Foodology
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British Columbia

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In North Burnaby

Sungiven Foods: Asian Trader Joe’s in North Burnaby

Sungiven Foods is the latest Asian grocery store to open up their newest location in North Burnaby on Hastings and Gilmore. They have taken over Westminster Savings Credit Union’s old location to offer an array of Asian grocery store items.

They emphasize that they are dedicated to carry items that are natural, less processed and with fewer additives.

They opened up right on Easter long weekend and it was sure busy with people lining up to get a look even though we are supposed to stay indoors during the Covid-19 Pandemic. I needed to get some fresh fruits and vegetables for the family, so I decided to line up as the line up wasn’t too bad.

They had a promotion for a free pound of garlic mussels with a $25 purchase, but has since run out. I just missed out on it too.

Line Up

The line pictured here takes about 10 – 15 minutes depending on how slow of fast people do their shopping. I did find that a lot of people are taking their time to browse as its a new store.

Safety

To ensure everyone’s safety, they gave out gloves to all customers and wiped down surfaces regularly. They also wipe baskets and carts after each use.

Asian Trader Joe’s

The look of the entire store is very reminiscent of Trader Joe’s in the United States. If you took a quick glance inside, you would actually think it’s Trader Joe’s. You won’t find any of their products here.

Private Brands

Sungiven has their own private brands – Sungiven, OnTrue, OneTang, and Yuho. Usually items from these brands are cheaper and give you bang for your buck.

Fruits
Fruits
Meat section
Sungiven Pork
Bakery Section
Prepared Foods
Kirin Dim Sum
Hot Dishes
Sungiven Tasting Corner
Freezer and snack aisle
Freezer and snack aisle
Freezer and snack aisle
Beverage aisle
Cup noodle section
Juice section
Different aisles of dried goods and snacks
Dried noodles
Instant macaroni
Frozen Cooked Scallop with Cheese
Dried Noodles
Dried Noodles
Spam

Final Thoughts

Not the best time to open up a grocery store during a pandemic, but the neighbourhood welcomes them with open arms. It’s good to have a larger Asian grocery store without traveling a little bit further to get some staple kitchen items. It was definitely needed in the area as there are other smaller farm markets and big box grocery stores with limited Asian produce and goods.

Sungiven Foods in Burnaby isn’t large, but some produce prices are worth it. I wouldn’t drive very far for it as their offerings aren’t unique. T&T has better variety, but sometimes its a touch far to get to if you’re living in Burnaby Heights.

The shelves are a touch bare right now, but hopefully they get more items in stock soon.

Address:
4106 E Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://sungivenfoods.ca/

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In Delivery

Royal City Donuts: Hand Made Brioche Donuts Delivered in Vancouver

Royal City Donuts has been selling their decadent donuts at farmers markets and at pop up shops across the Lower Mainland, but with the Covid-19 Pandemic, they had to change the way they do business.

They have plans for a store front, but they’re not there just yet. For the time being, they have opened up their online store to order donuts for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday which will be delivered contactless between the hours of 10am-3pm.

They deliver to Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities.

Their orders sell out fast, so you have to check their social media to see when the orders open up on their website. I remember when I was trying to put in my order for Saturday, but while I was checking out, it sold out for that day, so I had to opt for Sunday instead.

They do their preparation from YVR Prep, which is a commissary kitchen located in Burnaby. It’s an awesome space and so many small business start out from that kitchen.

6 Pack

The six pack of donuts come with a random assortment and is predetermined at the beginning of the week when you place your order. There are no substitutions.

All of the donuts were pretty good. They have a nice flavour and texture. There are some execution issues with the filled brioche donuts as there could have had more filling. The other donuts are simple but done well. Their popular Ferrero Rocher and maple bacon donuts didn’t make it into the batch this week, but those are the ones to look out for.

Raspberry Filled Brioche Donut
Strawberry Jam Filled Brioche Donut
Chocolate Pudding Filled Brioche Donut
Chocolate Pudding Filled Brioche Donut
Oreo
Chocolate Sprinkle
Apple Fritter
Maple

Final Thoughts

Overall, they are pretty good donuts. I didn’t love all the flavours in the box, but its a nice assortment to give you a taste of what they have to offer. Besides the 6 pack of donuts, they also have a pack of 4 large fritters and 12 donut holes which is pretty great too.

Plus, you can’t go wrong with free delivery if you live within the delivery zone. Makes for a great gift too.

Website:
https://www.royalcitydonuts.com/

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In Delivery

The Hoké Poké: Take Out, Online Ordering and Delivery

I love discovering new restaurant I’ve never been to, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, thats a little bit hard at the moment. Now, I rely on word of mouth and social media to figure out what restaurants are doing to innovate their business and keep things going.

The Hoké Poké is located in Kitsilano and they serve poke bowls. They are pretty far from me since I live in Burnaby, but a friend told me they deliver. They don’t always deliver, but you can always message them and ask.

I emailed my order and sent an e-transfer to the owner. Simple and with no issues. Food arrived on time and very fresh.

I ordered 4 regular sized poké bowls for the family to share.

Ohana Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with sweet shoyu, sweet onion, green onion, furikake, and cucumber. Nice classic combination of flavours to showcase the fish.

Yuzuke

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with yuzu ponzu, masago, green onion, cilantro, and furikake. The yuzu ponzu is a nice light sauce and the salmon and tuna still shine through if you want more of the fish taste.

Ono Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with sriracha aioli, masago, sweet onion, green onion, crispy onion. The ono was our favourite bowl. The sriracha aioli added a nice kick to the dish and it wasn’t too spicy either. Highly recommended.

