Foodology
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In Brunch

Eggslut: Breakfast Sandwiches in Vegas

While in Vegas, I always have to try to eat as much as I can. One go-to place for breakfast is Eggslut in the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Eggslut originated from Los Angeles and there are a few other location in the states.

On a Friday, I wandered down to Eggslut to get a taste of their breakfast sandwiches and there was already a line at 10am.

The line looked long, but I waited about 10 minutes before putting in my order. Waiting for the food wasn’t too bad.

There is minimal seating, so if you are in a large group, you’ll be out of luck getting a seat. If you are insistent about getting a seat, you’ll just have to wait. The turnaround time is quite quick.

Sausage, Egg and cheese sandwich

This was delicious and perfect for the morning. The sausage patty had lots of flavour and wasn’t too salty. A good balance of ingredients. The egg yolk was slightly runny, so when I bit into the sandwich, I got it all over my shirt. Napkins are definitely needed.

Fresh Pressed Orange Juice

What better way to balance out all the food I’ve been having in Vegas with some fresh orange juice. A good pairing with the sandwiches here, but I wish there was more pulp in their juice.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I wish I had more than one sandwich. I’ll definitely be back next time. There’s a good amount of choices on their menu and it’s a quick meal.

We Rate Eggslut: 

Address:
The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas, Level 2

Website: https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/eggslut

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

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In British Columbia

KFC Canada: Behind the Scenes

When I saw that KFC Canada was opening its doors and let customers behind the counter with the world’s first KFC Cooking School, I signed up right away and paid my “tuition fee” of $5. The downside was that it was all the way in Abbotsford, about a 1 hour drive from Vancouver. Either way, I am a huge fast food fan and I had to see how they create their chicken from start to finish.

Although KFC franchises around the world have allowed customers and fans behind the scenes in the past, letting the public cook their own meals is a KFC world-first. Everything was revealed except their 11 herbs and spices.

Not only is the chicken served at KFC restaurants 100% real, Canadian farm-raised chicken, but every single piece is hand-breaded and cooked with pride by real KFC cooks.

They even have a picture in their dining room with the spices and herbs, but its still a secret and locked up in a vault. Crazy, but it’s their signature flavour.

We started by suiting up in apron and hair nets. Not the most flattering, but food safety is #1 priority to keep customers and staff safe.

We were introduced to their packing area where the put all the meals together. It was cool to be up close to such industrial machines at a fast food restaurant.

In the past six months, every KFC cook went through recommitment training to ensure that they continue to take the care to hand-bread every piece of chicken, just the way KFC founder Colonel Sanders did in 1952.

They first take the pre-portioned chicken from the fridge and begin inspecting them before dunking it into the cold water.

It goes into the cold water to help coat each piece of chicken. They make sure there are no more air bubble in the batch.

Next, they dredge it in their flavour and 11 herb and spice blend, then then place it on the frying rack in a strategic way so each piece cooks perfectly.

The chicken goes into the pressure cooker, which is a fryer. All the computers are preprogrammed to make sure each batch is perfect and golden brown.

Once it is ready, it comes out nice and golden brown, just like what you’re use to.

They let is rest before putting into the another machine to keep until it’s ready to be served.

The holding machine makes sure the chicken is in the optimal environment before serving. They can let it sit for up to 90 minutes before discarding.

The fruits of our labour was a delicious box of KFC chicken, fries and gravy.

Look at that, from start to finish, they weren’t hiding anything in their original recipe chicken, just like how the Colonel would have liked it.

It was a fun hour going into the kitchen, looking around, and getting our hands dirty.

Website: http://www.kfc.ca/

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In Coquitlam

Taco Bell Canada: Naked Chicken Chalupa

Taco Bell Canada just introduced the Naked Chicken Chalupa. It was available in the United States, but are slowly removing it from their stores.

Luckily, Canadians can still enjoy it for a limited time. The closest Taco Bell to Vancouver is one in Coquitlam, so it is a fair ways away from the city.

The Naked Chicken Chalupa has deep-fried chicken breaded and tossed with seasoning as the shell. Inside, there is shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and sauce. It has a nice spicy kick to it, which I enjoyed.

Every bite was very enjoyable. M couldn’t part with the naked chicken chalupa, so he decided to get another one. If you do pass by a Taco Bell, I would highly recommend the Naked Chicken Chalupa.

