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.
Cafe Hashtag is now open in Coquitlam right by the H Mart on North Road. Since they were under construction, that name has always got my attention. There are a lot of other cafes in the area, so competition is definitely high.
I was very curious how they would stand out from the rest. With Covid-19 pandemic, it’s really hard to open a business now. I decided to make the trip to pay them a visit on the first day of opening.
Interior
Because of social distancing, the furniture isn’t in their intended places. They have markers on the ground to direct customers to wait in line, order and pick up their items.
There are some table available for dining in, but I only saw one small group at the time I was here.
Menu
Latte
They have different sizes of lattes but I just went with a smaller 12oz. They use the beans roasted by C Market Coffee, which is also in Coquitlam.
It was a good latte and pairs well with their waffles.
Dalgona Milk Tea
If you want something more trendy, they have dalgona milk tea on the menu. There are pieces of dalgona toffee on top that dissolves into the drink slowly. The base is espresso and milk.
An interesting twist to the classic Dalgona coffee.
CroWaffle
This is their Croissant Waffle on a stick. It’s shaped like Taiwan or South Korea if you use your imagination. hahaha. It has buttery layers with some syrup and icing sugar to give it a bit of sweetness.
Final Thoughts
It’s good to have more options in town for coffee, but they definitely have a lot of competition. If you’re in the area, drop by Cafe Hashtag for some coffee and waffles.
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.
Fior di latte Gelateria And Caffe (FDL Cafe) just opened a few weeks ago in Burnaby Heights. With the Covid-19 Pandemic, it was unfortunate timing as all dining rooms are closed.
If you’ve been to a few farmers markets in Vancouver, the name R. Nathaliae Pattiserie will ring a bell. They are behind FDL Cafe and have so much to offer their customers. Their pastries were stellar! So, I was really excited to check them out again as FDL Cafe.
They are now back for take out and delivery via UberEats.
Chickado Sandwich
This massive sandwich has miso roasted chicken, fresh kimchi from Salty Cabbage Kimchi, avocado, and mixed greens. 1 sandwich can feed 2 people, it’s crazy. Plus, crazy delicious. I love the meaty pieces of tender chicken paired with the creamy avocado and crunchy kimchi.
London Brisket Sandwich
This has a lot of slow roasted beef brisket, which has been dry brined, mixed greens, and cheese. This sandwich is also a winner. The brisket is really tender and so flavourful.
Spinach and Feta Pita
This isn’t your regular pita bread. It’s more like a phyllo pie were it has filling inside. This one has spinach and feta.
Mushroom Pita
This doesn’t look like much from the outside, but wow, it is stuffed with so much mushroom mixture inside. Highly recommended. Just look at that. The pastry is thin and theres lots of mushroom hiding inside.
Mushroom Tart
Clearly, I love mushrooms. They have mushrooms tarts too. The pastry is very flakey and the mushroom is creamy and savoury. Delicious too.
Blueberry Danish
They have a few different types of fruit danishes, but we picked up the blueberry version. It’s very fresh and bursting with flavour. It’s very crisp and enjoyable so make sure you capture all the crumbs that fall.
Bacon Cheese Roll
This is so indulgent. This bacon cheese roll is enrobed with freshly melted cheese in the oven. Highly recommended.
Sour Cherry Turnover
The pastry is so flakey and the sour cherry is perfectly hiding inside. Well balanced in flavour too.
Peach Galette
Another beautiful pastry! The peaches are delicious and paired with the flakey pastry is a good combination.
Final Thoughts
Everything we had hit the spot and we were not disappointed at all. Highly recommend FDL Cafe to anyone in the area. Their pastries and sandwiches are really delicious and it made me crave them even more. We will be back soon.
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.
My favourite neighbourhood bakery and cafe – Chez Christophe has found a way to get their yummy treats to their customers anyway possible. As they have 2 locations, customers in Burnaby and White Rock will still be able to enjoy their treats.