Chef Special Bowl

I got this bowl with salmon, albacore tuna, a mix of greens and brown rice, plus the crab meat, seaweed, and ginger as toppings.

The salmon and tuna is mixed with their Chef sauce, green/sweet/crispy onion, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, masago, and furikake. This bowl is more saucy, but because of how much rice and salad was in the bowl, it was a good ratio. A good item to order if you can’t decide on a customized bowl.

Final Thoughts

The menu is limited but I don’t mind it at all. You get unlimited topping choices and I feel like the flavours are closer to the Hawaiian clean flavours. Simple and delicious.

Address:
1834 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://thehokepoke.ca

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In Japanese

Masayoshi: Takeaway and Staff Meal Program

Masayoshi is back and offering their new takeaway and staff meal program. It’s been a while since our last visit which was for Valentines Day in 2016. It was a memorable meal and always great for a special occasion.

Since the restaurant industry is really suffering because of Covid-19, I really wanted to support them anyway I could. Plus, the takeaway menu looks very good and is a decent price.

My husband actually took the initiative to put in an order on their website at 8am (he even set a calendar reminder so he wouldn’t forget). Some items sell out very quickly, so you have to act fast before its gone. He bought a bunch of items so we could have a date night at home. Since we can’t go outside to dine, we bring the food home.

Staff Meal Program

Chef Masayoshi has joined the “Staff Meal” program initiated by Say Mercy, another local restaurant. This program offers exceptional value to customers on certain dishes and it’s a great opportunity to give back to those in need.

There is automatic $2 donation per Staff Meal order at checkout (as Shipping) for the Vancouver Food Bank. The items that are listed as a staff meal is already a good price, so adding the $2 on top is a good way to help those who need it.

How to Order

Make sure to follow them on social media just in case any information has changed.

Shabu Shabu Salad 豚しゃぶサラダ　おろしポン酢

This salad has pork, Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, ponzu, sesame and green onion. I love all the items in this salad. It doesn’t look like much but it is good.

Salmon Kasujiru サッカイサーモンの粕汁

The Salmon Kasujiru is a soup made with sake kasu or sake lees, a by-product of sake making. The sake kasu is full of savory taste and the salmon and vegetables also bring out the flavor of the broth. There is also wild sockeye salmon, deep fried tofu, green onion, burdock roots and carrots. This dish was ok, but not my favourite.

Edomae Chirashi

This is the most popular item on the menu and it gets sold out quickly. I’ve heard anywhere from 5 -30 mins and it’s gone. It’s stunning, so how could you not want a bite of this dish. It is topped with an assortment of marinated fish and seafood on a bed of sushi rice.

I really wanted to like this dish more, but I thought there could have been a little bit more sashimi. Their photo on the website just looks so good and lush. I clearly eat with my eyes. I just felt there was a bit too much rice.

Soboro Don 三色そぼろ丼

This is this new donburi on the takeaway menu. It is a classic Japanese comfort food and Chef Masa made his version with minced beef, shrimp, eggs, and topped with 2 pieces of shrimp and ikura over a warm steamed rice. There is a limited quantity per day. At first we weren’t sure about this dish, but once we popped this into the microwave for a short amount of time, it tasted a lot better. Very filling.

Pork Belly Kakuni 角煮

The kakuni takes a whole day to prepare, so you get the melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. It’s definitely a labour of love. The tender soy-glazed pork belly is great with a bowl of rice. When we got home, we made sure to pop this in the microwave to reheat it. Yum. Really delicious. Even the shredded cabbage dunked in its juices is good too.

Buri Yellowtail Teriyaki

This yellowtail is amazing. My husband usually hates cooked fish, but he said this is one of the best cooked fish dishes he’s ever had. We made sure to put this into the microwave to reheat, but wow, we both really enjoyed it.

The yellowtail is cooked really well and the flavour really penetrates deep into the flesh.

Final Thoughts

It was nice to have a taste of Masayoshi at home. They do have many more items on their menu that we didn’t order. They seem to be a hit once they opened up for takeout orders.

It’s a nice treat to have some really good Japanese food at home. We absolutely loved the kakuni and Buri Yellowtail Teriyaki.

Address:
4376 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.masayoshi.ca/

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In British Columbia

Pine House Bakery: Take Out and Delivery

Since we only make one trip outside a week from groceries, we have really been depending on delivery services to get us whatever will delivery to our home during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had mad cravings for Chinese buns, so when I was browsing through delivery apps, I discovered Pine House Bakery is close enough to deliver to us. Oh boy, was I super excited. A lot of the Chinese bakeries near us have either closed down or only do take out.

Pine House Bakery has many locations throughout the Lower Mainland. On UberEats, there aren’t a lot of options, so we picked up the pack of assorted sweet buns and another pack of assorted savoury buns. There’s no options to swap anything out unless some items are sold out.

Assorted Sweet Buns

This pack comes with 2 Coconut buns, 2 Pineapple Buns, 2 Red bean paste buns , and 2 Egg Tarts. All the items were decent. We didn’t like the red bean paste as there was too much bun and very little red bean paste. The ratio was really off. The best item was definitely the coconut buns. $14 for 8 buns was ok.

Assorted Savoury Buns

This pack comes with 2 BBQ pork buns, 1 chicken bun , 2 curry beef buns, 1 ham and egg bun, and 2 hot dog buns. Unfortunately, after we placed the order, they ran out of the ham and egg bun as well as the chicken bun. I just got an extra BBQ pork bun and curry beef bun.

