Dairy Queen has a new Cotton Candy Dipped cone which launched at participating locations. This has their classic vanilla soft serve dipped in a a sweet cotton candy coating. We saw it on the menu and had to give it a try while we were here. The cone comes in 3 different sizes – small, medium and large. I ordered a medium and it was huge.
They also released a cotton candy blizzard on the menu as well, but we didn’t get it this time.
Taste Test
I was expecting to hate this but it wasn’t bad at all. The cotton candy coating was sweet, but it was balanced out nicely with the vanilla soft serve. I still prefer chocolate over this cotton candy flavour, but it all comes down to personal preferences.
It’s definitely a fun and colourful treat for the Summer.
Lady M New York has launched their new site ladym.ca to offer shipping to Canada. Lady M is known for their decadent mille crêpe cake, which everyone goes crazy for. Although there are no storefronts in Canada, at least it’s possible to get a taste of Lady M while the borders are closed for the time being due to the pandemic.
I was curious how much it would cost in total to acquire a whole mille crêpe cake. Each cake features at least twenty golden and handmade paper-thin crêpes layered with whipped pastry cream. It really is a craft and no wonder it will cost well over $100 CDN per crêpe cake for the cheapest option.
I decided to see how much shipping would be and wow, it’s not cheap. They use one-day FedEx International Priority service, so it will arrive very quickly, but at a cost of $56.72 USD. It’s odd how check out converts everything back to USD instead of Canadian.
Either way, getting the cheapest crêpe cake with shipping to British Columbia would cost $151.32 USD or $205.26 CDN. The most expensive ‘Slice of the best mille crêpes’ would be $222.88 CDN.
It’s a very luxurious cake and not marketed to the average person. We’ve had a taste in New York, Chicago, and Hong Kong and these are really really good crêpe cakes that marry the best of French and Japanese techniques.
All the cakes are available for shipping to every zip code in Canada, so it’s possible to get Lady M in Canada if you have the budget for it.
Look out for this amazing Molson Canadian variety pack showcasing the various Canadian craft brewers out there.
Molson is extending the ultimate Canadian gesture by opening up its case to other brands for the first time to create the most Canadian case of beer ever for limited-edition sale. The Canadian Case is a one-of-a-kind variety pack featuring Canadian-founded brews, standing together, label to label.
Molson will also be donating $5 for every special-edition case printed (up to $25,000) to local charities supporting people and communities in need of a helping hand in this particularly difficult year.
You can find this special pack of beer in and around July 1st, 2020. Check out their website to find out where.
Caesars are very Canadian and it’s always a treat to enjoy. We absolutely love Walter Craft Caesars mixes. They are all crafted in small batches and made using vine-ripened tomatoes, grated horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and select spices. They even have a Vegan Caesar Mix that uses dulse (edible seaweed) in place of clam juice for a true Caesar taste while being 100% plant-based.
All you need is the mix, vodka, and some pickles to pair.
Nothing screams more Canadian than maple. The cocoa, cinnamon and amaretto notes go perfectly with a cup of coffee if you’re so inclined to get an extra something something in your morning cup.
Looking to something refreshing like locally made cider? Taves Estate Cidery has their new Barnyard Series featuring flavours like apple, gooseberry, red currant and black currant. All the fruits are grown by Farmer Loren Taves right in Abbotsford.
Looking for a non-alcoholic recommendation? One of our favourite Apple Soda’s is from Farming Karma Fruit Co in Kelowna. It’s made of real apples and the taste is so good and crisp.
They are also releasing a few new flavours in stores soon too. You can also buy it on Amazon.
Dairy Queen came up with yet another limited time only treat – Piñata Party Blizzard to celebrate their 80th birthday at participating locations. It’s essentially a birthday celebration in Blizzard format like a confetti cake.
When I heard about it from a friend, I just had to check it out. How could I not give it a try?
What’s inside the Piñata Party Blizzard?
It has vanilla soft serve ice cream with icing, pieces of confetti cake and multicoloured-white chocolate stars embedded inside. Then, it is topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.
