Passion Tearoom is a bubble tea shop on Howe and Nelson in Downtown Vancouver. They pride themselves for using real fruits in their smoothies and real tea in their bubble tea beverage.
A few people told me to check it out, so I went with my friend to see how it stacks up against the other similar bubble tea shops in Vancouver.
Interior
The space is pretty small, so there are only a few tables inside, but most people observed did take out anyways. A select few looked like they were meeting up with friends over a drink.
Mango Slush
This is mango blended with ice and my friend has it with pearls. It was pretty good. Smooth and not chunky at all. The pearls had a nice soft chew to them which was nice.
House Milk Tea
This is their premium special blended black tea with cream and milk. I added grass jelly to this drink as a topping. I got it half sweet, but the drinks here generally aren’t that sweet, so full sweetness is just fine. As for the drink itself, it was pretty much room temperature and had no ice inside. Would have been more enjoyable if it was colder.
Final Thoughts
I was a little bit disappointed with their milk tea since that’s their signature drink. Slush was definitely more enjoyable. As we only had 2 drinks, it’s hard to get a grasp of the full menu, but if they can’t get a classic milk tea right, I don’t know about the other items. Other people seem to love this place, so maybe it was an off day when I visited.
Old Street 老街小吃 is a restaurant located across from Metropolis at Metrotown specializing in Chinese Crepes and Taiwanese beef noodle soup. There’s more and more new restaurants in the area and it’s good to see plenty of options.
We were invited to give a few of their menu items a try, so I came with a few friends to see how it is.
Interior
There are a good amount of tables for groups of 2’s and 4’s but if you have a larger group, you can easily combine the tables to make it larger.
Menu
Old Street Fresh Fruit Tea
One of their signature drinks on the menu is their fresh fruit tea. You can choose it with green tea or red tea with the option of having it hot or cold. We went with cold and there was a good amount of citrus and berry fruits inside.
Milky Tea Series
They have a few different milk teas on the menu. We went with Honey Milk Tea and Matcha Milk tea. You can add toppings like pearls, coconut jelly or grass jelly. You can have it as a regular milk tea or green milk tea.
It’s good you can customize it with different tea options, but the menu doesn’t give you the option for ice levels or sweetness levels, but you can inquire with the staff.
Old Street Chinese Crepe
They are known for their Chinese Crepes and it’s hard to find them in this area of Burnaby. These are highly customizable. Each crepe is made with an egg, green onion, cilantro, sesame, and whatever else you want to customize it with.
We had it with green bean flour, spiced beef, dried pork flakes, pickled mustard, crisp fritter, and with a touch of spiciness. With the added spiced beef, this crepe was huge! It tasted pretty good and I love the crisp fritter to give it a nice crunchy texture inside.
Taiwanese Meat Sauce on Rice
Our favourite item here was the Taiwanese meat sauce on rice. It has a good ratio of the meat sauce and rice, so all that sauce soaks into the rice. It also has half an egg with it too.
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
In each bowl is marinated beef shank, veggies, pickled greens, green onions, cilantro and you can customize your noodle thickness and add any additional meats. We added in beef tripe and braised beef brisket to ours for an extra charge. The beef shank was a good size and tender. Broth was good with a good amount of spice as we asked for a little spice. The noodle soup was average but nothing really stood out too much.
Szechuan Style Chicken
Also known as saliva chicken but there is no saliva in this at all if you’re wondering. It’s a good size dish and the chicken is very tender and flavourful. A good amount of spice too.
Final Thoughts
It’s good to finally have a restaurant specializing in Chinese Crepes in the area. Even though it is a traditional breakfast item, that doesn’t stop you from having this for lunch or dinner. Some dishes are so-so but definitely stop by to see what Chinese Crepes are like.
The evening is of course filled with delicious innovative food but has a few fun mystery entree and dessert. Plus, there are always room for seconds. The are silent auctions, entertainment, a swag bag and swag box of fresh produce, and awards throughout the evening.
Below are the dishes that were created from each restaurant showcasing the use of fresh local produce.
Lamb with Little Potato CO Fingerlings, sun choke, English Peas, Foraged Mushrooms, Fermented Wild Blueberries and apple Bordelaise Sauce.
The Dark Chocolate Forest
Chocolate and moss, spruce infused milk chocolate mousse, chocolate soil, Meringue Mushrooms and pistachio streusel.
White Spot
Duck Two Ways (Winner: People’s Choice Award)
Sous vide duck breast in prosciutto, sherry duck glaze, and crispy skin sand. Duck, fois gras and porcini globe with oven dried tomato. This was served with purple potato, heirloom carrots, cauliflower crisps, and pea puree.
