Foodology
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In burger

Chicken World: Fried Chicken in Downtown Vancouver

Chicken World just opened their newest location in Downtown Vancouver near English Bay. Their first two locations are in Surrey and now, they have expanded. You don’t have to travel to Surrey to get a taste of Chicken World.

We were invited to give it a try to see how it compares to other fried chicken shops in town.

Menu

Gabbar Chicken Burger

This beast of a burger has two pieces of chicken, lettuce, and sauce. You get to choose between mild or spicy. We went with mild to get a good taste of the chicken. The chicken was fried nicely and remained juicy. It’s a pretty solid chicken burger and we would highly recommend it.

Bewafa Beef Burger

Another double beef patty burger and it comes with melted cheese, lettuce, mayo and tomato. You can choose between mild and spicy, but it’s recommended to get mild. It was decent but their chicken burgers are superior.

Fried Chicken

The fried chicken is nicely battered and fried to a crispy perfection. The inside is very juicy.

Peri Peri Oven Roasted Chicken

This has a nice kick of spice to it and it is a touch more dry than the fried chicken.

Chicken Poutine

The fries have a nice texture and flavour. The gravy consistency is thick and a touch on the salty side. The chicken bites have a nice kick of spice but all together its a bit salty for our personal preferences.

Arabian Rice

It’s a nice side to accompany the chicken if you want the meal to be more filling.

Chicken Wings in Honey Garlic

The wings have a nice batter and fried well. The sauce is very thick and sticky so it coats all over the chicken. There was a touch too much sauce. These wings go well with rice.

Mango Ice Cream Sheikhs

It’s a pretty sweet ending to the meal. As there is a caramel drizzle on the sides of the cup, it is sweeter than we would like.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the chicken is fried well and has a great batter. The flow of traffic at this new location is quite steady so the food stays fresh. This is major comfort food and it’s a great addition to the neighbourhood. Great for fried chicken.

Address:
1181 Denman St. Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://chickenworldbc.com/

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In New Westminster

[News] El Santo’s Amaranthus-Inspired Thanksgiving Feasts

This Thanksgiving is going to look drastically different for many, but what will stay the same is the emphasis on gratitude. Managing Director, Alejandro Diaz, and Executive Chef, Sam Fabbro, are thankful for all the support they’ve received from the community.

“We know how difficult it has been for everyone, and we are extremely thankful for the community’s positivity and continued support. This has been a challenging year, and we think the best way to give our thanks is by doing what we know best – sharing food and creating memorable culinary experiences”, explains Alejandro.

El Santo will be offering two take-home, Amaranthus-inspired Thanksgiving feasts that include all the fixings as well as simple heating instructions for pick up in-restaurant on Sunday, October 11th. Both options generously feed four with a high probability of leftovers.

For $150 plus taxes, the meat option features an achiote rubbed turkey galantine with sides including house made chips and salsa, Amaranthus’ fried Brussels Sprouts with gremolata and pumpkin seed hummus, creamy mushroom risotto, and crispy potato pavé. Dessert is a Mexican favourite: golden churros paired with a decadent dulce de leche. And for those who miss Amaranthus, Chef Sam has also created a vegetarian version of the Thanksgiving spread at $95 that includes a caramelized sunchoke terrine, the well-loved fried Brussels Sprouts with gremolata and pumpkin seed hummus, coffee roasted beets with pickled beet stems and a beet top chimichurri, crispy potato pavé with rosemary and thyme, creamy mushroom risotto, and golden churros to end the night.

Upgrade your feast by adding the el Santo Tequila Kit. Due to popular demand, el Santo is bringing back the sought-after tequila kit comprised of your choice of tequila, el Santo margarita mix, a bottle of Cointreau, a cocktail shaker, and house made garnishes. Choose between the Cazadores Tequila Blanco or the Sombra Mezcal Artesanal priced at $100 and $130 respectively.

In the spirit of giving thanks, el Santo is also donating one turkey and one vegetarian Thanksgiving feast to a family by means of community nominations. Nominations will be accepted through email at orders@elsanto.ca and the selected families will be contacted directly for pick up.

The Thanksgiving feast is available for take out or dine-in on Sunday, October 11th. For those who prefer to dine-in, a plated individual version of the Thanksgiving feature, minus the mushroom risotto, will be available for dinner service on Sunday, October 11th at $28 and $26.

Order the take-home feast via email at orders@elsanto.ca or by phone at 604-727-8176. The order cut-off is Thursday, October 8th at 1pm with pick up available on Sunday, October 11th between the hours of 2pm and 5pm.