It comes in mini, small, medium, and large.
Taste Test
The one I got from my local Dairy Queen definitely did not look like the images, but that’s just poor training and it’s just too bad. They seemed have put the sprinkles into the ice cream instead of on top.
The chocolate stars aren’t vibrant, so when I tried to scoop them out, it just looked like vanilla ice cream covered globs.
It is sweet and very reminiscent of a confetti cake with lots of surprises inside. My husband is a sweet-tooth so he gravitated towards this. I personally was indifferent about this flavour of Blizzard since I don’t like overly sweet desserts. It all comes down to personal preferences.
Final Thoughts
If you love the taste of Birthday Cake or Confetti Cake, you’ll love this flavour. It’s very fun and vibrant Blizzard. Catch it before it’s gone.
Summer is here and Wendy’s has their 99¢ Frosty promotion. No coupon or special codes needed. Just put in your order and it will be 99¢ with no hassle at all.
A lot of other fast food companies have great promos throughout the summer to get us through the hot weather. I’m all for it.
The 99¢ Frosty applies to their small size only. If you want a junior size, it’s 79¢, which isn’t bad either if you just want a small taste of their chocolate frosty.
Magkasama is a unique Vancouver virtual market for Filipino entrepreneurs to showcase their business, with the goal of growing, educating and delighting. The word ‘Magkasama’ means ‘together’ in Tagalog and it’s the perfect phrase for this event.
The event is focussed on celebrating modern and progressive Filipino businesses that have their sights on the future, while maintaining the integrity of the culture.
The event is in it’s second year, they wanted to make it an in-person market, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they decided to make it virtual so anyone can browse in the safety of their homes. Shoppers can buy items from various vendors and pick up at a select date and time.
When are the shopping dates?
You can go to magkasama604.com from June 15 – July 5, 2020 to browse and do you shopping.
When is pick up?
The pick up dates are on July 10-12, 2020 from 11am – 6pm. To have social distancing, you will select a date and time to show up to pick up your items.
Where do I pick up my items?
302 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, V6A 2P3
Look for the Shameless Buns Food Truck and you’ll know you’re in the right place. They will also be serving up delicious food as well.
Who are the Vendors?
This year, there are 15 amazing vendors to choose from. I personally heard of a few of them before this market was put together, so I was so excited to get a taste of what these vendors had to offer.
Bukobaba produces healthy premium coconut food and wellness products. Their coco jam is delicious and recently, they launched their Coconut Black Vinegar, which can be used like a balsamic vinegar for salad dressings and sauces.
Dan is behind Coco Cakes and he crafts Filipino-inspired Mochi Cakes featuring flavours like buko pandan, ube, mango, calamansi, chocolate peanut butter swirl.
They craft up come beautiful and mighty delicious Filipino Ensaimadas. One bite of their Gouda Ensaimada and I was hooked. Their best selling flavours include Parmesan, Gouda, Queso de Bola, Dulce de leche, Salted Egg, and Ube halay. Highly recommended.
They have modern and playful Filipino and Chinese inspired clothing for kids and adults. They even started selling adorable face masks. Their line of kids clothing is so adorable from their lumpia designs to their siopao.
Kapé is a social enterprise promoting farmer-first coffee from Philippine Indigenous women growers, and small batch roasted in the traditional unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh nations.
You can have a great cup of coffee and feel good about where it comes from and who they support.
They serve up Filipino inspired pastries and desserts like their popular cheese bread and ube cheese pandesal. They also have Spanish bread, puto flan, and leche flan.
Panaderia Corner serves up authentic Filipino breads and baked goods like cheeese bread, Spanish bread, ube roll, putok/star bread, pandesal, pan de coco, cheesy ube pandesal, kalihim/talembang, pan de longga, longanisa, and ube cheesymada roll.
Sago Togo serves up Filipino inspired bubble tea, waffles and the classic Filipino treat – Taho. Their cold taho is delicious and they have a lot of other treats at their shop in New Westminster.