Cucumber Panna Cotta
Cucumber panna cotta with Ambrosia apple, celery salad, mini gelato and lime syrup, and topped with meringue.
Acqua Restaurant and Bar | Executive Suites Hotel Metro Vancouver
Star Anise Kumquat Duck
kumquat glace de viande, smoked red kuri squash, black ink crisps, shimeji mushrooms, pickled mustard fennel kimchi, crispy lotus chips, black garlic sesame puree, and fennel tops.
Maple Pumpkin Crusted Cod on a bed of Rapini Apple Chutney Potato Pave, Roasted Beet, Butternut Squash and Corn purée
Dessert
Bannock Truffle, Coconut Dark Chocolate Potato, Beet Ginger IceCream on a wafer crisp topped with a Ambrosia Apple Chip and Blueberry purée
Wild Forager Catering
Pig in the Cabbage Patch
Gelderman Farms roast pork loin, fried sauercraut, cauliflower and leek fondue, fingerling potato, and olive oil sous-vide grape tomato.
Dessert
BC Ambrosia Apple Pie Gelee, sable tart, maple dijon Chantilly Cream, Apple Cider Tuiles, Contreau Caramel, and Mint Infused Strawberry.
Delta Hotels
Entree
Fermented Pine Mushroom, Celeriac, Housemade Pumpkin Seed miso farro, pumpkin seed Dukkah, pea puree, Celeriac puree, vegetable demi, smoked fingerling potatoes, pickled daikon, shaved fennel, compressed granny smith Apple.
Dessert
Strawberry, Panna Cotta, Almond Cocoa Bin Granola, compressed strawberries, sorrel yogurt sherbet, minted skim milk whipped cream
75 West Coast Grill | Marriott Vancouver Airport
Entree
Sous vide octopus, romesco and manchego cheese cannelloni, charred corn segments, sweet corn foam, avocado puree, mole sauce.
Dessert
Ambrosia apple gateau bisque, walnut milk sphere, charred lemon curd, pistachio and green grape soil, fruit lather, apple fluid gel, amaretto berry variations.
Beach Grove Golf Club
Scallops
Sundried tomato crushed baja scallops with blue skin baby potato filled with yam puree, along with asparagus, baby carrots and baby beet roots served atop red cabbages, miso puree and soy orange butter sauce.
Chocolate Cake
Molten cake filled with chocolate and raspberry sauce, chocolate dirt, and whipped vanilla panna cotta with mango fruit gel drops, finished with crystallize pear chips and edible flowers.
The Wild Fig
Red Beet Fused Dry Aged AAA Striploin (Winner: Best Entree)
35 days dry aged hormone free AAA Striploin, sweet potato roulade, baby nugget puree, baby beets, caulilini, cipollini, purple brussel, squash puree, nasturtium, dark mesh tuile, and Madagascar peppercorn sauce.
The Real Taste of Banana
White chocolate banana mousse cake tube, cocoa butter, banana compote, hazelnut dacquiose, dolce de leche, fizzy fruit berries, and edible gold dust.
Vancouver Community College
Braised Pork Cheek
Sunchoke, Ambrosia, Sour Radish, Amaranth
Rhubarb bar (Winner:Best Dessert Award)
Dehydrated Vanilla Meringue, Kombucha fluid gel
Best Table Presentation
Besides the best dishes of the evening, each restaurant had the opportunity to deck out their table with creative and innovative ways with the use of fresh produce. The winner of the night was The Wild Fig with their jungle themed table made out of all vegetables and fruit.
Final Thoughts
It’s always a huge production every year and you see a lot of people in the food and hospitality industry attend the event. I loved seeing the creativity of the dishes from each of the 10 restaurants and the way they go about the dishes is very different.
If you missed out this year, they will be back next year for the 21st annual year, so be sure to watch out when tickets open up.
Emperor Love is a premium tea brand from Taiwan since 1950 starting as a family owned and operated business. They pride themselves by using the finest tea to bring the quality brews and offers a fresh perspective of the modern tea.
Their set of instant teas come in 4 flavours – Matcha Latte, Black Tea Late, Black Beans & Roasted Rice Matcha Latte, and Soba Matcha Latte.
We were sent a few boxes to review to see how it stacks up with other instant lattes on the market.
Matcha Latté
Inside the package is full leaf grounded Matcha mixed with milk powder. For an instant matcha latte, it was ok. As you are only mixing 160ml of water into, some people may find it a touch sweet. You can always dilute it with more water to make it less sweet.
Black Tea Latté
They use their select Assam Black Tea mixed with milk powder. It also uses 160ml of water mixed into the powder to create the black tea latte with the classic black tea flavour. This was one of my favourites out of the 4 as it is more like a bubble tea.