Curbside Pick Up Call or order in advanced online
Take Out Burnaby: 9am-4pm Tuesday through Sunday White Rock: 9am-3pm Tuesday through Saturday.
Delivery Within a 10km radius of their Burnaby location
Shipping Options Free shipping on orders over $35. This excludes cakes, pastries and showpieces)
As we are huge fans of Chez Christophe, in the last 3 weeks, I’ve ordered from them at least 5 times for myself and gifts for friends and family. They really make it easy and I love that. I’ve had small to large orders and there is always a way to get the treats with minimal contact during Covid-19.
Make sure to check their social media and website as anything can change quite quickly as the policies for social distancing changes day by day.
Frozen Goods
Chez Christophe has always had frozen goods available in their shop, but now it’s very popular to get a few for yourself and some for friends and family.
Butter Croissant (5 pieces)
Pain Au Chocolat (5 pieces)
Cheddar Herb Scones (4 pieces)
White Chocolate Raspberry Scones (4 pieces)
Great item to just have in the freezer when you want to have a sweet treat. Even better if you have kids at home. They can help you prepare it and makes a great activity.
Individual or Large Cakes
Cakes are still available for any occasion. They will help you add a note to the cake too. We personally needed a large cake that feeds 10 and they had them available so it was perfect. No need to go outside as it was delivered to us as we live in Burnaby close to the shop. They can also do custom orders of 20+ servings, but you need to order in advanced so they can get it ready for you.
If you want a little sweet treat, they still have a large selection of cakes. You’ll find something for your sweet tooth.
Fresh Pastries
I’ve missed their fresh pastries a lot. I remember going on coffee dates here with friends, grabbing a coffee and a pastry. They have a good selection of pastries available. My personal favourite are the items that are double baked.
Butter Croissant
Pain au Chocolat
Hazelnut Pain au Chocolat
Croissant Puff
Ham and Cheese Croissant
Double Baked Almond Croissant
Double Baked Hazelnut Chocolate Croissant
Fresh Fruit Danish
Double Baked Almond and Chocolate Croissant
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love Chez Christophe as it’s my favourite pastry shop in North Burnaby. If you want to order, take a look at their website just in case information has changed.
Stay safe out there! Remember to spread some love and cheer as there is definitely too much negativity out there in the world.
McDonalds Canada has introduced chicken to their breakfast menu. This is the same chicken patty used in their Junior Chicken sandwich. It’s not a grand addition to their menu but at least it gives you more options than pork or egg. They are promoting the Chicken McMuffin and Chicken McGriddle for $2.49, but don’t forget your McDonalds Coupons to use.
The Chicken McMuffin and Chicken McGriddle sandwiches are only available until 11am on the breakfast menu.
I would have thought a plant-based burger would be the next step as other major fast food chains have started introducing veggie burgers to cater to vegetarians and flexitarians.
We bought the Chicken McMuffin and Chicken McGriddle for breakfast for a taste test. Also, I made my own creation too because a McMuffin isn’t complete without an egg.
Chicken McMuffin
The chicken McMuffin has breaded seasoned chicken patty, made with chicken raised on Canadian farms with mayonnaise style sauce, a slice of processed cheddar cheese on a toasted English muffin.
We did notice the chicken patty is salt and pepper heavy.
Chicken McMuffin with Egg
I thought the Chicken McMuffin was a bit basic, so why not complete with a good ol’ egg. What came first? The chicken or the egg? Why not both?
The egg makes the Chicken McMuffin most filing and satisfying. The egg helped dial back the amount of salt and pepper to the overall taste. Definitely recommend adding the egg. The egg is $1.30 extra, so it comes to $3.79.
Chicken McGriddles
The Chicken McGriddle has a breaded seasoned chicken patty, made with chicken raised on Canadian farms, and between two maple-flavoured griddle cakes.
Once you take it our from the bag, you can really smell the maple in the griddle cakes. It is sweet but it pairs nicely with the chicken. Imagine chicken and waffles from McDonalds.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I personally still prefer the sausage patty over the chicken patty. If you don’t eat pork, this is a good alternative. Perhaps a grilled chicken patty would have been better to reduce the amount of salt, but thats just my personal opinion.