Vancouver’s funkiest Filipino inspired Food Jeepney, specializing in creative and delicious sandwiches, loaded fries, house made sauces, Filipino dessert and the occasional wacky creation.
Their menu items are definitely very cheeky and their spam fries are a must.
The Sweet Alley specializes in custom cakes and artisan confections to satisfy any cravings, giving you sweets not only pleasing to the eyes but deliciously divine to satisfy any sweet tooth. If you’re looking for something custom for a special celebration, contact Christine, the Sweet Artist behind The Sweet Alley.
Vancity Cookies is a local gourmet cookie maker, bringing you a variety of thick, freshly baked cookies. They have thick cookies with and ooey gooey centre. The Oreo Chocolate Chip and Nutella Hazelnut were our personal favourites.
I’ve watched the Viral Youtube videos of Vietnamese Jelly Cakes being made and wow are they ever stunning. These beautiful 3D flower cakes are made by injecting milk jelly into blocks of agar jelly. The flowers look suspended in time. Absolutely beautiful and it’s been on my mind for years until I saw a Vancouver Instagram account – Cakes in Bloom selling them from their home business.
After blogging for 10 years, there’s really not many new items that really excite me that I need to share right away. Cakes in Bloom is that exception and I want to tell everyone.
They sell cup minis, cube minis, 5.5inch cake and 6.5 inch cake ranging from $12 to $65.
These jello desserts are made of a base of agar jelly with hand piped flower petals, then sealed off with a flavoured base. Each cake is unique and made of a variety of all natural foods and no artificial food colouring at all. Green is made of matcha, white is coconut milk, pink is dragonfruit, etc. It is vegetarian and they can make it vegan too.
They have a few different flavour options – original milky pandan, milk tapioca, coconut milk tapioca, lychee, pineapple, and passionfruit (limited time only).
The mother and daughter duo behind Cakes in Bloom have been perfecting this craft since 2018. The mom learned the skill in Taiwan and has been creating cakes as a hobby. It took some time to practice and perfect the technique.
After getting lots of positive feedback from friends and family, they decided to make it public as an at home business. They wanted to share it with Vancouverites since there’s nothing else like it here.
Creating these stunning 3D jelly cakes help tap into her creative side as she’s always been an avid cook, baker and adored the craft of jello art.
Taste Test
The look is fantastic but how does it taste? There are many different flavours you can choose from, but we got milky pandan. It was subtle but paired nicely. It isn’t too sweet and has a good aroma of pandan. The top layer with the clear jelly and flowers don’t have too much taste, but the flavoured base has all the flavourings. You gotta eat it together.
We also tried the lychee flavour and it was good too. As for the texture, it’s a big block of jello so there’s not much texture, so keep that in mind.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the jelly cakes are stunning and it’s a unique gift to give to a friend or family member. We enjoyed it and will buy more in the future.
Dairy Queen Canada has rolled out their Summer Blizzard menu with 6 limited time only Blizzards – Oreo Cheesecake, Frosted Animal Cookie, Raspberry Fudge Bliss, Wonder Woman Cookie Collision, Cotton Candy and S’mores.
2020 Summer Blizzard Menu
Oreo Cheesecake Oreo cookie pieces and cheesecake pieces blended with vanilla soft serve.
Frosted Animal Cookie Frosted animal cookie pieces and pink confetti frosting blended with vanilla soft serve.
Raspberry Fudge Bliss Real raspberries, soft fudge pieces and chocolate chunks blended with vanilla soft serve.
Wonder Woman Cookie Collision Chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolatey cookie dough and fudge blended with vanilla soft serve.
Cotton Candy Cotton Candy sprinkles blended with vanilla soft serve.
S’mores Marshmallow filled chocolates and graham blended with vanilla soft serve.
Wonder Woman Cookie Collision Blizzard Taste Test
Our attention was on the Wonder Woman Cookie Collision Blizzard and how can we miss this? It is made of chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolatey cookie dough and fudge blended with vanilla soft serve.
It’s hard to distinguish between the 2 types of cookie dough, but the added texture was nice. It wasn’t overly sweet and it’s a nice treat in the summer.