Black Beans & Roasted Rice Matcha Latté
Inside the pouch is full leaf grounded Matcha, the crispy texture of roasted rice and the subtle flavours of black beans and rice. It was interesting flavour but it is still pretty close to the original matcha latte flavour.
Soba Matcha Latté
Yet again, you will find the full leaf grounded Matcha in this with pieces of soba floating on top.
Final Thoughts
These instant tea lattes from Emperor Love were ok, but of all the instant teas on the market, the taste is pretty mediocre. I haven’t found an instant mix that I liked just yet. You get the convenience but not the best flavours.
Where do I find Emperor Love?
They are currently sold in Metro Vancouver at the following locations – Summit Lodge, 88 Supermarket in Killarney, Chong Lee Market, Donalds Market in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam, and Efresh Market on WeChat.
Colour See See is a new Shanghainese Dumpling shop located in Burnaby right across from Metropolis at Metrotown. I heard from a few people that I have to check this place out, so a few of us decided to come here on the weekend for lunch. Do be warned that service is also very slow. There is paid parking on the street and it is cash only under $30.
The name Colour See See sounds like a name suited for a hair salon, but it is in fact a play on a Chinese saying meaning “I’ll show you, just watch”.
Interior
The space is pretty small with just a few tables and the rest of the space is for their kitchen, storage, and washrooms. It can get pretty busy on a weekend.
Menu
Cold Soy Milk
This was a pretty standard soy milk. Nothing special about this.
Mini Wonton Soup
There are 10 mini wontons with pork filling in this soup. It also has green onions, parsley, egg, shrimp and seaweed. The mini wontons were really tiny, but there is another option on the menu for their regular wonton soup.
Pan Fried Buns
There are 4 buns to an order. Crisp on the bottom, a good thickness of the bun and the filling inside. We got the crab and pork filling and it was good to see the pieces of shrimp inside too.
Pan Fried Dumplings
There are 4 pieces to an order and we got it with crab meat and pork filling. The filling was nice and tasty. It was a small dish for $7.95 at almost $2 per dumpling which is a bit much, but then again its the crab that makes it cost so much.
Steamed Soup Buns
These come 6 to an order. The dumplings has a thin delicate skin with hot soup as well as the pork filling inside. Of all the dumplings, this was the favourite, but it’s hard to not like xiao long bao.
Final Thoughts
The experience overall was very subpar because it did take 1.5 hours for all the dumplings to come out for such small dishes. I understand it is all made to order by hand but other places are the same too, but it’s strange that the execution is so slow. Other restaurants in the area are much better. I wanted to like this place, but I won’t be back anytime soon.
Banh Mi Saigon is a quaint family owned banh mi shop on Victoria Drive. A lot of people rave about this being one of the best banh mi shops in Vancouver, so I had to come here to give it a try since I’ve never been.
I dragged my friend along so we can go on a weekday for lunch. They had a steady amount of traffic and a lot of people were grabbing to go. Some really large orders too because when you buy 10 sandwiches, you get 1 free.
Interior
The interior is quite small but most people end up doing take out. There is a small eating area but fits parties of 2. There are 4 or 5 tables I think.
Iced Condensed Milk Coffee
I love a good Vietnamese Iced Coffee! For sleep deprived people like me, I really needed it and it had the right balance of sweetness with the bold taste of coffee.
Pâté Chaud
This is a Vietnamese savoury puff pastry filled with meat inside. The puff pastry was flakey and the filling was meaty and delicious. Good flavours too. Good price too as it was 2 for $3.
Special Banh Mi
The special banh mi has a bit of everything. This has ham, headcheese, meatball, Vietnamese meatloaf, cucumber, carrot, pickled radish, cilantro, a smear of spiced pate and a drizzle of soy all inside a delicious baguette. The baguette is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
The special banh mi has everything so if you’re indecisive, get this.
Che Dessert – 6 Colours
I just had to try the che dessert with 3 different flavours. It has coconut milk, pandan jelly, red bean, white bean, green bean, and water chestnut jelly. It’s a very fun and colourful drink but I thought it was a touch too sweet for my personal taste.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the banh mi at Banh Mi Saigon were really good. Lots of great filling and delicious bread. Do remember that it is cash only, so you’re out of luck if you only have debit and credit. The items on their menu are affordable, so you don’t have to carry too much cash.
M8 is a West Coast and Asian fusion restaurant so you will see the flavours of East meets West reflected on their menu. They have been open for the last year right in Downtown Vancouver by the Burrard Street Bridge. They serve up lunch, brunch (weekends), happy hour and dinner. The restaurant sits right by the water across from Granville Island.
