Ben and Jerry’s Netflix and Chill’d has finally arrived in Canada. This launched in the United States first and now we are just getting it in Western Canada. It’s such a fun name
The Flavour
The Netflix and Chill’d flavour is made of peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls & fudge brownies.
Where to find this?
With the Covid-19 Pandemic, finding anything in grocery stores is a hit and miss. I was able to find this at the Real Canadian Superstore in Western Canada. I have also seen it at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Taste Test
I really enjoyed this. There is a dominant flavour of the peanut butter ice cream. The brownie adds a nice chewy texture and the pretzel swirl really help enhance the taste as well.
It’s a touch on the sweet side, but then again, it’s ice cream. I still really love this flavour as it has everything I enjoy. Highly recommended.
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed it for it’s name and also for the flavour. I would totally buy this again if I see it. It’s such a great gift to give friends too.
Dalgona Coffee has taken social media by storm. If you have instant coffee, sugar, milk, water, and ice, you can whip it up. Some find success, but some have failed miserably creating the Dalgona Coffee.
There are a few cafes in Metro Vancouver serving up Dalgona Coffee to go. With the Covid-19 Pandemic, all dining room are closed but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a taste of this trendy coffee.
If you know of anymore places that have Dalgona Coffee or Dalgona inspired treats, send us an email at Diana@foodology.ca or comment below.
There’s a new challenge in town and C Market Coffee has made take out fun. To celebrate their 1 year anniversary, C Market Coffee has brought on their Sandwich and Dalgona Challenge.
During the month of April, they have a $10 Gourmet Sandwich Special and you get the chance to win a free drink if you complete the Dalgona Challenge successfully. You are given a Dalgona candy made of Dalgona, sugar and baking soda.
You must extract the symbol inside the Dalgona candy without breaking any piece of it. If you are successful, you win a free drink. If you fail, you can post about it on Instagram and then you will get 2 more Dalgona candies with your next sandwich purchase.
Hiel Cafe has their version of Dalgona Coffee too. They have this iced latte with Korean traditional sweets on top. You can order take out order online via Uber Eats. The image pictured isn’t their Dalgona Coffee.
La Forêt in Burnaby has debuted their crunchy dalgona latte. It is served iced cold in 2 sizes – 12oz and 16oz. They put a twist to the dalgona coffee but adding crunchy caramel bites on top.
When we were in University, we loved mixing AriZona Green Tea with all sorts of alcohol like vodka, sake, and soju. It’s a great drink that’s even better with a splash of something something if you know what I mean.
It’s been a long time coming, but FINALLY they have launched AriZona Hard Green Tea made with vodka. This is 5% ABV.
Where Can You Find this
I found this at my local BC Liquor Store in 473ml single cans. They also have a 6 pack with 355ml cans. You can check online to see which location has it in stock. You can also find that at Independent liquor stores as well.
This is not available in the US yet.
Taste Test
AriZona Hard Green Tea has a dominate taste of the brewed green tea with a touch of the ginseng. Not too strong but still nice, sweet and refreshing just in time for the Summer. The vodka is definitely there but the touch of honey balances out the beverage.
It’s a very easy drink to consume but you’ll know right way that there is vodka in this. Can’t fool anyone.
Final Thoughts
With the nice warm temperature on the West Coast, it’s nice to just have a beverage while social distancing. Next time you’re at the liquor store, check if they have AriZona Hard Green Tea in stock as it’s a great drink for the warm weather.
Getting our bubble tea fix can be difficult as we stay at home to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic. We find ourselves missing bubble tea, but there are a few local companies that are offering DIY Bubble Tea Kits delivered straight to your home or even sent to friends are a nice gift.
I think it’s a fantastic idea as we buy a lot of bubble tea but not too many people actually make it at home. With these DIY kits, you can see how easy it is to make at home.
Chance Cafe has quietly launched 31 individual ingredients and kits that you can order directly from them to create your own bubble tea. You can mix and match items in your kit to create your ultimate bubble tea kit.
Cha Yuan 茶園 is a bubble tea shop located in Yaletown, which opened in 2019. They have classic bubble tea kits available with Oatly as an option to purchase. Each kit makes 10 servings of bubble tea.