All of the savoury buns were good and it hit the spot. $16 for 8 buns was ok.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was decent and it was the only delivery option to us in Burnaby. I paid a bit more than normal, but at least we got the convenience of having it delivered. The buns tasted ok. It’s not my favourite bakery but it will do to get my Chinese bun fix.

If you’re looking to have Chinese Buns delivered too, you can find them on Uber Eats.

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In Cafe

Chez Christophe: Curbside Pick Up, Take Out, Delivery and Shipping Options

My favourite neighbourhood bakery and cafe – Chez Christophe has found a way to get their yummy treats to their customers anyway possible. As they have 2 locations, customers in Burnaby and White Rock will still be able to enjoy their treats.

  • Curbside Pick Up
    Call or order in advanced online
  • Take Out
    Burnaby: 9am-4pm Tuesday through Sunday
    White Rock: 9am-3pm Tuesday through Saturday.
  • Delivery
    Within a 10km radius of their Burnaby location
  • Shipping Options
    Free shipping on orders over $35. This excludes cakes, pastries and showpieces) 

As we are huge fans of Chez Christophe, in the last 3 weeks, I’ve ordered from them at least 5 times for myself and gifts for friends and family. They really make it easy and I love that. I’ve had small to large orders and there is always a way to get the treats with minimal contact during Covid-19.

Make sure to check their social media and website as anything can change quite quickly as the policies for social distancing changes day by day.

Frozen Goods

Chez Christophe has always had frozen goods available in their shop, but now it’s very popular to get a few for yourself and some for friends and family.

  • Butter Croissant (5 pieces)
  • Pain Au Chocolat (5 pieces)
  • Cheddar Herb Scones (4 pieces)
  • White Chocolate Raspberry Scones (4 pieces)

Great item to just have in the freezer when you want to have a sweet treat. Even better if you have kids at home. They can help you prepare it and makes a great activity.

Individual or Large Cakes

Cakes are still available for any occasion. They will help you add a note to the cake too. We personally needed a large cake that feeds 10 and they had them available so it was perfect. No need to go outside as it was delivered to us as we live in Burnaby close to the shop. They can also do custom orders of 20+ servings, but you need to order in advanced so they can get it ready for you.

If you want a little sweet treat, they still have a large selection of cakes. You’ll find something for your sweet tooth.

Fresh Pastries

I’ve missed their fresh pastries a lot. I remember going on coffee dates here with friends, grabbing a coffee and a pastry. They have a good selection of pastries available. My personal favourite are the items that are double baked.

  • Butter Croissant
  • Pain au Chocolat
  • Hazelnut Pain au Chocolat
  • Croissant Puff
  • Ham and Cheese Croissant
  • Double Baked Almond Croissant
  • Double Baked Hazelnut Chocolate Croissant
  • Fresh Fruit Danish
  • Double Baked Almond and Chocolate Croissant

Final Thoughts

I absolutely love Chez Christophe as it’s my favourite pastry shop in North Burnaby. If you want to order, take a look at their website just in case information has changed.

Stay safe out there! Remember to spread some love and cheer as there is definitely too much negativity out there in the world.

Address:
4717 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://chez-christophe.ca/

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In British Columbia

Squish Candy: The Great Gummy Hunt Review

Squish Candy always has a great collection for every holiday and occasion. For this Easter, they released a few new items and one of them is their Great Gummy Hunt. It’s perfect now as we are all indoors during Covid-19 and can’t go outside for a large Easter Egg hunt with friends.

We are still able to get treats delivered to our homes.

The Great Gummy Hunt takes you on an adventure all over Carrot Grove for you to discover a different pack of gummies behind each door along the journey. There are 10 packs of candy to uncover.

We opened the box as a family and it was fun to see which candy was hiding behind each door. As Baby E just turned one, she won’t be eating candy anytime soon. But, lets be real, all these candies are really for mommy and daddy.

Baby E enjoyed feeling all the gummies in the packages. Plus, the sight of all the different colours and sounds as we opened each door to reveal a new gummy.

If you haven’t had a lot of Squish Candy before, it’s a great introduction to their collection as they have a large collection. You’re going to find a few new favourites in this box. We sure did.

Website: https://squishcandies.ca/collections/easter/products/the-great-gummy-hunt

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In British Columbia

Chai Wagon: Chai Box Delivered in Greater Vancouver

Chai Wagon is that adorable cart at Commercial-Broadway Skytrain serving their delicious hot chai, sweets, and snacks. As people are staying at home, Shivam, the founder of Chai Wagon had to innovate fast. They have decided to close the cart for the time being and focus on delivery.

This is where the Chai Box was born and it comes straight to your door.

Chai Box

The Chai Box is 96oz for $20. It can last 7 days and be served hot or cold. This comes in their signature ginger and cardamom chai.

The chai is very smooth and has strong notes of the ginger and cardamom. They hand grind the spices so they really stand out. I’ve had lot of Chai from other restaurants before but this will definitely wake you up. If you love ginger, you’ll really really enjoy this.

Vegan Chai Box

They have a Vegan Chai box made with an oat milk base for $30 a box.

Contactless Delivery

Delivery is free for orders of $50 and up in Greater Vancouver.

How Order

There are a few ways you can order your Chai Box.

Supporting Health Care Workers

For every 5 boxes sold, they will be donating 1 to Vancouver General Hospital for their front line workers to enjoy. A great way for them to give back.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for chai delivered to you or sent to someone else as a gift, Chai Wagon has got you covered. It’s delicious and definitely warms you up with the spices.

