Starbucks Canada has added a new tea latte beverage to their existing Teavana tea latte line-up – and it’s only available in Canada starting today. The new Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte just launched today. This is the first new addition to the existing Teavana Tea Latte line-up which has Black Tea Latte, Matcha Tea Latte, Rooibos Tea Latte, and Blossoming Rose Tea Latte.
Of the original line-up, I really loved the black tea latte and when I was pregnant, I would get it quite often…probably several times a week as I could tame down the sweetness and it would still taste great like a milk tea.
Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte
The Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte has bold black tea steamed with milk and a rich, black sesame sauce topped with a tasty black sesame brittle.
It essentially tastes like their original black tea latte with the subtle hint of black sesame. It’s not until the bottom of the cup that you can taste more of the sweet black sesame. A grande has 4 pumps of black sesame sauce, so you can tone that down a bit to 2 pumps if you don’t want your drink as sweet.
If you want a dairy alternative, they recommend getting it way soy. You can get this drink iced as well.
When I was pregnant and developed gestational diabetes, choosing smart meals was very difficult as everything has carbohydrates in an amount greater than what I should be consuming in one meal. When Gomae Meal Prep approached me to try out their service, I had to give it a try. They are a plant-based, zero waste, locally made, healthy and convenient meal option. Great to have another meal delivery service for customers to choose from.
Their mission is to make healthy food more sustainable and accessible. If you order take out or use other companies to deliver meals to you, there is a lot of waste in terms of paper and plastic which all can’t be recycled depending on the grade of material.
Use promo code ‘Foodology’ to get 2 free meals on your first order.
Gomae Meal Prep uses food containers and can be reused over and over again without any waste. They ensure the containers are clean and sanitized before the next customer uses it. Even the sauce containers inside are compostable.
Delivery
They schedule the deliveries on Monday so you can get your meals for the week. I got mine delivered at home, but alternatively, an office would work too. If you need to be available for the delivery, they will give you a 30 minute window, but if not, there is a cooler pack inside to keep the meals fresh and chilled.
The Meals
The meals do rotate, so you won’t be stuck with the same set of meals each week. We went with these 4 items for the week :
Macro Bowl
Almost Poke bowl
Shnitzelonim Salad
Black Bean Bowl
All the meal were pretty good and make for perfect portions for lunch or if you skip one, it can become dinner too. I like how on the website it states how many days it can stay fresh for so you can choose which meal you eat on which day.
My personal favourite were the Almost Poke Bowl as it has a delicious sauce and all the right texture to trick yourself into thinking it is poke when it’s not. I was very surprised and highly enjoyed it.
My second favourite was the Macro Bowl since the sauce was delicious and the vegetables used in the dish had the right combination of textures.
What do you do with the containers after?
After you’re done all the meals for the week, make sure you wash all the containers and they will schedule a time for pick up of the cooler bag, ice pack and the containers so nothing goes to waste.
I rinsed my containers and then threw them into the dishwasher but you can do a quick wash in the sink too.
Where do they deliver?
Surprisingly, their delivery route is quite large and can deliver to most parts of Metro Vancouver – Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, Ladner, Surrey, and Langley. If your area isn’t on the list, let them know and sometimes they can make it happen.
Edge Yuandian is a tea and juice bar in Vancouver on West Broadway, they pride themselves of using fresh fruits in their beverages. So many healthy bubble tea alternative type of shops are popping up in Vancouver and it’s a nice change.
They are open Tuesday to Sunday from 1pm to 10pm.
Interior
The space is very nice and there are these cloud structures on the side of the walls which makes for great backdrops for photos.
There is a bench on the side where you can shift around tables to accomodate your group. Most people end up taking their drinks to-go.
Menu
Puppy Love
This is one of their seasonal drinks. It has peach, strawberry, lemon, mint leaf, oolong tea, and soda. You can get it with varying degrees of sweetness and ice levels. The drink was refreshing with the addition of the soda. It’s an alternative to bubble tea if you love fruits.
The other seasonal drink is the Raspberry Noel with raspberry, soda, mink leaf, and soda. We didn’t get a chance to try this but sounds refreshing as well.
Mango Tofu Tea
The mango tofu tea is great for those who love tofu and fruits. It’s an interesting combination that I’ve never seen before. It has mango puree, tofu and oolong tea. The tofu flower is soft and smooth in texture like a dessert cup.
This was our favourite of the 3 that we tried. It’s essentially like a dessert rather than a drink. Filling too.
Signature Fresh Fruit Tea
This is what they are known for. You can choose you tea base of either black, green, or oolong tea. They it as passion fruit jam, kiwi, strawberry, orange, apple, watermelon, mango, and cantaloupe.
It was a good standard fruit tea that has more variety of fruits than some shops in town.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s a cute shop that is photogenic and has different fruit inspired drinks. They are a juice and tea shop, so you won’t find that traditional bubble tea drinks here. Good for those who love fruity drinks. Their drinks are generally not too sweet so that good as fruits bring in a lot of natural sweetness on its own. We did get all drink half sweet so that was it too.