Who would have thought Chips Ahoy! and Sour Patch Kids would come together to make a cookie? It’s the combination that no one asked for. Either way, it’s in-stores now and we needed to give it a try even though it sounds revolting.
It is available now for a limited time only at most major grocery stores across Canada.
Taste Test
This starts off with the classic Chips Ahoy! base with colourful white chocolate chips and tiny pieces of butchered Sour Patch Kids. It does have a strange tangy aroma, which make it seem like it has gone bad.
There isn’t any sour taste to the cookie either. The Sour Patch Kids pieces are too small to make the cookie sour.
Final Thoughts
If you’re curious, you can give it a try, but I haven’t heard anyone actually like the taste. The Chips Ahoy! Sour Patch Kids Cookie just doesn’t work, but it is fun to talk about.
A few months ago, KitKat launched 3 new Ice Cream flavours – Espresso Explosion, Matcha Green Tea, and Salted Caramel Crunch. I found them at my local grocery – Save on Foods for $6.49 per container. Each container is 500ml.
I am a huge KitKat fan, so I had to give this a try. They also have their Ice Cream Bars in store to. Clearly, I may have an addiction.
Espresso Explosion
The Espresso Explosion has a rich taste of coffee and chocolate notes to it and pairs well with the chocolate covered KitKat pieces. It was the best out of the three flavours. Definitely worth getting if you enjoy coffee.
Salted Caramel Burst
The Salted Caramel Burst is not bad either for the first few bites as the salted really balance out the caramel sweetness. After having a whole bowl full, you are rally left with a lot of sweetness in your mouth.
Matcha Green Tea
The Matcha Green Tea is not very strong. From it’s dull and light colour, you don’t get much matcha in it. It’s more sweet and tastes more like vanilla. Not recommended if you like a bold strong matcha.
Final Thoughts
Overall, these are still fun flavour combinations that play on KitKat’s customer base. Of the three flavours available, Espresso Explosion would be the one I eat over and over again.
Tim Hortons Canada has finally released their Fruit Loops Dream Donut and Timbits. It was slated for earlier this month but it was delayed a few weeks for unknown reasons. Either way, it’s out now and we had to try them out. You know how crazy we are for cereal.
You can get them in-store or you can order via UberEats for delivery. Our baby was taking a nap, so we ordered from UberEats to save some time even though there is a delivery fee attached to it.
How much is it?
The Fruit Loops Dream Donuts retail for $1.99 while the Timbits will cost $0.29 each. The prices can vary by region.
Taste Test
The base of the donut is just a plain vanilla donut, topped with a strawberry frosting, Fruit Loops and then more vanilla frosting piped over top to hold the Fruit Loops together.
It has a strong artificial strawberry flavour with hints of the classic Fruit Loops flavour. As the donut has a hole in the centre, some of the Fruit Loops can fall through when you’re eating. The texture of the Fruit Loops was a nice addition.
The texture of the donut was light and fluffy, but all the frosting made it a bit too sweet for my liking.
Final Thoughts
The Fruit Loop Dream Donut is very fun and great to try, but I wouldn’t pick it up again. It just wasn’t a good pairing with my personal preferences. I’m more of a Honey Cruller and Boston Cream fan.
I can see the Fruit Loops TimBits a great item to share among a group.
Starbucks Canada is introducingthree new bright and cheerful beverages – Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink, Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink, and Iced Golden Ginger Drink. I love trying new Starbucks drinks that are available for limited time only, so we ordered ahead of time on their app for pick up.
You can also get these items delivered too via UberEats.
Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink
This smooth and creamy caffeine-free beverage combines flavours of guava, passionfruit, pineapple and ginger, hand-shaken with coconutmilk and ice.
This drink is the best one out of the three options. The pineapple shines through a bit more to add to the guava and passionfruit. There is definitely a lot of different fruits in this drink that compete with each other.
Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink
Made with premium matcha green tea with flavours of pineapple and ginger, shaken with coconutmilk and ice.