Website:
https://chaiwagon.com/

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In curbside pickup

Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionery: Build Your Own Dessert in a Box

Glenburn Soda Fountain has found ways to innovate during the Covid-19 crisis. With dining rooms closed, they really worked fast to keep customers supplied with their delicious treats. I was very impressed that they listened to customers to see what they would want during this time.

They have their regular menu for delivery on Skip the Dishes.

They are currently offering a few limited features for curbside pick up.

  • Build Your Own Sundae Box
  • Float Pack for 2
  • Take Home Pints
  • Pop Shoppe Soda
  • Callister Soda
  • DIY Banana Split Kit

In a span of 2 weeks, our team ordered the Build Your Own Sundae Box, Float Pack for 2, and the DIY Banana Split Kit.

These items are very customizable. You order it in the morning and then it is available for pick up from 4-6pm. Things do change quickly, so make sure you follow Glenburn on social media to see what the latest offers and prices of their different kits.

Build Your Own Sundae Box

It was a Friday, so the end the week off right, we decided to get one for our family. We were able to pick it up with no issues. The packaging is quite nice and easy to carry back home.

We got our sundae kit with strawberry marble ice cream, chocolate ice cream, pretzels, cookie crumbs, almonds, and their hot fudge. It’s very customizable, so next time, we will definitely add brownies into our box.

We had fun layering the toppings with the ice cream. Such a fun activity to end the day with the family. A real treat that we highly recommend. Easily feeds 4 people but we had 7 adults sharing this and had a little nite each. With the leftover hot fudge, we made mochas for the rest of the week.

Float Pack for 2

The float pack comes with cups, straws, vanilla ice cream, and your choice of 2 Pop Shoppe beverages. We went with Black Cherry and Root Beer. Two very classic flavours.

Once you bring it home, just pour the soda right into the cups. Its pretty big, so you can easily turn this into 4 smaller portions as there are 4 scoops of ice cream.

DIY Banana Split Kit

I haven’t had a banana split since 2018 and I was really excited to have it again. Their Banana Spit Kit comes with all the staples that you need to make 2 delicious and beautiful banana splits at home.

The kit includes:

  • 2 banana split boats
  • 2 bananas
  • 3 – 12oz tubs of ice cream – chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
  • 3 – 3 oz tubs of sauce – hot fudge, strawberry and pineapple
  • 1 canister of whipped cream
  • Your choice of walnuts or sprinkles
  • 3 cherries

It was fun to make together with the family and we had debates about how to make the perfect banana split. They did put together a video on Facebook on how to create perfect banana split, but we don’t follow instructions and go with the flow.

Final Thoughts

I love these fun dessert kits where you can make them at home with your family. It’s a perfect thing for the end of the week and just have fun. Sundae in a box was my favourite kit, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Follow them on Facebook or Instagram to see what they are offering daily as these kits may change over time.

I love supporting local small businesses during this pandemic in any way I can. If you are looking for a sweet treat and looking for a way to support Glenburn, I highly recommend it.

Website to order Build Your Own Dessert in a Box
https://glenburn-soda-fountain-109212.square.site/#uxVaKL

Address:
4090 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

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In British Columbia

Restaurants in Metro Vancouver Where You Can Also Buy Groceries

It’s a very stressful time for everyone during the Covid-19 Pandemic. One of the hardest hit industry is the restaurant business. Many restaurants have had to adapt quickly to give customers what they need.

Many grocery stores are out of staple items the eggs, milk, butter, flour, and yeast to name a few. Restaurants have access to fresh local produce and have stepped up to be able to provide these items for delivery and/or pick up.

Below are a few restaurant in Metro Vancouver where you can find grocery items just in case you’re in a bind and can’t find it at the store. If you know of any other restaurants extending their services to include groceries, emails us at diana@foodology.ca or leave a comment below.

6 Degrees Eatery

6 Degrees Eatery in Coal Harbour is now stocked up with eggs, milk, and other produce. They also have their regular menu available too. You can get pick up, take out, or delivery via UberEats.

Batard Bakery

Batard Bakery has begun to offer groceries and pastries online for pick up. Bread, pastries, to whole quiches. They have a decent collection to get your through a bad day with some sweets and kitchen staples.

Beaucoup Bakery

Beaucoup Bakery just launched their ‘Acts of Kindness’ items available via UberEats for delivery. They have pantry items like butter, yeast, espresso beans and oat milk. Partial proceeds of these Acts of Kindness items will be donated to the Food Bank.

C Market Coffee

If you’re in the Coquitlam area near the IKEA, C Market is in a nearby plaza. They serve up coffee, breakfast, and other lunch items. They recently launched the sale of their groceries on DoorDash and UberEats. If you live outside the delivery zone, you can get contactless pick up from their cafe.

Earls Kitchen and Bar

Earls has rolled out their Earls Grocery, which include everything from daily home essentials to fresh ingredients to fully prepared meals. You can pick it up or even get it delivered. If you need toilet paper or hand soap, they have that too.

Promo: Get 20% off on all Earls Grocery items when you pick up. Or, get them delivered to your door via Skip The Dishes.

Fat Cow Essentials

Fat Cow Oyster Bar has closed its doors to welcome Fat Cow Essentials. They are located in Langley but can delivery to most regions in Greater Vancouver. They even have free delivery if you spend $50 or more.

Flourist

A beloved local bakery sells bread, pastries, prepared foods, whole grains, beans, flour, eggs, sourdough starter, and produce. Their sourdough is amazing. We picked up their pizza dough and a few loaves of bread and it was really really good.

Gabi and Jules

Gabi and Jules is a popular cafe and bakery in Port Moody. You can find baking essentials like a variety of flour, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, eggs, oats, butter, baking soda, and baking powder. Bread, fruit, milk alternatives, teas, coffee, and make at home kits can be found on their website.