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In Chinese

Kitchen by Maji: Chinese Meal Prep Kits in Greater Vancouver

Kitchen by Maji creates delicious Chinese meal prep kits for those who want a quick meal without the fuss. The owners behind Kitchen by Maji had a restaurant in Richmond called Maji, but decided to go the route of high quality meal prep kits to fill the need in the market for Chinese comfort food. I’ve seen a lot of meal prep kits around town, but its great to see more Chinese options that are really really delicious.

Everything is made at their Oak street location in Vancouver and they use high quality ingredients to craft these delicious meals. All items are freezer-friendly and have a good shelf life, so you can order a lot and not worry.

They aim to create these meal for those who want to prep their meals quickly and with little to no kitchen skills.

What I love about their packaging is that there are many ways to heat of the meals in their ready-to-serve packaging. Some dishes require a bit more time than others, but you won’t be disappointed.

They sent me a few kits to check out.

Delivery

They currently do free delivery if your order is over $120 for the Greater Vancouver area.

They are able to deliver to Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, New Westminster, Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Tsawwassen, and White Rock.

If you don’t live in those cities, just contact them to see what’s possible.

Taste Test

We didn’t try everything on the menu, but I do prefer the saucy dishes where you can just pair it with rice. A lot of the kits feed 2 people, so that’s perfect for our little family of 3.

The noodle dishes were great as well. Love the handmade noodles that have a fantastic taste and texture. Each noodle dish does feed 1 person and you can stretch it out to 2 people if you want, but you may need something else with the meal to get full.

Don’t forget to add their spreads to your order as they are really good. A nice treat!

Beefy Beef Noodle
Chicken Laksa Soup
Deluxe Seafood Congee
Curry Braised Brisket
Milky Custard Paste

Top Selling Dishes

I reached out to them to ask what are the top 5 selling dishes so far and here is their answer.

  • Asian Style Beef Brisket
  • Taiwanese Traditional Braised Pork Belly
  • Curry Braised Brisket
  • Beefy Beef Noodle
  • Chicken Laksa Soup

All great choices!

Final Thoughts

I loved how easy the meals were to prepare and the cost is very reasonable. We enjoyed it so much that we put in a big order. Now I’ll have a freezer full of delicious food ready to go whenever I get lazy to cook lunch or dinner.

I highly recommend them if you want to give it as a gift. Great for new parents, grandparents, or just anyone who wants a good quick comforting Chinese meal.

Address:
8335 Oak St, Vancouver, BC V6P

Website:
https://kitchenbymaji.com/en/

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In British Columbia

White Spot: Impossible Burger Review

White Spot and Triple O’s have become the first restaurant chains in Canada to launch the Impossible Burger. As most restaurants and fast food chains offer up Beyond Meat. Last year, White Spot launched their Avocado Beyond Burger for a limited time. They no longer have this burger on the menu.

We haven’t had the Impossible burger patty before, so we were really really keen to see how the taste compares.

The Avocado Impossible Burger

The Avocado Impossible Burger is their signature item on the menu and it has fresh avocado, pickled onions, crisp lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes, jalapeño ranch. It is served with a choice of Caesar salad, The Spot’s Salad, or creamy coleslaw and ‘endless’ Kennebec fries. 

You can sub the Impossible patty to any burger on the menu.

My husband got the Avocado Impossible Burger and started making his own substitutions. He added bacon strips and cheddar cheese.

Monty Mushroom Bigger Burger with Impossible Burger Patty

This has a Impossible burger patty with Jack cheese, roasted mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and their signature Triple “O” sauce. It definitely wasn’t ‘bigger’ and very minimal mushrooms. Not sure if it was the location that we got it from, but if you want more mushrooms, you can always add more for a small fee.

Impossible Burger Patty Taste Test

The Impossible Burger Patty is very well done and we wouldn’t have noticed it was plant based. It has the right amount of spices, good texture, and look. With the addition of the tomato, it looks like it ‘bleeds’.

Overall, we were impressed with the Impossible Burger patty as it wasn’t dry. If you’re looking for a plant-based alternative on the White Spot menu, definitely consider it. We really enjoyed it and didn’t miss the beef patty.

The Impossible Burger is made from proteins, flavors, fats, and binders.

  • Protein from soy and potatoes
  • Flavor from heme (the molecule that makes meat taste, well, meaty)
  • Fat from coconut and sunflower oils make it sizzle on the griddle
  • Binders, methylcellulose and food starch, hold it together so you can make anything you want — meatballs, kebabs, patties, and more.

You can read more about the Impossible burger on their website.

Website:
https://www.whitespot.ca/

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In British Columbia

Popeyes Canada: New Chicken Sandwich Review

Popeyes Canada has been teasing us with the release of their new Chicken Sandwich for about a week now. KFC Canada just released their new KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich, which uses similar ingredients too.

