Type Archives - Page 44 of 125

In Dessert

Wild Sweets: Designer Cakes and Experiences Gallery in Richmond

October 24, 2016

Wild Sweets sells some stellar chocolate in Richmond and recently, they launched their new line of delicious designer cakes. A few of us were invited for a tasting of their new cakes. I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I couldn’t resist.

Experiences Gallery

They also expanded their retail store to make room for their Experiences Gallery. It gives guest a sneak peek into the chocolate making process. It features their Cocoa Bean-To-Bar Chocolate-Making Lab, Chocolate Art Gallery & Chocolate Tasting Bar.

What I thought was super cool was their display of the raw cocoa beans. You can touch them and smell them.

Chocolate Tarte Macaron

Chocolate Tarte Macaron has a few different versions:

Banana Macadamia
Chestnut Pear

It’s a pretty intricate dessert. On the outside, you don’t see any macarons, but it does include it. The macaron cookie is loosely crushed and then mixed with crushed fruit, butter and baked crunchy-soft as a single layer. The “macaron” is place on top of a tarte made of a base layer of the crunchy-soft and buttery Sablé Breton cookie topped with an almond cream mixture. When baked, a luscious egg ganache made with our cocoa bean to bar dark chocolate is added and cooked to a perfect custard-like texture.

It is then finished with a dark chocolate coating, a hand-painted chocolate decor.

Cream Cakes

They have 2 versions of these cream cakes:

Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Cream Cake
Milk Chocolate & Passion Cream Cake

This cake blends the richness of a pound cake with the lightness of a sponge cake. It is coated in chocolate studded with ground roasted almonds or coconut for a wonderful texture, simply finished with a chocolate plaquette.

Apricot Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Gateau’

There lies layers of crispy crêpes hazelnut praliné, milk chocolate Crème Brûlée cream, apricot fruit Crème Brûlée cream, milk chocolate almond paste Sacher sponge cake and caramel gelée, elegantly finished with hand-painted chocolate bark.

One of the favourites of the cakes we tried. I love the texture of the different ingredients and it’s definitely a delicious treat.

Cherry Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Gateau’

You will find layers of crispy crêpes hazelnut praliné, dark chocolate Crème Brûlée cream, cherry fruit Crème Brûlée cream, dark chocolate almond paste Sacher sponge cake and cocoa gelée, elegantly finished with hand-painted chocolate bark.

Another delicious cake. Very similar to the other cake, but still good.

Venezuela Ocumare ‘Intensely’ Chocolate Terrine

Inside, there are layers of double chocolate Brownie cake, crispy crêpes hazelnut praliné, dark chocolate & vanilla bean ganache, dark chocolate Crème Brûlée cream, dark/milk chocolate sabayon mousse, chocolate spray, and elegantly finished with hand-painted chocolate decor.

All these cakes really appeal to be because of the crispy crêpes hazelnut praliné. It really gives it a nice balanced texture.

Crème Brûlée ‘Chantilly’

There are 2 types of Crème Brûlée ‘Chantilly’ cakes.

Apricot Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Chantilly’
Cherry Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Chantilly’

This cake is their version of the classic French Tarte Bourdaloue — with a few twists. The typical harder sweet dough base is replaced with crunchy/soft cookie. The unctuous custard cream laced with poached fruits is still front-and-center, but they have added another layer of pure decadence: a cloud-like chocolate ‘Chantilly’ mousse.

The mousse is what makes this cake very indulgent.

Crème Brûlée ‘Sabayon’

There are 2 versions of this cake:

Passion Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Sabayon’
Raspberry Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée ‘Sabayon’

There are the layers of Sablé Breton cookie, crispy crêpes hazelnut praliné, chocolate & fruit ganache, the fruity Crème Brûlée cream, dark/milk chocolate caramel sabayon mousse and crème fraîche gelée, elegantly finished with hand-painted chocolate citrus crystal barks.

Overall, the cakes were pretty good. My picks would be for their Crème Brûlée ‘Gateau’ and Venezuela Ocumare ‘Intensely’ Chocolate Terrine cakes.