Interior
The space is full of marble, greenery, and natural elements like wood. There are tables for small to large groups and they do reservations too.
Menu
Shimeiji Tempura
This is served with a burnt lemon aioli, warm kale salad, and wakame. The presentation is cute like a forest of mushrooms. It has a light texture to it and it was tasty.
Beef Cheeks
The beef cheeks is served with a 5 year aged black vinegar and sprinkles of Sichuan peanuts. The beef was very tender and the taste of the black vinegar was a bit sweet and a bit sour just like this traditional Chinese dish with black sweet vinegar with pork trotters which is made when pregnant people deliver babies.
Lamb Belly
The lamb belly is smoked and served with mint and eggplant. The meat is tender even though it has a dry exterior. You can taste the use of Chinese spices used in this dish. Pretty good flavour combinations used.
Crispy Pork Belly
This is served with taro root and pork jus. Another one of our favourite dishes and it was good for the price.
Duck Breast
The duck breast has soybean, preserved vegetables, and an osmanthus sauce. The presentation was nice and the duck really shined in this dish. It was a good quality cut of duck.
Sablefish
The sablefish is oven roasted and marinated. It is served with a shiitake mushroom broth and cannellini beans. It was a touch on the salty side.
Tagiatelle Bolognese
This dish is made with a beef and pork ragu, shiitake mushroom with a trio soy sauce. It may not look that special but the taste was very unique with a bit of an Asian twist which was quite nice.
Complimentary Lavender Cookies
At the end of the meal we were served some lavender cookies even though we didn’t order dessert. A nice touch to the end of the meal.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the dishes were a pretty good fusion of West Coast and Asian influences like the uses of spices and flavourings. A few dishes did use the Szechuan peppercorn to add a little kick to the dishes, but it was subtle and not too overpowering. The favourite dishes of the night were – shimeji tempura, crispy pork belly and then tagliatelle bolognese and sablefish. If you’re looking for something a little bit different in the Downtown area, check out M8.
Usagi Sweets is a small shop with Japanese pastries like mochi mochi, brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. It is run by the daughter of the owners of the now defunct Basho Cafe, which has now become Yama Cafe after switching ownership.
I had to make a stop here with my friend to chat over mom life. Sometimes it’s just nice to relax and take a break from our babies.
Interior
The space is small and only has 3 tables, so its hard to fit large groups. It’s a good space for a coffee chat over drinks and treats.
Onigiri Lunch Set
The only savoury item on the menu is their onigiri lunch set with 2 onigiri rice balls, pickled veggies, egg, black sesame green beans, broccoli, and pumpkin. We decided to split this and it was a nice item to just munch on and pick at the items on the plate. Very nice clean flavours that won’t weigh you down. All this for $11.
Usucha
This is a traditional matcha tea with a bright green vibrant colour but it is unsweetened.
Houjicha
This is their pot of roasted green tea that has a brown colour to it.
Assorted Sweets
We ordered a lot of sweets to share – matcha mochi, cream cheese mochi, matcha espresso cookie, goma miso brownie, matcha alfajores, houjicha cookie, and black sesame mochi. It’s always good to get an assortment of treats.
Final Thoughts
The space is really cute and great little spot to catch up with friends. It is busier on the weekends but during weekdays it’s not too bad and we were able to get a table. A lot of people come here to get the sweets to-go but its nice to be able to sit here if you have the time.
Flamin’ Hot Doritos has finally made its way up to Canada at most major grocery stores. This takes the Doritos that we know and love with an extra added kick of Flamin’ Hot seasoning. We know this flavour all too well from Flamin’ Hot Cheetos but now it’s crossing over to other chip brands.
I went to Shopper Drug Mart and spotted this 230g regular sized bag. They also have smaller snack sizes too.
The Doritos chip has a darker red colour from the Flamin’ Hot seasoning. When you combine that taste with the nacho cheese flavour of Doritos, it’s an interesting combination. I love both these flavours but when you combine them together, you pause a little bit in flavour confusion. It has a good kick of heat that isn’t too over powering. The taste was ok, but it wasn’t something we would run immediately back to the store to get again.
I have a secret love for the classic Doritos. It wasn’t a hit for us with the Flamin’ Hot, but perhaps you’ll enjoy the combination of Flamin’ Hot and Nacho Cheese flavours.
DD Mau opened their second location in Chinatown with an expanded menu and bar. Their original location in Yaletown has a limited menu and mostly serve Banh Mi sandwiches. I’ve been here several times since their opening but finally had enough dishes to write a proper review of DD Mau in Chinatown.