You just order online and have contactless pick up, or if you live in the Tricities, it’s free delivery on orders over $50.

Joey Restaurants

Joey Restaurants launched JOEY Market grocery delivery service with DoorDash. Customers will be able to shop a variety of restaurant quality ingredients including fresh produce, meat, baked goods and pantry essentials from JOEY Restaurants, delivered or picked-up curbside. You can even find toilet paper.

Promo: They are currently offering 20% off their food menu prices for curbside pick-up, 10% off food ordered through DoorDash with $0 delivery.

Matchstick Coffee

They’ve got more than just coffee beans. You can find milk, egg and flour too. These perishable items can’t be shipped, so you have to pick them up from the cafe.

Medina Cafe

They recently launched their grocery store and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a good array of items like their signature waffles, meat, syrups, egg, milk, hummus, and many other items.

OEB

Their dining rooms are closed but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the taste of OEB at home. They have contactless pick up and delivery options. You can even grab a pack of eggs and bread whiles you’re at it.

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Restaurants and Cafes in North Burnaby: Take Out, Curbside Pick up, and Delivery Options

Restaurants and Cafe’s are evolving quickly because of Covid-19. No more dining-in and they have to innovate and change the way they do business.

Since I live in North Burnaby, I wouldn’t want to see any of the businesses to close down permanently. A lot have has to close down for the time being, but it might be a while before things return to normal.

I thought I would compile some of my favourite restaurants and show you what they are doing now. If you would like me to add anything to the list, please email us at diana@foodology.ca or comment below.

Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli

Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli opened in 1990 offering the best in Italian specialty cold-cuts, cheeses, and fresh butchered meats. They have expanded since then to offer wholesale, catering, & take-out. They have even opened up their Cucina for more delicious eat.

What they are offering:

Chez Christophe

Chez Christophe opened in March 2013 in Burnaby Heights. Since opening their doors, Christophe has been serving both classic Swiss desserts and pastries along with his modern twists using fresh and local flavours.

What they are offering:

  • Home delivery within a 10km radius of their Burnaby location on orders over $35
  • Take Out by calling or order online with debit and credit only. You can pickup in store or curbside pickup.
  • Free shipping on orders over $35 (excludes cakes and pastries and showpieces)

Glenburn Soda Fountain

Glenburn Soda Fountain is a small, family-owned and run shop serving ice cream and desserts. They offer a wide range of ice cream treats including sundaes, milkshakes and malts. You’ll be transported back in time.

They also have a Kickstarter to back Glenburn Roadside, their second location to serve as a production kitchen for making ice cream, baking and producing their line of retail ice cream sauces. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glenburnroadside/glenburn-roadside

What they are offering:

The Gray Olive Cafeteria

The Gray Olive Cafeteria serves up seasonal comfort food with an exciting twist. Their food is pretty good and I’ve gotten takeout quite often.

What they are offering:

White Lotus Cafe

This hidden gem in Burnaby is located in the same plaza as Buy Low Food. They specialize in dishes like banh mi and pho. One of my favourite places to order from as there is a $0 delivery fee if you spend $20 or more via Skip the Dishes.

What they are offering:

The Valley Bakery

The Valley Bakery has been in business for over 60 years and they have the largest variety of fresh, delicious cookies, pastries and other baked items in Burnaby.

What they are offering:

  • Phone 604-291-0674 with your order and pay with a credit card. To pick up your order, go to the rear door, phone the store and they will bring your order to your vehicle.

Sopra Sotto

Sopra Sotto just opened their second location in North Burnaby serving up their delicious Italian cuisine.

What they are offering:

  • Temporary Take Out Menu

Green Leaf Cafe

Green Leaf Cafe is a Japanese and Korean Fusion restaurant near Lougheed Mall. They have a wide variety of dishes on their menu, but their aburi oshi are very popular.

What they are offering:

Sfinaki Greek Taverna

Sfinaki is a family-owned and operated Greek taverna in The Heights since 1995. They serve up fresh dishes with homemade family recipes.

What they are offering:

Gaya Sushi

Gaya Sushi is a Korean owned Japanese restaurant serving up Japanese cuisines with a fusion twist.

What they are offering:

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Glowbal: Burger Mania Returns for 2020

Glowbal has brought back their limited time Burger Mania menu from March 16 – 27, 2020. This menu is available Monday to Friday from 11am to 6pm. Great for those who are working downtown and want a very filling lunch.

There are 5 different burgers which come with their own unique side dish. The prices do vary depending on the burger, but it’s very resonable.

Menu

BBQ Beef Brisket Melt

This beast of a burger has Montréal-styled smoked brisket, peppered bbq glaze, Swiss cheese, dilly kraut with bacon, and all in a toasted pretzel bun.
It is served with deep fried dill pickles. A good pairing as you can’t go wrong with deep fried pickles.

The burger is pretty hefty and the brisket is really packed in there.

Crispy Fried Chicken Burger

This Crispy Fried Chicken Burger has gooey aged cheddar cheese house famous hot sauce, and pickled cabbage slaw in a ciabatta bun. It is served with housemade bbq kettle chips. The BBQ Kettle chips were solid. The crispy fried chicken was big and crispy but can go limp quickly because of the moist ingredients in the burger.

We were actually surprise their hot sauce really packs a punch.

Surf n’ Turf Burger

This burger has double house ground chuck patties, buttery lobster & tarragon shaved fennel, and bearnaise sauce in a brioche bun. It is served with cheesy fried gnocchi bites.