You can also get a Junior Chicken Sandwich and add an egg to it if its past 11am.
Billy Button is a Dessert Bar in Vancouver and they serve up the most aesthetic looking desserts in town. Each piece is a work of art. I came with my foodie friend right before the last call at the end of the night.
They still had many items left on the menu, so we ordered one of each item.
Interior
The space is small but very sleep looking. There aren’t many tables inside, so it’ll be hard to fit a large group unless you go at off hours.
Kids
They have high chairs if you toddler needs one.
Orange
Is this a real orange? Nope. This has orange marmalade and white chocolate whipped ganache. It really is stunning. You take your spoon and smash it open. In terms of taste, it was alright.
Strawberry
Strawberry or Tomato? I think it looks more like a tomato, but it’s a strawberry. It is made with house made sorbet jam blend with fresh strawberry and then coated with white chocolate ganache. The taste was also ok.
Blueberry Tart
This blueberry tart has blueberry jam, pasty cream, and an almond sponge cake. Pretty good item and the blueberry are so pretty.
The Garden
The dessert is stunning and I love the name. It has cucumber, yogurt mousse, yuzu cremeux, raspberry powder, and house made crostini. Very innovative, but the cucumber doesn’t work in this dish.
Osmanthus Udon
This is another creative dish. The ‘noodles’ are made of osmanthus panna cotta, then paired with berry sauce and crumble. Stunning but I wasn’t a fan of this.
Matcha Green Tea Tart
The Matcha Green Tea Tart has matcha soufflé, matcha sponge cake, and matcha ice cream. I enjoyed this Matcha Green Tea Tart.
The Autumn
This fun dessert has a red wine poached pear, chocolate cake, and red wine sauce. This dessert was ok as well.
Salted Caramel Brioche
The salted caramel brioche is paired with a salted caramel sauce, brown sugar crumble, vanilla Chantilly cream, and dark chocolate. I really enjoyed this one. It’s not as innovative like the other dishes, but it’s solid.
Final Thoughts
Billy Button Dessert Bar is very creative and innovative when it comes to stunning desserts. I love the look, but the taste feels a bit disconnected. The desserts I liked the most were the ones that look very boring- the salted caramel brioche and matcha green tea tart.
Gram Cafe & Pancakes is now open in Richmond serving up the popular souffle pancakes. People go nuts over these in Japan with long line ups for a taste of their fluffy pancakes.
There are 4 Gram Cafe & Pancakes set to open in Metro Vancouver – Robson Street, Kerrisdale, The Amazing Brentwood and Richmond. The Richmond location inside Aberdeen Mall is the first to open and we came during their soft opening to check out the space and the unique menu items. No date is set for the Grand Opening yet as they are still working out kinks.
Interior
The space is large and lots of space. If you are in a large group, it might be hard to get a spot unless you come early.
Kids
The seating is comfortable and the tables are spaced a distance from other tables, so if you bring in strollers, there is plently of room to move around.
There are also high chairs available inside. Changing tables are a short distance away and since it’s in Aberdeen Mall, there is changing tables outside.
We did notice a few kids dining here as well when we were here.
Menu
Premium Pancake Line Up
Something you might not know about Gram Cafe & Pancakes is that there is a line up for their Premium Pancakes. They are open 11am-9pm daily and serving three time slots of Premium Pancakes at 11am, 3pm, 6pm with 30 orders at each time slot.
As most guests want the premium pancakes instead of their regular items, you will need to go ahead of time to get a token and come at at the next time slot available.
It is suggested to come 1 hour to 1.5 hours in advance to get the token. Best to grab it, then walk around the mall until it’s your turn. Of course with more locations open, lines may die down.