Interior
The interior is pretty unique and seems like you’ve stepped back into time. When you walk in, there are antique bird cages above, the sight of metal tables, metal utensils and plates just like if you’re out in a market place.
Menu
DD Mau Wings
This is their deep-fried chicken wings with their housemade fish glaze sauce. It is crisp on the outside and you can taste the fish sauce glaze on the wings. A good item to share among the table.
Fried Crispy Pig Ears
The fried crispy pig ears were very crisp where it was tough to chew some pieces. It is seasoned with five spice and it’s not too strong. I can see this pair well with beer.
Liquid Tiramisu
This is a Ha Noi Style Coffee with sweet egg cream. The coffee below is strong and bold. The sweet egg cream really balances it out. Highly recommended.
Grandma’s Tea
Who knew you could combine oolong Tea and Johnnie Walker into a shot.
Lychee Soda
The sodas on the menu come in a variety of flavours – lychee, soursop, passion fruit and guava. We went with the lychee flavour but it was way too sweet for our liking.
Pho Beef Dip Banh Mi
Inside the French baguette is beef shank, eye round, onions, bean sprouts, and herbs. It has the pho broth on the side for dipping. It was an interesting concept to switch up the traditional beef dip. I found the beef shank and eye round to be a bit tough, so when biting into it, I would drag out more beef.
Grilled Betel Leaf Meatball Platter
A large dish where you can eat it for 1 person or share among the table. It has banh hoi rice noodle bundles, lettuce, herbs, pickled veggies and an anchovy-pineapple sauce. It was a pretty solid dish and I really liked the noodle bundles as they were really easy to grab and dip into the sauce. A good combination of flavours in this dish too.
Damn Good Chicken and Rice
This is a popular Northern Hoi An dish. It has free-range chicken salad on tumeric rice and served with a side of soup. A solid dish and I really enjoyed it. We asked the server for this recommendation and she wasn’t wrong at all.
Beef Pho
This has beef balls, flank, and rare eye around with their beef broth. It’s a pretty good clean bowl of pho that feels healthy. It also comes with herbs, bean sprouts and jalapeños on the side.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good place for lunch and dinner in the Chinatown area. It definitely add something that is much needed in the neighbourhood. The modern twist to some of the dishes aren’t for everyone, but they have a good amount of options on the menu that isn’t just pho and banh mi sandwiches.
Spring is not quite here yet, but getting a deep cleaning of the home early this year isn’t a bad thing at all. With Marie Kondo inspiring millions of people to tidy up and determine what in their home sparks joy or not has motivated many to get the clutter taken care of in their home. For myself, being at the third trimester of my first pregnancy, I either fell into the Marie Kondo mantra or I began the nesting phase of pregnancy. Either way, I was determined to get our home ready and clean for Baby E who will make an arrival in a few weeks.
Before
With 2 cats, I have cat fur everywhere except the bedrooms as that’s a no-no zone. Everywhere else, there is fur and litter debris. Just look at that carpet.
I’ve never had cleaners in our home before but I was excited to hear about AspenClean from Healthy Family Media. They offer house cleaning and maid services in and around Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. What sets them apart is that they use all natural, green, cleaning products. Their mission is to keep families safe from harmful chemicals while still providing an effective cleaning solution. I actually have been using their products for years and didn’t realize it as I was gifted some products years ago. I just know the products smell darn good and are effective.
Booking Online
booked my cleaning online through the website and it was easy. I only had a very short form to fill out specifying exactly what I wanted done to my home. We wanted them to clean 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living areas in a space of around 1,000 square feet. We also did an add on to clean the inside of the fridge and some organizing too.
I got a response on the same day confirming the cleaning services, price and any additional details. I also got a reminder 3 days prior to the service as well as an email with the arrival time.
Arrival
The AspenClean team showed up promptly between the 8:30am – 9:30am window given in the email. 3 team members showed up with smiles on their faces to get the job done. I gave them a quick tour of the home to let them get oriented with the space and they were very respectful and cleaned the room in an order where I could still be productive on my computer as they strategically cleaned my home.
Before
They started in our office, master bathroom and kitchen as there were 3 of them. They were very quiet and focused on their craft, while I could relax and browse the internet on my computer.
Alternatively, you can not be home and they will do their thing. As I am already on maternity leave, I didn’t have anything else to do during the day so I stayed home.
After
Cleaning
They have all the necessary equipment with them to get the job done and I didn’t have to worry one bit at all if they needed anything.