The burger definitely needed more lobster and the pieces were cut up in small. The gnocchi bits were very gooey and best eaten when hot.

The Spicy Mexican

This massive burger has double house ground chuck patties, habanero & lime guacamole pico de gallo, and cilantro queso fresco in a brioche bun. It is served with waffle fries supreme.

The burger is very stacked with the double patties. It can be a bit messy to eat, but I like the fresh vibrant flavours from the lime.

Veggie Parmesana

There is a vegetarian option on the menu and it has a True veggie patty, crispy eggplant, parmesan, provolone cheese, tomato fondue, basil aioli, and rocket greens on a multigrain ciabbata bun. It is served with fried parsnip chips.

We all thought this wouldn’t be as good at the others but it’s solid. Very big burger.

Final Thoughts

The burgers and size are huge so you really get full if you can finish both the burger and side. There are a nice variety of burgers to celebrate Burger Mania. BBQ Beef Brisket Melt and Veggie Parmesana were my top choices. They paired the burger and sides nicely, but you can’t mix and match.

Address:
590 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC 

Website:
https://www.glowbalgroup.com/glowbal/index.html

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In Burnaby Cariboo-Lougheed

Nadri: Korean Cuisine & Fried Chicken (나드리) in Burnaby

Nadri is another new restaurant open in Korea Town in the same plaza as Han Nam Supermarket. It is located right beside Maison Mori, a new Korean Bakery.

There are a lot of Korean fried chicken restaurants in the area, so we wanted to check it out to see how it compares.

Interior

The restaurant is located in a newer food court style area. So, there is only communal seating for the shops and restaurants in the area. 

Kids

There are high chairs and changing tables for toddlers if you need it.

Menu

Banchan

I love complimentary side dishes at Korean restaurants. There are bean sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms, and kimchi radish. Love it.

Steamed Half/Half Dumplings 반반만두

We wanted to get a good taste of their dumplings, so we got the dumplings in 2 favours – pork and kimchi. A good option and you get 4 pieces each. Both flavours were good and comes with a light soy sauce for dipping.

Gal Bi Tang 갈비탕

Gal Bi Tang is beef rib soup and it’s a very comforting dish. It has big chunks of beef on beef bones and a good amount of glass noodles. It even comes with a side of rice. It’s a very filling dish if you eat everything plus the banchan.

Half/Half Fried Chicken 반반

You can choose two different types of fried chicken on the menu. We went with bone-in original fried chicken (후라이드) and their snowing fried chicken. The snowing fried chicken (스노잉) is really a honey butter seasoning that they generously sprinkle over the fried chicken.

It also comes with pickled onion and pickled radish. This was nice as the pickles would help cut the oiliness of the chicken. Both were very crispy but I wasn’t a fan of the sweet and savoury flavours of the snowing fried chicken. The original fried chicken needed some more salt and pepper to it as I tasted more of the oil it was fried in.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I like the variety on the menu and the prices are very fair. Right now, there are a lot of grand opening sales for Nadri, so check those out especially on Tuesday to get a nice discount.

It seems to a hidden gem in the area as there were a decent amount of people dining here on a weekday. I thought the food was average and the fried chicken was a touch oily.

Address:
4501 North Rd Unit 111F, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://nadri-korean-restaurant.business.site/

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In Event

Chop Steakhouse: Behind the Scenes of Limited Time Only Steak Masters Menu

Chop Steakhouse & Bar’s Executive Chef Stephen Clark and Award-Winning Vancouver-based Chef Alex Chen have reunited to create the limited-time only Steak Masters menu, celebrating all things steak.

Chop is committed to steak excellence and combines the outstanding quality of 100% Canadian beef with modern culinary techniques to ensure each steak has as much flavour as possible and done perfectly time after time. Chef Stephen Clark and Chef Alex Chen have made sure these core principles are reflected in the Steak Masters menu.

This menu features four unique dishes and is available at Chop Richmond from February 27 until April 7, 2020 before moving across Canada to Chop restaurants in Edmonton, Greater Toronto Area, Regina, Calgary and Winnipeg later in the year. We were excited to see this menu kick off at Chop Richmond and we got an inside scoop on the delicious Steak Masters menu.

Behind the Scenes

At Chop Steakhouse, they’re committed to steak excellence – combining great, 100% Canadian beef with state-of-the-art technology that guarantees maximum flavour and perfection every time. In the kitchen, Chop’s skilled chefs craft all of their steaks with this beautiful Montague steakhouse broiler that can reach temperatures of over 900ºC to create the perfect crust and cook them way faster than any kitchen at home. This is one of many reasons why I love going out to steakhouses! Steaks just don’t taste the same at home. 

When their kitchen is slammed with orders, they use a grid system for the steaks to ensure they are cooked exactly to your preference.

Steak Tartare

The steak tartare is made with hand chopped Certified Angus Beef and served with a stack of house-made Russet potato chips. They use an aged top sirloin that is fresh cut so it doesn’t oxidize. According to Chef Stephen, a good indication of high quality meat is the bright red colour. This steak tartare appetizer is a great item to start the meal.

Sirloin Cap Picanha

This dish features an 8oz Smoked Sirloin Cap Steak, smothered in chimichurri and Brazilian spices and served with potatoes and broccolini. The chimichurri and Brazilian spices are brilliant and make the steak so flavourful. While the chefs recommend ordering  it medium rare, they’re happy to customize based on diner preferences. A good item to order all for yourself, but you can also share a few pieces if you feel inclined to.

