Foodology
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Dessert

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In Cafe

Sulmida: Korean Shaved Ice Desserts in Vancouver

Sulmida is a Korean dessert cafe specializing in bingsu or better known as shaved ice. They have other locations in Burnaby and Richmond. This particular one is in Vancouver on the West End on Denman Street close to Robson.

I came here on a weekday with some friends after dinner.

Interior

The space is pretty large compared to other locations, so there are plenty of tables to enjoy your dessert and drinks.

Choco Brownie Bingsu

In the bowl, it is filled with layers of sweet milky shaved ice and the chocolate mixture. Then topped with vanilla ice cream, brownies, and the choco ‘soil’.

Mango Banana Bingsu

As mangoes are in season now, this is very popular, It has mango puree, mango chunks, banana, almonds, and vanilla ice cream.

Green Tea Bingsu

All of the bingu are so cute with the addition of the almond bunny ears. This green tea version has red bean right under the vanilla ice cream.

Final Thoughts

All the bingsu were good, but it took them a very long time for them to be created. Our drinks that we ordered took a long time too.

We Rate Sulmida: 

Address:
780 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC

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In Dessert

Junior’s Cheesecake in New York City

Junior’s Cheesecake was founded in Brooklyn back in 1950 and is best known for their delicious New York Style Cheesecakes. If you’re visiting New York, you don’t have to travel to Brooklyn to their original location. Right by Times Square is this location with lots and lots of cheesecake. We stopped by after a Broadway show for a little bit of a sweet treat but their dining area was packed full of customers and plenty of other people waiting in line.

They have a take-out section where you can take a slice of cheesecake or a whole one to go.

We ended up getting 2 pieces for takeout and share it with our friends too.

Strawberry Cheesecake

This beautiful slice of cheesecake has the  original cheesecake topped with fresh strawberry pie filling and baked into a graham crust with our macaroon crunch. Loved the texture of the crust, the soft velvety texture of the cheesecake and the big pieces of strawberry.

Original New York Plain Cheesecake

Of course we had to go with this classic. This is really creamy but not heavy at all. When you take your first bite, it won’t crumble at all. The rich flavour is so addictive that you want more. It was rated “Best Overall” by the Wall Street Journal.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the area and never had Junior’s before, best to go grab a slice at the restaurant or grab it to go.

We Rate Juniors Cheesecake: 

Address:
1515 Broadway, New York, NY

Website:
https://www.juniorscheesecake.com/

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In Bakery

Mr Osmad: Japanese Souffle Cheesecake in Vancouver

Mr. Osmad Souffle Cheesecake is located in Damso restaurant on Bute Street near Robson Street. Osmad is Damso backwards.

They bake the Japanese Souffle Cheesecakes in-house everyday in 30 minute batches, so grab them before they’re gone or else you have to wait 30 minutes for the next batch to be done.

When we got here on a weekend, we only needed to wait about 10 minutes, so we patiently waited. If you don’t want to wait around, it’s best to order it ahead of time.

I got mine for take out so I could bring it home to enjoy. It is 6 inches in diameter and costs $9.52.

It’s best to eat it on the same day. You can either have it at room temperature or heat it up slightly. I wouldn’t suggest keeping it until the next day as it can get a bit dry. The texture and moisture was ok, but isn’t my favourite.

So far there isn’t a lot of places to buy this in Vancouver, so if you’re craving for Japanese Souffle Cheesecake, check out Mr. Osmad.

We Rate Mr. Osmad: 

Address:
770 Bute St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://mrosmad.com/

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In Chelsea

Doughnuttery Mini Doughnuts in New York City

Doughnuttery NYC makes artisanal mini Donuts inside Chelsea Market. My friend suggested it, so we got a bunch for a snack. It was very busy lining up and finding a table, but with some patience, we got our box of mini donuts and seats.

They have a lot of flavours, so thats what draws in all the crowds. They have traditional flavours like cinnamon sugar, but they have an even longer list for unique flavours like Urban Monkey, Pumpkin Pie Brulee and Paris Time.

Menu

Interior

We ordered 25 mini donuts in total with 5 flavours, so we did have to wait a little bit for them to get through the orders.

They use their special donut machine to make everything. It’s fun to see them get created.

Once they drop into the basket, they either get glazed or covered in flavoured sugar.