Sushi Maro is a a Japanese restaurant in Yaletown just steps from Yaletown Station. I came here for a quickie lunch with a friend as we’re never been here before.
There’s a lot of other Japanese restaurants around here but this is more of a casual low key restaurant mostly attracting people who work close by that want a decently priced quick lunch.
Interior
There are a lot of tables for 2’s and 4’s inside. As it was lunch hour, the space filled up quickly. You can make reservations if you want to be guaranteed a seat. They also do pick up and delivery too.
Lunch Menu
Miso Soup
If you order any lunch combos, they all come with miso soup. Pretty standard miso soup and nothing interesting.
Lunch Bento C
This has crispy chicken served on top of rice, salad, California Roll, and then tuna and salmon sashimi. It’s a good amount of food for lunch and you get a bit of everything. It’s not fancy but it fulfills the sushi and sashimi cravings.
All of the items in this bento box is standard. Nothing really stands out just like the miso soup.
Quick Lunch C
My friend got the quick lunch C Combo and it comes with 3 pieces of Sashimi of tuna and salmon, 2 nigiri sushi, and it was supposed to be a California roll, but she upgraded it for salmon and avocado roll for a few dollars more.
Final Thoughts
I like their cuts of sashimi and it was fresh tasting. If you’re looking for a quick sushi lunch that isn’t too expensive in the Yaletown area, this is a good option.
Nulife Living Food Café is a plant-based restaurant in Coquitlam and since I was in the area, I wanted to check it out as it’s a great concept in the neighbourhood. It’s really hard to find a good vegetarian or vegan cafe around this area.
I went to stop by for a quick lunch and since I am on a diabetic diet, the menu works really well for me. They are raw, organic, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Interior
The cafe is open during the day and has that cafe vibe where you can just sip on coffee all day and have some snacks. There are tables for small to large groups and it isn’t too busy at all, which is nice.
Menu
Iced Nutty Latte
You can get the latte warm or iced, but I opted for iced to mix things up. They use their home-made nut milk and espresso to make this drink. You can tell the nut milk gives it a nice nutty flavour that isn’t too overpowering and works with the espresso.
Organic Zesty Cilantro Sushi
This originally has their young coconut meat blended with almonds, but they told me about their ‘taco meat’ and gave me a sample so I can try which one I liked. I opted for the taco meat and it’s wrapped with cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and garlic wrapped in nori. It is also served with a salad on the side.
It may not look like much but the textures really went well together as the walnut gave it the crunch that it needed. It won’t fulfill your craving for real sushi, but it will do as a substitute.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the prices aren’t cheap but it takes a lot to put these dishes together that meets to many dietary restrictions. The menu has a good amount of items.
Cafe Sweet & Beans is located in South Burnaby right under Sushi Oyama. They are a full-service restaurant offering a delicious menu with drinks, savoury and sweet dishes, as well as desserts.
We were invited to check out a few of their specials and enjoy brunch during the long weekend.
Interior
The interior is a good size and we did observe families having brunch here as well as lots of people on their laptops studying. A good mix of both I suppose, but either way, it’s pretty bumping in here.
You order at the counter and then find a seat to sit down.
Chicken Tower
The leaning tower is made of chicken wings of at least 6 pieces and they were pretty big as well. It’s a popular item to order and is coated with their spices with a tiny hint of spice.
They have this on special for Wing Wednesdays for $9.99 with purchase of a beverage. It’s originally on the menu for $13.
Belly Benny
This isn’t your typical eggs benedict. It’s more open-faced and kinda deconstructed around the plate. There are big cubes of pork belly, onion jam, raisin jam, hollandaise, sourdough bread, poached egg, arugula, cauliflower puree, and parmigiano cheese.
There’s definitely a lot going on in this plate, so it was hard to figure out where to start. Just dig in! Nonetheless, the dish was very delicious and the flavours did go well together.
Strawberry and Mango Lava Bread
There are a few different versions of the Lava bread like banana and Injeolmi. Injeolmi seemed to be pretty popular compared to all the flavours, but we went with Strawberry and Mango. The dessert is filling and can easily be shared among the table. We found it was a little heavy on the syrup on the bread but other than that, the fruits had a tasty glaze on it.
Mango Smoothie
The mango smoothie was half sweet and it’s a nice option for those who want their beverages less sugary. It was good and refreshing.
Matcha Latte
We got this in a large size with half sweet and it was a decent standard matcha latte. Nothing fancy.
Final Thoughts
Cafe Sweet & Beans has a lot of items on the menu that will cater to those who want a full meal or just want a drink to hang out with friends. It’s a good space to just chill, study, or have a meeting. It’s a much needed addition in this neighbourhood.