Tomahawk for 2

If you are here celebrating something special or just excited about a night out, the tomahawk for 2 is a great deal. The massive 40oz rib eye has a black pepper crust and is served with a brandy peppercorn sauce, creamed corn, roasted baby potatoes and cauliflower. It is massive and can definitely serve more than 2 people depending on your appetite. Also, that creamed corn is fantastic!

The seasoning on the steak is simple, but the rib eye has so much natural flavour of its own which shines through. The Tomahawk is the star of this menu and a perfect example of how Chop celebrates steak.  When cooked with the Montague broiler, the texture and flavour of this beautiful rib eye really shines through and showcases Chop’s commitment to steak excellence – just thinking about it is making me salivate all over again!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

The last item on the Steak Masters menu is their Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. You gotta have dessert on the menu to complete the evening. It is a rum cake with caramelized pineapple, buttermilk gelato, candied pecans and a burnt rosemary marshmallow. A good way to end the meal and satisfy that sweet tooth.

Final Thoughts

Chef Stephen Clark and Chef Alex Chen did a great job on the Steak Masters menu – these four items are very refined and show off their love of steak. While the Steak Masters menu is not large, Chop offers plenty of other options, including steak, seafood, salads and more, soyou’re sure to find something for the whole family to enjoy!

Address:
10251 St Edwards Dr, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://chop.ca/steakmasters

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chop Steakhouse. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Chop Steakhouse.

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In Burnaby Cariboo-Lougheed

Maison Mori: Korean Bakery in Burnaby

Maison Mori is the newest Korean-style Bakery to open on North Road in between Burnaby and Coquitlam. They are located on the bottom floor of the Han Nam Supermarket Plaza. 

A lot of excellent cafes and restaurants have been opening up in Korea Town, so it’s definitely worth a visit to this area as you could spend a whole day eating. 

Chef Kim and Chef Jeon always dreamed of having a bakery in Canada where their knowledge of French and Japanese baking techniques can blend with traditional Korean pastries.

Our family loves Korean Bakeries, so we had to check this place out. 

Interior

The bakery is located in a newer food court style area. So, there is only communal seating for the shops and restaurants in the area. 

Kids

There are high chairs and changing tables for toddlers if you need it.

Menu

The menu does change seasonally and different batches of baked good are prepared at set times throughout the day. You can call them to pre-order items that you want. Or come when the items come fresh out of the oven. 

It looked like they had a good amount of pre-orders. We didn’t preorder as we didn’t know what would be good. We wanted to eat with our eyes first. 

Milk Cream Bun

The milk cream bun was really good. It was filled with a nice sweet vanilla cream and the bun was so soft. Highly recommended. This was definitely my favourite item of the items we bought.

Marble Bread

The marble bread is beautiful with the two colours swirled together. It isn’t sweet, so this taste like a regular slice of bread with very subtle hints of cocoa.

Sweet Potato Cube

Another one of my favourites that I highly recommend. The sweet potato is delicious and it’s a great item to pair for baked goods.

Chocolate Ganache Cube

The chocolate ganache cube is also nice. It’s half way between a cake and bread. It’s not too sweet either and it’s great for those who love chocolate.

Honey Toast

The honey toast was hard and sticks to your teeth. I wasn’t a fan of this.

Injeolmi Cream Bun

This bun is filled with cream and red bean and the outside of the bun has a coating of Injeolmi powder. I didn’t like it because there was so much Injeolmi powder that it got really messy to eat and my mouth got dry from all the powder. It wasn’t very sweet on the inside either.

Mochi Mochi Bread

This bread sounds really good. How can you say no to a bread named mochi mochi? It was just like a regular loaf of bread but I guess made out of rice flour.

Final Thoughts

They have a wide range of baked goods and it’s been very popular since they opened. My favourite items were the ones that were more on the sweet side instead of bread. I would get the Milk Cream Bun. Sweet Potato Cube, and the Chocolate Ganache Cube again.

It’s a great addition to the neighbourhood and they seem to be selling out of everything quickly. I would highly recommend calling ahead of time to reserve you pastries so you don’t leave disappointed.

It is also cash only if you order $10 or under. If it’s over $10, you can use card.

Address:
4501 North Rd #111G, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://maison-mori.business.site/

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In Coquitlam

Walnut Cake and Mini Taiyaki Food Truck in Coquitlam: Review

Walnut Cake and Mini Taiyaki Food Truck is located in Hanin Village of Coquitlam on North Road. This is the same plaza where H Mart is located. I’ve see Walnut Cake and Mini Taiyaki Food Truck many times but I usually don’t have cash with me, so I always tell myself I need to visit.

Today, I finally had some cash and saw them open, so I decided to go grab some as a pre-dinner snack.

Menu

Walnut Cake (호두과자 hogugwaja)

I went with the 7 pieces for $5 as it’s a good size to share with the family. It is filled with red bean in the centre. The walnut cafe was soft and squishy with the mixture of red bean in the centre. It was good and not too sweet.

Mini Taiyaki (붕어빵 Bungeoppang)

These mini taiyaki are really cute and they are filled with custard on the inside. At 10 for $5, it’s not a bad price either. The custard filling was very delicious. It was also soft, squishy, and looks very cute.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Walnut Cake and Mini Taiyaki Food Truck is pretty good. I know a lot of people will ask how it compares to Kim’s Korean Waffles & Pancakes across the street and it’s all comes down to personal taste. I like my waffles crunchy, so I gravitate towards Kim’s. My family likes the softer waffles, so they like Walnut Cake and Mini Taiyaki Food Truck.

While you’re here, you might as well go to both places.