We Rate Wild Sweets:

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

In Chinese

R&H: Chinese Food + Dumpling Trail

October 22, 2016

R&H Chinese Food is located in the Lansdowne Centre Food Court. They serve up delicious Chinese food that’s a bit different that the other stalls here.

We were invited by Tourism Richmond to experience the Dumpling Trail. R&H Chinese Food is one of the restaurants featured in the trail for their diverse selection of dumplings from crispy to chewy to all types of textures.

You can watch them make the dumplings right in front of you. I love watching them make dumplings since it’s really a craft. I’ve tried making dumplings and I can never make them look beautiful.

Potstickers with cabbage and pork filling had a nice colour on the bottom. As the skin is a bit thicker than the other ones that we ordered, these can be quite filling. Best to share dumplings among others.

Boiled Pork Dumplings with Chives was one of our favourites. Delicious filling and reminded me of a little taste of home.

Xiao Long Bao are steamed juicy pork buns and they come in a bamboo steamer. Nice thin skin, but the tops of them were a bit dense.

You should return the bamboo steam to them once you’re done.

Overall, R&H has a good amount of dumplings on their menu. If you want a taste of homemade dumplings and other Chinese food, come give them a try. Prices are very good too.

We rate R&H:

Address:
5300 Number 3 Road, Richmond

In Bubble Tea

Boba Guys: Bubble Tea in San Francisco

October 21, 2016

Boba Guys is a popular bubble tea shop for local and tourists. My hotel at Station Square and Boba Guys was literally a block away, how could I resist to try one of the most popular bubble tea shops in San Francisco. When I got here in the middle of the day, there was a bit of a line up but it wasn’t too long.

The menu has a good amount of drinks to choose from. Since it was my first time here, I couldn’t be too adventurous as I wanted something pretty standard so I can compare to the other bubble tea shops I’ve been to.

Classic Milk Tea with tapioca balls and half sweet. As a Canadian, I still find it funny how it’s called boba since I’m use to calling it pearls. The subtle differences when it comes to our 2 countries. Half sweet was the right amount of sweetness for me since the tea stand out and the quality of the tapioca balls were really good.

Overall, the quality of tea, milk and tapioca balls were great.

We Rate Boba Guys:

Address:
429 Stockton Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.bobaguys.com/

In San Francisco

Farallon: Upscale Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco

October 19, 2016

Farallon Restaurant is an upscale seafood restaurant a few steps away from Union Square. They specialize in seafood and they have a raw and seafood bar. While I was in San Francisco, they invited me to give their restaurant a try. As it was literally a few steps from my hotel, I couldn’t resist.

Interior

The interior is beautiful and the high ceilings with sea creature embellishments make you feel like you’re in a grotto.

Amuse Bouche

An Amuse Bouche is a one bite taster from the chef. It was a nice way to start off the meal with this little surprise.

Complimentary Bread

Next, different bread and butter arrives at the table. As we put in our order, it was nice to have something to nibble on before the dishes arrive.

Drinks

They have a wide selection of wines and drinks of the menu – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You can ask them for advice on what pairs best with the meal. The staff were able to surprise my friend with a virgin cocktail with delicious mango.

Appetizers

Herb roasted bone marrow comes with bragg sea urchin, dungeness crab and grilled garlic sourdough toast. What I liked about this dish was the amount of bone marrow inside and the richness of the marrow was balanced by the delicate seafood tastes.

Gnocchi & Cayucos Abalone also comes with rosemary brown butter, smoked trout roe, dulse seaweed, and aged balsamic.

Entrees

Seared Bone-Dry Scallops with boar-chetta di testa, farro verde risotto, and pomegranate. Very plump scallops and were cooked beautifully.

Local Albacore Tuna has marble potatoes, shaved fennel, smoked mussels and hollandaise sauce. The tuna and the mussels were delicious but the hollandaise sauce seemed a bit heavy for this light dish.

Dessert

Port Poached Pear has almond sherbet, pomegranate, and 2 pignoli cookies. Very delicious dessert with the pear’s sweetness enhanced by the port. The cookies gave a nice balance of texture to the dish too.