Chimp Chips are a snack alternative to potato chips and they are imported from Thailand. They come in 4 flavours: Original, BBQ, Paprika, and Tom Yum and can be found at some specialty stores.
They start the Chimp Chips with ripened bananas planted by local farmers in Thailand. The bananas are then dehydrated at a low temperature for baking in an oven to retain nutritional value, crispiness and the banana flavour.
We were sent a few bags of chips to give a taste test.
Original
The original is in the yellow packaging and it tastes like a solid banana chip. You can eat it all as a snack or how I like to have it sometimes is in a smoothie bowl or some other breakfast item to add in extra texture.
BBQ
Unlike the original, it has a dusting of BBQ seasoning and it’s pretty good. The subtle smokiness of the spices and it does mask up the banana flavour of the banana chip. Of the ones that are seasoned, we loved the BBQ.
Paprika
Paprika was ok, but wasn’t as fragrant as the BBQ. The texture of the banana chip is crisp and the sweetness does balance the paprika spice.
Tom Yum
The tom yum flavour might not be for everyone. It has a strong lime aroma with a hint of sourness to it just like tom yum soup.
Where do I find Chimp Chips?
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.
Final Thoughts
Of the 4 flavours, we really liked the original and BBQ as it fit better with our taste preferences.
Joojak Restaurant specializes in Northern Chinese Cuisine, specifically Xian. I love this type of food known for their use of chili oil in their dishes. A lot of fragrant spices and its drool worthy.
I’ve been trying to go to a lot of restaurants specializing in Xian cuisine and this has been recommended a lot, so I had to come here and take my parents for lunch. Then I went an additional time with some friends to order more.
Interior
The space is quite small, so only 4 tables. 3 of the tables seat 4 and 1 table seats 6. As we came around 12:30pm on a weekday, it wasn’t hard to get a table for 3 people. On weekends, it will be much harder, so best to show up at 12 when they open.
Menu
Steamed Chicken with Chili Sauce (Saliva Chicken)
Don’t worry, there is no saliva in this chicken dish, it’s just a direct translation. This is one of their most popular dishes that you have to get. It has cold steamed chicken covered in their delicious chili sauce and under it are some pickled veggies. Highly recommended. It has a kick of heat but its so fragrant. The sauce is amazing!!
Spicy Fried Chicken Wings Griddle Cooked in Pot
This is essentially fried chicken wings and fries in a delicious chili and black bean mixture. Another item the staff highly recommended. It was good! Definitely not healthy at all but we couldn’t stop eating it.
Dumplings in Spicy Sour Soup
We got this with pork and chives dumpling and there were 12 pieces in total. It has a good hint of spice and not too overpowering and is balanced by the sourness.
Lamb and Green pepper Burger
This is a Xian specialty item. One of the better burgers I’ve had as the meat wasn’t too moist that is soaked the bun. The bun was crisp and everything held together very nicely. The cumin, garlic and Jalapenos went well with the lamb.
Spinach Biang Biang Noodles with Chili Oil and Pork
This dish was ok. The noodles were a bit overcooked so it wasn’t as firm. All the other dishes were excellent but this one was a let down. It could have use more chili oil too.
Biang Biang Noodle with Pork Meat and Hot Chili Oil
Similar to the dish above but with the regular biang biang noodles. It was a tad overdone as well, so the noodles didn’t hold together as well.
Xian Cold Noodle with Gluten and Sesame Paste
Mix this dish very well. It wasn’t too spicy and needed more sauce, so what we ended up doing was taking the extra Saliva Chicken chili oil and added it to these noodles and it really elevated this dish.
Fried Green Beans
We needed some veggies to go with our carb filled meal. It was a good balance of a mild spice and went well with the meal.
Final Thoughts
The best part of the meal was really the saliva chicken and most people order this at their table. The burger and dumplings are also very good too. It’s just too bad the biang biang noodles were a bit subpar. Nonetheless, still very good Xian cuisine in Vancouver.
HiFive is a 24 hour shop serving up baked and fried chicken 24 hours a day. Imagine a Church’s Chicken but different. Everyone has their personal preference of what makes their chicken perfect and for me it’s – spice, crispiness, and moisture. Since our last visit back in 2017, they have added a few new items on the menu.
We were invited to give it a try to see what else they offer their customers.
Interior
The interior has a big counter where you can order you meal for take out or eat in. If you just want chicken but not make a visit, they also have delivery options too.
Menu
Coupons and In-Store Specials
Don’t forget to grab coupons on their website to save a few dollars as they are always available. Also, look at their signs inside the store as there are many in-store promotions for larger meals, which is perfect for parties and potlucks.
Chicken Options
There are many ways to have your chicken – baked, fried, spicy, regular, drumstick, thighs, or even in a sandwich format. As long as you’re aware of what your options are, you can craft your meal however you like. I don’t see a lot of places with baked options, but it’s a nice touch if you want something slightly healthier.