As we had so much grime in the bathrooms and kitchen, that’s where they focused most of their efforts. Also with the bedrooms, there was so much organizing to do too. They spent more than the estimated time and asked kindly if I would like them to get it done within the time frame or extend it by 30 minutes. I told them to get as much done as possible but they ended up finishing most of the job anyways and spending a bit more time without charging extra to make sure the space was clean. It was very nice, so I made sure to tip them extra for the courtesy.
They did have to rush some spots but they did point it out to me.
Before
Results
After cleaning, it was good that they were able to find some knickknacks that have fallen on the floors and group them together so later on I can decide if I want to throw it away or keep it.
After
In my office, they found my birth certificate and I was looking for that for some time. It must have been hidden or fallen on the floor.
After
The biggest differences was the bathrooms and kitchen as those were the most troublesome spots.
After
You may not be able to see all the details, but a lot of that grime build up has been cleaned away. It’s one of the things I hate most about cleaning, so I tend to avoid it.
After
The fridge and all the shelves were wiped and cleaned up. I didn’t get them to throw out the expired items because there was quite a bit and wouldn’t warrant the time spent since I can do it later.
A week after cleaning
A few days later, I thew out all the expired items and composted as much as possible and I’ve never seen my fridge so bare in years. It’s pretty darn amazing and made me feel so empowered.
After
There were some areas that I was surprised that they would clean and organize like our figurines and collectables. It has been collecting dust and several figurines has fallen over.
What’s next?
As we did this initial deep clean, we can continue with weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly regular maintenance cleaning. It’s very refreshing to have a clean home and not worry if there are harsh chemicals used.
We are going to try to see if we can maintain it ourselves with the Whole Home Cleaning Product Kit from AspenClean, but once Baby E arrives, that might be a whole different story. I love how there is a cloth and spray for certain areas of the home. I’ve been using the all-purpose cleaner the most as it’s more versatile and I spend a lot of time wiping down the dining and living rooms tables.
Would I recommend them? Yes I would! Being so pregnant doing deep cleaning by ourselves is a pretty massive task. We did declutter ahead of time, but the scrubbing on our hands and knees would cause us more harm that good. The AspenClean staff really work hard to give us a nice clean home.
If you are looking for eco-friendly cleaning services for a one time clean or regular maintenance, definitely check out AspenClean.
Starbucks in Canada and US just launched their new Cloud Macchiato beverages featuring whipped cold foam made by combining 2% milk with Cloud Powder and a hint of flavour. In a blender, they whipped this up to a light foam consistency. Alternatively, you can have this with a milk alternative like soy if you’re lactose intolerant.
The whipped cold foam is then topped with espresso and finished with Starbucks signature caramel drizzle cross-hatch. Macchiato means “marked” in Italian, and the espresso shots “mark” the whipped cold foam. The name Cloud refers to the texture of the finished product.
This comes in 2 types – Caramel Cloud Macchiato or Cinnamon Cloud Macchiato in iced or hot versions. I went with the caramel since it sounded more delicious to me.
The caramel cloud macchiato was 75% whipped cold foam and then 25% espresso with a bit of sweetener at the bottom. The cold foam is very airy, so the whole drink is very light overall. It comes with a sippable lid, so when you take a sip, you get a bit of foam and the espresso. It’s not too bad but I would get it half sweet so there is a better balance between the foam and espresso. I like my drinks a bit more on the bold side.
A&W Canada is back at it again expanding their Beyond Meat menu. Back in July 2018, they introduced the Beyond Meat Burger and it was a hit among meat eaters and non-meat eaters. It was so successful that they even ran out of stock.
Now, they have introduced the Beyond Meat Sausage and Egger onto the breakfast menu. But then again, breakfast is served all day so you can get it any time of the day.
Beyond Meat Sausage and Egger
I went to my local A&W to grab the burger and there was signage all over the restaurant on the first day they were debuting the Beyond Meat Sausage and Egger. Of course having it with cheese and egg isn’t vegetarian at all, but it’s still an option to help meat eaters reduce the amount of meat in their diet, which is great.
The Beyond Meat sausage patty is made from plants, topped with real cheddar cheese and a freshly cracked egg from hens fed a vegetarian diet, served on a toasted English muffin.
After eating the Beyond Meat Sausage and Egger, we were pretty impressed. The right seasoning is in the sausage patty so it emulates a regular sausage patty well and it’s less salty and juicy in my opinion. The texture was good as well with a good bite. Overall, not bad at all and I would order this again.
Vancouver’s First Pop Up Vietnamese Coffee Bar – Ca Phe Vietnamese Coffee House just opened up inside Chinatown House. I love Vietnamese Coffee, so when I heard they were opening, I had to drag some friends to check it the coffee and pastries. This pop-up is set to be around until mid-May.
