asparagus, red pepper, green garbanzo beans, kalamata olives, spring fava beans and saffron. It was a filling dish.

Cheesecake ($7) dessert is their Blueberry & lavender cultured cashew cheesecake. It is topped with edible flowers and fresh cherries. The top had more of a mousse texture and the crust was so yummy and nutty.

Overall, we had a great time at Graze. You definitely need to appreciate vegetables to love this place. If you want to try a bit of everything, I would suggest getting their Prix Fixe set for $30, which includes their featured small plate, entree and dessert. Also check out their weekly specials as there are some good deals. Thursdays is date night, so you can get the 2 of the Prix Fixe courses for $50. Awesome deal!

We Rate Graze:

Address:
3980 Fraser Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://grazerestaurant.ca/

In Canadian

Craft Beer Market: Open in Vancouver

November 3, 2013

My coworkers and I have been keeping an eye on the Craft Beer Market opening up in the Olympic Village near Science World. What I love about this area is it’s amazing views and how this neighbourhood is transforming. It was supposed to be open during the Summer of 2013, but due to some delays, it is going to officially open on November 7th, 2013.

Word has spread around the office that they are currently having a soft opening and are open for business. We were bidding a coworker goodbye, so it seemed like the perfect place to have an office lunch.

This place is HUGE! There are even 2 elevated private seating areas. Also, the beautiful bar in the centre with so many different types of Craft Beer.

Wall of beer kegs.

More beer!

Below are images of their food and drink menus.

Fast Food Sushi?! Red Racer IPA Infused Taquitos?!

Their menus are labeled with healthy, vegetarian, ocean-wise and gluten-free options. It really help taking the guess work if you have dietary restrictions. Nice touch!

Dark beer braised beef brisket?! Phillips Beer Can Chicken?!

20 Napkin Burger?! Earnest Ice Cream!!

Looks like there are some amazing sounding items on the menu.

SO much beer!

Too many to choose from.

Hawaiian Ahi Poke ($14) has chopped sashimi-grade tuna, cucumber, fresh ginger, garlic, and a sesame soy vinaigrette with crispy wonton skins. Magz said it tasted alright, but is lacking a few ingredients. Perhaps avocados.

Craft House Soup (Bowl – $8) has cheddar, jalapeno, and their Village House Ale.

Wings ($13) 1lb of crispy Rossdown Farms chicken wings tossed in Canadian sauce (bacon and maple syrup). The Canadian flavour was surprisingly good. It was subtle, but it just worked so well. For some reason we imagined it to be a thick sauce, but we were glad it wasn’t like that.

Fast Food Sushi ($12) cheeseburger and fries wrapped in bacon. It is dressed with jalapeño cream cheese and BBQ sauce. This was a very interesting item on the menu that JP just had to order. It was sinfully delicious and would be a great combination with some beer.

Thai Lettuce Wraps ($12 + Chicken $5) has crispy noodles and veggies sautéed with sweet ginger and lemongrass served with julienne vegetables, rice and a trio of house made sauces. It’s a great interactive dish where you can build your lettuce wraps yourself. One thing my coworkers said was that they wished the lettuce would be larger so it could hold more of the filling.

Waldorf chicken salad ($16) has parmesan and walnut crusted Rossdown Farms chicken, sun-dried cranberries, mixed greens, grapes, blue cheese, celery, and honey mustard vinaigrette. It was a big salad with a lot of ingredients.

Brewmaster’s Chicken Sandwich ($15) has Rossdown Farms chicken breast, avocado, bacon, aged cheddar, tomato lettuce, and red onion in a ciabatta bun. You have your choice of either Kennebec fries, mixed greens, caesar salad, spinach salad or soup. My coworker went with the spinach salad.

Craft Mac & Cheese ($16) has a blend of cheddar, gouda, mozzarella and fontina cheese tossed with bacon and poblano peppers topped with parsley and garlic breadcrumbs. It is also served with grilled garlic bread. The portion was huge, but I really wish the mac and cheese was a bit more gooier.

Overall, the food was pretty good, but there are a few kinks to work out. Prices are a tad high, but its ok considering the area that it’s located in. Their menu is large and you can always find something to eat and plus, their beverage menu is massive. I can see it as a great place to come after work to chill with coworkers or friends. It’s a great addition to the Olympic Village area and definitely adds some competition in the area.

We Rate Craft Beer Market:

Address:
85 West 1st Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.craftbeermarket.ca/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/CRAFT-Beer-Market-Vancouver/306941952714764

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