Abbytizer, Author at Foodology

In Dessert

The Praguery: Chimney Cake Truck in Vancouver

July 16, 2017

I have a HUGE sweet tooth so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out the chimney cakes at The Praguery. It was the perfect treat after a day of writing exams (as I was wrapping up my program at RED Academy). The truck was parked in the heart of Olympic Village Square, near the giant birds. I brought along my classmate and friend, Vanessa Shakespeare, and she took the awesome photos you’ll see in this post. Thanks girl!

Upon arrival of the food truck, we were greeted by friendly staff and Jaro (short for Jaroslav), the President and Owner of The Praguery. I could quickly see his passion for his food truck, as he started to explain how the chimney cakes (also know as “Trdelnik”, a popular Czech dessert) they make in the truck are baked fresh daily. He showed us as he started to bake a chimney cake, and we watched in anticipation as the raw, yellow dough turned a perfect golden brown. The chimney cake is then dusted and covered with cinnamon sugar.

We watched patiently as one of his staff members filled the chimney cake with premium soft-serve vanilla ice cream, and topped it off with strawberry compote and premium strawberry sauce. The chimney cake has now become a Strawberry Prague’s Cone. The size of this treat is quite substantial and makes it perfect for sharing, unless you’re the type that doesn’t like to share dessert!

I obviously shared this with Vanessa, and we both enjoyed it! The Prague’s Cone was slightly crisp on the outside, but perfectly doughy on the inside. The cone had a hint of lemon flavour, which was complemented by the cinnamon sugar coating. The premium soft-serve vanilla ice cream was very smooth and creamy. The strawberry compote and sauce added a slightly tart contrast to the overall sweetness of the Prague’s Cone. I made sure I ate enough of the vanilla ice cream before taking bites of the cone, which came of in the direction of the cone’s spiral. This made it really fun to eat!

Jaro also offered me a simple chimney cake with a lemon curd filling. The lemon curd had a bright citrus flavour, which is a good option for people whose sweet tooth isn’t as big as mine.

I asked Jaro how long he The Praguery has been in business, and he stated that it has been a year, with the truck in operation a little over a month now. He started out with a chimney cake booth at the Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza. After customers tried the chimney cakes and enjoyed them, people told Jaro that he should consider having a truck, and here he is today! Jaro is proud to offer this unique and delicious treats, and a Prague’s Cone is perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day.

Lookout for Jaro and The Praguery, which is his eye-catching aqua blue food truck. You can find out where the food truck will be located next on the Street Food App.

Location: Varies

Website: http://praguery.com/

In Brunch

Rocky Mountain Flatbread: Brunch in Kitsilano

July 7, 2017

If there’s one thing I absolutely enjoy about weekends, it’s brunch! I was happy to try out Rocky Mountain Flatbread‘s brunch menu, and here are some highlights. A shout out goes to Roman Pastor for taking these delicious photos.

Top left: Double Smoked Bacon Omelette. Top right: Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon Bottom left: Chorizo Hash. Bottom right: Scrambler

My fave brunch dish is Eggs Benedict. RMF offers an Eggs Benedict with the choice of having it served with avocado, smoked salmon or ham. I tired it with smoked salmon (which is my go-to choice for pairing with a poached egg smothered in Hollandaise Sauce). I find a perfectly poached egg with a runny yolk as a visual and textural pleasure, so when I broke into the egg with my fork and the yolk was not runny, I was slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, the Eggs Benedict was delicious.

Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon

We also tried the Scrambler, which Roman really liked since he prefers scrambled eggs. The contrast between the creaminess of the scrambled eggs, Crimini Mushrooms and avocado and the crunchiness of the toast made for a tasty bite.

Scrambler

I’ve had pizza for breakfast, but now how RMF does it! The Market Breakfast Pizza is the best of both worlds, with two eggs, organic tomato sauce, mozarella, spinach, crimini mushrooms, red peppers, three herb pesto and parmesan. It has all the veggies I love, plus eggs and cheese. If you have a hard time deciding what to eat for brunch, you won’t go wrong choosing this option.

Market Breakfast Pizza

The Yukon Pizza is another yummy choice for brunch. This pizza is quite filling since it is loaded with local potatoes, organic tomato sauce, mozzarella, two eggs, smoked bacon, tomatoes and green onion. If you’re feeling extra hungry, the Yukon Pizza will definitely fill you up!

Yukon Pizza

After brunch RMF’s Co-Founder, Suzanne, gave us a little tour of their microgreen garden out back. She spoke on the process of growing micrgreens and even gave us a taste of their rocket arugula and mustard greens. These were the freshest herbs I’ve ever tried, and they were both peppery in flavour, with the mustard greens having a more prominent, slightly spicier taste.

Roman and I enjoyed our brunch in Kits at Rocky Mountain Flatbread. The impromptu tour of the microgreen garden gave me a better appreciation for what Rocky Mountain Flatbread does: provide delicious food made with locally sourced and organic ingredients. The brunch menu offerings are delicious, and the service is always friendly and hospitable.