Cheesecake Custard is topped with green apple granita, graham crumble, and cotton candy grapes. This dessert was a treat, the tart green apple granita with the grapes give a burst of fresh flavour to the cheesecake custard.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the quality of the seafood is very good and fresh. The menu has a good amount of range to cater to those with varying tastes. The restaurant is high end, so you will want to dress up a little bit. We had a great dinner while we were in San Francisco.

We Rate Farallon:

Address:
450 Post St, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/

In Kid Friendly

Samsoonie: Korean Food in Richmond + Dumpling Trail

October 18, 2016

Samsoonie Noodle & Rice is located in Richmond and they serve Korean cuisine. I love Korean restaurants especially for their dumplings – mandu, so I couldn’t wait to try this place out.

We came here as part of the Tourism Richmond’s Dumpling Trail trying out the different dumplings in town. Richmond is a foodie city filled with amazing Asian cuisine. They get pretty busy around noon, so make sure you beat the rush.

Interior

The inside looks ok, but people come here for their food as they have a good variety of Korean food on the menu.

Dumplings

Wonton Soup was delicious. Good flavour of the broth and the wontons inside. A nice twist on what I’m used to having.

Boiled Dumplings come in either 5 or 10 pieces. We went with the 5 pieces so we could try more dumplings on the menu. It comes with a soy sauce mixture to dip your dumplings into. The filling was good but a tad dry.

Pan Fried Dumpling is half way between boiled and fried dumplings. We found this filling was a bit dry too. Perhaps it was the batch for these dumplings.

Deep Fried Dumplings was the favourite of the bunch as this filling was a bit more moist compared to the pan-fried and boiled dumplings. A nice crisp exterior with the juicy filling on the inside. Very good.

Side Dishes

I love the different that arrive at the table complimentary. At bean sprouts and kimchi are the ones that come to the table. Both very delicious.

Other dishes

Sweet and Sour Pork is very different that what you would find int a Chinese restaurant. It is deep fried in a batter and then has a little bit of sauce on top.

Korean Style Roll has carrot burdock, spinach, egg and radish pickle. Is like a Japanese sushi roll but cut thinner and uses similar ingredients in a bibimbap. A good item to share with the table.

Pork Bone Stew has big pieces of pork and a very flavourful stews. It really hits the spot for days when its cold and wet outside.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Samsoonie is a pretty decent Korean restaurant in Richmond. It brings me back to some of my favourite Korean dishes.

We Rate Samsoonie:

Address:
8211 Westminster Highway, Richmond

In Fast Food

Burger King: Whopperrito

October 17, 2016

Whopperrito is Burger King’s new menu item turning a Whopper into a burrito. Whenever I go to the United States, I get super excited to try exclusive menu items like this. We don’t have this in Canada.

The Whopperrito is made with their signature savoury flame-grilled 100% beef patty. It is also stuffed with a creamy Queso, pickles, diced onions, juicy tomatoes, and crisp lettuce all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.

When I picked this up, it had a good amount of weight to it. The creamy Queso made this burrito a bit too salty for my taste. It’s definitely and interesting concept, but I think I will stick with a regular Whopper.

Website: https://www.bk.com/menu-item/whopperrito

Address:
35 Powell Street, San Francisco

In Japanese

Ryuu Japanese Kitchen at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

October 16, 2016

Ryuu Japanese Kitchen is your place for sushi and Japanese food at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. There’s a handful of dining options in this outlet, but you’ll only find sushi and a few other dishes here unless you travel further to Richmond city centre or Downtown Vancouver.

I came here as a guest of McArthur Glen Designer Outlet to try out a few items off Ryuu Japanese Kitchen’s menu.

Interior

The interior is large for small to large groups. It wasn’t too busy when we went. The interior is very clean and modern.

Drinks

Asahi beer is on tap. It is light and citrusy and pairs well with Japanese food. We got a large pitcher to share amongst the group and poured our individual glasses.

They have hot and cold sake for those who enjoy it.

Food

Philly Roll has crab meat, avocado, cream cheese and topped with salmon and mayo. Anything with salmon and avocado excites me.

Dragon Roll has avocado, shrimp tempura and topped with sauce, BBQ eel and tobiko. A decent roll to have with your meal.