They have free local delivery for orders over $20 (Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.)
Paragon Tea Rom doesn’t have a bundled kit to make bubble tea, but they have everything you need in their online store to make your own bubble tea creation. They have an array of premium tea, pearls, and milks. If you need a recommendation, you can always ask for their HK Milk Tea recipe.
Passion Tea Room was the first to launch the bubble tea kit at an affordable price with free delivery (within Burnaby, Coquitlam, Vancouver, North Vancouver, New West and Richmond) when you spend over $20. They can also deliver to Surrey, Delta, and White Rock for a $5 delivery fee.
The kit includes tapioca pearls, non dairy creamer, tea, straws, and tea bag filters. They also have flavour kits where you can make taro bubble tea or coconut bubble tea.
Perchance Tea also has a Boba Bag where you get all the ingredients to make you own bubble tea. It comes with the tea of your choice, milk or milk alternative (soy, cream, or oat milk), organic cane sugar, dried boba, straws, and step by step instructions. Instead of plastic straws, you can upgrade to reusable metal straws for an extra charge.
What differentiates Perchance tea is their use of high quality ingredients. The owner and manager stand by using wholesome ingredients, which are as fresh as possible.
They deliver to Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby for free with a minimum order of $40. They do pick ups at their store too.
The Bubble Tea Shop has launched their DIY Bubble Tea Kits. Their shops are still closed because of Covid-19, but they are delivering Bubble Tea kits to your door.
They deliver free to Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and New Westminster. A small charge to deliver if you are in Delta, Surrey, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and North Vancouver. If you aren’t in any of those area, they do Canada Wide Shipping too.
Besides their signature bubble tea drink mixes, they sell dessert in a jar, tofu desserts, reusable tumblers, and reuseable straws.
Since we only make one trip outside a week from groceries, we have really been depending on delivery services to get us whatever will delivery to our home during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had mad cravings for Chinese buns, so when I was browsing through delivery apps, I discovered Pine House Bakery is close enough to deliver to us. Oh boy, was I super excited. A lot of the Chinese bakeries near us have either closed down or only do take out.
Pine House Bakery has many locations throughout the Lower Mainland. On UberEats, there aren’t a lot of options, so we picked up the pack of assorted sweet buns and another pack of assorted savoury buns. There’s no options to swap anything out unless some items are sold out.
Assorted Sweet Buns
This pack comes with 2 Coconut buns, 2 Pineapple Buns, 2 Red bean paste buns , and 2 Egg Tarts. All the items were decent. We didn’t like the red bean paste as there was too much bun and very little red bean paste. The ratio was really off. The best item was definitely the coconut buns. $14 for 8 buns was ok.
Assorted Savoury Buns
This pack comes with 2 BBQ pork buns, 1 chicken bun , 2 curry beef buns, 1 ham and egg bun, and 2 hot dog buns. Unfortunately, after we placed the order, they ran out of the ham and egg bun as well as the chicken bun. I just got an extra BBQ pork bun and curry beef bun.
All of the savoury buns were good and it hit the spot. $16 for 8 buns was ok.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was decent and it was the only delivery option to us in Burnaby. I paid a bit more than normal, but at least we got the convenience of having it delivered. The buns tasted ok. It’s not my favourite bakery but it will do to get my Chinese bun fix.
If you’re looking to have Chinese Buns delivered too, you can find them on Uber Eats.
Squish Candy always has a great collection for every holiday and occasion. For this Easter, they released a few new items and one of them is their Great Gummy Hunt. It’s perfect now as we are all indoors during Covid-19 and can’t go outside for a large Easter Egg hunt with friends.
We are still able to get treats delivered to our homes.
The Great Gummy Hunt takes you on an adventure all over Carrot Grove for you to discover a different pack of gummies behind each door along the journey. There are 10 packs of candy to uncover.
We opened the box as a family and it was fun to see which candy was hiding behind each door. As Baby E just turned one, she won’t be eating candy anytime soon. But, lets be real, all these candies are really for mommy and daddy.
Baby E enjoyed feeling all the gummies in the packages. Plus, the sight of all the different colours and sounds as we opened each door to reveal a new gummy.
If you haven’t had a lot of Squish Candy before, it’s a great introduction to their collection as they have a large collection. You’re going to find a few new favourites in this box. We sure did.