Ordering
They take orders via Instagram if you don’t want to wait in line. Sometimes the line does get long, so having it ready when you arrive is amazing! Just send them a direct message with what you want and when, they will get it ready for your arrival.
Interior
There are 16 seats inside but it’s nothing fancy. Most people get their coffee’s to go but some people just find a seat and chat. That’s what I did as I was meeting up with a friend. The tables are in configurations of 4 but usually the line up builds for getting the coffee is long and not too many people sitting down.
Menu
Really Strong Vietnamese Coffee
The classic Vietnamese Coffee with condensed milk. It’s like a Vietnamese Americano with the sweetened milk. Good if you like your coffee hot.
Really Strong Iced Coffee
This is similar to the one prior but with ice. I actually prefer it with ice as it brings the strong Vietnamese coffee and condensed milk together. Plus, it’s the way I have it at restaurants. Highly recommend this coffee.
Avocado Coffee
This is Vietnamese Coffee with Avocado. You really get a strong taste of avocado when you drink it. It’s an interesting combination that I have never had before. It’s a good way to get avocado into your diet for the day, but the combination wasn’t for me.
Brown Butter Matcha and Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies with Black Sesame Caramel
This was an interesting combination but there was a lot going on with this blondie and the matcha didn’t stand out as much. The more prominent flavours were the brown butter and black sesame.
Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookie
Watch out of the black sesame crumbs that may lurk on your clothing as your devour this cookie as a few pieces of the black sesame tends to fall off. The black sesame taste is strong in this cookie with the amount of it coating the cookie.
Spiced Chocolate Hoisin Swirl Brownies with Vietnamese Coffee Salted Caramel
This was our favourite out of the 3 options. It has a good depth of flavour of the spiced chocolate, hoisin swirl and the salted caramel. It worked well together.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to finally have a place dedicated to Vietnamese Coffee in Vancouver even if it’s temporary. The pop-up is meant for a quick to-go Vietnamese coffee, so you won’t have the full restaurant experience with the glass cups and Vietnamese coffee dripper. It helps bring customers unique options like the avocado coffee and egg coffee to show there is more to Vietnamese Coffee than just the standard hot and cold option.
MudLrk was founded in 2018 with a desire to eat more plant based foods like mushrooms. With the environment, design and food innovation – Shiitake Mushroom Chips was born by founder Trace Ostergren.
Shiitake mushrooms are no stranger to Asian culture and has been eaten for over 3,500 year in soups, stews, and an array of dishes. My family has been using dehydrated shiitake mushrooms in our cooking, so when we saw that there were mushroom chips, we were so curious how they would taste.
MudLrk scavenges for quality shiitake mushrooms and fry them in a low-temperature, add their seasoning blends, and finally bag the shiitake chips with non-petroleum compostable materials. They come in 4 flavours – original, black pepper, mustard, and spicy buffalo. It is also gluten-free, cholesterol free, non-GMO, preservative free, and high in fibre.
Original Shiitake Mushroom Chips
The original Shiitake mushroom chips have a nice crunch to the mushroom and isn’t overly salted. A good amount where you can still taste the subtleties of the shiitake.
Black Pepper Shiitake Mushroom Chips
If you want a little bit more added spice to your mushroom chips, there is the black pepper. It isn’t overly spiced, which is nice.
Mustard Shiitake Mushroom Chips
You can see the yellow mustard spice on the chips. A good sweet mustard flavour that compliments it nicely. My husband liked this flavour the most and ate it pretty quickly.
Spicy Buffalo Shiitake Mushroom Chips
The last flavour of the bunch is the spicy buffalo. It has the vibrant orange look in the seasoning. It has a mild kick to it but not very spicy at all. It reminds me of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
Where to find MudLrk Shiitake Mushroom Chips
You can find MudLrk Shiitake Mushroom Chips on their online store or select store in Chicago and Indiana.
Freshbowl is a family run restaurant with 2 stores in Vancouver. They focus on healthy South East Asian cuisine and put their twist on it so its non-GMO, hormone & antibiotic free, and MSG free. FreshBowl also has vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, organic and natural options available on the menu for those with dietary restrictions.
They also strive to be more green by using a lot of compostable materials to keep waste away from landfills.
I’ve passed by many times before and I always assumed it was a salad bar due to it’s look, but there is nothing but South East Asian cuisine here.
Interior
You order up at the counter and then find a seat to sit at if you’re dining in.
The space isn’t too large, but there are still a decent amount of seats inside for small groups. You can have larger groups here if you come early enough to snag the tables.
Menu
Thai Iced Tea
A classic drink full of flavour and very popular among customers. It tastes very good and has strong bold flavours of the tea. It’s not too sweet compared to other places in town and has a creamy texture because of the milk.