I didn’t like this drink with the pineapple or coconutmilk beverage. It felt very tangy and diluted.
Iced Golden Ginger Drink
This caffeine-free beverage features ginger, pineapple and turmeric flavours, shaken with coconutmilk and ice.
This is my least favourite drink. It’s a good combination of flavours, but it didn’t really come together. The coconutmilk beverage just didn’t give it a creamy mouthfeel.
Final Thoughts
All of the new Summer drinks were a let down. I wouldn’t recommend any of them. They are bring back old favourites, including the S’mores, Mocha Cookie Crumble and Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccinos. Those are definitely more of my version of Summer drinks.
Sometimes we savour bubble tea for so long that we leave it in the fridge. Most of the time, we somehow forget about it and the pearls turn hard. The texture has changed and you have to throw them out.
There is a way to revive them so you can enjoy them without throwing them out. I was quite stumped when a friend asked me what to do about day old pearls. I didn’t have a clue.
Paragon Tea Room in Vancouver suggested to steam them! It’s brilliant and makes so much sense.
Steam them!
Fill up steamer with water and bring to a boil.
Put day old pearls/boba on a plate/bowl and add it to the steaming rack.
Steam for a few minutes until pearls become warm and soft.
Let pearls cool down for a bit and add them back to your drink.
It’s a fantastic way to bring the pearls back up to temperature without them losing their structure. If you have some leftover bubble tea in your fridge with pearls and boba, give this method a try.
With the borders closed because of Covid-19, getting some The Cheesecake Factory from the states is definitely a no-no. Joseph Richards Group is making it a little easier to be in lock down by offering authentic Cheesecake Factory desserts to your home.
You can order online and pick up these desserts at select locations or get delivery with Door Dash or Uber Eats.
Which JRG locations serve Cheesecake Factory desserts?
A layer of Cinnabon Cinnamon Cheesecake and Vanilla Crunch Cake Topped with Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel.
Godiva Double Chocolate
Rich Godiva cheesecake baked with chunks of milk chocolate topped with chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and chocolate whipped cream.
Mango Key Lime
Mango key lime cheesecake swirled with mango and topped with a mango mousse and glaze, on a coconut vanilla crumb. Finished with whipped cream rosettes.
OREO Cookies & Cream
Oreo cookies baked in our creamy cheesecake, layered with Oreo® cookie mousse. Finished with a drizzle of chocolate ganache and milk chocolate rosettes.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Choc
Reese’s peanut butter cups combined with a rich chocolate cheesecake, topped with chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Tuxedo Mousse
Layers of moist chocolate fudge cake, rich chocolate cheesecake, and vanilla mousse baked on a chocolate crumb, and topped with dark chocolate ganache.
White Chocolate Raspberry
Sweet cream cheesecake swirled with raspberry and chunks of white chocolate baked on a chocolate crumb and finished with whipped cream.
Tim Hortons in Canada is releasing their DIY Mother’s Dream Day Donut Kits until May 12, 2020. They are the first large fast food company to make a DIY Kit that brings the family together to recreate a classic item on the menu.
As Canadians love their donuts, the DIY Donuts is great for families to gather around the table to create their best donut creation. Whether you are near or far from the mother figure in your life during the Covid-19 Pandemic, there’s always a Tim Hortons close by.
What’s inside?
Each DIY Donut kit contain:
6 plain doughnuts
1 container of chocolate buttercream icing
1 container of vanilla buttercream icing
1 container of colour confetti sprinkles
1 container of chocolate chips.
Instead of making your own donuts, they have the donuts ready for you.
How much is it?
The kit is $9.99 in most locations across Canada, but prices can vary.
Final Thoughts
If you’re comfortable going out to pick up this DIY Mother’s Day Dream Donut Kit from Tim Hortons, you’ll have a fun time with the family without messing up the kitchen at home.
With Covid-19 Pandemic, we are all cooped up at home with no where to go. We have been sending out a lot of gifts to family and friends to make these time a little bit more cheerful. I’ve been sending out a lot of pastries, but not coffee since drinks are a bit harder to deliver.