Takoyako is a ball-shaped snack filled with a small piece of cooked octopus inside. It is topped with mayo, seaweed, garnish and takoyaki sauce. It comes with 8 pieces to an order.

Overall, the items we tried were decent. Pretty standard sushi rolls compared to some other Japanese restaurants out there in Vancouver.

We Rate Ryuu Japanese Kitchen:

Address:
1000-7899 Templeton Station Road, Richmond

Website:
http://www.ryuujapanesekitchen.com/

In Three Beakers

Taste of Yaletown: Zend Concious Lounge

October 15, 2016

Zend Conscious Lounge is part of the Taste of Yaletown happening October 13th to 27th. The two-week dining event showcases unique dishes from 31 restaurants in the Yaletown neighbourhood. Restaurants offer exclusive featured menus, special tastings and innovative pairing combinations at set prices of $25, $35, $45.

I had a chance to dine at Zend Conscious Lounge to try a few items off their set menus. Zend Conscious Lounge are an organic plant-based eatery. That means no gluten, no dairy, and they only use the healthiest of ingredients. They are also Canada’s first kava kava bar. Did you know they donate 100% of their profits?

Taste of Yaletown 2016 Menu

[tabs tab1=”$25 Menu” tab2=”$35 Menu” tab3=”$45 Menu”]

[tab id=1]

2 Mini Burgers
Taco
Trio of Salads Sampler

[/tab]
[tab id=2]

Signature Elixers Sampler
2 Mini Burgers with yam fries
Taco
Kale Caesar Salad
Homemade Plant-based Cheese Sampler with Raw Seed Crackers
Dessert Sampler plate ( triple chocolate torte with seasonal dessert)

[/tab]
[tab id=3]

Signature Elixers Sampler
2 Mini Burgers with yam fries
Taco
Trio of Salad Sampler
Callelloni Roll
Two Homemade Plant-based Cheese Sampler with Raw Seed Crackers

[/tab]

[/tabs]

Interior

Their interior is simple, but with a lot of natural wood colours on the table and walls. They have small to large tables, so make sure you make reservations to ensure your group gets a good spot.

Kava Kava

Zend isn’t on the Taste of Yaletown menu, but it was something that we had to try when we were here. Zend is a non-alcoholic beverage that is a blend of Rhodiola, Yerba Mate, Kava, Holy Basil and Ashwaganda. It is traditionally used to relieve stress, depression and anxiety. It makes people more calm and works in 20 minutes or less.

We drank a shot of Zend and it definitely had an earthy taste to it. A few minutes after, you started to feel a numb tingly sensation on our tongue and cheeks. Completely normal apparently.

Signature Elixers Sampler

The elixer samplers come in small mason jars. we got to try 2 and both were good and full of fresh pressed juice and Zend.

Caesar Kale Salad

The salad has oat cheese parmesan crisps, gluten-free amaranth croutons, & prebiotic garlicky avocado dressing. I like this salad, it was simple but it had a good amount of flavour that reminded me of a caesar salad. A nice light item to start off the meal.

Housemade plant-based cheese board

On the cheeseboard, you will find their featured spreads, house-spiced heart-healthy nuts, probiotic veg. with Raw Seed Crackers. The cheeses were very creamy and the seed crackers added needed texture.

Tacos

There’s aren’t any regular tacos, it has dehydrated beans, fresh guacamole, heart-healthy cashew queso, & organic fresh-cut salsa. It’s a nice item to share as 3 come in one order. I love the salsa and it adds a nice freshness to the dish.

The Mini Raw Burger

Their burger is mad of bio-available sprouted grains and served on a seared portobello cap. Very nice bite sized burger. It also has a side of yam fries and a spicy sauce.

Dessert Sampler plate

You will find their triple chocolate torte with cocoa and coconut crust, fudge, and chocolate avocado mousse. Their other seasonal dessert was my favourite.

The Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake has a creamy cashew base, walnut and medjool date crust, pumpkin & pumpkin spices. This was my favourite of the night.