We had to get Popeyes Canada’s new Chicken Sandwich as it launched today to see how it compares for a better chicken sandwich.

What’s in the New Chicken Sandwich?

It is made with tender all-white meat chicken breast fillet, marinated in an authentic blend of Louisiana seasonings, then hand battered and breaded in our all new buttermilk coating. Served with crisp barrel-cured pickles and Classic or Spicy Mayonnaise, served on a warm and toasted buttery brioche bun.

Classic Chicken Sandwich Taste Test

The brioche bun was very pillowy and soft. The chicken breast fillet was actually still crispy even though we got it for take out and drove 35 mins back home. The pickles were nice and meaty slices, which was nice. There could have been a bit more mayo.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich Taste Test

It’s only the spicy mayo that is different. We did like the extra kick of flavour but it wasn’t too spicy. Our personal taste preferences gravitate to spicy when eating fried chicken.

This was always really good and you can’t go wrong with either classic or spicy.

Final Thoughts

We were pleasantly surprised how good it was for fast food chicken burger. We highly recommend giving it a try. We are a fan of their other menu items and glad this one lived up to the expectation too.

Website:
https://www.thesandwich.ca/

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In British Columbia

KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich: Review

KFC Canada launched their KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich in original and spicy options. It features KFC’s extra crispy seasoning and Canadian ingredients that set the standard for what a truly famous fried chicken sandwich should taste like.

The KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich is available in Canada only.

When we saw the news that it launched, we had to put in an order right away to see how it is. If it has the word ‘famous’ in the title, it’s worth a try. We love trying new fast food items to see how it compares.

What’s in the KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich?

It is made with 100 per cent Canadian farm raised chicken; it is buttermilk marinated and hand breaded in KFC’s famous Extra Crispy seasoning, and is then topped with sweet chunky pickles, creamy mayonnaise and sandwiched between a lightly toasted potato bun.

Original KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich

The KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich was pretty good. The mayonnaise and pickles really compliment it very well. As for the chicken, it was juicy and flavourful. The only complaint was the batter around the chicken. By the time we got home, the batter wasn’t as crisp.

As for a fast food chicken sandwich, it’s pretty good because it’s actually chicken meat.

Spicy KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich

The sandwich also comes in spicy. The chicken itself isn’t spicy, but they use a double spicy mayo instead of regular mayo. It’s not very spicy but it adds more dimension to the sandwich. Both were great and one wasn’t better than the other. It just comes down to personal preference.

We did notice that this chicken was HUGE compared to the other.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a KFC fan, you’ll love this. It’s a solid chicken sandwich for a fast food company. Everything was great but that batter needs to be crispier.

Website:
https://www.kfc.ca/

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In British Columbia

Canucks Marketplace: Culinary Experience for Fans and Foodies

The Canucks Marketplace is a new culinary experience that celebrates favourite local food brands, gives Canucks fans access delicious meal kits, provisions and team apparel, for a premium hockey celebration in the comforts of home. As the Canucks are back on the ice, you can enjoy meal from Rogers Arena delivered to your door or you can do pick up and enjoy a fun fan experience grabbing your meal.

We opted to pick up our order and experience the drive in.

They have partnered up with Top Table Group for offer their line of TopTable2U line of meal kits, Grasse Floral, Nightingale, Dirty Apron, Medina Cafe, Sportsbar, Earnest Ice Cream, Glory Juice, Uncommon Cake, and Farm + Home Grocery. A great selection to get a taste of all those eateries in one place.

We tried a few different items that they had available from their marketplace:

  • Elisa Burger Kit
  • Fin’s Party Pack for 4
  • Banana Cream Pie
  • Prawn and Scallop Paella with Lemon Aioli

There’s a nice selection for all occasions and for all cooking skill sets. There are some TopTable2U kits that can take a while to prepare.

A few of my favourite things you should consider getting is Earnest Ice Cream, Prawn and Scallop Paella with Lemon Aioli, Banana Cream Pie, Truffle Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Lasagna, and Burrata and Heirloom Beet Salad.

Prices are fair and there is lots of variety.

Website:
https://marketplace.canucks.com/

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In Dessert

J Squared: Tea Based Ice Cream in Richmond

J Squared Ice Cream is the latest ice cream shop to open in Richmond. A lot of talk of their tea-based ice cream flavours really caught the attention of people all over the Lower Mainland. There really isn’t a lot of other places that have a range of flavours revolving around the love of tea.

We love tea, so we couldn’t wait to give it a try.

We were invited for a sneak peek before they open their doors on September 1, 2020.

Menu + Flavours

Taste Test

We got pints of the Shanghai fog, Thai milk tea, and Japanese black sesame. All three were very solid flavours and it’s so hard to go wrong with them. The texture was very smooth and creamy.