Taste Test of Premium Pancake
We had our tokens on the table with ’08’ and ’09’, so we had to wait till they served the people ahead of us. It wasn’t a long wait once all the pancakes started coming out. The servers are quick and have to balance the pancakes very well so it doesn’t topple over. It’s very delicate.
Once it’s at the table, it should be eating very quickly within minutes as you can see it starts to deflate.
There are 3 premium soufflé pancakes stacked on top of each other with a scoop of butter and a small jug of syrup. There is also whipped cream on the side.
It has a good flavour with a bit of butter, syrup and whipped cream. It was a touch dense, so I wished it was a bit more airy. I haven’t been to their Japan locations, but some have said the ones in Japan are more airy than the ones here.
$16 for each dish is a bit steep, but it is slightly above par with other cafes in town that do something similar.
Cool Premium Pancake Take Out
If you absolutely have no patience to line up, they do offer a limited amount of Cool Premium Pancake for take out only. This takes their premium pancake, cut in half and filled with whipped cream for $3.75.
It’s much more affordable than the Premium Pancake which is $16 for 3 pancakes.
Taste Test of Cool Premium Pancake
It is served cold and the height of the pancake has deflated as some of the air has escaped as its not fresh off the griddle. It has a generous amount of whipped cream in the centre. Some say its too much whipped cream, but I do love whipped cream. It was alright.
Tiramisu Pancake
Between the three pancakes is mascarpone tiramisu cream, cocoa powder and a piece of milk chocolate. The pancakes are thinner and for this sweet pancake option, it is served cold. This makes sense as the other ingredients are cold and won’t melt because of the temperature.
That mascarpone tiramisu cream is really good and addictive.
Chili Bean Pancake
There are 3 pieces of pancakes with chili sauce, maple breakfast sausage, potatoes, salad, and cheddar cheese. This is your savoury dish and it’s interesting that they serve this as it give guests more options.
The chili had a nice kick of spice to it. I’m not a sweet and savoury person, so I didn’t gravitate towards this dish. The other people I dined with did enjoy it.
Chocolate Banana French Toast
This has their thick cut of french toast and topped with chocolate sauce and 4 slices of banana. There definitely could have more banana in this dish.
It was alright but nothing special.
Coffee
They have an assortment of drinks on the menu, but we went with coffee to pair with the pancakes. They do offer coffee in medium or dark roast.
Final Thoughts
It’s great that Gram Cafe & Pancakes has finally arrived in Vancouver with much anticipation. Plus, more locations to come in 2020.
They have some kinks to work out, but the location is great inside Aberdeen and diversified the soufflé pancake offerings in Metro Vancouver. I thought these were a touch dense and I would like a bit more fluffiness to them.
Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit1360, Richmond, BC
A year ago, Starbucks Canada launched their Cloud Macchiato beverages featuring whipped cold foam made by combining 2% milk with Cloud Powder. This year, they put a twist on that by adding a few extra touches.
The Cocoa Cloud Macchiato can be served hot or cold and it is made with milk blended with Cloud Powder, layered with espresso and Toffee Nut syrup, finished with Caramel and Mocha drizzle. You can also get the milk alternative with soy if you’re lactose intolerant.
The Cloud Powder does contain eggs, so it’s not for those who are vegan or allergic to eggs.
The hot version doesn’t look like much but it’s all about the taste.
The Cocoa Cloud Macchiato does have quite a bit of foam and it’s very milky. The toffee nut syrup, caramel and mocha drizzle add a good amount of sweetness.
It was alright but I personally prefer my coffee to be more bold and less milky.
Starbucks Canada launched a new drink – Nitro Cold Brew with Salted Honey Cold Foam. They have discontinued the Irish Cream Cold Brew, which sucks because it was really good.
What’s in the Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew with Salted Honey Cold Foam?
The Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew from the tap is topped with salted honey Cold Foam and a strike of Toasted Honey topping.
Taste Test
I usually enjoy their Nitro Cold Brew beverages but this one was definitely a miss. The Toasted Honey topping didn’t add too much as there wasn’t enough of it on top. The Salted Honey Cold Foam tasted bland and the honey didn’t shine through. There were only very very subtle hints of honey.