Website: https://www.tacobell.ca/en

Taco Bell Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Mexican

Las Tortas: Mexican Sandwiches in Vancouver

Las Tortas is a restaurant on Cambie Street that serves up Mexican cuisine as is known for their tortas – Mexican sandwiches. M and I were in the area and needed some dinner, so I thought we should stop here to grab a quick bite since I haven’t been here before and we are both huge fans of Mexican food.

Interior

The interior is small and decorated with movie posters. You order up at the counter and find your seat. We came here right after work, so it wasn’t busy at all.

Horchata and Mexican Cola

We got a drink each. I went with the horchata and it was good but a little gritty on the bottom from the almonds. Finding Mexican Coca-Cola is a joy as it tastes better as its made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Tortilla Soup

The tortilla soup comes in a large bowl, so M and I split this between us. The tortillas were hiding inside and got soggy by the time we dug in. I didn’t really like it.

Chorizo Con Huevo Torta

This torta has Mexican spicy sausage, egg, and veggies between the buns. It was a delicious blend of egg and sausage.

Carne Asada Torta

This was similar to the other torta, but it has grilled asada steak and Oaxaca cheese. This was our favourite of the 2 tortas. It is more meaty, but the jalapenos were a bit much for me.

Churro

Churros are made fresh and it is powdered with cinnamon and sugar on the outside. Too bad that it doesn’t come with dipping sauces.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great place to stop by for a torta. I enjoyed the tortas, but the other items were a bit of a miss. They also have tacos, which I will have to come back for a revisit.

We Rate Las Tortas: 

Address:
3353 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://lastortas.ca/

Las Tortas Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

A&W Canada: All Day Breakfast

A&W Canada has just launched their All Day Breakfast across Canada. Most of their locations have started to transition towards All Day Breakfast, but not all of them have. They are expecting by mod-May that a majority of location will have All Day Breakfast. My friend and I were craving hashbrowns for lunch and decided to come here for some breakfast sandwiches.

Check out my review of A&Ws breakfast items from last year.

Their menu seems to be serving everything from their breakfast menu, not just a limited menu like another fast food competitor. Ah hem McDonalds.

I’m very impressed that they were able to make everything from their plated breakfast to their Mama Burger.

I got a sausage and egger in an english muffin. Also with a root beer and hashbrown on the side. My english muffin was a bit scorched, but it was still delicious and it wasn’t too greasy.

My cravings were satisfied and I’m glad I can get their hashbrowns any time.

If you’re ever looking for a quick all day breakfast, check out A&W.

Website: https://web.aw.ca/en/home

A&W Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Bubble Tea

Chatime Kerrisdale: Now Open in Vancouver

Chatime locations are slowly popping up all over Vancouver and in the subburbs. Their newest location that just opened in Chatime in Kerrisdale.

They are having their soft opening right now, but on March 10th till the 12th, they will be having their grand opening, where they are having a buy 1 get 1 free promotion, where the free drink is either Pearl Milk Tea or Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea.

I go to Chatime quite often as it’s my go to bubble tea shop in Vancouver. I always go with my usual order – Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, half sweet and less ice. This time around, we tried 5 different drink combinations to explore more items on their menu.

Interior

On the right side is where you put in your order and then wait till its ready.

There are a few tables in the front, but there are more chairs and tables in the back to enjoy your bubble tea and spend time with friends.

Butterfly Pea with Grapefruit Juice

We got this drink regular sweetness and regular ice. Butterfly pea is been brewed in teas dating back centuries while providing numerous health benefits. These flowers are known to act as anti-oxidants, increase blood circulation, help you sleep and promote skin health. The natural blue colour of the drink will magically change colours as the acidity level changes.

 

The name was inspired due to the shape of the flower and its glamourous blue-violet colour, resembling a butterfly.

The tea itself isn’t very strong, but the grapefruit juice balances really well with this drink. I can see it being a great drink to get once the temperature starts rising in Vancouver.

Oolong Tea Mousse

Oolong tea mousse was made with half sugar and regular ice. I like the variety of tea with the delicious salty sweet mousse on top. Similar to another bubble tea chain in town.

Pretty good drink, but I would get it with less ice.