At the store, they do have waffle cones available if you’re eating it close by. We opted for pints so we can slowly enjoy at home.

Final Thoughts

They have been really busy since opening and are still working out some kinks. Their line of tea inspired ice cream is pretty good and we can’t to see what else they can create.

The selection of tea flavours are pretty solid and isn’t just Asian tea flavours. Pries are very fair and worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Address:
405-9100 Blundell Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://jsquaredicecream.com/

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In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: Apple Oat Flat White Review

Starbucks just launched their Oat Beverage on the menu. They announced it months ago, but can’t believe it’s here already since so many loyal customers have been wanting this option for years.

They launched it today featuring the Oat latte and the Apple Oat Flat White. Two great hot beverage options. You can also have the oat beverage customized in other drinks if you want to keep it dairy free.

The Apple Oat Flat White is a Canada exclusive, which combines their signature espresso with steamed Oat beverage and Apple syrup, topped with Clove Sugar topping.

What Oat Milk/Beverage are they using?

When I as observing them making the Apple Oat Flat White, they are using the Earth’s Own Oat Barista Blend, which is actually my favourite out of all the oat milks out there.

Taste Test

The Apple Oat Flat White definitely represents the Fall reminds me of the sights of the Apple Orchards in October. The apple syrup doesn’t dominate the drink and works well paired with the espresso and clove sugar. If you want it more subtle, you can always ask for less apple syrup.

You can still taste the creamy texture of the oat milk and stands out.

I like it and I will get it again.

Fall 2020 Starbucks Line up:

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Our signature espresso and milk, with flavourful notes of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg creates this incredible beverage that’s a fall favourite. Enjoy it topped with whipped cream and real pumpkin-pie spices.

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Starbucks® Cold Brew sweetened with vanilla, then topped with a pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin spice—a super-smooth fall treat.

Apple Oat Flat White

This Canada exclusive combines our signature espresso with steamed Oat beverage and Apple syrup, topped with Clove Sugar topping. A new Fall favourite!

Oat Latte

Perfectly steamed Oat beverage and signature espresso combine to craft a cozy latte.

Salted Caramel Mocha

We combine espresso and milk with mocha sauce and toffee nut flavoured syrup, topped with sweetened whipped cream, caramel sauce, and a mixture of turbinado sugar and sea salt for the best of both worlds.

Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino

We combine mocha sauce and toffee nut flavoured syrup with coffee, milk, and ice, then finish it off with sweetened whipped cream, caramel sauce, and a blend of turbinado sugar and sea salt for an explosion of flavour in every sip.

Pumpkin Scone

A spiced pumpkin scone topped with sweet icing: deliciously and perfectly created for pumpkin lovers.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin

This moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin muffin—topped with a sweet cream-cheese filling and a sprinkling of chopped, spiced pepitas—offers a delightful balance of salty and sweet.

Pumpkin Bread

A gently spiced bread with pumpkin flavours and pepitas. There’s no doubt this tasty seasonal favourite will get you in the mood for fall

Ways to order

Customers have several options to choose from to enjoy their favourite fall beverages this year, while practicing safe social distancing, including:

  • Drive Thru
  • Curbside pickup
  • Starbucks Delivers (Check the Uber Eats app for availability and restrictions) 
  • Mobile ordering 
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In British Columbia

Takenaka Food Truck: Japanese Izakaya on Wheels in Vancouver

Takenaka Food Truck has hit the road serving up Japanese Izakaya in Vancouver. If you love places like Suika, Rajio, Kingyo, or Raisu, you’ll also love Takenaka Food Truck.

They have been very very popular since they just opened, so be prepared for a bit of a line up, but it’s worth it. Takenaka Food Truck is usually located outside a brewery on Fridays to Sundays. It is always best to follow them on Instagram to see where they will be next.

We were invited to check out a few items from their food truck menu.

Menu

Chicken Karaage

The crispy chicken karaage is mixed with their special spice mixture. It was beautifully fried, so it had a nice crisp exterior. The chicken was very tender and full of flavour.

Ebimayo

The ebimayo is made with large plump tiger prawns in a rich and creamy Japanese chilli mayo. We felt like there was a bit too much batter to it, so it took a way from the prawns.

Snow Crab Roll

This roll has snow crab meat, avocado, and tobiko wrapped in rice and seaweed. It was a solid roll and you can really taste the quality.

Wagyu Shabu Shabu Udon

This bowl of comforting udon has thinly sliced boiled beef, radish sprouts. seasoned boiled egg, yuzu zest, Sanuki udon noodle, and their original udon broth. It was a pretty good bowl of udon and that wagyu is really soft and tender.