The Nitro Cold Brew was very smooth and strong, but I wanted some more sweetness to it. You can always add sweet cream or a pump of syrup balance the drink.
Final Thoughts
The Salted Honey Cold Foam wasn’t a hit for us. There wasn’t enough sweetness and it taste more like weird tangy foam. I’ll stick to their Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream instead.
Neverland Tea Salon is a cafe in Kitsilano which serves up exceptional high tea service. For the month of February, they have introduced their Mad Hatter High Tea, which comes in regular, vegetarian, gluten-free/dairy-free, and vegan. I love these options as customers with dietary restrictions don’t have to feel limited in what they can indulge in.
With the Mad Hatter theme from Alice and Wonderland, guests are transported into a world of the unknown. The high tea is $38 per person, but with a glass of bubbly, it’s $48 per person. Not a bad price point since it’s a generous portion.
Interior
They have transformed the space with themes from the movie with clocks and decks of cards everywhere. Each table has their fun and unique centerpiece. If you look around, there is something interesting on the walls, on the table and other items dangling from the ceiling. They really put a lot of effort into this theme.
Regular Menu
Vegetarian Menu
Gluten-free/Dairy- Free Menu
Vegan Menu
Mad Hatter’s Teas
There are 3 tea recommendations for this theme – Queen of Hearts (black), Cheshire Chai (Rooibos), and A Very Berry Un-Birthday (Black).
We tried all 3 and each one is very different. Queen of Hearts is a black tea with hint of cinnamon. The Cheshire Chai is strong are aeromatic with spices, which is great with milk and sugar. The very verry un-birthday is another black tea with hint of berry. We really liked the Cheshire Chai a lot.
Pro-tip: Ask for warm milk instead of regular milk as it help retain the heat for your tea.
Amuse-bouche
The Amuse-bouche for this high tea is a chilled watermelon beet soup in a small jar labeled ‘drink me’. Doesn’t this remind you of the beverage Alice had before she went to Wonderland?
This was a very healthy start to the high tea. You have the hint of sweetness from the watermelon and the earthy taste of the beet juice.
Savoury
It’s all about the savouries to start and its located on the bottom tier. My favourites were the Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel, Roasted veggie croque monsieur, and the Smoked paprika crab salad roll. Very good portion sizes of all the savoury items.
Smoked paprika crab salad roll with red peppers, onions, chives and green goddess aioli
Coronation chicken salad on focaccia with green onions, cilantro, red pepper, mango chutney and Assam tea infused apricots
Roasted veggie croque monsieur with zucchini, kale, red peppers and havarti cheese
Plant-based burger sliders with pesto aioli, arugula, tomato on black pepper ‘squid ink’ brioche
Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel with asparagus and lemon herbed cream cheese
Scones
The top tier has the citrus scone with Devonshire cream and house-made jam. This was a very generous portion and did fill us up.
Sweets
The sweets are in the middle tier and it can’t be missed. By the time we got to the sweets tier, we were already pretty full. My friend packed hers to go, but I carried on and ate them all.
My favourites were the Chocolate ganache tart and the Strawberry mousse dome.
Vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate crumble base
Strawberry mousse dome with Tinkerbell’s Kiss tea ganache and milk chocolate pearls
Chocolate ganache tart with macaron shells and whipped cream cheese
Mocha sponge cake on a brownie base with chocolate glaze
Final Thoughts
Overall, for the price, you really get full. It’s not pretentious in anyway and it feels very comfortable. We had a great experience and will be back again in the future for their high teas. The Mad Matter High Tea is fun and whimsical. They let you dress up if you feel like it.
I always look around Metro Vancouver for some good local hidden gems and most of the time I am disappointing. So, when I finally find something worth raving about, I get really excited. Adam’s Crepes is located on Rumble Street in Burnaby near Metrotown and there are raving reviews online. I’ve had a lot of crepes in Vancouver and none of them really stood out to me, so I’ve always been on the look out.