Hibiscus Tea
The hibiscus tea has floral notes, good strong flavour, and a touch of sweetness.
Chicken Laska
You can build your laksa how you want based on the different options on the menu. It was very yummy and tasty, plus the noodles were nice and soft in texture. The laksa is served with veggies including kale, beansprouts, some red cabbage, cucumbers and carrot.
The chicken in this dish are small bite size pieces and is tender, beautifully presented. Can’t go wrong with that laksa broth either. This bowl was devoured quickly and it’s not too large.
Prawn Pad Thai
They use fresh tamarind in the dish and it really shows to build up the flavours. It tasted good but the noodles were broken for some reason. There could have been a touch more acidity in the dish. They also don’t use fish sauce as it’s hard to find one that is preservative free. The prawns are also OceanWise certified.
BANELLA Roti
Eat this when it comes out fresh so the roti stays very crisp. It is made in house with the banana and Nutella filling. There’s not a lot of filling but the flavours are there. It has a good level of sweetness and can be a shared dessert for those who just want a taste.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good option in the area as there aren’t a lot of healthy South East Asian restaurants options around in the area. If you’re looking for something healthy, definitely check out Freshbowl.
I’ve been trying to find more hole in the wall restaurants to go to outside of Vancouver. There are a lot of restaurants in Metro Vancouver that are family owned whose foods tastes very homey and authentic. Today I found Archie’s Grill in Surrey near the Guildford Mall area. They specialize in home cooked Filipino cuisine.
Interior
The interior isn’t anything interesting but they have a few tables for small to large groups. You can also reserve tables if you have a very large group and want to ensure your spot at peak hours.
Menu
Congee Combo
The congee combo has Arroz Caldo, which is a Filipino Congee and it comes with a side of pork and tofu covered in vinegar.
The congee has a boiled egg in it, lots of garlic flavour, and topped with crispy chicharon. I also liked how it came with a calamansi lime too. The congee combo was very filling and it was hard to finish it all in one sitting. The congee was ok compared to the other ones I’ve had in the past. But I did like the extra touch of pork and tofu to round out the meal.
Spaghetti Combo
My husband went with his all time favourite Filipino dish of spaghetti. He loved it and it is served with chicken and garlic bread. A strange combination to some but it works really well. The sauce of the pasta is savoury and sweet, which gives it that signature taste.
Sizzling Sisig
This is sizzling pork sisig served with egg and a plate of garlic rice. I love when the Sizzling sisig arrives at the table as it really gets you salivating as the pork on the hot grill makes a lot of noises. When you eat the pork with rice, it’s really delicious with all the fatty porky aroma.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we were impressed by this little gem – Archie’s Grill near Guildford Mall. The food is on point, it’s nothing fancy, but for the price, it hits the spot. If you feel like you want some homey Filipino food in Surrey, check out Archie’s Grill. For the two of us, 3 dishes was a good amount of items to share.
We love instant noodles and Taipei’s Taihodien Restaurant has come out with a spicy dry noodle that you can make at home. Taihodien Restaurant is popular for their numbing spice – mala hot pot soup base.
I love a good spicy dry noodle, so when we were sent a few packs to review, we had to give it a try to see how it stacks up with other spicy instant noodles out there.
The instant dry noodle package can be made at home on your stove with just the items in side the package or you can add in a few extra ingredients to enhance the meal. Perhaps by adding in some vegetables or an egg. Alternatively, just eat it as is if you don’t want to change up the flavours too much.
Follow the instructions on the package to get it to the right consistency.
Bring 1500cc of water to a boil
In a bowl, add all 3 sauces and mix well
When water comes to a boil, cook noodles for 6 minutes and drain water.
Add cooked dry noodles to the bowl with sauce and mix well
Eat and Enjoy.
Taste Test
This was a solid bowl of noodles with Mala spice, which has the Szechuan peppercorn to numb your tongue. The sauce has a rich spice that is like a deep aromatic Sichuan peppercorn spice that is reminiscent of Taiwanese flavour.
I didn’t find it too spicy as I love spicy food and it gave me tastebuds a tingle. For other people who don’t have a high spice tolerance, this will be spicy for you.
The noodles have a nice chewy texture to it. We did notice that there is quite a bit of sodium in the packet of noodles, but when I compared it to similar noodles in the market, their amount of sodium is fair.
Where do I find Taihodien Spicy Dry Noodle?
They are currently sold in Metro Vancouver at the following locations – Summit Lodge, 88 Supermarket in Killarney, Chong Lee Market, Donalds Market in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam, and Efresh Market on WeChat.