Mini Donuts

In our little box, we got the:

  • Cinnamon Sugar
  • Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin, Graham Crackers, bruleed sugar, and fall spices
  • Cacao Boy: cacao nibs, chocolate cookies, and mesquite
  • Paris Time: Lavendar, pistacho, and vanilla
  • PBCP: Peanut butter, cayenne and pretels

I did not like the Cacao Boy at all, the mesquite flavour just ruined thr who flavour in my opinion. I enjoyed the cinnamon sugar as it’s a classic and you can’t go wrong with that. Paris Time was a good one as well if you like lavender.

We Rate Doughnuttery NYC:  

Address:
425 W 15th St, New York

Website:
https://www.doughnuttery.com/

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In Cafe

812 Cake and Dessert: Korean Cake in Burnaby

812 Cake and Dessert denotes their 8 signature cakes and desserts, crafted from a 12 step baking process. They specialize in cakes and desserts all handcrafted. All items here are inspired by local, seasonal ingredients and prepared daily. They are located close to Gilmore skytrain in Burnaby and there are parking spots out front.

Cakes

When we arrived, they have most of the cakes available but one of them was sold out.

Tiramisu

I got a slice of the tiramisu and it has layers of mascarpone cream and espresso chantilly. The slices are a good size and delicious.

Sweet Potato

This has sweet potato mousse made with freshly cooked sweet potato and diplomat cream. One of my favourite sweet potato cake I’ve had. Highly recommended.

Salted Caramel

This cake has salted caramel chantilly made with house made salted caramel sauce and fresh whipping cream. I personally wasn’t a fan of this cake.

Strawberry Cheese Tart

Strawberry Cake

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with fresh strawberries.

Blueberry

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with house made blueberry compote.

Blueberry Cheese

This cake is different as it has cheese mousse with house made blueberry compote.

Iced Tea

They also have different teas and coffees on the menu to go with the cakes. We had the Basic Black Iced Tea and the Berry Herbal Tisane.

Final Thoughts

There are some really good cakes here at this cafe.

We Rate 812 Cake and Dessert: 

Address:
4208 Dawson St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://812cake.com/

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In Dessert

The Pie Hole: Now Open in Burnaby

The Pie Hole opened their new location in Burnaby this weekend. Their first location is on Fraser Street and since it was a hit, they opened this one in Burnaby. Great for me since I live in Burnaby. Jenell Parsons is the owner of The Pie Hole. She spends countless hours in the kitchen baking, creating new recipes and delivering pie delicious pies to those in the Lower Mainland. I remember way back in 2011 when they first started out at the Baker’s Market in Vancouver. They have come a long way in 7 years.

Interior

The space in the Burnaby location is pretty large. There are 3 large refrigerators that have ready to cook pies and ice cream. Pie and ice cream go great together.

Near the counter are the pies that you can buy by slice or the whole pie. You can find sweet and savoury varieties.

You never know what pies they will have, so you might want to order the pies that you want online and then pick it up. We wanted some banana cream pie, but it wasn’t ready when we were there.

Hand Pies

Since it was early on in the day, we picked up some savoury hand pies to enjoy for lunch. We took them home and reheated them at 350F for 10 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara

Chicken Carbonara pie sounded pretty unique and is made with chicken, cream, parmesan cheese, bacon, flour, butter, peas, onions, mozzarella, garlic, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, water, and free run eggs. Delicious flakey exterior and meaty pieces of chicken inside.

Bacon Cheeseburger

Bacon Cheeseburger pie is made with ground beef, cheddar cheese, milk, flour, butter, mozzarella, bacon, pickles, mustard, onions, salt, sugar, pepper, water, sesame seeds, vinegar, and free run eggs. One of the popular flavours and it was moist with good flavour.

Mini Pies

They were giving way 100 mini pies to their first 100 customer when the store opened, so, the hubby and made sure we were the fist people to get there. I got the Butter Pecan and he got the Buttermilk Apple Crumble.

Buttermilk Apple Crumble

In this delicious mix are Granny Smith apples and Gala apples mixed with that butter brown sugar crumble. Nice flaky crust with the crunch of the crumble.

Butter Pecan

This is my ultimate weakness. Ooey gooey and  has a good amount of pecans. My favourite kind of pie.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This slice was beautiful as it has dark chocolate ganache, chocolate silky layer, fresh whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle.

Final Thoughts

About time for a pie shop to open in Burnaby. I enjoyed their sweet pies over their savoury pies but maybe thats because I have a little sweet tooth. Either way, it’s good to have more pie options in the subburbs.