Hazelnut Milk Tea + Coffee Jelly

We got this with no sugar and less ice. I’ve never had hazelnut milk tea before and it was good with the coffee jelly. Surprising combination.

Kumquat Lemon Juice + Aiyu Jelly

It has regular sugar and regular ice. They use fresh kumquat when available, but due to it being a seasonal fruit, real fruit syrup may be substituted. It was refreshing and tangy.

Aiyu jelly is a jelly made from the seeds of various figs that is found in the mountains of Taiwan. Aiyu jelly is usually served with honey and lemon juice as well as fruit tea. A good combination.

Strawberry Au Lait + Pudding

This last drink has regular sugar. It is made with blended strawberry syrup, coconut jelly and milk, then topped with more coconut jelly. On the bottom, there is pudding added.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the bubble tea is pretty consistent with some of the other locations and bubble tea is just delicious. If it’s your first time here, I would suggest my favourite drink – Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, half sweet and less ice. I always love getting milk tea as it’s a great benchmark to see how their drinks compare to other companies.

We Rate Chatime Kerrisdale: 

Address:
6075 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.chatimebc.com/

Chatime Kerrisdale Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Black Milk Water: Coffee Shop in Coquitlam

Black Milk Water Coffee and Dessert is a new cafe that opened up on North Road between Burnaby and Coquitlam. This cafe is located on the bottom floor hidden in the left corner of the plaza.

Interior

The interior has an industrial look to it with the cement, steel and wood textures. Lots of seats and the space is quite open.

It wasn’t too busy here, so it was easy to find a seat in the middle of the day on a weekend.

Matcha Frapp

Matcha Frapps come in a plastic cup, but if you want it in a glass jar, you can ask them ahead of time.

The matcha frapp was good and a great treat. Very cold, but it is a bit icy once you drink most of the liquid.

Duo Cups

They have these duo cups where you can have 2 different iced coffees. I had a iced vanilla latte and mocha. When you need 2 boosts of caffeine, this is for you.

Cappuccino

The cappuccino hit the spot and it’s made with Timbertrain coffee beans. A taste of the downtown coffee shop in the subburbs.

Final Thoughts

It’s a pretty solid coffee shop, but their dessert selection could be a bit larger. With other desserts and coffee shops in the same plaza, there’s definitely some competition. I find that most coffee shops are super crowded on the weekends, so if you are looking for an alternative, this might be the place for you.

We Rate Black Milk Water: 

Address:
4501 N Road, Burnaby

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/black_milk_water/

Black Milk Water Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Fairview

Benkei Ramen: Peko Ramen and Vegan Ramen in Vancouver

Benkei Ramen in Vancouver has always been innovating their ramen to cater to those who love authentic Japanese ramen as well as those with dietary restrictions. I was invited with a friend to try their new Peko Ramen as well as some other items off the menu. As my friend has a seafood allergy, they have a few vegan options.

Interior

The interior is nice with wooden walls and bamboo. The staff are nice and friendly.

Green Tea

Start off with a hot cup of green tea.

Housemade Gyoza

You can order it as a side portion with your ramen or a full order for the table. They only have a pork filled gyoza but are working on a veggie gyoza to add to their menu in the near future.

The pork gyoza was a good accompaniment with a hot bowl of ramen. Great to share with a friend too.

Peko Ramen

Their Peko Ramen is a silky milk broth made of tonkotsu broth, milk, shio-dare and brandy. The broth is very clean, rich and not oily at all. It wasn’t salty at all and with the amount of veggies in this bowl and the slices of lean chicken meat. I slurped up the bowl.

This is back for a limited time until March 31.

Black Vegan Ramen

For those with dietary restrictions, it’s hard to enjoy ramen. Benkei introduced their 2nd vegan ramen – Black Vegan Ramen along side their vegan miso ramen.

Vegan black is deliciously rich. The broth is made with rich vegetable stock, black sesame miso, and drizzle with coconut milk and roasted red pepper. The noodles are also eggless.

More Vegan Ramen

A sneak peek into another vegan ramen they are in the process of creating. They introduced this to me as their white vegan ramen, but they are still tweaking the recipe and name.

I really do appreciate how they are expanding their menu to those ramen eaters with dietary restrictions.

Sauce

Raw Garlic and chili sauce is available for free, all you have to do is ask for it. It’s helpful to enhance the broth if you are feeling its a bit bland.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Benkei Ramen has a lot more to offer than just their usual ramen. I’m impressed they are continually trying new ramen creations.