Final Thoughts

For the longest time, I thought Zend was a Japanese restaurant and clearly I was far from wrong. I was glad I was able to have the opportunity to dine at this plant-based eatery. I would really enjoyed seeing the transformation of these raw ingredients into the dishes that were presented on the menu. It’s definitely not a restaurant thats for everyone, but I thought it was an experience that was different than some other restaurants out there. If you wanted to be taken out of your comfort zone, this would be it.

We Rate Zend Conscious Lounge:

Address:
1130 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://zendlounge.com/

In Cafe

Zombie Runner: Running Store & Cafe in Palo Alto

October 15, 2016

Zombie Runner is a running store and an espresso cafe. They are known to have good lattes in Palo Alto. We were at the farmers market on California Ave. and decided to come here for an early morning caffeine run.

They serve espresso drinks, drip coffee, ZombieRunner Chai, cold-brewed coffee, green tea latte and others.

The line up was pretty close to the front of the store. Just follow the long line to the counter with coffee close to the rear of the store. It’s pretty interesting to see all the running gear as you wait for coffee.

I got a latte as it has espresso and steamed milk with latte art on top. They use whole milk but you can request 2% or soy. It’s a pretty solid cup of coffee to get you going in the morning. I wanted to try a few other items but I wanted to stick with a classic drink.

Overall, a good place to stop for a coffee.

We Rate Zombie Runner:

Address:
429 California Avenue, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.zombierunner.com/

In Fast Food

Costco Canada: Deep Fried Chicken Wings

October 14, 2016

Costco locations in Canada have chicken wings. A few months ago, they secretly added these to some of their locations. When I heard a few friends got their hands on these, I had to grab a bunch for dinner.

I came right here after work to the Willingdon location in Burnaby. A pound is $4.99 and family-size (3 pounds) is $13.99. They seem to have lowered their prices as the original prices were covered. It’s odd to see prices go lower rather than higher.

They deep-fry all their wings in a separate fryer than their other items. Since everyone else wanted wings and they can only make so much at one time, I waited about 25 minutes around 6pm on a Friday.

Make sure to get a hot sauce and BBQ sauce to dip your wings into. It helps add a bit of flavour. They gave us 1 hot sauce and 2 BBQ sauces for this bucket.

I got the family-sized bucket and it has about 32 pieces. M and I shared this and we were able to do a pound each. There are wings and drumettes in the mix. It is a bit crunchy, but it’s got nothing on Church’s Chicken.

It’s fun to try something different. It’s decent, but it’s lacking the super crisp exterior. The wings aren’t overly seasoned so it pairs well with the sauces. I preferred the hot sauce and M preferred the BBQ sauce. The wings are best eaten hot, so the skin a bit more crisp.

We rate Costco Wings:

Address:
4500 Still Creek Dr, Burnaby

In Japanese

Yayoi: Japanese Teishoku Restaurant in Palo Alto

October 13, 2016

Yayoi opened their first US location in Palo Alto on University Avenue serving up teishoku-style Japanese restaurant, which are set meals which typically includes smaller side dishes like rice, miso soup, side dish and pickled vegetables with the main course.

My friend took us here when we were visiting for a few days. I was pretty excited since I always love trying new food.

Interior

The interior is nice and large, so there are a good amount of seats. We found that a lot of young families were dining here around dinner time.

Ordering

We browsed through the menu and then we started playing around with the iPad, where you input your order. You do everything on here and it ensures your order is correct and maximizes efficiency.

We even ordered our glasses or water on it too. No need to wait for someone till fill up our glasses.

Dinner Sets

Katsu Toji Teishoku has pork cutlet simmered in sauce and egg. It comes with ice, soup and side dishes.

I ordered the Omaze Don with salmon sashimi, okra, tororo, natto, tomago, seaweed and ontama. You mix it all together in the bowl and enjoy.

It comes with rice, miso soup, and side dishes. It was a very delicious and clean meal. The natto isn’t for everyone as it is fermented beans, people seem to have a love/hate relationship with them.

Nasu Miso Teishoku has eggplant, pork belly, and veggies in a miso sauce. It is served with rice, miso soup, and 2 side dishes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the portion were good and we were pretty stuffed. The meals were well balanced and I enjoy set meals and you get a little taste of everything. The service was pretty good and they don’t require tipping. I ended up tipping anyways since it was a good meal.