Wagyu Foie Gras Aburi Nigiri

This has a slice of wagyu nigiri topped with foie gras, truffle salt, and SANSHO sauce. It was so damn good! It was fatty and so tasty that it just melt in your mouth.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we find this is a fantastic option for Japanese Izakaya if you’re ever at a brewery or special event. The food is fantastic and pairs so well with beer. Highly recommend you check it out.

Best to go early before the large rush arrives so you aren’t waiting in line for too long.

Website:
https://takenakavancouver.com/menus/menu-food-truck/

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In Japanese

Kinton Ramen: Now Open in Vancouver (UBC)

Kinton Ramen is a Canadian chain of Japanese Ramen, which originated in Toronto. We actually went to Kinton Ramen in Toronto a few years ago and their ramen didn’t disappoint, so we were excited to try it out again.

Founded by Toronto’s Kinka Family in 2012, Kinton Ramen has earned critical acclaim for its chef-driven Japanese ramen dishes, which feature rich and flavourful broth paired with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Kinton Ramen’s new venture at UBC will be the first West Coast outpost for the celebrated ramen chain, which now boasts more than 20 locations around the world in Canada, Japan and the U.S. The restaurant has received numerous industry awards for its signature take on Japanese ramen – including a Platinum award in the ‘Best Asian’ category at the 2019 Toronto Star Reader’s Choice Awards – and has been voted ‘Toronto’s Best Ramen’ by readers of NOW Magazine for six consecutive years.

They are currently in soft opening mode.

Patio

Kinton Ramen at UBC is a sit down restaurant and because of the whole Covid-19 pandemic, only the patio was open when we were dining here.

Keeping you Safe

In accordance with current public health recommendations, Kinton Ramen has incorporated a number of new safety protocols into its day-to-day operations in order to protect restaurant staff and guests. While the eatery is usually known for its communal-style seating and energetic atmosphere, seating options have been reduced both indoors and outdoors to allow for physical distancing between diners. Additionally, all staff will be subject to pre-shift health screenings, must wear with PPE while interacting with guests, and will sanitize high-touch surfaces and common areas throughout the restaurant on a frequent basis.

Pork Miso

This has soybean paste, pork, corn, garlic oil, and scallions. We customized it with thin noodles, and then added an egg and seaweed.

The broth was very delicious and rice. There are a good amount of toppings included in the bowl. The cha shu was cooked nicely. We did feel the thin noodles were a bit on the soft side, so next time, we would want to ask for firmer noodles.

Veg Original

This has sea salt, fried bean curd, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, corn, onion ginger oil, and scallions. We customized it with thin noodles, and added on cheese, which came on the side. The broth was very nice, but we did feel the same about the noodles how they were a bit soft.

They have 4 different vegetarian ramens on the menu, which is a specialty just to this location. It’s great that there are so many options.

Karaage

We also got a side of ramen to accompany the meal. It has lemon and a garlic mayo. It was fried really nicely with crisp skin. The meat was also very tender.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki is deep fried octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, mayo, bonito flakes, and aonori. This was really good and it’s so good to have takoyaki again. It has a nice thin crisp exterior and very savoury on the inside.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s an amazing option for those at UBC at the centre of the campus. They do also have alcohol and dessert on the menu if you want more than just the savoury items. The prices are definitely very reasonable and won’t break the bank for a university student.

Address:
6111 University Blvd #102, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.kintonramen.com/

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In Bubble Tea

Teapressu: Storefront Now Open in Burnaby

Teapressu is one of our favourite bubble tea shops on wheels, but recently we found out they have open a storefront in Burnaby on Kingsway. We were very excited, so we decided to give them a visit. Their hours are limited as they are in a very soft opening phase to work out any kinks.

They are known of their teas created using an espresso machine. It extracts great flavours from the tea, making each cup very strong and aromatic.

Their menu has a variety of bubble teas and even vegan options. Plus, soft serve too.

Menu

Pearl Milk Tea Soft Serve

I got the twist where it has the milk tea and vanilla together. Then I also added pearls to it based off their suggestion. It was really good and a nice treat, but it got quite messy when it melted. As the cup in tall and narrow, it would drip down the sides of the cup.

Pearl Iron Milk Tea

This is their number 1 best selling drink on the menu.

I got it at 100% sweetness, but it was a bit too sweet for me. Next time, I would do 50% or even 30%. Nonetheless, the pearls were nice and chewy. The tea was very fragrant too.

Apple Awakening

They have fruity beverages on the menu and my husband tried their Apple Awakening. It was very refreshing especially on a hot Summer’s day.

Final Thoughts

Teapressu is a great addition to the neighbourhood, but they do face tough competition as Chatime is just a shop away. Nonetheless, I do prefer Teapressu for their superior quality and affordable price. Support local as much as possible.