We Rate the Pie Hole: 

Address:
7832 6th St, Burnaby

Website:
https://www.thepiehole.com/

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In Dessert

Momofuku Milk Bar: Disappointing Time in New York

Momofuku Milk Bar has seen better days. I’ve had it in Toronto and also my previous visit to New York at their East Village location. Since it was our first night in New York on this particular trip, I wanted to show my friends how delicious it was by ordering the cereal milk soft serve and the crack pie.

Since the Financial District does die down, the area was deserted, but Momofuku Milk Bar was still open. This particular location has a take out window.

Cereal Milk Soft Serve

This was a good portion to share with my friends, but it tasted really bad. It was reminiscent of the milk at the bottom of your cereal bowl. It was more tart and creamy like yogurt. Not sure what happened there. We’ve had this before, but this time it really tasted very different.

Crack Pie

The crack pie was the redeeming factor. It does look a bit different due to the while stuff on top. Back in 2012, they didn’t have that but they must have tweaked the recipe. It has a toasted oat crust and a delicious centre made of butter, sugar, brown sugar and cream.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the quality has definitely gone downhill. I don’t know if it was just this location or if its across the board, but I really didn’t like it enough to return.

We Rate Momofuku Milk Bar: 

Address:
110 Wall Street, New York

Website:
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/milk-bar/

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In Bubble Tea

Bar Pa Tea: Healthy Bubble Tea and Soft Serve in New York

When in New York, I had to check out Bar Pa Tea for their bubble tea and soft serve ice cream in Lower Manhattan. They are creating a healthier alternative to bubble tea without compromising the distinct taste and experience of traditional bubble tea. On the menu, you’ll find tapioca pearls that are free of additives and drinks sweetened with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We came on the weekend around 2pm and it wasn’t too busy.

Interior

The space is small, so there aren’t many seats. Just a few stools and smaller tables. Most people grab it to go.

Oolong Tea Latte Soft Serve with Mixed Bubbles

This soft serve was delicious, but on the sweeter side. We added a mix of their regular bubbles and mini bubbles to give them both a try. It was really delicious and you can instantly taste the difference and it looks different than normal bubbles.

Black Tea Latte

I love the colour of this drink where it’s 2 colours until you mix it all together. It not very sweet, which I really like. You can also get this with soy milk or almond milk if you’re lactose intolerant. After having the soft serve, this didn’t taste like much because of how less sweet it was in comparison.

Final Thoughts

It’s pretty unique since there aren’t too many shops focusing on healthy bubble tea and also create delicious tea-based soft serves. I would definitely come back for some more, but I would avoid peak times to avoid any line ups.

We Rate Bar Pa Tea: 

Address:
85 Kenmare St, New York

Website:
https://www.barpatea.com

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In Coquitlam

Polito’s Latin Café: Pupusas, Tacos, and Dessert in Coquitlam

Polito’s Latin Cafe in Coquitlam just opened a few months ago and has given the neighbourhood what it’s been lacking for a long time – latin flair. My friend Hilda brought Sherman and I here for dinner since she loves this place. I trust her recommendations as she has a pretty refined palate. I didn’t know what to expect when coming here since, but they have tacos, burritos, pupusas, quesadillas, a few specials, and dessert on the menu.

Interior

They can seat up to 60 people in the restaurant and can host large parties here. We came on a weekday, for the 3 of us, so it wasn’t that busy. They are busier on the weekends.

Menu

Drinks

Tamarind Juice, Horchata and Jamaica Juice are on the menu. They also have some unique drinks too that aren’t easy to find in Vancouver like Inca Cola, Guarana, Postobon Manzana, and a few other soft drinks.

Al Pastor Taco

This has pork, pineapple, cilantro and onions on top of 2 corn tortillas. A good solid taco.

Veggie Taco

This isn’t you regular veggie taco, it has fried plantain, black beans and cream.

Asada Taco

On this taco, there is shirt steak, cilantro and onions. A good simple taco thats pretty meaty.

Pollo Taco

This taco is topped with pulled chicken, cilantro, cream, and pico de gallo. This was my favourite of all the tacos as it has a good aroma and well spiced.

Pupusas

It’s really hard to find Pupusas in Vancouver and this is a El Salvadorian dish handmade thick corn tortilla filled with a filling. We got one of each since we wanted to try both.

  • Revuelta – Pork, beans, cheese, and sweet pepper
  • Queso – Cheese and Zuchinni

I gravitated towards the revuelta because the pork and beans added more flavour. It be delicious and not oily at all. The chef really puts hard effort in making sure he has the right cheese blend that works with the pupusas. You’re supposed to eat the pipusas with the slaw that has a nice kick to it.