Address:
329 North Rd, Coquitlam, BC

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In Brunch

Ham & Eggman’s: Breakfast and Brunch in Vancouver

Ham & Eggman’s serves up breakfast and brunch in Vancouver. They are still fairly new and I’ve been here several times with many of my friends. They have a fun name which was inspired by Doctor Eggman, the arch nemesis of Sonic the Hedgehog.

We were invited for brunch on the weekend and to try an array of items on the menu.

Interior

The interior is simple and there are tables on either side of the restaurant. They can accomodate smaller groups of 2’s and 4’s easily, but if you’re in a large group, you should come earlier to grab the spots.

Kids

They have high chairs available for toddlers.

Oatmeal

The oatmeal on the menu comes in sweet or savoury. I decided to go with sweet since we had a lot of savoury items ordered. I like to order the odd item on the menu just in case its worth getting.

We actually really liked this dish a lot. Even though it is a sweet oatmeal, it wasn’t very sweet at all, which is nice. There’s so much in it that it gives it a lot of texture and body. There’s lots of chopped nuts and fried fruit in this bowl.

Waffles

This has two Belgium waffles with Chantilly cream, rotating confit, maple syrup, and hash browns. This was an ok dish, but it’s so similar to the chicken and waffle…sans chicken. The waffle was ok, but it wasn’t anything special. The best part of this dish was the hash browns as they were very very crispy.

Chicken and Waffles

This has buttermilk marinated boneless fried chicken, waffles, Chantilly cream, bourbon maple syrup, and fresh fruit salad. I enjoy their chicken and its flavourful and crisp on the exterior.

Pork Belly Hash

This dish has crispy pork belly, asian greens, cabbage, shiitake and Kennebec hash browns tossed in gochujang bbq sauce. It is then topped with two poached eggs. I’ve had this dish twice and the first time I did not like it, but it has since improved. The pork belly is tender and love the flavour on it. Some of their pieces were pretty fatty.

The hash browns were very very crispy even though it was covered in sauce.

Mexican Scramble

They have a few varieties of scrambled eggs on the menu, but we went with the Mexican. It has 3 eggs and served with the kennebec hash browns and toast. It also has house made chorizo, fajita peppers, onions, aged cheddar, and then topped with salsa and sour cream. You can choose from multigrain or sourdough bread. It was good, but I would have liked a bit more spice in it.

Wild Mushroom Benefict

The eggs benedict is served on toasted English muffins with poached eggs, house made hollandaise sauce and hash browns. There is a good amount of mixed wild mushrooms and topped with green onions. I’m a sucker for mushrooms, so I really enjoyed this dish.

Lomo Saltado hash

This dish has Peruvian-style marinated steak, fajita peppers and onions, grape tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It is also topped with two poached eggs. This was ok, but I would have liked bigger pieces of steak.

Shakshuka

This dish has Turkish style spiced tomato sauce, poached eggs, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. It is then served with two pieces of toast to dip into the delicious sauce. It was ok.

Final Thoughts

This is my favourite brunch spot in the neighbourhood. Their dishes are very consistent and I’ve only had delicious soft poached eggs. The hash browns are amazing and so addictive. I absolutely love how crisp they are. If you have to get a dish here, make sure hash browns are in it.

The favourites are the eggs benedict, chicken and waffles, pork belly hash and oatmeal.

Address:
3883 Rupert St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.hamandeggmans.com/

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In Cafe

Billy Button Dessert Bar: All about the Aesthetic Looking Dessert in Vancouver

Billy Button is a Dessert Bar in Vancouver and they serve up the most aesthetic looking desserts in town. Each piece is a work of art. I came with my foodie friend right before the last call at the end of the night.

They still had many items left on the menu, so we ordered one of each item.

Interior

The space is small but very sleep looking. There aren’t many tables inside, so it’ll be hard to fit a large group unless you go at off hours.

Kids

They have high chairs if you toddler needs one.

Orange

Is this a real orange? Nope. This has orange marmalade and white chocolate whipped ganache. It really is stunning. You take your spoon and smash it open. In terms of taste, it was alright.

Strawberry

Strawberry or Tomato? I think it looks more like a tomato, but it’s a strawberry. It is made with house made sorbet jam blend with fresh strawberry and then coated with white chocolate ganache. The taste was also ok.

Blueberry Tart

This blueberry tart has blueberry jam, pasty cream, and an almond sponge cake. Pretty good item and the blueberry are so pretty.

The Garden

The dessert is stunning and I love the name. It has cucumber, yogurt mousse, yuzu cremeux, raspberry powder, and house made crostini. Very innovative, but the cucumber doesn’t work in this dish.

Osmanthus Udon

This is another creative dish. The ‘noodles’ are made of osmanthus panna cotta, then paired with berry sauce and crumble. Stunning but I wasn’t a fan of this.

Matcha Green Tea Tart

The Matcha Green Tea Tart has matcha soufflé, matcha sponge cake, and matcha ice cream. I enjoyed this Matcha Green Tea Tart.

The Autumn

This fun dessert has a red wine poached pear, chocolate cake, and red wine sauce. This dessert was ok as well.

Salted Caramel Brioche

The salted caramel brioche is paired with a salted caramel sauce, brown sugar crumble, vanilla Chantilly cream, and dark chocolate. I really enjoyed this one. It’s not as innovative like the other dishes, but it’s solid.

Final Thoughts

Billy Button Dessert Bar is very creative and innovative when it comes to stunning desserts. I love the look, but the taste feels a bit disconnected. The desserts I liked the most were the ones that look very boring- the salted caramel brioche and matcha green tea tart.

Address:
144 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.billybuttondessertbar.com/

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