Chai Wagon is that adorable cart at Commercial-Broadway Skytrain serving their delicious hot chai, sweets, and snacks. As people are staying at home, Shivam, the founder of Chai Wagon had to innovate fast. They have decided to close the cart for the time being and focus on delivery.
This is where the Chai Box was born and it comes straight to your door.
Chai Box
The Chai Box is 96oz for $20. It can last 7 days and be served hot or cold. This comes in their signature ginger and cardamom chai.
The chai is very smooth and has strong notes of the ginger and cardamom. They hand grind the spices so they really stand out. I’ve had lot of Chai from other restaurants before but this will definitely wake you up. If you love ginger, you’ll really really enjoy this.
Vegan Chai Box
They have a Vegan Chai box made with an oat milk base for $30 a box.
Contactless Delivery
Delivery is free for orders of $50 and up in Greater Vancouver.
For every 5 boxes sold, they will be donating 1 to Vancouver General Hospital for their front line workers to enjoy. A great way for them to give back.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for chai delivered to you or sent to someone else as a gift, Chai Wagon has got you covered. It’s delicious and definitely warms you up with the spices.
It’s a very stressful time for everyone during the Covid-19 Pandemic. One of the hardest hit industry is the restaurant business. Many restaurants have had to adapt quickly to give customers what they need.
Many grocery stores are out of staple items the eggs, milk, butter, flour, and yeast to name a few. Restaurants have access to fresh local produce and have stepped up to be able to provide these items for delivery and/or pick up.
Below are a few restaurant in Metro Vancouver where you can find grocery items just in case you’re in a bind and can’t find it at the store. If you know of any other restaurants extending their services to include groceries, emails us at diana@foodology.ca or leave a comment below.
6 Degrees Eatery in Coal Harbour is now stocked up with eggs, milk, and other produce. They also have their regular menu available too. You can get pick up, take out, or delivery via UberEats.
Batard Bakery has begun to offer groceries and pastries online for pick up. Bread, pastries, to whole quiches. They have a decent collection to get your through a bad day with some sweets and kitchen staples.
Beaucoup Bakery just launched their ‘Acts of Kindness’ items available via UberEats for delivery. They have pantry items like butter, yeast, espresso beans and oat milk. Partial proceeds of these Acts of Kindness items will be donated to the Food Bank.
If you’re in the Coquitlam area near the IKEA, C Market is in a nearby plaza. They serve up coffee, breakfast, and other lunch items. They recently launched the sale of their groceries on DoorDash and UberEats. If you live outside the delivery zone, you can get contactless pick up from their cafe.
Earls has rolled out their Earls Grocery, which include everything from daily home essentials to fresh ingredients to fully prepared meals. You can pick it up or even get it delivered. If you need toilet paper or hand soap, they have that too.
Promo: Get 20% off on all Earls Grocery items when you pick up. Or, get them delivered to your door via Skip The Dishes.
Fat Cow Oyster Bar has closed its doors to welcome Fat Cow Essentials. They are located in Langley but can delivery to most regions in Greater Vancouver. They even have free delivery if you spend $50 or more.
A beloved local bakery sells bread, pastries, prepared foods, whole grains, beans, flour, eggs, sourdough starter, and produce. Their sourdough is amazing. We picked up their pizza dough and a few loaves of bread and it was really really good.
Gabi and Jules is a popular cafe and bakery in Port Moody. You can find baking essentials like a variety of flour, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, eggs, oats, butter, baking soda, and baking powder. Bread, fruit, milk alternatives, teas, coffee, and make at home kits can be found on their website.
You just order online and have contactless pick up, or if you live in the Tricities, it’s free delivery on orders over $50.
Joey Restaurants launched JOEY Market grocery delivery service with DoorDash. Customers will be able to shop a variety of restaurant quality ingredients including fresh produce, meat, baked goods and pantry essentials from JOEY Restaurants, delivered or picked-up curbside. You can even find toilet paper.
Promo: They are currently offering 20% off their food menu prices for curbside pick-up, 10% off food ordered through DoorDash with $0 delivery.
They’ve got more than just coffee beans. You can find milk, egg and flour too. These perishable items can’t be shipped, so you have to pick them up from the cafe.