Baked Original Chicken Thigh
This was our favourite as it’s healthier, seasoned, and just as juicy as their fried chicken option. Good that its moist but not too oily.
Baked Spicy Chicken Thigh
If you like a kick of heat to your meal, spicy is nice but it won’t set your mouth in an inferno.
Baked Spicy Chicken Drumstick
Some people hate thighs since it’s hard to deconstruct the meat, but with a drumstick, you just need to eat around the bone. They also have a variation of sauces if you want to dip your chicken into it for extra flavour.
Crispy Fried Chicken
The most popular item of all is their fried chicken as it’s crispy and who can deny fried chicken?
10+ Pieces of Chicken
For larger parties, there are options for big boxes of chicken like their 10 or 15 piece meals for their in-store specials. Chicken is always a big hit and you really can’t go wrong.
Have it baked, fried, original or spicy anytime of the day. Even if you are having 2am food cravings.
Fried Chicken Strips
For Chicken Strips, they are sure shaped funny and resembles calamari but it isn’t. The pieces are large, juicy and fried to a good texture so the batter is dry and not oily to the touch.
Fried Mac and Cheese
You can dip this in their honey mustard sauce and it’s a fun little mac and cheese shaped into triangles. It’s a good options for kids too.
Potato Salad
The potato salad is hearty and has a good amount of potatoes and sauce surrounding each piece.
Coleslaw
These are sides you can to your meal. The coleslaw has a nice crunch, not too soggy or saucy either. We usually don’t like coleslaw, but this is pretty decent.
Chicken Wrap and Garden Veggie Wrap
If you are looking for a smaller meal to order off the menu, they have wraps with either chicken or all veggie.
Potato Wedges
A classic item to add to the side of your chicken, burger or wraps. Good and seasoned well with a cajun spice.
Onion Rings and Cheddar Cheese Munchers
Some other sides offered are onion rings and munchers. Onion rings are decent and the munchers are vegetarian packed with veggie and cheese.
Sauces
Don’t forget the sauces if you need it with whatever you ordered. Hot sauce, ketchup, chipotle mayo, hi5 sauce, peri peri sauce, vinegar, mayo, sweet chili, etc. It’s best if you had them with any of the sides to dunk them into.
Hi 5 Baked Chicken Sandwich
They have sandwiches too if you want something more individual-sized for lunch or dinner. This hand-held sandwich has their moist baked chicken with lettuce and tomato inside their bun. It’s good that they use their chicken that actually resembles chicken instead of other fast food places out there.
Hi 5 Spicy Chicken Sandwich
This chicken is covered in their signature spice to give you a hint of kick for those spicy lovers.
Hi 5 Fried Chicken Sandwich
Hi 5 Fried Chicken Sandwich has their signature chicken inside with cheese, lettuce and tomato on a nice bun. Since the chicken is good, it makes this sandwich tasty too.
Garden Veggie Burger
There are veggie burgers if for some reason you walk into High5 specializing in chicken and felt like a veggie burger for yourself or your friends. It’s an option but not very popular among the other items.
Final Thoughts
As it’s set up like a fast food place, most people order to-go or get chicken delivered via SkiptheDishes. The most popular items are the baked and fried chicken of course, but there are options for those who want something a bit different, have dietary restrictions or other preferences.
They use chicken that is local and delivered fresh, they don’t freeze anything, no msg, and they are Canadian owned.
Currently, they have 2 stores in Burnaby and Vancouver with more to come. It’s a good option for chicken 24 hours a day if there as there are no other similar places in the proximity.
Spiritea just launched their brand new drink – Brown Sugar Peach Jelly as their alternative to Brown Sugar Milk Tea. It is their healthier and upgraded version of the Brown Sugar Milk Tea that has been popping up all over Asian and now in Vancouver.
At Spiritea, they take pride in using all natural and fresh ingredients. They do not consider themselves a bubble tea shop, but they do want to continue to present new and delicious alternatives that will satisfy those cravings.
Brown Sugar Peach Jelly
This drink features peach resin, a natural sap that forms on peach trees. It has a jelly like texture and contains many health benefits. Give it a good shake before consuming so you can incorporate all the ingredients together.
They use quality ingredients, so there is fresh milk and the overall drink isn’t too sweet. The peach jelly texture is like birds nest or some sort of crushed jelly. There isn’t much taste to the peach jelly, just added texture since it replaces pearls in their version of this drink.
The drink will cost you $6.50 and comes in their Spiritea bottles so you can reuse it for some other purpose afterwards too.
Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, BC
When we were in San Jose, we were looking for some a well rated restaurant that had lots of space since we were with lots of our family members. Pho Kim Long in San Jose specializes in Vietnamese cuisine, so, dishes like pho, BBQ meat dishes, iced coffee, and much more.
They don’t take reservations, so we called ahead to see if they had some open tables before drivinghere. Luckily they did. Also note, it’s cash only.