Mar Y Tierra

This was one of the two specials they had today and it is a classic Latin American Surf n’ turf dish with marinated skirt steak, grilled prawns and served with latin-styled rice, black beans, pico de gallo and guacamole. We got the steak medium rare and it had great flavours but some parts of it was chewier than others.

Bandeja Polito’s

This is Polito’s take on a popular Columbian dish. It has chopped rib eye steak, beans, rice, fried egg, fried plantain, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Yet again, the steak was well seasoned with delicious flavours.

Chips, guac and pico de gallo

They made these just for us while we were here. Freshly fried tortilla chips with the guacamole and pico de gallo. Delicious!

Tres Leches

Holy smokes, this dessert was freaking fabulous. I don’t really like dessert, but this has changed my mind. It is sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. I would highly recommend getting this.

Flan

Another killer dessert that is pretty unique. It’s custard and caramelized cake with chocolate. It’s not too sweet, so I really liked it. Good combination with the cake under it. You have to get this dessert too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was great to discover Polito’s Latin Cafe as there really aren’t a lot of these kinds of places around in the Lower Mainland that knock it out of the park. I really enjoyed it here and I love how it’s a family run business. I’ll definitely be back.

We Rate Polito’s Latin Cafe: 

Address:
942 Westwood St, Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://politoscafe.ca/

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In Dessert

Kekou Gelato: Asian Inspired Desserts in Toronto

When I was in Toronto, my friends highly suggested I go to Kekou Gelato for a taste of their unique flavours of gelato. They specialize in Asian-inspired frozen desserts. Since I sometimes have a sweet tooth, I couldn’t say no to coming here with my friends. I had less than 24 hours in Toronto, so I needed to eat as much as I could.

Interior

There are lots of tables inside this location and the line starts on the right side of the shop. It was late into the evening, but there was a good amount of people inside.

Menu

Tasting

There were lots of flavours to choose from, so I tried a bit of everything. How could I resist? All the flavours were pretty darn delicious, so it made deciding on one flavour very difficult.

In a Cup

One of my favourite ones that I tried was the HK Milk Tea gelato. I got it as one scoop in a cup. It was pretty smooth and made well. The tea flavour stood out and was addictive.

In a Cone

Instead of a cup, you can get it as a cone too.

If you are in Toronto for a visit, I would highly recommend this place for a nice sweet gelato treat. I sure enjoyed it.

We rate Kekou gelato:

Address:
394 Queen Street West, Toronto

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/kekougelato/

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In Cafe

Nestle Toll House Cafe’s Sweet Grand Opening in Downtown Vancouver

Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip held its grand opening event earlier this month. Roman and I attended and met the owners, Sherry Najafi and her husband. They were proud to share their cafe with the attendees, and even had a corporate rep from Texas attend. The concept behind the Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip started out in Texas back in 2000 and has grown with multiple locations in the US and a couple in Canada.

Upon entering, one is greeted by the sweet smell of delicious baked cookies. What is surprising about this Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip is its extensive menu, which offers cookies, brownies, ice cream, hot and cold beverages and savoury options. Yes, they have flatbreads, wraps and paninis for those whose sweet tooth isn’t as big as mine. They taste pretty good too! Having savoury options makes it a great go-to-spot for lunch, especially being situated on Howe and Nelson Street.

The cafe is spacious and bright and its decor includes words like “Enjoy” and “Relax”, which is a good reminder to take a sweet break in our busy lives.

The treats were sweet and delicious, and we even had the chance to decorate our very own cookie cake! Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip offers large cookie cakes that can be customized for any occasion. We were guided by Jolynn, the corporate rep from Texas, as she showed us tips and tricks on how to decorate with frosting. The theme was Halloween and we tried to replicate a pumpkin on our cookie cakes. Some attendees got very creative and drew ghosts and other festive images related to the occasion.

When they offered ice cream sandwiches with their signature cookies, Roman was on it (for the both of us, since I had forgotten my lactase). You can choose from a variety of flavours and you may choose the cookies you want to sandwich your ice cream in! Roman had the chocolate peanut buttercup ice cream in between two chocolate chip cookies. Needles to say from the look on his face that it was very good!