They recently launched their grocery store and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a good array of items like their signature waffles, meat, syrups, egg, milk, hummus, and many other items.
Their dining rooms are closed but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the taste of OEB at home. They have contactless pick up and delivery options. You can even grab a pack of eggs and bread whiles you’re at it.
McDonalds Canada has brought back the Spicy Habanero McChicken to their menu. Last year, they debuted 3 spicy McChicken burgers – Jalapeno, Habenero, and Ghost Pepper McChicken Sandwiches. They disappeared after the promotion but now it looks like Spicy Habanero McChicken was a hit and has returned.
Inside the burger is breaded seasoned chicken, shredded lettuce, topped with creamy Habanero sauce, on a toasted sesame bun.
We ordered this with extra sauce and there was more so we can taste it along with the seasoned McChicken patty. You need to have the extra sauce to really appreciate the added kick of the Habanero. The regular sauce amount isn’t enough.
The colour of the sauce is more yellow/orange. It has a tiny hint of spice but isn’t too powerful to cause a sweat.
I would also highly recommend getting more habanero sauce on the side so you can dunk your fries into it too.
Tim Hortons recently launched their Dream Donuts across Canada which features 3 premium donuts – Dulce de Leche Crème Dream, Strawberry Confetti Dream, and Chocolate Truffle Dream Donut.
I am so tempted to spell it doughnut, but they spell it donuts, so we will go with that spelling.
Price
Each Dream Donut retails for $1.99, but if you get a ‘Dream 6-pack’, it’s $9.99. You can find them at most Tim Hortons across Canada.
Dulce de Leche Crème Dream Donut
This is made with raised dough, dulce de leche filling, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Imagine like a churro but in donut form. The dulce de leche filling is a bit sweet.
Strawberry Confetti Dream Donut
This has a donut made with raised dough, strawberry fondant with buttercream swirl topped with sprinkles. It’s very visually appealing, but when you bite into it, it’s very sweet and tastes of artificial strawberries. This was the worst donut of this dream donut series.
Chocolate Truffle Dream Donut
This has cake dough, chocolate fondant topped with chocolate buttercream, and mini chocolate chips. It is the most unappealing looking donut of them all as it looks like poop, but it was the best of them all. Because everything is chocolate, it’s great for those chocolate lovers.
Final Thoughts
Overall, out of the 3 new Dream Donuts, I would probably only order the Chocolate Truffle donut again. The other two are two sweet for me and lacked the balance of flavour.
Tim Hortons finally announced they are launching Timbits Cereal nationwide, but still it’s hard to spot. We found the Birthday Cake Timbits cereal early on at Costco before they made their official announcement.
Where to find them
The Chocolate Glazed Timbits cereal was a bit harder for us to find, but the good people of Instagram pointed me in the right direction. Sobeys owned stores like Safeway and Fresh Co. were the next locations to have Tim Hortons Timbits Cereal in the Birthday Cake and Chocolate Glazed flavours. Plus, on sale for $2.99 instead of $5.49 per box.
We ended up going to Safeway in Burnaby but it wasn’t even located in the cereal aisle. It was closer to the milk aisle for some reason. Usually their limited edition items go there, but there’s no indication if Tim Hortons Timbits Cereal is only here for a limited time only.
What’s inside the box
Inside the box, there are 1 x 326g packets of all the little ‘Chocolate Glazed timbits’.
Taste Test
When you pour it out of the box, there is a strong sweet chocolate aroma. As we mixed it with milk, it tasted more like cocoa puffs with the finish of sweetness, which I assume is the ‘glaze’.
Similar to the Birthday Cake Timbits Cereal, it is sweet, but the Birthday Cake Timbits Cereal is more sweet. If you’re a Tim Hortons fan, this is worth a try, but I don’t think you’ll be switching your usual cereal over to this.
Once you’re done the cereal, you see the cereal turns a light brown from the chocolate.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
This is a fun item for Tim Hortons fans to see the iconic Timbits turned into cereal. Seriously, who wouldn’t want that? Canadians have been wanting to get their hands on this cereal and it’s slowly rolling out to grocery stores.