Menu
Spring Roll
The spring roll comes in 2 pieces cut in half and it comes with a peanut sauce where you can dunk them into. The rice paper as a little bit harder so I feel like it may have been made ahead of time for the dinner rush.
BBQ Pork Chop and Sunshine Egg Over Rice
This rice plate has a big piece of BBQ Pork Chop, veggies, rice and the sunshine egg but it was more just a fried egg.This dish was ok, but the pork was a bit tough.
Regular or Large Pho?
Here is the regular and large side by side. For about 75 cents more, there is a subtle difference in size. The bowl is better, taller and wider. If you’re hungry, you might as well get the large.
#1 Tô Xe Lua (Tai, Chin, Nam, Gan, Sach)
This has rice noodle soup with rare filet mignon, tendon, tripe and flank brisket. A little bit of everything in this bowl. I like to have a variety of items in my pho when I go to a new Vietnamese restaurant. It was decent and you’ll definitely be satisfied.
#6 Pho Tai
This has rice noodle soup with rare filet mignon. The longer you leave the meat in the soup, the more it cooks. Just submerge the pieces to cook it to your desired doneness.
#7 Pho Tai Chi
The pho tai chi has the addition of the well-done brisket with the rare filet mignon. Soupy, hot and hits the spot.
Final Thoughts
It’s a solid restaurant for Vietnamese Cuisine in San Jose. The prices are fair, they have a lot of seats in the restaurant, but it is cash only.
Moltaqa Moroccan restaurant is located near Gastown and there aren’t that many Moroccan restaurants in Vancouver. When I saw it, I knew I had to come with my friend for lunch. I love trying out different cuisines and explore cuisines out of the ordinary.
Interior
The interior is nice and I love the window seating as there is so much natural light. The small touches to the interior decor is very nice too.
Lunch Menu
Vegetable Pastilla
This was a dish I had the most issues as this was $15.75 as it has shredded vegetables inside in a Phyllo pastry and topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. This was one of the most expensive dishes and it wasn’t that large either. It’s about the same price as the other dishes. Not recommended.
Chicken Merguez Couscous
This has 2 halal sausage, chicken, and served on a bed of couscous and roasted vegetables. This was one of my favourite dishes as the sauce just brings everything together and the price was very fair for what you get. You will be full from this. Recommended!
Halal Lamb Shank Apricot Tagine
This has seasonal vegetables with the fall off the bone lamb shank. One of their popular items. It also comes with a side of couscous to eat with that delicious sauce. A good hearty meal!
Cumin Lamb and Roasted Vegetables Sandwiches
The sandwich was very good with feta cheese inside, the cumin lamb, and lots of roasted vegetables in the nice bun. Good flavours but we did notice the lamb was a bit on the dry side.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s great to try Moroccan cuisine in Vancouver. There really aren’t that many around, so it was good to try something new. The flavours here were solid but there were a few hits and misses.
We are back at Bobii Frutii in Richmond BC to try even more items off the menu with some friends. Last time we only made a small dent in the menu, but there is so much more to try beyond their signature drinks.
I really like their drinks since it’s more tea-forward and not too sweet. They really take their time to craft the drinks, so the quality is definitely there. Plus, the drinks look pretty amazing.
There are some drinks like the matcha series are a tad more expensive but that’s because of the ingredients they use must be imported to retain the similar standards of Bobii Frutii around the world.
Interior
The space is quiet during the weekday, so that means there are tons of tables and wifi if you’re looking for that sort of thing.
I Don’t Want to Work
This has Oolong Tea, Milk and Butterfly Pea Boba. It’s not too sweet at all and the essence of oolong is nice. Very similar to the extraordinary milk tea but not as sweet.
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
This has Strawberry, Mango, Milk and Yogurt. Similar to the other drinks, they keep them in separate layers without mixing. It’s nice that you can taste both of the layers. Yet again, another good drink for the Summer.
Pandora Treasures
This beautiful drink has lemon, honey, Butterfly Pea Bobii and their Original Bobii. Definitely more icy but the lemon and honey combination work well together. Would be great and refreshing for a hot summers day.
Uji Snow
One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.
There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.
Uji Snow Koicha Thick Tea
We were intrigued by this on the menu as it said ‘thick tea’. It’s very similar to the Uji Snow but with stronger intensity of matcha. If you look closely, it does have a darker colour to it.
Mermaid’s Tears
Sounds like a sad drink but isn’t. It is made with blended ice with mango, lemon, honey, milk and topped with Butterfly Pea Bobii.
Definitely super Instagrammable and delicious. It will give you a brain freeze if you drink it too fast but the flavours are nice.
Grapefruit Oolong Tea
This was a special they had in store and it has fresh grapefruit, and oolong tea in a slush format, then topped with a real slice of grapefruit. Very refreshing and the oolong tea is strong and compliments the grapefruit well.