We Rate Benkei Ramen: 

Address:
545 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
benkeiramen.com

Benkei Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Brunch

Hart House: Brunch in Burnaby

Hart House Restaurant has Sunday Brunch from 11am – 2pm at their beautiful heritage building. It’s a popular place to have dinner and a place to host weddings. They specialize in West Coast cuisine. There is a good amount of parking out front .

Complimentary bread

Fresh warm bread arrived at the table with jam and softened butter. A good way to start off the meal by nibbling on bread.

Daily Seafood Fritata

This is what my mom ordered and it comes with house potatoes, 2 pieces of fruit and bread. The choice of seafood that goes into this changes, but it should look somewhat similar.

Classic Eggs Benedict

It has back bacon on english muffins, topped with poached eggs and hollandaise. It is served with 2 pieces of fruit and house potatoes. You can add sides to it if you need a bit more to the meal. M added a sausage, but it was pretty small compared to the additional price of it.

The eggs benny was mediocre compared to the other items on the brunch menu.

Braised Veal Cheek Hash

The dish has two poached eggs, wild mushrooms, asparagus, truffled hollandaise, and toast. This dish was delicious and full of flavour. Melt in your mouth delicious!

Hart House Breakfast Sandwich

The sandwich has a fried egg, crispy pork belly, smoked cheddar, arugula, tomato, and spicy mayo. It is served with fruit and house potatoes.

The crispy pork belly pieces were absolutely delicious.

Drinks

Get got coffee and tea to go with our meals and it comes with refills of coffee and water.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Hart House had a good selection of brunch items, but some dishes were a bit basic.

We Rate hart House: 

Address:
6664 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby

Website:
http://www.harthouserestaurant.com/


Hart House Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Lunar New Year with Red Rooster Winery and their Bold New Look

Though the Lunar New Year dinners have come and gone, and I have since recovered from all the gluttony, there’s one dinner that sticks out in my mind. We were recently invited to the unveiling of Red Rooster Winery’s brand new look at a multi-course winemaker’s dinner hosted by Winemaker Karen Gillis and Chef Angus An, owner of Fat Mao.

Although the evolution of asian cuisine didn’t exactly revolve around the pairing of food and wine as did european cultures, Winemaker Karen GIllis and Chef Angus Ahn tag teamed to bring out the best of both words. The wine and food paired together perfectly and we took note of a few wines that we’d bring to our next dinner party! A few of our favourites included the Red Rooster Chardonnay, Reserve Malbec, and Cabernet Merlot.

Coincidentally, 2017 signaled the coming of the year of the rooster – the fire rooster to be exact. Toasting the new year with Red Rooster’s bold new look was especially fitting.

2014 Red Rooster Reserve Rose

Kicked off the night with their reserve rose, a light, dry and fruity rose with refreshing acidity, paired with a soy-marinated quail egg.

2015 Red Rooster Riesling

Next up, we had the riesling. It was a dry, light-bodied riesling with a green citrus crispness, which paired beautifully with the drunken chicken ballotine (red rooster marinated, served with thai fermented bean sauce) and Tuna and Mussel Ceviche (with thai basil and herb vinaigrette and lime juice). The freshness and spices in the dishes paired well with this riesling.

2015 Red Rooster Chardonnay

I usually like my chardonnays with a bit more of a warmer, buttery, and slightly oaky taste but this Red Rooster Chardonnay paired extremely well with the thai fried egg salad (with avocado, asian celery, and cherry tomatoes), and Asian style Bouillabaisse (with black cod, mussels, clams, finished in a tumeric broth).

While we all have our preferences, it’s amazing how those preferences change depending on what you eat with it. This was a light to medium-bodied wine on the cleaner and brighter side with aromas of fresh fruit, apple, pear, citrus and just a hint of oak and vanilla to round it out. In addition to the riesling, this would also work well with many types of chinese-style banquet foods.

2014 Red Rooster Reserve Malbec

This was my favourite of the night! My favourite style of wine paired with my favourite tastes of chinese cuisine – their reserve malbec paired with a braised pork cheek (aromatic and tender, served with steamed buns) and a dry duck noodle (with shredded duck leg, poached egg, and shanghai noodles).