It’s been on my list to visit for some time now and I had to check it out with my friend and Baby E when we were looking for an afternoon dessert.
Interior
There are seats along the left side of the cafe and there is a booster seat and high chair available.
Menu
Nutella/Banana/Strawberry/Whipped Cream
This is a classic combination of flavours. They go through a lot of Nutella, this why there are so many Nutella jars in the store. The ratio of all the ingredients were great.
Cheesecake/Strawberry/Whipped Cream
They suggested that a lot of people add a syrup topping to this, so we decided to go with salted caramel. They make the salted caramel in-house, so you can really taste the difference.
When we cut the crepe, we were pleasantly surprised that it had a crunchy texture and it was nice and thin. Usually the crepes are pretty limp everywhere else, but it really worked to give the crepe a nice texture.
The creme is stunning when it comes out and I’ve never seen one so thick and lush. The cheesecake is beautifully cut and had the right amount of strawberries and whipped cream. The salted caramel was nice, but we found there was a touch too much of it inside the crepe. Nonetheless, it was still delicious.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed it and it’s definitely a hidden gem in Burnaby for authentic French crepes. I’ll definitely be back for some.
Buttermere Patisserie has opened their cake shop right on Main Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown. They are best known for their custom cakes with Asian-inspired flavours. They had pop-ups at Torafuku a few blocks way before they opened up their storefront location.
If you’re looking for coffee and cakes, this is a great place. The flavour are more geared towards Asian tastebuds, so its less sweet and very flavourful.
Interior
The space is small, but good enough for a cafe. Cozy for just catching up with friends.
Menu
Assorted Roll Cakes
The assorted Roll cakes comes with 5 pieces and apparently it’s picked at random so you don’t get a choice on which roll cakes you want. When we heard that we were considering only buying 3 of the flavours we really wanted, but they were nice enough to make an exception and makes sure our top 3 flavours made it into the box.
We ended up with Cow, Strawberry and Cream, Thai Empire, London Fog and Assam. 5 pieces for $30, which comes to $6 per piece.
All of the roll cakes did not disappoint. I found Thai Empire, London Fog and Assam to be very fragrant with strong tea flavours and blended nicely with the cream. Not too sweet either.
Cow – Boiled MilkStrawberry and Fresh CreamThaiEmpireLondon Fog – Earl GreyAssam – Black Tea
Lychee Rose Pillow Cakes
They also have a bunch of different pillow cakes. It is sweet and light in texture. The flavour of the lychee rose was spot on and fragrant.
They have so many different flavours but we just picked one up.
Final Thoughts
Overall, very good cakes and we will be back for more. The flavours were perfect and loved how it’s not too sweet. They also do a few different custom cakes and they look gorgeous. I’ll have to check them out whenever I have a special occasion.
mello is a new doughnut shop and cafe in the heart of Chinatown in Vancouver. It quietly opened its doors a few weeks ago and has been attracting a lot of attention for their decadent brioche doughnuts.
They also have other items like coffee, ice cream, and other pastries.
Donut or doughnuts? Since we are Canadian, we will stick with doughnuts.
Interior
The interior is quite nice. It’s not too large inside but is a decent size for a cafe. The interior is like a work of art. There is a long communal table for larger groups.
I like this sitting area in the back as there was tons of room for us and a baby.
Menu
Fresh Strawberry and Cream
The brioche doughnut is cut partially in half and filled with bits of strawberry and cream. It felt like half the doughnut was filled and then the rest of it is the plain doughnut. This was my least favourite one.
Tiramisu
The tiramisu was really decadent with the rice cream inside. There is some cocoa powder on the outside too. The ratio of doughnut to cream was very nice and we really enjoyed it.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
This was my favourite as I love chocolate. I could eat a whole box of them. The dark chocolate pudding is also very rich and pairs so well with the texture of the brioche doughnut.
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Peanut Butter Jelly time! This was oozing with jelly and I wished there was more peanut butter to balance it out as it was pretty sweet.