We rate Yayoi:

Address:
403 University Ave, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.yayoi-us.com/

In Dessert

MagiCream: Nitrogren Ice Cream in Kerrisdale

October 12, 2016

MagicCream is the latest addition to the Kerrisdale neighbourhood featuring liquid-nitrogen ice cream with over 40 different flavours.

We were invited to try their ice cream and to see how they differ from the other nitrogen ice cream shops in town.

Process

They use liquid nitrogen instead of dry ice in their ice cream and it is completely safe.

Choose your base
Choose your flavour
Choose toppings
Let the magic begin

Once you choose what you want, its really fun to see them put together your ice cream.

All that smoke goes pouring out when the nitrogen and creates a cloudy magical scene.

Nitrogen Ice Cream

We got to try a variety of flavours and combinations in family size.

Chocolate ice-cream with brownie bites and chocolate sauce
Caramel popcorn
Rootbeer with gummy bears
Strawberry with Cheesecake bites
Black sesame with coconut and Reese’s cups
Coffee with Cookie Dough and Mochi
Ovaltine with walnuts
Milk tea with pearls and mango jelly
Mango sorbet with mango & lychee jelly

All the flavours were well made, smooth with no icy chunks inside. The ice cream didn’t melt too quickly compared to some other places in town. Prices are decent too.

For my personal taste preferences, I didn’t like the very sweet ones with sweet toppings. I can see those would be very fun for kids to eat, but I found that as I got older, I like my snacks less sweet. The downside of getting older.

A few others found root beer to be a pretty unique flavour.

I really liked the Milk Tea Ice Cream with pearls and mango jelly.

Another favourite was the Ovaltine classic with walnuts. They also have a Chinese version of Ovaltine that tastes slightly different, but I went with the classic. I chose the walnuts for texture.

Final Thoughts

Overall, there are a lot of flavours at MagiCream, which is great for groups who have diverse tastes. You can also customize it is any way that you want. They also sell them in 3 different sizes.

I’ll definitely be back for the milk tea and Ovaltine flavours.

We Rate MagiCream:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Magicream/302810806753718?fref=ts

Address:
2009 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC

In Fusion

Sushirrito: Sushi Burrito in Palo Alto

October 11, 2016

Sushirrito is the original sushi burrito concept before it went big around the world. When I was in San Francisco and Palo Alto, I knew I had to check this place out.

Sushirrito is made-to-order with a mix of Asian and Latin flavours. It’s the perfect alternative to fast food.

In Palo Alto, the Sushirrito is located on University Ave close to Stanford.

When we came here for lunch, it was packed. Its also located beside Blue Bottle Cafe. There are limited seats inside.

Lava Nachos

Lava Nachos are in limited quantities each day. It has brown rice chips topped with tuna picante, melted Pepper Jack cheese, ginger guac, green onions, nori strips, and Sriracha aioli. A very flavourful dish and great for a few people to share.

Geisha’s Kiss has Yellowfin Tuna (Hand-Line Caught), tamago, piquillo peppers, lotus chips, namasu cucumber, green leaf lettuce, ginger guac, yuzu tobiko with a sesame white soya sauce.

I liked the clean fresh taste of the tuna with the crunchy texture of the lotus chips.

Sumo Crunch has shrimp tempura, surimi crab, shaved cabbage, cucumber, ginger guac, and Sriracha Aioli. It is then covered in red tempura flakes. This version was pretty good as well.

Genmai Horchata is one of the drinks they have. It is their blend of green tea and horchata.

Overall, it was a good quick lunch for us and with the 3 items ordered for 2 people, it was plenty of food. The sushirrito reminded me of a large uncut sushi roll with different types of filling and sauce.

We rate Sushirrito:

Address:
448 University Avenue, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.sushirrito.com/

In Dessert

Hugo’s Churros at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

October 10, 2016

Hugo’s Tacos & Churros is a popular place at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. When they had their pop-up a year ago, they were met with great success and people would make the trip out to Richmond just for a taste of their churros.

Now, they have their dedicated space servings up burritos, tacos and their addictive churros.