I’m looking back at my notes and all I wrote was, “so good!” This medium to full-bodied malbec was juicy, fruit-forward, and smooth. Lots of juicy red fruit on the palate accented by a bit of spice and rich woodiness. The savoury sweet flavours of the pork and duck noodles were a perfect pairing.

2014 Red Rooster Cabernet Franc Ice Wine

I don’t typically enjoy ice wine because I usually find them too sweet but this cab franc ice wine was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed this and found the flavours unique with warm strawberry fruit. This was paired with tom ka creme brulee (lemongrass infused coconut milk and fig compote), also unique and tasty!

Website: http://www.redroosterwinery.com/

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In Coquitlam

Smoking Pig: Korean Food in Coquitlam

Smoking Pig is a new restaurant that opened up in Coquitlam and it’s opened by the people who created Ramengers. I came here with the family for lunch. The parking is limited as there are only a few spots out front.

They have Korean comfort food like stews, soup, rice bowls, and smoked pork.

Interior

The interior is very simple, but it is decorated with comic books and cases of figurines. The look is a bit confusing as its hard to tell if it’s a family restaurant or a restaurant for younger people.

The menu is very cute as there are piggies drawn for each dish.

Side Dishes – Banchan

Before the dishes we ordered arrived, a few side dishes arrived to munch on. There was pickled radish and cabbage with a light sauce.

Pork & Rice Soup – dwaeji-gukbap

Pork soup with chives, green onions, and pork meat. This is one of the features dishes.

Pork Backbone Stew  – Gamja-tang

Spicy pork backbone soup with meat, potato, cabbage, green onion, and perilla seeds.

Boneless Fried Chicken

You can either choose fried spicy chicken or fried soy chicken. We went with the fried soy chicken with half a chicken. You can also get a whole chicken too.

It was crisp and and covered in the delicious soy sauce.

Fried Dumpling

Fried dumpling comes with 6 pieces and is served with a sweet sauce. The fried dumplings were a bit mediocre.

Final Thoughts

The soups and stews were very delicious and comforting. When I went there, they were short staffed, so a few other items on their menu were unavailable.  There were a few hits and misses, but they have opened quite recently, so they have some kinks to work out.

We rate the Smoking Pig: 

Address:
1043 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/smkpig

Smoking Pig Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar: Happy Hour

Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar has Happy Hour from 3pm – 6pm daily. The location is great as it’s close to Burrard Skytrain station and also right by the Scotiabank Theatre. I came with a few friend after work to kick off the long weekend.

The Happy Hour menu has food and drinks under $10. It’s a very good deal compared to their regular menu.

Interior

You have to stalk for a table in their lounge as it is very crowded at 5pm. The staff are nice and can help move around chairs to best seat your party.

Oysters

One thing you’ll want to get here are their 2 bucks-a-shuck local oysters. They are Joyce Point Oysters from Sawmill Bay with shallot mignonette sauce and lemons. The oysters were shucked very well and tasted very fresh.

Korean Galbi ‘Dog’

There were no dog hurt in the creation of this item and it’s a fancier hot dog. It uses American wagyu beef in a brioche bun and served with pickled vegetables and chili paste.

House Smoked Salmon Pâté

The house smoked salmon pâté is served with grilled sourdough, pickled red onion, and capers. Very delicious as well. The pate is very smooth and I love the smokey flavour.

Final Thoughts

Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar is a great place to come for Happy Hour to enjoy some appetizers and drinks. I really enjoyed it and I’ll be back.

We Rate Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar: 

Address:
The Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://boulevardvancouver.ca/

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar - The Sutton Place Hotel Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Downtown

Sala Thai: Thai Cuisine in Downtown Vancouver

Sala Thai serves up authentic Thai cuisine in Downtown Vancouver. They are a family-run restaurant and have been operating for over 20 years. I came here with some friends for dinner and it’s been a long time since I’ve been here.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai Iced Tea is a must when going to Thai restaurant. It’s milky and a bit sweet. Highly recommended.

Gai Hor Bai Toey

This is chicken marinated in a chef’s sauce, wrapped and cooked in pandan leaves. It comes in an order of 4 but we added 1 more extra for our group. The chicken was moist inside those pandan leaves.