Childhood Memory
This has brown sugar, bobii, and organic milk. Since the brown sugar milk beverages are making a big splash in Asia and now in Vancouver, almost every bubble tea shop has their own version.
This version by Bobii Frutii isn’t too sweet but has a good ratio of the bobii, milk and brown sugar. Definitely one of my favourites as I feel other places in town are too sweet or have bad pearls.
Yuzu Green Tea
This is very nice. The green tea taste pairs well with the yuzu like those Korean marmalade beverages. We got is as a slush but you can make it how you like. You can add different bobii to it too.
Uji Milk Foam
Look at the intense colour of that uji matcha. They do not skimp out of matcha at all. It is topped with the cheesy salty sweet milk foam on top. It’s not for everyone but if you are a milk foam lover, this might be for you.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Bobii Frutii is one of my favourite bubble tea places in Metro Vancouver, but it’s always a bit far for me personally as it can be a 45 minute drive. When I am in Richmond, I would recommend it to friends. The quality is there and is unique aesthetic quality when you look at the drinks.
Honey Salt is a restaurant inside Parq Vancouver and they have happy hour daily 3:30pm – 6:30pm and 10:00pm to close. Since I work close by, I came with a friend to check out their happy hour.
They have discounts on appetizers, mains and drinks. Good amount of selection too.
Interior
I always have this weird habit of making reservations, but unfortunately, happy hour is only in the bar section, not the dining area.
The dining area looks amazing and bright, but the bar area is more dim and has a relaxed atmosphere.
Honey Salt Margarita
This has sage infused cazadores reposado, blackberry syrup, agave nectar, and lemon. My friend did not enjoy this at all as it was very very sweet. She ended up opting for the Old Fashioned instead and it was a lot better.
Parmesan Fries
The ultimate snack for the table. It has chives, sea salt, and Parmesan covering the crisp fries. It also comes with a side of ketchup.
Mac N’ Cheese
This has 3 cheese cavitappi, roasted peppers and kale. It was a good and comforting dish and it’s funny how they put in peppers and kale to off set the cheesy comfort of the dish. hahaha.
Elizabeth’s Caesar
This was huge and you can definitely share if you wanted. It has kale, romaine, Parmesan, croutons, and a black garlic dressing. A good solid salad that you can’t go wrong with.
Grandma Rosie’s Turkey Meatballs
This has the turkey meatballs smothered in tomato sauce, caramelized onion, herb ricotta and a side of garlic toast.There are 5 meatballs and good size too. Very filling and sharable too.
Final Thoughts
Overall, they have a pretty solid happy hour menu with lots of food options if you have dietary restrictions. Also lots of different beer, wine and cocktail options too. It’s a good place for happy hour if you’re looking for something after work near the area.
Stem Japanese Eatery opened in South Burnaby in 2017 and we finally made a visit by going to try their Chef’s Omakase set menu. We assumed its the best way to try the variety on the menu while utilizing seasonal ingredients.
The Chef’s Omakase
The Chef’s Omakase has around 9 courses and changes daily. They only do 8 servings a day and you need to reserved at least 24 hours in advanced. It costs $88 per person and will take about 2.5 hours.
This menu does not include tea or dessert in the price, it’s extra.
Uni with dashi broth starts the meal to cleanse the palate. The uni is really fresh and goes well with the dashi broth.
The second item has a golden iced snapper steamed with sea salt on top. It was an odd nigiri as I’ve never experienced steamed fish on rice in nigiri form.
The third items is an appetizer platter with 6 small dishes. The dishes varied in tastes and were about 2 bites. Very clean flavours but the flavours weren’t very deep or complex.
Baby Anchovies on Rice
Steamed monk fish on seaweed
Salad of kiwi and asparagus
Firefly squid with miso, bamboo, seaweed, and cucumber
Grated mountain radish with uni and tuna
Rapini and tofu in dashi broth
Sake soup with tempura, white miso, Saba, and bok choy. This was the fourth item in the omakase. It tasted predominantly of miso and it didn’t tie any of the ingredients together.
The fifth item is 5 pieces of sashimi with flounder, blue fin chu toro, and amberjack. It is served with yuzu sauce. These 3 types were ok but wasn’t that impressive. I was looking forward to the chutoro but it wasn’t melt in your mouth.
This has curry tofu, Hokkaido Scallop, uni sauce, and their seaweed dashi broth. This was a pretty good dish and the seaweed dashi broth was more gelatinous in texture but went well with the tofu and scallop.
Chawan Mushi is a savoury egg custard and its made with free-range eggs, mussels, soy bean, bamboo, and ikura on top. It was an ok dish but the egg custard was more on the bland side.
This dish has a few pieces of maple soy meadows duck, celerac puree, and a crisp kombocha pumpkin. The duck as delicious! The celerac puree didn’t pair so well with the duck.
Rice pot with oysters, mushrooms, and pork. It is also served with miso soup and veggies on the side. This was one of the more filling dishes but yet again needed a bit more salt or something more to tie all the items together.