Next time you’ve got a special occasion or event to go to and can’t think of what to bring, think of a cookie cake and get it customized at Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Address:
980 Howe St #101, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://nestlecafe.com/

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In Bubble Tea

November Dessert: Chinese Desserts in Burnaby

November Dessert is a Chinese dessert shop located on Grimer Street in Burnaby. This street has a lot of dessert shops and cafes opening up in the last few months and locals are noticing. I’ve heard of November Desserts but haven’t made a visit until they asked me to come for a visit to try some of their different dishes. If you’ve heard of Scorpio M in Richmond, they moved their operations here, changed the name and the menu is very similar to what they had before.

Interior

The interior is large and can fit small to large groups. They have utilized the beautiful grey brick walls and incorporated some beautiful Chinese decor that gives it a unique look.

Menu

Their regular menu has different soupy desserts, pancakes, and limited drinks. They also have a beautiful afternoon tea set, but you need to order 24 hours in advance. You wouldn’t know they had it unless you look at their social media accounts. I missed out on the tea set since I didn’t reserve ahead of time, so we stuck to the regular menu.

It was hard to figure out how each item on the menu differentiated itself from another, so I had to get my mom to translate some parts of the menu since I can’t read Chinese.

Drinks

I started with the milk tea, they use oolong tea as their base, but when they mix it together with the milk it’s eerily frothy, perhaps they use powdered milk, which I really do not like.

Mango and Durian Pancakes

The pancakes are wrapped like little packages. The skin is thin and is filled with whipped cream and the chosen fruit inside.

Durian

The durian pancake has a good chunk of fruit inside and all the durian lovers will enjoy it. It’s an acquired taste, so you will either love or hate it. I’m more on the neutral level since it taste like onions to me, but everyone’s experience if different.

Mango

Mango is a classic and a hit with everyone unless you are allergic to mangos. One of my favourite items to get here.

Snow Ice with Chopped Strawberry

We also added taro mochi, grass jelly, and papaya. I love this bowl since it has the cute little polar bear in the centre. I really enjoyed the toppings and the snowy ice flavoured with a bit of condensed milk.

It’s a good item to share with friends and you chat away and pick at this.

Mango and Black Sticky Rice with Homemade shaved ice

The shaved ice was milky, which was enjoyable. It is  topped off with 2 large scoops of black sticky rice and chopped mangos. This was ok, but not that special.

Mango, kiwi, homemade riceball with homemade shaved ice

 

Final Thoughts

They have improved their desserts since they were Scorpio M, but with the tough competition of dessert cafes in the area, it’s hard to stand out since there is another cafe doing similar desserts. The space here is quiet, so we did notice some people studying here.

We Rate November Dessert: 

Address:
5358 Grimmer St, Burnaby

Website:
http://mdessert.ca/en/

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In British Columbia

Chihuo Vancouver: Dessert Tasting Market Recap

I recently learned that “Chihuo” means “foodie” in Chinese. I also learned that it’s a Wechat media company based in LA and is also here in Vancouver. Chihuo connects foodies with food reviews of various eateries around the city. They had their inaugural food tasting market at the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond, and it was a dessert lovers paradise. There were multiple vendors who shared their signature dishes and included Choco Coo Desserts, Snow Bear Bakery, Baker & Table, Teature Lounge, Butter.mere Patisserie, 45 Degree Bubble Tea House, Lotus Cake Boutique, Moment Dessert House and Cha Le Tea Merchant.

Beautiful display by B’llisa Private Planning

The event was slightly delayed and became crowded quite quickly. However, I was pleasantly distracted with all the beautiful and delicious-looking displays that had samples for the attendees.

Some of my favourite desserts were from Teature, Baker & Table and Lotus Cake Boutique.

Teature

When I saw that Teature had panna cotta, I was all over their table! I really enjoyed their panna cotta; it was very smooth and creamy, and I liked how it was topped with tapioca pearls. The pearls added a chewy contrast to the silkiness of the panna cotta. What also caught my eye were there beautiful, multi-coloured mini macarons. They were simply too cute! The flavours were Earl Grey and Oolong, and they were delicious. I also tried a dessert that had Jasmine Tea infused in it. Unfortunately, I forgot the name, but I remember that it was slightly crumbly and creamy at the same time, and it had a good amount of Jasmine Tea flavour.

​Teature’s Panna Cotta

​Teature’s Oolong and Earl Grey Tea Macarons

​Teature’s Jasmine Tea-Infused Dessert

Baker & Table

My favourite from Baker & Table were their Mochi Matcha Red Bean Melon Pan. This matcha-flavoured bread had mochi and red bean in the middle, which gave it that sticky, chewy texture I love so much about mochi.