I highly recommend Teapressu, so if you’re in the Burnaby area, check them out.

Address:
5242 Kingsway, Burnaby BC

Website:
https://teapressu.com/

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In British Columbia

KFC Canada: Plant-based ‘Chicken’ Sandwich and Popcorn ‘Chicken’ Review

KFC Canada now has launched their new plant-based chicken sandwich and popcorn chicken across Canada. It is 100% Canadian and made by LightLife, which also supplies other fast food chains like A&W with their nuggets.

The ‘chicken’ patty and popcorn chicken are made with soy, wheat and fava beans. It’s the first plant-based chicken substitute to be served at a chicken chain in Canada. KFC did have a veggie sandwich, but has now been replaced with the plant-based Chicken Sandwich.

After an incredibly successful pilot with plant-based partner Lightlife in 2019, vegetarians and flexitarians everywhere can now experience KFC’s delicious taste at their local restaurant starting August 10, 2020. It is permanently on the menu and isn’t going away.  Plant-Based KFC Popcorn will be available for a limited time while quantities last. The duo can be ordered individually, as part of a combo, or as part of a box meal.

Taste Test

KFC chicken sandwiches have always been very very average for us, so we were very excited to try out the Plant-Based sandwich and KFC Popcorn. Upon first look, they both look like a regular chicken sandwich and popcorn nuggets.

Both the nuggets and the chicken patty were very very similar, just different sizes. The exterior is crispy and has the signature KFC spices embedded throughout. The texture is a bit on the dry side, but it didn’t turn me off.

We’ve had a lot of plant-based sandwiches and this was actually pretty good for KFC. It won’t be the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten, but it satisfies the KFC cravings.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by both the Plant-based Chicken Sandwich and KFC Popcorn. We definitely recommend it if you’re curious about them. Best to get the box meal so you can try both items.

Website:
https://www.kfc.ca/

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In Event

Brentwood Great Takeout, a Food Truck Festival

The area around The Amazing Brentwood has transformed a lot in the last few years and will continue evolving to bring more people into the area. The latest event to pop up is the Brentwood Great Takeout, a Food Truck Festival presented by Grosvenor and organized by the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s not your ordinary food truck festival, but a adapted version to keep safe with their families.

This festival will now taking place weekly every Saturday until September 26 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on part of Grosvenor’s latest development site in Burnaby. The ‘Brentwood Great Takeout’ series is part of Brentwood Community Days presented by Grosvenor and demonstrates the developer’s commitment to building engaging and meaningful public spaces.

I personally loves these types of event happening in our city as it brings our community together and makes it more lively, plus it makes the neighbourhood much more tasty.

The food trucks do rotate, so make sure to check back weekly on the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival website.

We were invited to check out the food trucks at the Brentwood Great Takeout.

Parking

There is complimentary parking available if you decide to drive. There is also lots of public transportation options like the Brentwood Skytrain Station and buses.

Safety

To ensure your family’s safety, hand sanitizers are offered at the entrance and wearing masks are highly encouraged. They limit the amount of people into the festival, one way entry, and social distancing.

Also, note you can’t eat on the premises.

Food and Drink

As the food trucks do rotate weekly, keep an eye on their website to see if your favourite food truck is at the Brentwood Great Takeout. When we were here, we got to check out:

  • Salt Spring Noodle Bar
  • Wing’s Outdoor Grill
  • Indian Delicacy
  • Slavic Rolls
  • Los Tacos Hermanos 
  • Lenny’s Lemonade
  • Betty’s Greek Honey Ballz – Loukoumades 

I personally loved Betty’s Greek Honey Ballz – Loukoumades and Indian Delicacy (butter chicken poutine is amazing).

Indian Delicacy – Platter
Betty’s Greek Honey Ballz – Loukoumades 
Slavic Rolls with Strawberry and Barvarian Cream
Wing’s Outdoor Grill – Salt and Pepper Wings
Indian Delicacy – Butter Chicken Poutine
Los Tacos Hermanos  – Fish Tacos
Salt Spring Noodle Bar – Teriyaki Chicken and Veggie
Lenny’s Lemonade – Pink Lemonade and Blue Raspberry Lemonade

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a quick stop to grab some food. You can’t eat inside the event area, so you’ll have to eat it somewhere close by or take it home. We opted to grab it all to go and enjoy it at home as we live close by.

Address:
 2150 Alpha Avenue, Burnaby

Website:
https://greatervanfoodtruckfest.com/events/

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In Cafe

Bel Café: Picnic Boxes and Pastries To Go

Bel Café recently introduced their new Bel Box, which is a lunch box on the go and it comes with your choice of a sandwich, a half Tuscan Kale salad, a cookie, and a small drink. Bring it back home or take it to the park for a picnic.  