Golden Angel Wings

These are boneless chicken wings stuffed with shrimp, pork, vegetables, vermicelli noodle, herbs and served with homemade sweet chili sauce. The crisp chicken wings were so delightful and super easy to eat.

Sala Thai Salad

It has green leaves, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions and boiled egg with their house dressing. Not a very exciting salad.

Gaeng Dang

This red curry has coconut milk Bamboo shoots, bell peppers and Thai basil leaves. It comes with your choice of beef, pork or chicken. We went with chicken for our dish. It was very flavourful and we ordered 2 bowls of rice to accompany this dish.

Pad Thai

This is their most popular Thai rice noodle dish with shrimp, egg, tofu, bean sprouts and ground peanut. Mix this up and its quite delicious too.

Final Thoughts

Sala Thai has been a great place to go to since they’ve opened. It’s authentic and great to see how they are hiring Thai staff to make sure all of the food stays true.

We Rate Sala Thai: 

Address:
888 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.salathai.ca/

SalaThai Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Canadian

Cactus Club: Frozen Blood Orange Margaritas and Appetizers

Cactus Club Cafe has one of their most stunning locations at Jack Poole Plaza by the Olympic Cauldron. After work, a few of us stopped by to try their new Frozen Blood Orange Margaritas as well as try a few of their appetizers. It’s always best to spend time with friends over good drinks and food. Cactus Club has always been a solid spot for me to some after work for drink and nibbles.

Frozen Blood Orange Margarita

The frozen blood orange margarita has the cool, citrus flavours of blood orange and lime, blended with tequila and Triple Sec. It is topped with a candied orange.

It was a really good drink and I can see it bing a popular drink once the weather in Vancouver starts warming up. It’s only here for a limited time.

Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The chicken is cooked in sweet and spicy Szechuan glaze, peanuts, and wontons. On the side, there is Korean chili sauce and spicy yogurt. The lettuce wraps are on the side and you scoop them in and eat up.

Ceviche

The ceviche has lois lake steelhead, sustainably harvested prawns, red onions, thai basil, mint, cilantro, and nuoc cham. The ceviche is delicious and I could eat this all day.

Beef Carpaccio

The beef carpaccio is peppercorn-crusted, and topped with dijon aioli, capers, grana padano and served with crostini. A good appetizer to share and i like the contrast between the grana padano and capers with the beef.

Truffle Fries

The fries are fried and covered with truffle, herbs, grana padano, and garlic aioli. Another great item to add to the table as people can munch on it.

Tuna Stack

The tuna stack is made of Ocean Wise albacore, citrus tamari vinaigrette, nori, sesame, avocado, micro cilantro, and served with wonton chips.

Final Thoughts

Overall, when the table is full of delicious food, drinks and friends, it’s hard to have a bad time. The food was well executed and had fresh flavours and ingredients.

We Rate Cactus Club: 

Address:
1085 Canada Place, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.cactusclubcafe.com

Cactus Club Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: New Blonde Espresso

Starbucks Canada has finally introduced a second choice in espresso with the launch of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast. Their signature espresso was created in 1975 and has been the main blend for Starbucks until now.

I was invited to taste the Blonde Espresso in comparison with Starbucks’ signature espresso to learn more about the differences.

The new lighter roasted blend has a smooth and sweet flavour profile that is different from their Starbucks Signature Espresso Roast.

Blonde Espresso vs Signature Espresso

[one_half last=”no”]

Blonde Espresso

  • Light Roast
  • Extra smooth
  • Subtly sweet flavour with citrus notes
  • Medium bodied
  • Creamy and Smooth

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

Signature Espresso

  • Dark Roast
  • Rich flavour
  • Caramelly sweetness
  • Full bodied
  • Intense and smooth

[/one_half]

Hot vs Cold

You can have the Blonde Espresso added to both hot and cold drinks. It all depends on what drink you order. Blonde Espresso was created to work well in iced espresso drinks like an iced Americano or Iced Double Shot. I had mine in a flat white, but it can work well in a Latte Americano or Café Americano.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed the Blonde Espresso in drinks that are less milky as it shines through more. For milkier drinks like lattes, I personally prefer the Signature Espresso. It all depends on personal preferences since everyones taste buds are very different. If you are a Starbucks fan, definitely give it a try and you might just love it.