Dessert
We added $5 for dessertas I wanted to see how it would be like. We opted for just 1 of them. We asked the waitress what it was prior but she didn’t have an idea so we were left in suspense.
When it arrived, there was apple tempura, a cheese foam with a waffle and fruits. Then some sort of ice cream which didn’t have a pleasant taste.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we thought the omakase for 2 people wasn’t worth the price nor were there any dishes that wow’d us. We would have much preferred to order off the regular menu and spent considerably less money. Even some people who sat beside us wasn’t impressed with the omakase as they did issues with a few dishes.
We’ve had some better omakase at a lower price point. They do use premium ingredients in their dishes like OceanWise seafood, fish from Japan, organic ingredients where possible, but the taste really falls flat. Perhaps it’s their traditional Kappo cuisine, the Japanese culinary art of cutting and cooking with seasonal ingredients that just didn’t translate well to the dishes we had.
Chick-fil-A has tons of controversy surrounding this American fast food chain. The companies values are influenced by religious values of it’s founder and do close on Sundays. With over 2,200 locations in the US and Canada, they are still expanding and there’s tons of controversy that has popped up. I respect everyone’s differentiating options and values, but I just like to each chicken.
Menu
Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
This classic sandwich has a boneless seasoned breast of chicken that is hand-breaded and cooked in peanut oil, then served in a buttered bun with 2 dill pickles. Good and simple.
Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich
If you get your sandwich a deluxe, they add green leaf lettuce, tomato and American Cheese. I prefer it with the extra veggies for a pop of colour and some vegetables.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
They also have a spicy chicken sandwich with added blend of peppers to the hand-breaded mixture. I was surprised it packed a punch. If you like spicy, you’ll really enjoy this.
Waffle Potato Fries
How can you not love these? They are so fun to eat. When it’s fresh, its crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. If you wait too long, they go soggy.
Chick-n-Strips
The chicken strips are from the breast meat, marinated, seasoned, hand-breaded and then pressure cooked in peanut oil. When it comes out, its ok. Not that crispy but it is meaty and tender. Don’t forget the dipping sauces because there are so many kinds to choose from.
Chick-fil-A Nuggets
These are essentially like the chicken strips but in smaller bite-size pieces.
Sauces
There are 7 sauces to choose from and it’s like an adventure wanting to try them all in one visit.
Chick-fil-A Sauce
Polynesian Sauce
Honey Mustard Sauce
Garlic and Herb Ranch Sauce
Zesty Buffalo Sauce
BBQ Sauce
Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce
Of all of them, my husband and I really like the original Chick-fil-A sauce. He also liked the sweet Polynesian sauce and I liked the zesty buffalo sauce for an extra kick of heat.
Cookies and Cream Milkshake
This has cookies and cream hand spun the old fashioned way with ice cream. Then it is topped with whipped cream and a cherry. At 610 calories, milkshakes really pack a punch and definitely not for those on a diet.
Final Thoughts
That’s all the items my husband and I shared during one trip to Chick-fil-A. We made a good dent in the menu and were bursting from the seams. They make a solid chicken sandwich and you must get it with the waffle fries.
Popeyes is back in Metro Vancouver after a long hiatus. It’s funny how some fast food chains disappear and then reappear. Ever since opening, they have been slammed for the lunch and dinner rush even though it is all the way in Port Coquitlam.
Later in 2019, additional Popeyes will be coming to Surrey, Kamloops and Pentiction in British Columbia. That’s a great thing as there will be more convenient locations for some. Too bad there aren’t any ones closer to Downtown Vancouver.
Interior
There is a counter at the back to order your meal and some seating. Best to come early and avoid the rush as this area can fill up with people waiting in line.
Menu
2 Piece Chicken Combo
This comes with a leg and thigh with a biscuit, a drink and your choice of side. There’s a few options but we went with the cajun fries. The cajun fries were very very good.
The chicken reminded us of Church’s Chicken – crisp exterior and moist meat inside. The biscuit was so good that our friend got an extra biscuit to the order.
Cajun Chicken Sandwich Platter
The platter option comes with 2 sides and a large drink. We went with red beans & rice as well as the Macaroni and Cheese. You can’t get a biscuit with the sandwich combos or platters.
The ciabatta bread was very soft but the chicken patty itself was a bit on the small size. The red bean & rice was ok but it did have more flavour than the mac n cheese. The mac n cheese was not good at all.
3 Piece Tenders Combo
The 3 tenders were very fresh, light crisp breading, and a good size. We got blackened ranch to go with it and it worked well.
With the combo, there was another biscuit and we got onion rings. The biscuit was great but the onion ring batter was soft and not as crisp.
Popcorn Shrimp Combo
Nothing special and not as good as the tenders. The combo comes with a side and a medium drink. Went with the cajun fries with this combo.