Final Thoughts
It’s a great addition to the area and their doughnuts are different that others in the area. The brioche doughnuts has a decent chew to it but not too dense. Their selection isn’t that large, but has enough to satisfy different tastebuds. It’s definitely making Chinatown a little more vibrant and delicious.
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.
Recently, coming back from Japan, I realized there are a lot of sweet treats not available in Metro Vancouver. Nanaya Matcha in Tokyo have 7 levels of Matcha gelato and I’ve been waiting for someone to create that in Vancouver.
L’OTUS Cake Boutique has opened their Burnaby location just behind Metropolis at Metrotown and has made 5 levels of matcha gelato and it’s exclusive to their Burnaby location. I saw this on instagram and I just had to come here with a few friends to check out this spot.
Interior
The space is really nice and it’s on the ground level of a newly developed apartment building. There are 4 booth style seats and a few tables. We came in the middle of the day and it was quite busy but we were able to get a table for 4.
They even have 2 high chairs available, which is nice.
Menu
5 Levels of Matcha Gelato
We had to get the flight of 5 mini matcha gelato for $15. Pretty expensive, but you really need one to share with a few friends. I wouldn’t recommend getting multiple because most people just want a few bites and that’s it.
You’re supposed to try it from lightest to strongest. After trying them all, we all loved level 4 the most. It has a good ratio of matcha and sweetness.
Once we tried everything and retried the flavours, 4 is still superior.
Soda Matcha
The matcha soda comes in a take out cup, which would have been nicer if they had cups instead of these take out containers. Anyways, there is the soda on the bottom and then the matcha on top, where you should mix it before drinking. It was an interesting flavour, but none of us really like it. The matcha could have been stronger as the sweet soda was the dominant taste.
Matcha Red Bean Latte
The Matcha Red Bean Latte comes in a clean milk carton glass and it’s pretty cute. There is a good ratio between the matcha, milk, sugar, and red beans. It was decent, but it wasn’t the best we’ve had.
Matcha Cheese Foam
This was like a matcha latte and then the cheese foam on top. It was a bit too much milk in my opinion.
Philippine Mango Crepe Cake
This was one of the most expensive slices of crepe cake at Lotus. It is $12 for a slice, but since it does take a lot of effort to make a crepe cake and the cost of the Philippine mango isn’t cheap at all.
It was really good. Nice ratio of cream and mango. One of our favourites.
64% Dark Chocolate Crepe Cake
This was decadent and delicious. Loved the darkness of the chocolate and also had a good ratio of cream, chocolate mousse and crepe layers.
Double Layer Cheesecake
This was also a hit too. It has the denser cheesecake on the bottom and then the soft and lighter cheesecake on top.
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t a fan of any of the matcha beverages as they were pretty mediocre. The mini matcha gelato fight is fun if you’re sharing with a few friends. The cakes are solid and we really enjoyed those but it is quite pricey.
Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic addition to Burnaby as we definitely need more delicious cafes to chill with friends. Plus, it’s a few steps away from the Metrotown skytrain.
I love love love looking at different menu items at Starbucks all over the world and I just have to try the items not available in North America. When I was in Hong Kong, I had to try the Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly.
Looking at the big menus behind the counter doesn’t reveal the whole menu, so I like grabbing the smaller menus on the counter to see everything that they offer. My eyes were drawn to the Frappuccino Blended Beverages section for the Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly.
Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly
The earl grey jelly is on the bottom and then filled with the chocolate black tea frappè, then the whipped cream and powder on top. In Hong Kong, they have white paper straws instead of the regular green plastic ones.
The Earl Grey jelly doesn’t taste like it too much. It was very very subtle and it mostly just added texture to the drink. Kinda like grass jelly. The Chocolate Black Tea frappe was very nice and not too sweet. I quite liked it a lot. This drink reminded me of a bubble tea.
If you’re ever in Asia and you see this on the Starbucks menu, definitely give it a try.