Senior Pastry Chef, Tessa Faulker, recently launched a selection of new pastries including a Cinnamon Morning Bun, rosemary twist, raspberry vanilla scone, miso almond kouign amann, and the ham & cheese bostock.

Lots of new things happening and we were invited to check out these delicious treats.

Bel’s Picnic Box

You can choose from these sandwiches:

  • Ham and Cheese Mt. Moriarty cheese, smoked ham, mustard, sourdough bread
  • Smoked Meat Montreal style smoked beef, pickles mustard, rye bread
  • Herbivore roasted garlic hummus, baby gem lettuce, pickled red onion, cucumber, avocado
  • B.L.T. (or A.L.T.) bacon/avocado, lettuce, tomato

We got our box with the smoked meat sandwich, chocolate chip cookie, half Tuscan Kale Salad, and Flow Water.

It’s a solid box with everything you need for lunch.

Rosemary Twist

The rosemary twist is quite large and has many flakey layers. It’s like a croissant but twisted with the aroma of rosemary and hints of salt.

Cinnamon Morning Bun

This is covered in sugar and cinnamon, which makes it like a churro croissant. A tad messy to eat, so becareful.

Ham & Cheese Bostock

This was our favourite pastry as we tend to gravitate towards savoury pastries. It had a good texture that complimented the ham and cheese.

Miso Almond Kouign

The miso almond kouign is sweet and delicious like an almond croissant. The miso is subtle but works well.

Raspberry Vanilla Scone

Lastly, the raspberry vanilla scone is pretty standard but a touch on the sweet side. It also has a crumbly texture, so be careful when you eat this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, lots of new things happening at Bel Cafe. Of the things we tried, we really like the Rosemary Twist and the Ham & Cheese Bostock the most. They really have quality savoury pastries that stand out. Cinnamon Morning Bun was good and it reminded us of a churro.

With the weather so great this summer, it’s great to grab a few things and head to the close by parks or beaches.

Address:
1780 W 3rd Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://belcafe.com/

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In Japanese

Raisu: Japanese Lunch Sets and Kids Meal in Vancouver

Raisu is a Japanese Izakaya in Vancouver and their sister restaurants are Kingyo, Suika, and Rajio. They specialize in Teishouku, which is Japanese for pre-set meals. It’s usually chef’s selection of items with miso soup and a bowl of rice.

We usually go to Raisu for dinner, but this was our first time having lunch at Raisu. They actually have some amazing lunch meals and kid sets available for dine-in.

We were invited to check out their lunch offerings at Raisu.

Patio

They have a patio and we always enjoy dining in this area. It is covered with a roof and there are fans to keep you cool.

Dining Room

They socially distance all the guests so eating indoors is comfortable and safe. Staff were all wearing masks too.

Menu

Kids Set $15

The kid sets are meant for children under 12 years old. You get a bit of everything to keep those picky eaters eating.

When we dined here, our Kids Set came with:

  • Chicken karaage
  • Ebiten with tartar sauce
  • Japanese omelet
  • Salad
  • Meatball with miso demiglace sauce
  • Grilled Veggies (bean, pepper, and corn)
  • Miso soup
  • Dessert (Japanese Lemon Cheesecake, but changes seasonally)
  • Drink ( Choice of orange juice, Calpico water, or Calpico soda)
  • Small Kid snack (Koala Bear cookies)

This is a really fun meal and a lot of adults wished they could have it too. It’s a good selection of fresh veggies, fried food, and treats. It was all good especially that Japanese Lemon Cheesecake. It was a pleasant surprise.

Lunch Meal Special $24

On the menu, you choose 2 items from these 4 available choices:

  • Chef’s choice sashimi (3 kinds)
  • Deep fried food (2 kinds)
  • Today’s meat dish
  • Today’s grilled fish

The set comes with rice, miso soup, small dish, pickles and salad.

The Chef’s choice sashimi was salmon, tuna and scallop served in a bowl with radish threads, seaweed, sprouts, and tobiko. Very fresh and good quality.

The grilled fish available today was salmon and mackerel served with lemon, minced daikon, and sauce. Mackerel is generally has lots of bones, a touch dry but very buttery in taste. If you don’t like picking bones out, this may not be the dish for you.

The meat dish today was beef steak served with green and mushroom. It was a touch overdone for our liking.

The deep fried food was a jumbo scallop with snow crab, and a 100% wagyu croquette. Solid dishes with the use of panko.

The small dish of the day was braised melon. It’s tasty but a touch on the salty side if you eat it by itself. It’s best eaten with rice to really enjoy this.