Address:
1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://rockymountainflatbread.ca/

In Mexican

Fayuca: Northern Pacific Mexican Eatery

June 29, 2017

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending the Fayuca Launch Party. I brought Roman, my sister and brother-in-law to check out this new spot in Yaletown with me. Fayuca identifies itself as a Northern Pacific Mexican restaurant, offering dishes that are inspired by this particular region. I’ve had Mexican food, but I can say that I have not had Mexican food like Fayuca’s.

The evening started with cocktails at the bar. The first one we tried was a Damiana Margarita, which was made with Damiana-infused Cazadores tequila. Based on my research, Damiana is an herb that is known to have aphrodisiac affects. Regardless, I actually enjoyed the cocktail’s smooth, slightly woody flavour, which finishes off nicely with lime. The other cocktails we were happy to try that night included a White Smoked Negroni and a Suelo Sour. The guys enjoyed the Suelo Sour as they waited for their beers by the bar.

Damiana Margarita

White Smoked Negroni

Suelo Sour

As we got settled at a table, servers started to come out with appetizer-sized bites. First up was the Guacamole Chip, which had crispy sunchokes, toasted pumpkin seeds and Macedonian feta all atop a crispy chip.This guacamole was so tasty and I really enjoyed the texture that the toasted pumpkin seeds added.

Guacamole Chip

The second item we tried was Cockles cucumber and citrus gastrique. The cockle was a touch salty, but it was nicely contrasted by the cool crunch of the diced cucumber, and the acid from the gastrique.

Cockle with Cucumber and Citrus Gastrique

The third item, which was our fave, was the Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with aioli. It was so good, we wanted more! It was popular among the crowd that night as it kept disappearing from the servers’ plates. All four of us enjoyed the crab’s crispiness, and the aioli added a creamy, savoury component to this delicious bite. Roman would come back to Fayuca to have more of this.

Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with Aioli

Our last bite of the night was the Albacore Ceviche. I am picky when it comes to eating tuna (I’m not the biggest fan), but this was a pleasant bite. The flavour was fresh, light, and mild.

Albacore Ceviche

The event had all the components of a fun night out: delicious food, great cocktails, awesome music, and good company. The interior of Fayuca is reminiscent of being in an all-inclusive resort restaurant, which brought me back to happy feelings of being on vacation. My sister and I particularly liked how Fayuca used light turquoise, aquas, and tan in its furnishings. Everything from the light fixtures to the seating was cohesive and contributed to the restaurant’s relaxed ambiance. Thanks Fayuca, for having us!

Address:
1009 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.fayuca.ca/

In Event

Paint & Sip Night at Rocky Mountain Flatbread

May 27, 2017

Roman and I had a great time at the Paint & Sip event at Rocky Mountain Flatbread. BC landscape artist, Tara Higgins, gave us a painting lesson, after we enjoyed some of the features on RMF’s Spring menu.

We started off the night with some cocktails that included the Triple Berry Mojito, Shaken Margarita and Earl Grey Gin. I really liked the Triple Berry Mojito; it was fruity, refreshing and finished off with a touch of fizz. The Earl Grey Gin was surprisingly light and smooth, which is perfect for easy drinking.

Triple Berry Mojito

Earl Grey Gin

We were all pretty happy as we watched the food come out. I’ve never been so excited to see salad! There was the Spring Green Salad and the Fig & Goat Cheese salad. Both salads were garnished with Vancouver-grown sunflower microgreens. I really enjoyed the Fig & Goat Cheese because the sweetness of the fig dressing perfectly contrasted the sharp, and creamy goat cheese.

I love pasta, and Rocky Mountain Flatbread knows how to do pasta right. I especially enjoyed the Bacon & Snap Pea Pasta. Anything with bacon is good, and this pasta was no exception. It was very tasty!

The flatbread pizzas offered were also delicious, and included the Fig & Brie, West Coast, Tequila Cod & Shrimp, and the Farmer’s Market. I was able to try a few, but missed out on the Fig & Brie. It must have been very good because it was gone just as quickly as it was placed on the table! I’ll be going back for that one.

As we finished up our last delicious bites, Tara taught us how to paint birch trees, using techniques she learned throughout her artistic career. It was fun being creative with the painting, and it was so interesting to see how each of us interpreted it differently.

Tara Higgins is in town to showcase her paintings at Art! Vancouver. Her “bold brush strokes and intuitive sense of colour allow her paintings to become striking impressions of the unrefined, richly textured landscapes that inspire her.” You can find out more at TaraHiggins.com.

Interested in checking out Art! Vancouver? You can purchase tickets here.

In Alberta

Monplaisir Macaron: French Macarons from Calgary

May 23, 2017

A week ago, Roman and I attended the Monplaisir Macaron Sampling held at the Best Western Plus Chateau Granville Hotel. We met Jean-Marc Mons and his wife, Elizabeth, who were in town to get the word out about their French macarons.