Baker & Table – Mochi Matcha Red Bean Melon Pan

Choco Coo

Choco Coo had a very smooth and creamy Match Mousse. I find that some matcha desserts are on the brink of being a little bitter (especially when it is dusted with matcha powder), but this dessert was balanced. It was not overly sweet, and the matche powder was not overpowering. It was topped with crispy chocolate pearls, which complemented the matcha. Not going to lie, I thought about eating another one!

Matcha Mousse

Despite the slight delay, and how crowded it became within an hour, the Chihuo Tasting Market was enjoyable. I was able to try most of the vendors’ offerings, but for one that I missed out on (like Moment Dessert House), I have a photo of their dessert and a promise to make it out to their bakery to give their pastries a proper try.

Desserts by Moment Dessert House

 

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In Bubble Tea

ZenQ: Now Open in Vancouver

ZenQ is an international dessert chain originated from Taiwan within the same parent company as Chatime. They are quickly expanding in Canada, Vietnam and Hong Kong this year. They specialize in desserts that have grass jelly and Q balls (matcha, yam and taro flavoured).

Menu

Their menu has drinks and desserts.

Waffles

Orea Cocoa Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles with a sprinkling of Oreo cookies, bananas, chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Good for chocolate lovers.

Fresh Fruit Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles too with a drizzle of honey and as scoop of ice cream. The fruits that were on the plate are mangos, strawberry, honey dew, and banana. Of the two waffles, I liked this one because of all the fruits.

Creamy Frappe Series

Mango Creamy Frappe

They have a bunch of different snowy ice desserts, but this one has mango frappe, fresh mango, mango jelly, vanilla ice cream, condensed milk and fruit loops. The mango frappe was delicious and the textures of the mango and jelly went well together.

Tofu Pudding Series

Tofu Pudding No 3

In this dessert, there is Pearls, Q Balls, Peanuts, and Sweet Potato a top tofu pudding. The Q Balls were nice and chewy like mochi.

Hot Grass Jelly Series

Hot Grass Jelly No 2

This has grass jelly, taro, pearls, Q balls, and a ball of brown sugar.The grass jelly and the pearls were nice and chewy.

Royal Sweet Soup Series

Red Bean Soup No 3

Sweet potato in a red bean soup was ok, but we all personally didn’t like red bean soup.

Longan Black Glutinous Rice Series

Longan Black Glutinous Rice No 3

This version also has Sweet Potato right in the centre. The consistency is thicker and you get a lot of texture from the rice.

Oreo Cocoa Ice Diamond

If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll like the oreo chocolate drink.

Hot Hand Made Taro Milk Tea

There are pieces of taro in this and it’s pretty hard to find a taro milk tea with real taro. Make sure you mix this around as the taro sinks to the bottom.

Winter Melon Latte

The winter melon taste is faint as you can taste more of the milk and it has more of an almond taste to this.

ZenQ Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

Classic item to get at any bubble tea shop. Since they do specialize in grass jelly, it’s a must.

Strawberry Black Tea

The sweet strawberry paired with the black tea. Good for those who like a bit of caffeine and a fruity touch.

Mango Green Tea

The mango green tea I felt was a bit sweet for my taste preference.

Final Thoughts

Overall, some food and drinks were a hit and miss. If you want to impress your friends, go with the classic milk tea, waffles, grass jelly desserts or their tofu desserts. It’s good to have more options in town where there are desserts and bubble tea to hang out with friends.

We Rate ZenQ: 

Address:
495 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://zenq.ca/

ZenQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Dessert

O! Taho: Filipino-Style Tofu Dessert on Fraser St

O! Taho has been on my list of places to go to for a while to try their Filipino-style Soya Pudding. There’s only a handful of places to get handmade soya pudding in Metro Vancouver, but I’ve never heard of the Filipino version. My friends were having lunch close by, so we decided to come here.

Interior

The interior isn’t very interesting. Simple, but they focus their efforts of their food. There are 2 small tables to eat here, but most people do takeout. They have on the menu Filipino congee, various longanisa, lumpia, empanada, BBQ, halo-halo and the soy pudding. When we were here, they didn’t have any more congee, so we stuck with the soy pudding.

Hot Soy Pudding

We decided to share the 1 serving size for $5. They also have cold soy pudding too. We went with the hot and it is served with the sweet brown sugar syrup and tapioca pearls on top. Mostly everyone takes it to go, but we had some time to kill, so we had it here.