Final Thoughts
It’s weird how you can’t get some items ala carte and it must be a combo or a platter. Sometimes you don’t really need the sides but the menus make you order more food, which is super weird.
For the next visit, we would get tenders or chicken with cajun fries and a biscuit. Can’t go wrong with that combination.
Address: 2170 Hawkins Street Unit 110, Port Coquitlam, BC
Tsujiri finally opened in Richmond, BC after a long anticipated wait. They specialize in Japanese matcha desserts that are just addictive. I went to their Edmonton location last year and was surprised their concept in Vancouver is a bit different.
Reservations
They have 2 dining areas – one for walk-ins and another for reservations via OpenTable. When I saw them offering reservations, I jumped at the chance and got a table of 4 on their 2nd day of operations at Tsujiri Pastisserie where they serve their Japanese-style High Tea.
There is also another option for Tsujiri Soba Barbut that is only for the evening with an exclusive soba menu.
These 2 locations are one and the same, it’s just a bit deceiving because they seem like 2 different places. They only have 4 tables available for reservations and can only sit for 1.5 hours which is still plenty of time.
I would highly recommend getting a reservation to avoid lining up in the cold. For myself, I went with my parents, sister and my very very pregnant self so waiting wasn’t something I wanted to do.
Tsujiri Patisserie Menu (Afternoon)
Ebiten Udon
There is only one udon on the menu and it is made with old-fashioned udon noodles in a light kombu bonito dashi broth with ebi tempura, shiitake mushrooms, tenkasu crumbs, kamaboko fish cake and green onions.
A very classic dish popularized by the Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. If you’re looking for something savoury before dessert, this definitely warms the stomach.
Unagi Dashi Chazuke
Another savoury item on the menu is their Dashi Chazuke that comes in your choice of salmon sashimi or grilled unagi. We went with grilled unagi since it’s so hard to deny that craving.
It’s a beautiful set with rice, marinated sesame kombu, tamago yaki, soba roll, green onions, wasabi, and a sprinkle of rice cracker garnish.
There is also a pot of that comforting broth that you can pour over the rice and add in whatever ingredients you want into it.
It was very good and so comforting on a cold day. We really liked how interactive this dish was.
Matcha Souffle Pancake
This has matcha-infused souffle pancake that is very airy. It is then dusted with powdered sugar and served with matcha ice cream, hojicha ice cream and whipped cream.
The pancake has a lot of matcha flavour and not too sweet at all. The ice cream served with it was a bit icy and didn’t do much for the pancake.
Matcha Parfait
A popular item as it’s served in a glass with layers of matcha warabi mochi, azuki beans, shiratama, yuzu rare cheesecake, sweet chestnut, roasted rice sprinkles and an iconic tea box moaka.
Discovering each new layer was tasty to our tastebuds and we were really intrigued by the cheesecake in the middle.
Sakura Parfait
This is similar but it has matcha warabi mochi, shiratama, hidden sakura surprise, traditional sakura kuzu mochi and sweet chestnut on top. I love the layers of the matcha frozen dessert paired with all these items. I really liked this and the different texture worked so well.
Hot Sencha Green Tea
This is a popular Japanese tea that is well-balanced in bitterness and natural sweetness. Good when you want to stay warm while enjoying some cold desserts or hot savoury dishes.
O-Matcha Latte
You can get this drink cold or hot. There are also soy milk and lactose free milk available if you have dietary restrictions.
I mixed this before drinking and it was good. Not too sweet and not too bitter.
Yuzu O-Matcha
This was an interesting yuzu infused tea and it is served cold. It has a rich and bitter matcha paired with fruity, refreshing yuzu honey drink. My sister enjoyed this but did not it was a tad sweet compared to the other drinks.
Cakes to go
We had to get some cakes to take home since we couldn’t fit anymore sweets into our stomach. They have a variety of tea infused cakes at the counter that are made daily in limited quantities. We arrived here at 2pm and by 3:30pm, all the matcha-inspired cakes were all sold out. We were able to get our hands on a few before it was all gone.
The cake flavours change up daily, so you’ll never really know what’s available until the day of.
Opera Cake
This is the same one that comes with the Japanese Style High Tea. We opted not to get the high tea set since it was a bit on the pricey side but we did want to really try the opera cake. It has alternating layers of cream, red bean, matcha cake, and other things that pair nicely together.
Matcha Cake
I can’t remember the name of this cake but it has matcha spongecake with cream and red bean in the centre.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad they finally opened as we’ve been anticipating it for the longest time. It’s great to have more dessert options in the area especially in this plaza. It’s definitely not cheap when you order certain items. The 4 of us ended up spending over $100 but maybe we ordered excessively. My other friend had a party of 2 and spent around $50. Nonetheless, the desserts, drinks and food are good.
I would go again but I would not line up for it. I really like the reservations via OpenTable but for the time-being, you have to book it in advanced as there are limited seats.