Interior

The interior is filled with handmade picnic benches great for fitting large groups here.

Ice Cream Churro Sandwich

They have their ice cream sandwiches filled with either:

Pistachio Gelato
Vanilla Gelato
Strawberry Gelato

This can be pretty messy to eat, so make sure you have some napkins and eat quickly.

Gelato Churro Bowls

Gelato Churro bowls are a bit easier to to eat as it will all drip into the cup. 4 pieces and a big scoop of gelato.

Hot Chocolate with Churros

This is a new item for the Fall/Winter. There are 2 long pieces of churro which you can dunk into the hot chocolate.

Overall, if you want to get your fill of churros, come visit Hugo’s Churros. The churros are warm and made right for each order.

We Rate Hugos Churros:

Address:
1000-7899 Templeton Station Road,
Richmond

Website:
http://hugoschurros.com/

In Italian

BiBo Pizzeria: Italian Food at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

October 7, 2016

BiBo Pizzeria has opened their second location at McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. They specialize in authentic Neapolitan pizza and handmade pastas created from the highest quality ingredients selected specially by their team and imported directly from the gardens and farms of Italy.

I came here as a guest of McArthur Glen Designer Outlet to try out BiBo’s signature menu items.

Interior

The interior is large and has lots of seats, so they can cater to small to large groups. They also hots private parties too.

Wine

Gavi di Gavi is their exclusive white wine made for Bibo. Wine and Italian food go very well together.

Sangiovese Tollo is their signature red wine pairs very well with their pasta and pizza dishes.

Neapolitan pizza

Pizza Crudo has fresh tomato, mozzarella, Parma prosciutto, arugula, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Very fresh ingredients on top and I love the prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Pizza Diavola has tomato, mozzarella, and pepperoni. Nice and meaty. I like the parts of the pepperoni that get crisp on the edge.

Pizza margherita has tomato, mozzarella, and basil. A nice char on the pizza and crunchy crust. I love a good simple pizza. One of my favourites.

Handmade pasta

Ravioli ricotta e spinaci has handmade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, served with Italian datterini tomato sauce. Large pieces of ravioli and tastes good.

Gnocchi alla Tirolese has handmade gnocchi with speck, radicchio, gorgonzola, and sprinkled with walnuts. I felt this dish was pretty rich and heavy. It’s best shared with a group rather eating it all yourself.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food is decent, but I felt the pizza could be more crisp in the centre. The centre is a tad soggy.

They also have gluten-free options for their pizza and pasta dishes.

We Rate BiBo Pizzeria:

Address:
1067c Templeton Station Rd, Richmond

Website:
http://richmond.thebibo.com/

In lunch

Arguello: Lunch at the Presidio of San Francisco

October 6, 2016

Arguello is located in the historic Presidio Officers’ Club. They serve up Mexican cuisine capturing the cultural heritage of the Presidio and a contemporary bar with craft cocktails. Chef Traci Des Jardins put together their menu for Arguello.

I was invited by the Presidio Trust to check out their lunch menu.

Interior

The interior is dim with lower ceilings. It makes the atmosphere cozy. There are a few booth seats but majority are tables of 4.

Sides

Chips, Salsas and Guacamole was aa good way to start the meal. The chips were crisp and was good to snack on them while waiting for the meals to arrive. The guacamole was my favourite item to dip the chips into. I have an obsession with avocados.

Tacos

Grilled shrimp, cabbage slaw, and citrus-habanero salsa had a few pieces of the plump shrimp. This was one of the popular tacos on the menu. Seasoned well, but I wish they did something more to the tortilla like grill or warm it up.

Marinated Asada, cascabel-ginger and salsa was the second taco I got. It was very meaty and tender but the sauce that went with it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Cemita is a sandwich with beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and oaxaca cheese. My friend seemed to like this for lunch.

Dessert

Churros were a nice treat at the end of the meal. There are 2 pieces of churros that come with each order. Horchata ice cream was my favourite ice cream that was served with it.

Overall, all the items we tried were pretty average. Nothing was wrong with the food, but with Mexican food, I felt the like bright vibrant flavours were lacking in the dishes.