If you’re looking for fun ways to utilize the cereal, someone suggested making marshmallow square out of this, just like how you would make rice crispy squares. It would seem great to have Timbits cereal bars.
I was at McDonalds and I saw that they were offering a new Maple & Cheddar Chicken Burger. It didn’t sound new to me, but I thought I would try it anyways as we haven’t written about it.
The Maple & Cheddar Chicken Burger is served on a toasted brioche bun and comes with Canadian raised seasoned chicken breast, topped with a maple mustard sauce, a slice of cheddar cheese, crispy onions, tomato, leaf lettuce, and mayo-style sauce.
You can get this burger with a crispy chicken patty or grilled chicken patty. I just went with crispy to see how it compares to a McChicken patty. I’ve had the grilled patty before and it can be a tad dry.
Maple & Cheddar Chicken Burger was not bad at all. I think I would have preferred it with the grilled chicken patty and the pretty was a bit hard. I did enjoy the slice of cheddar compared to their processed cheese. The toasted brioche bun with sesame seed and poppy seeds was a nice touch as well.
If you’re at McDonalds and looking for something different than the usual items on the menu, their new chicken burgers are a nice option.
Starbucks has launched 2 new dairy-free beverage options in stores now. The Almondmilk Honey Flat White and Coconutmilk Latte are what they are featuring as they noticed customers were actively asking for non-dairy options on the menu.
Both these drinks are made with Starbucks Blonde Espresso and will be joining the permanent menu at participating Starbucks locations across Canada. It’s definitely important to add these items on the menu as people are lactose intolerant or may be cutting dairy for other medical or dietary reasons. Soy is the alternative option, but now with almond and coconut, there are 3 alternatives.
Almondmilk Honey Flat White
The Almondmilk Honey Flat Whitecombines ristretto shots of Starbucks Blonde Espresso with steamed almondmilk and a hint of honey, creating a twist on a beloved espresso classic.
When you first taste it, the taste of the almond milk is strong. The espresso does shine through as well and is sweetened by the honey. I am personally not a fan of almond milk beverages.
Coconutmilk Latte
The Coconutmilk Lattecombines shots of Starbucks Blonde Espresso with steamed Coconutmilk. There is supposed to be a strike of Cascara sugar topping that adds a subtle note of dark brown sugar and maple after every sip. The location I went to didn’t add the Cascara sugar for whatever reason.
The latte is very thin with the coconut milk and doesn’t have the mouthfeel of the latte.
Tips to creating your dairy-free beverage at Starbucks
Select a non-dairy milk: Order your beverage with soy beverage, almond beverage or coconut milk beverage
Select a flavoured syrup: The following syrups do not contain animal-derived ingredients: Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut
Hold the following ingredients, which contain dairy: Whipped cream, java chips, protein powder, caramel sauce (Pro tip! Caramel sauce is different from caramel syrup)
Avoid beverages made with: Pumpkin Spice Sauce, White Mocha Sauce and Caramel Brulée Sauce
Final Thoughts
It’s great to have almond and coconut options on the menu to substitute for milk, but the taste of these two didn’t hit the mark for the new Almondmilk Honey Flat White and Coconutmilk Latte. The flavours of the Almondmilk and Coconutmilk really take over and change the taste and consistency in these beverages. Do keep in mind, I can have dairy, so this is coming from the opinion of a dairy drinker, but I do enjoy oat milk as that’s the closest substitute for milk I really enjoy.
Starbucks has no immediate plans to release an Oatmilk latte in Canada just yet, however, they’re continually adjusting their menu to better accommodate all dietary concerns.
Certain Starbucks locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin have Oatmilk according to Delish.com.
Have you tried these two drinks yet? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Tim Hortons and Post Cereals have collaborated to create Timbits Cereal in Canada. It is mind blowing but I’m so excited to have Tim Hortons part of my morning cereal routine. From quick research online, it looks like there are 2 flavours – chocolate glazed and birthday cake. We were only able to find the Birthday Cake version.
Where to find them
I’ve been hunting for this cereal and my friend spotted the Timbits Cereal Birthday Cake at Costco in a whopping 1kg box. In particular, this was at the Port Coquitlam Costco as the other Costco locations in Burnaby and Vancouver did not carry it. I tried looking at a few other local grocery stores but no luck either. Seems like this has been one of the first sightings on the West Coast.