The salad, rice, and miso soup complete the meal. A filling lunch and you can’t so wrong with this. Very enjoyable.

Yuzu Lemonade

This is light and refreshing with carbonation and hints of sweet yuzu. Drinks aren’t included in the set, but it’s a nice accompaniment to the meal especially on a hot summers day.

Raisu Punch

This has Calipico, kiwi, pineapple, and aloe juice. we got this omitted with the kiwi because of personal allergies. It’s also a very light and refreshing drink to pair with the meal. It is a bit sweeter than the yuzu lemonade but it has more flavours going on.

Yuzu Parfait

Highly recommended even if you’re super full. Dessert is a separate stomach right? This has RAISU original yuzu gelato, yuzu rare cheese cake sponge cake, and yuzu cream on top. The yuzu gelato is really good and brings this whole dessert together.

Final Thoughts

The lunch sets for kids and adults are fantastic and fun. It’s a good way to try a bit of everything they have to offer. You definitely want to see what is on their daily special menu as it can rotate daily.

Don’t forget to end you meal with the Yuzu Parfait as we absolutely adored it.

Address:
2340 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.raisu.ca/

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In Cafe

Lady M Cakes by the Slice or Whole Now Available at Spiritea in Vancouver

Lady M New York has launched their new site ladym.ca to offer shipping to Canada, but it is very costly to Canadians at over $200 per crepe cake. It got Canadians really excited, but then Spiritea in Vancouver began offering Lady M cakes imported from New York by the slice or as a whole cake. You don’t need to spend over $200 to commit to a whole cake as you can now have it by the slice.

We were invited by Spiritea to try their Lady M Cakes to see how it compares.

Prices

  • Slice of Mille Crepe Cake ($19.50)
  • Whole Mille Crepe Cake ($225)

Signature Mille Crepe Cake

The quality was superb and not sure what their secret is to keeping it so fresh even though it was imported across the country. It is soft and fluffy with 20 paper thin crepes between their pastry cream. When you look at it, it’s really a work of art. If you’ve ever tried making these on your own, it tasks a lot of skill. This cake just melts in your mouth.

This is the top flavour as it’s what made them famous in the first place. Classic.

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

This is another popular flavour that gets sold out quickly. Quality was good as well and if you’re a matcha lover, you gotta get this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, quality is fantastic and you can’t argue with that. The price is steep, but you can’t get a taste of Lady M without getting on a plane or ordering it from Lady M New York (the shipping is a pain).

It’s a luxury Mille Crepe Cake, so if you can afford $19.50 for a slice of cake, go for it.

Address:
4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://spiriteadrinks.com/

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In Bubble Tea

SunTea 新作的茶: Bubble Tea in North Burnaby

SunTea is now open in North Burnaby at Kensington Plaza. They specialize in fruit tea, milk tea, dorayaki, and floss cake. Currently, they are in their soft opening phase but we decided to check it out as we live a block away. They have other locations in BC, but I haven’t been to any other of their locations.

They do have 20% off the whole menu during the soft opening, which is nice.

Interior

The space is small, there there really isn’t too much room to social distance as people are either drinking by the window, ordering, or waiting for their drinks. We did observe all the staff wearing masks, which is good.

Menu

Strawberry Frappe

The strawberry frappe is made with fresh strawberries, strawberry slush, whipped cream and cake pieces. It did have a lot of strawberry, so that was nice. The drink was decent, but it didn’t taste outstanding. Just pretty average.

Purple Sticky Rice & Tofu Jelly Milk Tea

I ordered the regular size and it has layers of their purple rice and tofu in the milk tea. The purple rice really wasn’t sticky at all, but it added a nice texture to the drink and the I liked the slight sweetness of the tofu jelly.

It was good and I would get this again.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Dorayaki

The dorayaki was filled with lots of cream cheese and blueberry. Pretty good, but it definitely wasn’t cheap at just under $6 regular price.

The filled was good, but we did feel the pancake was very dry.

Purple Yam Dorayaki

Love the look of the purple yam dorayaki. It doesn’t fall apart and it’s very firm. It has a delicious filling which isn’t too sweet, but we also felt the pancake was dry as well.

Final Thoughts

They are still in their soft opening phase, so they definitely have some things to improve on. I did get a weird vibe when ordering from the staff. Even though I was standing right in front of them to order, they were busy looking at their phone to notice I was trying to order. I had to wave a few times to get their attention.

The drinks are dorayaki can be a hit and miss, but the area definitely needed another bubble tea shop. There’s 3 coffee shops, but no bubble tea shop until now. It’s not my favourite bubble tea shop, but I’ll come here out of convenience. I would get the Purple Sticky Rice & Tofu Jelly Milk Tea again.

Address:
6528 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC

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

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