We Rate Arguello:

Address:
50 Moraga Ave, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.arguellosf.com/

In Cafe

Philz Coffee: Amazing coffee in Palo Alto

October 4, 2016

Philz Coffee in San Francisco is very popular and has several locations. I was visiting a friend in Palo Alto and she recommended we come here for a cup of coffee.

They aren’t your typical coffee shop.

The coffee shop was packed and full of people on the weekend when we were here.

You order your drink with the barista, then you pay at the counter a bit further away, then you go back to the barista to wait for your order. Weird system, but it works.

Mint Mojito Ice Coffee is very popular for the sprigs of mint. It is minty, sweet and creamy. I was surprised by how well mint and coffee go together.

Jamaican Blue Mountain is described as having the aroma of citrus, milk chocolate and honey. It as a medium acidity and body. Very good!

Overall, I really enjoyed the coffee and they were super unique. I would highly recommend it.

We Rate Philz Coffee:

Address:
101 Forest Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Website:
http://www.philzcoffee.com/

In Culinary School

VCC Chef’s Table: Fall Pop-Up Dinner

October 3, 2016

Vancouver Community College has brought back their popular again – VCC Chef’s Table for the Fall until October 14 at their Broadway Campus. I came here last Summer and was moved by the amazing experience. You can check out that review here.

I am a huge fan of dining at culinary art schools as meals are well priced, tastes great and it helps train our future chefs. The 5 course meal is $30 and wine pairings is an additional $15. When you see the pictures, the price point is just sooo good.

I came with a few of my friends to check it out.

Chef Hamid Salimian i back at it again sharing his knowledge and expertise with a new generation of chefs as an instructor in the VCC Culinary Arts program. He did an awesome job crafting the menu with the students.

Dining Area

The table is set up like a U-shape, so everyone gets a good view of the students preparing each dish. Since I did come with 7 people, it was a bit hard conversing with the other side of the table due to the set up. Most other groups were in either 2’s or 4’s.

Wine Pairings

For $15 for wine paired with 5 dishes, it’s a pretty good value.

We got the opportunity to try:

Fern Walk Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Luna Argenta Prosecco Treviso Brut
See Ya Later Ranch Gewurztraminer 2015
Pepperwood Grove Old Wine Zinfandel 2013
Whistler Late Harvest Chardonnay 2014

All very good wines that were paired with each dish.

Sturgeon Crudo

This beautiful dish has scallop, side stripe, egg yolk puree, trout caviar. It is paired with the Fern Walk Sauvignon Blanc 2014. The saltiness from the caviar went well with the delicate flavours of the scallop, shrimp and sturgeon.

Smoked Black Cod

The dish also has sunflower, sunchoke, pearl onions, and a porcini foam. It is paired with the Luna Argenta Prosecco Treviso Brut. Loved the different textures of the plate. A good amount of smokiness on that black cod.

Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Parfait

The dish also has pickled veggies, chicken lover fie gras, pickled veal tongue, beets and a bone marrow ball. The bone marrow ball pops in your mouth and all that delicious flavours coats your mouth. There was a generous amount of foie gras, so I wished there were were chips to go with it.

The dish was paired with the See Ya Later Ranch Gewurztraminer 2015.

Bacon Wrapped Lamb Loin

The plate is dressed with portobello, parsnip, tomato, and lamb jus. That lamb loin and bacon was so tender. Great flavours and we all wanted more.

This is paired with the Pepperwood Grove Old Wine Zinfandel 2013.

Dark Chocolate

The evening ended with the Dark Chocolate dessert which has chocolate soil, chocolate rocks and chocolate ice cream. Great for chocolate lovers.

The last pairing of the night was the Whistler Late Harvest Chardonnay 2014.

Final Thoughts

It was a pleasure dining here again to see all the students creating the dishes right in front of our eyes. All the dishes came at a good pace and it was a great experience. For $30 for 5 dishes, it is worth the price. I’ll definitely be next for the next dinner. It was my 3rd time trying their Chef’s Table and the amount of techniques used here are amazing.

Address: 1155 E Broadway, Vancouver

Website: http://www.vcc.ca/services/eat-shop–more/the-chefs-table-pop-up-kitchen/