You can find the 1kg Timbits Cereal Birthday Cake in the cereal aisle. It costs $8.99 per box.
**Update** Both Timbits Cereal Birthday and Chocolate Glazed can now be found at Safeway, Sobeys, and Fresh Co. across Canada at select locations in 326g boxes.
What’s inside the box
Inside the box, there are 2 x 500g packets of all the little ‘birthday cake timbits’.
At 500g per bag, it’s pretty big, but then again, it’s Costco. I’m sure smaller boxes will be rolling out to grocery store shelves soon. I just couldn’t wait, so I got this big box.
Taste Test
When you pour it out of the box, there is a strong vanilla aroma reminiscent of Birthday Cake. As we ate this with milk, the vanilla is strong with a buttery finish. It does taste like birthday cake, so they got that spot on.
It’s on the sweeter side of cereal, but not as sweet as Lucky Charms. If you’re a Tim Hortons fan, this is worth a try, but I don’t think you’ll be switching your usual cereal over to this.
Once you’re done the cereal, you specks on confetti is in the milk and the cereal gives it a nice sweet finish.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
This is a fun item for Tim Hortons fans to see the iconic Timbits turned into cereal. Seriously, who wouldn’t want that? Canadians have been wanting to get their hands on this cereal, but it doesn’t seem to be rolling out to all major grocery stores yet. Perhaps its because it’s December or they’re just testing the market. Nonetheless, this might make an appearance soon to grocery store shelves.
If you’re looking for fun ways to utilize the cereal, someone suggested making marshmallow square out of this, just like how you would make rice crispy squares. It would seem great to have Timbits cereal bars.
Starbucks has launched two new drinks this holiday season. It’s the brand new Irish Cream Cold Brew and the Canadian exclusive, Irish Cream Americano.
Since just coming back to Vancouver from our holiday vacation, I was wondering what would be the next items being launched in Canada. Great to know there is more than the usual items like Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha.
Irish Cream Cold Brew
The Irish Cream Cold Brew begins with their signature Cold Brew and Irish Cream syrup. Then it is topped with vanilla sweet cold foam and a line of cocoa powder.
I really enjoyed it! It wasn’t too sweet as the cold foam and the cold brew balanced so well. The strike of cocoa powder was noticed and went well with the flavours.
Even when it’s cold outside, there is always time for a cold beverage. I sure love it.
Irish Cream Americano
This Canadian exclusive is made with rich, caramel-like espresso, flavoured with Irish Cream syrup, topped with vanilla sweet cream cold foam and finished with a strike of cocoa powder on top. Once you leave the drink with the lid on, the cold foam and cocoa disappear into the drink. Not that much to see, but its all in the taste.
I usually don’t drink Americanos as it’s too acidic and strong, but with the added Irish Cream syrup, cold foam and the cocoa, it was great.
Final Thoughts
The flavors of vanilla and cocoa in both these drinks go well with Starbucks espresso and Cold Brew. It’s festive but gives you that caffeine kick that you need without being too sweet. Loved both versions and would get it again.
So far this year, all their special cold brew beverages have been a hit.
A&W Canada has launched plant-based nuggets by LightLife as of Monday, December 2, 2019. It’s pretty awesome to see the launch of a few different plant-based items from A&W Canada. They are definitely the leaders in the Fast Food space to bring plant-based products to the masses. It first started with the Beyond Meat Burger and then the Beyond Meat Sausage. Even though I am a meat eater, I still appreciate the options out there.
The plant-based nuggets are available for a limited time only.
There are a variety of size options:
4-piece Kids’ Pack for $5.99
6-pieces for $5.99
10-piece for $8.99
The Plant-Based Nuggets are served with A&W’s current line-up of dipping sauces: Honey Mustard, Barbecue, Sweet & Sour, and Jalapeño Ranch. But note that only Barbecue and Sweet & Sour are vegan dipping sauces. The other two are not.
Of course we went with the 10 pieces of nuggets. Our team went to A&W twice and we noticed a discrepancy between locations. Sometimes they are served in a basket and sometimes they are served in their compostable bags. Both times, we asked to dine in and also to have all the sauces. One time we got all 4 sauces and another time, we only got the vegan sauces.