The tofu was delicious and very smooth. I’ll definitely try it cold next time.

We Rate O! Taho:

Address:
4223 Fraser Street, Vancouver

O! Taho Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Saemaul: Rice Dessert Cafe in Coquitlam

Saemaul is a rice dessert cafe in Coquitlam. It is hidden away in a strange looking plaza. They specialize in rice-based desserts and I was pretty excited to give this place a try since they have more than just rice cake. My foodie friends invited me to tag along to take a few things off their menu.

Interior

The interior is simple with lots of tables and chairs. Since they are pretty new, this place wasn’t very busy on a weekday. It’s still a well kept secret.

Menu

Jolly Pong Shake

This sweet milky drink is topped with Jolly Pong rice puffs. It reminded us of milk and ice cream because of it’s thick-ish texture.

Injeolmi Snow Ice Flake

Injeolmi is essentially rice cake with roasted soybean flour. They also paired it with red bean in this snow ice flake. They also have other flavours too, so if you aren’t into injeolmi, there is chocolate, mango, strawberry, coffee and classic red bean.

Dipping Chocolate Fondue with Rice Cakes and Fruit

This cute interactive dessert has 2 different kinds of rice cake. One has different layers of colour like a rainbow and the other has more tough like regular rice cakes. Then you also have strawberries, kiwi and bananas.

Homemade Rice Flour Waffles

My favourite item of the night were these homemade rice flour waffles. It took them a long time to perfect the recipe but it’s is nothing I’ve ever had before. It’s super crisp and crunchy. I would definitely order this again.

Rice Cake Churros

The rice cakes are dusted with sugar and cinnamon. It was decent but you didn’t need this many churros to satisfy your cravings.

Rice Roll Cakes

There was the matcha rice roll cake and strawberry rice roll cake. You can tell it’s made of rice flour as the texture was more dense.

Red Bean Mochi

This was good! It’s delicious when it’s made fresh. It has a pillowy soft texture with the red bean hiding inside.

Rice Cheese Cake

I enjoyed this dessert too. It has a rice flour crust and I didn’t notice it too much. I just kept eating it and would order this again.

Overall, some desserts were a hit and miss, but there are definitely a few gems like the waffles.

We Rate Saemaul Cafe:

Address:
B-901 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/saemaulcafe/

Saemaul Rice Dessert Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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La Glace: French-style Ice Cream Parlour in Vancouver

I may be lactose intolerant, but that didn’t stop me from attending La Glace‘s tasting preview event a couple of weeks ago. Ice cream at the end of a hard work day was much needed, and Roman and I were eager to get our hands on a decadent treat. As we approached La Glace, I was delighted by the balloons and the setup outside of the shop. The colours of mint, black and white were so welcoming, and the touch of gold made it so pretty. Needless to say, I was already impressed!

I could not help but notice and smile when I saw an ice cream cart with a large black and white umbrella. A young female staff member greeted us and asked us if we would like to try the Matcha Black Sesame Swirl. Roman quickly agreed (he loves matcha) and reported back on how good and creamy it was. I was amused by how it was served in a small cone. It made it look oh so cute!

Matcha Sesame Swirl

We entered the shop and I took in the beautiful interior design. Although the shop is inspired by a Parisian aesthetic, I could not help but notice some familiar pieces that my mother also has in her house. It was an unexpected touch of home, and I excitedly pointed them out to Roman. These were the peacock decor that were on display on the shelves behind the counter. The peacock imagery was reflected on the beautiful walls as well.

Lately, I have been more inclined to choose a vegan ice cream option, since it is dairy free (I am NOT vegan). Pastry chef, founder and culinary director, Mark Tagulao, informed me of the shop’s vegan offerings. Mark spoke with such enthusiasm and passion, I found myself even more excited to try the vegan flavours! Hugh, the front-of-house manager was very friendly and encouraged Roman and I to try everything. I immediately gravitated towards the Vegan Coco Pandan, because it made me think of Buko Pandan (which is a Filipino dessert made with young coconut and green gelatin that is similar to grass jelly). Anyways, this ice cream was an elevated translation of that dessert. The coconut flavour did not overpower the pandan flavour, and it was so creamy! I could not believe it was vegan! Hugh even offered to add a macaron and a marshmallow of my choice. I went with the lavender marshmallow and it complemented the Coco Pandan well.