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

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In British Columbia

White Spot: New WS Legendary Pirate Paks

White Spot’s Pirate Pak has been redesigned. Their icon look hasn’t changed since 1968, but on February 13th (Family Day), families will encounter a fun surprise when ordering the classic Pirate Pak.

More than 25 million Pirate Paks have been sold since 1968, when White Spot founder Nat Bailey wanted to provide a unique dining experience for kids.

The ‘WS Legendary’

The interactive Pirate Pak features a fresh cast of animated characters and revamped treasure map, plus the new W.S. Legendary pirate ship that allows kids of all ages to join the crew on their legendary (mis)adventures.

The 3 new characters includes:

  • Captain Beak Rogers, wanted for masterminding tasty heists
  • Penny Poulet, faster than her flipper
  • Drumbstick Nick, no-napkin, never-ceasing nibbler

The Food

Never fear, the food that comes with the Pirate Pak will remain the same. You will get to choose your:

  • Beverage
  • Entree
  • Side Dish
  • Dessert

Same food that will entice your kids, but new look to keep the kids entertained during the meal. The top selling item is their Hamburger, Fries and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Download the App

In addition to the revamped look, they are launching their first 3D augmented reality kids program by a Canadian chain restaurant. They are bringing Pirate Pak’s to the digital age.

You download the app for your iOS and Android device and you can begin interacting with the menu and the pirate ship to play games like Doubloon Debacle, Bookadoodle Boom, Pirate Ship Battle and Cannon Bowling.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I can see parenting-styles differ when parents take their kids out to restaurants. I wouldn’t want to give them a cellphone to play with as we eat. Other parents just want to get some peace and quiet when going out. I can see this new launch of the pirate pak cater to those who are a bit restless when it comes to sitting still. Some kids need to do something as they wait for the meal to arrive.

As of February 13th, the new Pirate Paks will be launching at all locations.

Address:
405 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.whitespot.ca/kids

White Spot Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Temper: Pastries, Desserts, and Hot Chocolate in West Vancouver

Temper Chocolate & Pastry is located in West Vancouver in the Dundarave neighbourhood. Owner and chef, Steven Hodge grew up in this neighbourhood and decided to put his years of experience to use by opening up his own shop. He has a plethora of experience working with world renowned restaurants.

Foodgressing brought me along to give a few of their delicious treats a try. I couldn’t say no as I have a little sweet tooth.

Interior

Their interior has beautiful marble on their counters and wood surrounding the shop. Very sleek, modern and beautiful.

In their display cases are their pastries, cakes, chocolates, sandwiches, and other sweet and savoury treats.

Individual Desserts

We started off with a few desserts. All the desserts looked really good, so it was hard decide where start. Some of these have large full cake sizes available.

Coconut Lime Tart

The tart has a coconut mousse, lime curd, chocolate coconut dacquoise on an almond sable crust. Very beautiful tart with it nice colour. The crust was crisp and I love the tartness from the lime curd.

Mango Caramel

I love the look of this cake as it has a galaxy-look to the exterior. I liked the combination of mango and caramel.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cake

All those layers of chocolate ganache cake and buttercream. It is even topped with a but a gold flakes.

Cheesy Bite

Cheesy Bite was one of my favourite items here. It’s so cheesy and I am so in love with this item. I would definitely get this again.

Hot Chocolate

They are also participating in the Hot Chocolate Festival until February 14th. They have 3 different types of hot chocolate available:

  • Smoking Bullet
  • Princess and the Frog
  • Memoirs of a Geisha

 Memoirs of a Geisha

It has Valrhona white chocolate blended with raspberry matcha. It is also served with a matcha shortbread cookie. The chocolate with dried raspberries that sits on top of the hot chocolate. I love the contrast between the raspberries and matcha. Very nice combination.

Princess and the Frog

This uses Valrhona milk chocolate steamed with pistachio butter. It is served with a rose macaron. This hot chocolate is slightly more traditional and has the rich body of a hot chocolate with the subtle hints of pistachio.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was great to discover another awesome cafe in our city. We are definitely very lucky to have such talented pastry chefs in Vancouver. If you’re in the area, definitely stop by for a coffee, cake or pastry.

We rate Temper Pastry:

Address:
2409 Marine Drive, West Vancouver

Website:
http://www.temperpastry.com/

Temper Chocolate & Pastry Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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