Proudly made in Calgary, Monplaisir offers delicious, delicate and decadent macarons. What makes Monplaisir stand out from the rest, is that the macarons are 100% local, natural, and gluten-free.
The ingredients used to make the macarons do not contain any:

animal gelatin
preservatives
additives
trans fat

This makes for guilt-free indulging. When asked about how long it took to perfect their macaron recipe, Jean-Marc said six months. Roman and I could tell that a lot of care and love went into making them, as we tasted their Pistachio Macaron, Monplaisir’s best-selling flavour. The cookie shells were light and delicate, but perfectly held together while biting into them. They did not crumble like other macarons we’ve tried; these had the right amount of chewiness. The pistachio-flavoured filling was smooth and creamy. Jean-Marc and Elizabeth said that out of their 22 flavours, they usually sell-out of Pistachio, and now we know why!

I also tried the White Chocolate and Raspberry, and I was not disappointed. The White Chocolate was so pretty, with it’s light blue and cream-coloured cookie shells. Its center was smooth and not overly sweet. The Raspberry had tiny bits of raspberry in the cream filling, which enhanced the overall flavour. Needless to say that these macarons were some of the best we’ve ever had!

Jean-Marc and Elizabeth are looking for partnerships within Vancouver, so be on the lookout for Monplaisir. Currently, the website allows for online ordering and shipping only within Calgary.

Website: http://s502259531.onlinehome.us/wordpress/

In Downtown

VANEATs Latest Dining Package: “Oh My SalaThai”

April 18, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached DJ Roman J and I to try out the “Oh My SalaThai” dining package and write a review about it. The review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from the restaurant.

Roman J and I review the “Oh My SalaThai” Dinning package from VANEATS.ca . Both Roman J and I have been to Sala Thai before but this package gave us a chance to try out other dishes which we haven’t had before.

The inside of the restaurant is full of vibrant Thai décor. DJ Roman J liked the elephant near the entrance.

The package consists of:

3 Appetizers

“SOM TOM”, shredded green papaya, tomatoes, green beans, ground peanuts, fresh chilies & lime juice
“GAI HOR BAI TOEY”, tender pieces of chicken marinated in a chef sauce wrapped and cooked in pandanus leaves
“THAI CRISPY SQUID”, lightly battered and tossed with mixed Thai herbs and spices

2 Mains

“ROYAL PAD THAI CHAO WANG”, our most popular Thai rice noodle dish with shrimp, egg, tofu, bean sprouts & ground peanut
“GAENG KEAW WHAN”, sliced chicken, simmered in coconut milk, Thai green curry with bamboo shoots, eggplant, bell peppers & sweet basil leaves

1 Dessert

“KLAUY TOD”, deep fried banana served with homemade coconut ice cream

SOM TOM. This salad was a good start to our meal. It packed both sweet and savoury flavours. It was refreshingly crisp and the vinaigrette had a bite of fish sauce. DJ Roman J stated that “ this dish will make you love papaya”.

GAI HOR BAI TOEY. The chicken was sweet, juicy, and tender. It had a nice char on the outside and I assume it was grilled prior to being steamed. DJ Roman J could not believe it was steamed in pandanus leaves.

THAI CRISPY SQUID. The batter was nice and light. It was well seasoned with salt and other spices. It was so flavourful that it does not need a sauce.

ROYAL PAD THAI CHAO WANG. I’m picky when it comes to Pad Thai so I can honestly say this was really good. DJ Roman J thought the eggs were a nice addition to the noodles. We also like how the noodles were sweet and how the dish was filling.

GAENG KEAW WHAN. I personally love spicy food and I usually pick green curry dishes when I eat Thai food. Naturally, I loved this dish! However, this dish is not for the timid, especially if you are sensitive to spicy food. DJ Roman J thought this dish got spicier with every bite. The chicken is very tender and overall the dish is tasty.

KLAUY TOD. After having delicious appetizers and mains I was sadly disappointed when this dessert came out. I am huge dessert person, so when I saw how small the serving was I had to think, “That’s IT!? ”. It is not made for two people, only a bite and a half per person. DJ Roman J found the batter to be a little too thick and the slice of banana was too small. Both of us did not enjoy how the ice cream was frozen hard in the center. If the ice cream had been thawed out a bit more, the dish would have been more enjoyable.

Koh-ito ($6.25) is a Thai Mojito with coconut and lime. This drink had a dominant lime flavour which was balanced out with sugar. Overall, this was a refreshing cocktail.

Overall, DJ Roman J and I found this VANEATS dining package to be a must buy! The package is great for two but the only downfall is the size of the dessert. The package offers a spectrum of flavours from sweet and savoury to very spicy.

The “Oh My SalaThai” Package can be bought for $18 at VANEATS.ca and will be good from April 18th to June 18th.

Tidbits