Luckily, Starbucks and Uber Eats is making it easier to send some much needed caffeine and treats to that special someone. The new ‘Share This Delivery’ feature launched on Uber Eats.
You submit the order like any other delivery, but make sure you know your friend’s address ahead of time. You wouldn’t want to accidentally send the order to yourself.
‘Share This Delivery’ feature
After placing a Starbucks delivery on Uber Eats, you will be prompted to share the delivery. Once selected, your friend will receive a tracking link as well as the option to include a message that they can share through text or email.It’s a great way to track the delivery without your friend wondering how many minutes they have until it arrives.
Uber Eats Tracking Link via TextUber Eats Tracking Link via EmailStarbucks Contactless Delivery
Starbucks is also providing a $0 delivery fee for a limited time (taxes/fees apply) with Uber Eats.
New to Uber Eats? Use promo code ‘eats-diana20225ue’ for $5 off a $15 order.
Alternatively, you can also order ahead and pay using the Starbucks app and pick up the order from a barista at the door or at the drive-thru.
When I think about Asian beers, I default to a few favourites – Asahi, Tsingtao, San Miguel, Hite and Singha. Three Kingdoms Beer Co. in Vancouver wants to find a cross section between Asian culture and the beer industry. They are working in partnership with partnership with Dogwood Brewing.
Hefeweizen
At 12 IBU, it’s quite hoppy, thus the bunny illustration. The can is smaller 355ml cans compared to the other 473ml. Hefeweizen uses German pale wheat malt, where you get the aroma of banana, cinnamon, clove, and the strong hops. This would pair well with seafood, chicken, mild cheeses, or sweet desserts.
Honey Kolsch
The Honey Kolsch is our favourite of the 4 beers they offer as it matches our personal beer preferences. It has a subtle floral and fruity notes and finishes with a hint of sweet honey. Very refreshing and enjoyable.
You can pair this with fried foods like fried chicken.
Hazy IPA
For an IPA, the flavours are nice with hints of sweet citrus with a tropical hop finish. It’s a very easy to drink IPA and well balanced. We were definitely surprised as we generally refrain from IPAs. You can have spicy food to pair with the Hazy IPA.
Chocolate Milk Stout
The Chocolate Milk Stout is a treat to enjoy. It is dark in colour and is sweet with deep roasted malt flavour with a touch of milky lactose. It is smooth and malty with the dark chocolate taste. You can pair this with BBQ and other grilled foods.
If you’re lactose intolerant, you will need to take lactase pills to counteract the lactose in the Chocolate Milk Stout.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad Three Kingdom Beer Co is adding more diversity to the beer industry. I’m all for it! Their 4 core beers are a solid line up that attracts different types of beer drinkers. My personal favourite is the Honey Kolsch as I usually lean towards light effervescent beers with less hoppy flavour.
Another local company – Fuggles and Warlock in Richmond is doing an exceptional job merging Asian culture and flavours in the beers they brew.
I haven’t been able to count which day we are at for social distancing, but I do know I miss my friends and family a lot. Somedays I don’t even remember if it’s a weekday or weekend.
Molson Canadian is inviting Canadians from coast to coast to connect over a #VirtualHappyHour. As a bonus, they will reward hosts with a $25 gift card to use at their favourite local bar or restaurant. This helps bring people together while supporting an important sector.
I raised a glass with one of my favourite Vancouver bloggers – Vie A Maggi. All you have to do is take a screenshot of your Virtual Happy Hour and post it on Instagram or Twitter. I nominated one of my favourite Vancouver restaurants – Miku Restaurant, which boasts a great cocktail menu and delicious Japanese eats.
They message you to verify your eligibility as you have to be of drinking age. There is a little bit of back and forth, but your $25 gift card to your favourite restaurant or bar will be on its way.
The program runs until April 30, 2020 or while supplies last (whichever comes first). Rules on how to participate are available on the website. Follow @MolsonCanadian on Instagram and @Molson_Canadian on Twitter to see #VirtualHappyHour being featured from coast to coast.