Plant-Based Nugget Review
Each nugget is spherical in shape, but sometimes they have a bit of a point. Most of the time they were somewhat similar shapes.
The exterior has a good crisp exterior reminiscent of what good ol’ chicken nuggets have. In the centre, the texture reminded me of canned tuna. No worries, this is made entirely from plant-based ingredients, including peas, wheat and fava beans. The chewy texture was spot on.
I gave some to my dad and he thought it was really good ‘chicken’ nuggets. We always like to trick him into thinking its meat and sure enough it was a hit. Of course it’s not an exact replacement for chicken nuggets, but it is close enough. It’s all about the texture and the spices.
For every 6 pieces of the Plant-Based Nuggets, it has 17g of plant-based protein. Not bad at all.
Final Thoughts
It’s a great option for flexitarians like myself. A&W knocked it out of the park again with these plant-based nuggets. Are they better than regular chicken nuggets? The short answer is no. Plant-based nuggets are a good alternative and substitute if you’re trying to cut meat out of your diet.
KFC Canada and Frito Lay Canada announced an epic new food collaboration – KFC x Lay’s Bar-B-Q Tenders. This limited-edition item features KFC’s 100 per-cent real Canadian farm raised chicken tenders coated in Lay’s sweet and smoky Bar-B-Q potato chips.
When we saw they had this promotion, we had to check it out. We found that it’s not available at all locations. We first went to the food court at our local mall, but they didn’t have the equipment to make the tenders.
So, we drove a little bit further to another location and they did have it available in various combos. I went with the bucket for 1 as it has a little bit of everything and 2 of the Lay’s BBQ Chicken Tenders.
The tenders are quite meaty with a thin coating of Lay’s BBQ potato chips and spices. It really had a strong Lay’s BBQ flavour to it and was surprisingly enjoyable. If you are a fan of Lay’s BBQ chips, you’ll enjoy this. Remember to eat them right away, so you get the most amount of enjoyment as it is still hot and the outside is more crisp.
The Bar-B-Q Tenders are available starting October 7 until November 17th, 2019, while supplies last.
Sweet treats made with Ruby Cocoa Beans have been very trendy in the last year. Purdys, a Vancouver-based Chocolatier known for their delicious confections. My go-to items are always their hedgehog chocolates and original ice cream bars.
The latest items to come out of the Vancouver Factory Kitchen, is their ruby confections – Ruby Cherry Almond Bar and Ruby Praline. It is slated to be launched Canada-wide on September 13, 2019 known as International Chocolate Day, with samples in-stores as well. These are crafted from 100% sustainable ruby cocoa and will be available in all of Purdys’ 84 retail shops and online.
Did you know, every creation at Purdys uses 100% sustainable cocoa, ensuring their cocoa farmer partners and co-ops are supported by programs that improve their profits and the livelihoods of their families and communities. I love supporting companies like these to ensure their values to part of every process.
Ruby chocolate has a very unique taste. It tastes fruity and creamy, which is very different from traditional milk or dark chocolate. As a bonus, it is pink in colour as well from the result of the selection and crafting of ruby cocoa beans that undergo a shortened fermentation process. Thus meaning, ruby chocolate has no colours or fruit flavourings
Ruby Cherry Almond Bar
This Ruby Cherry Almond Bar has tart cherry and roasted almonds that enhances ruby’s natural flavour and adds texture to balance the sweetness.
We enjoyed the Ruby Cherry Almond Bar as there is great texture and the sweetness of ruby isn’t overpowering. This was our favourite of the two new Ruby creations.
Ruby Praline
Ruby Praline melds the sweet and salty taste combination. Purdys has taken their famous almond purée, combined it with berries and wrapped it in a ruby shell. The taste results in a creamy fusion of salty praline, bright fruit and the sweet natural taste of ruby.
There is a good amount of almond purée on the inside, but we just didn’t like the texture as much.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it is a nice addition to the Purdys line up of chocolates in-stores and online. The distinct taste of ruby does stand out. The Ruby Cherry Almond Bar and Ruby Praline are quite different, so if you like more texture then the Ruby Cherry Almond Bar is for you. If you like a smooth texture, Ruby Praline is for you.