Vegan Coco Pandan with Macaron and Lavender Marshmallow

The other two delicious vegan flavours we tried were the Chocohuète and the Chocolat à la Menthe. These two flavours did not disappoint! The Chocohuète was a rich peanut butter and dark chocolate flavour, and the Chocolat à la Menthe was a cool and creamy mint and dark chocolate combo. I loved mint chocolate chip ice cream when I was a kid, and the latter is a grown up version that I will come back to.

Vegan Chocohuète and Vegan Coco Pandan​

Roman and I also had sample tastes of the other flavour on La Glace’s menu, including the Bananes Foster (banana rum cream, toffee swirl & cinnamon) and the Pretzel Cremèux (sweet & salty pretzel cream). Although these flavours are dairy-based, I HAD to try them and good thing I came prepped (thanks to my lactase pill). These flavours were amazing! Extremely creamy, rich in flavour, and indulgent. Speaking of indulgent, Roman and I plan on going back to La Glace because one of the parfait offerings piqued our interest. It was the Sans Rival, which is two scoops of vanilla ice cream and cashew meringue that is topped with fresh whipped cream. Again, I could not help but notice that this is also inspired by another Filipino dessert with the same name. I am definitely curious as to how it was translated into an artisanal ice cream.

Marshmallows

La Glace definitely had a sweet Parisian patisserie feel. The colours, decor, and space were so inviting, just like Mark and his staff. Roman and I felt pure bliss when we were experiencing La Glace and its ice cream. It is a great spot for a dessert date, or to celebrate a special occasion. Enjoy the last hot weeks of summer with a cool treat at La Glace, where “All things are better when shared with someone cherished”. La Glace is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 10pm.

Address:
2785 W 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website: http://laglace.ca/

La Glace Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Summer’s Ice Cream: Fresh, Homemade Ice Cream Since 1984

Summer’s Ice Cream Shop in Yorkville invited me to try their ice cream the other week and since I consider ice cream a major food group, I obviously obliged!

Summer’s Store front

Summer’s is a family-owned ice cream shop that’s been making homemade ice cream since 1984. Tucked away on Yorkville Avenue, it’s a great place to catch a break from the Toronto heat (and stilettoed ladies with tiny dogs). They have 24 flavours that are made in small batches daily. Since the shop was crammed with customers, it was difficult to take a photo of all their offerings. Instead, I decided to include a preview of their top flavours along with a recommendation of the type of person I think would enjoy them…

I apologize for the photos, they don’t have the most blogger-friendly lighting. For the full list of flavours, check out their website.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie: this is their most popular flavour, it has homemade brownies and rich fudge in Summer’s signature chocolate ice cream.

Pairs well with: that friend that never disappoints. They’re always down to grab beers, they actually carry cash, and they pick you up when you’re down (in life, beer pong, etc.)

Birthday Cake: chunks of real birthday cake swirled in vanilla ice cream

Pairs well with: that gal/guy that LOVES red velvet. And probably Taylor Swift.

Toronto Pothole: Almonds, marshmallows, peanuts, chocolate chunks

Pairs well with: the life of the party. Whether it’s keg stands or spontaneous karaoke, this person is full of surprises that will leave you with a stomach ache from laughing too hard (or drinking too much).

This girl is stressing hard about picking a flavour…

Yes…I was being judged by many passersby as I attempted to take this shot. Do it for the Gram right? That English butter toffee swirl though…

I tried a scoop of their Almond Butter Toffee in a freshly made waffle cone. The ice cream was made up of a creamy almond base with bits of toffee, crunchy almonds, and an English butter toffee swirl. It was very delicious. I wish I took the time to savour it but unfortunately I had to gobble it quickly as it was melting in the 27 degree heat. I don’t know what this choice says about my personality, but please feel free to slide your psychoanalyses into my DMs.

If you need a break from the boujee-ness of Yorkville, I recommended stopping by Summer’s Ice Cream. I rode the TTC in sweltering heat to try a scoop and I’d do it again. If you knew me and my low tolerance for the Toronto transit system, then you’ll know that means Summer’s is worth it. And if you’re unable to come by the store, their pints are sold at several retailers across Ontario like Loblaws, Sobey’s and Rabba’s. The Summer’s team was kind enough to let me take home a pint of their Pistachio ice cream. It reminded me of marzipan and was very tasty with some shaved coconut and berries.

Whoops I wasn’t able to take a picture of my delicious homemade sundae – the aesthetics weren’t “right” (which means I ate it before I could take a picture, sorry I’m only human).

Address:
101 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON

Website: https://www.summersicecream.com/

Summer's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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