Purebread (Gastown) - Can I Eat Everything?

Purebread started off as a one off location in Whistler but progressively got more and more popular as the years went by. Now, they have a location in Gastown and it's FULL of carbolicious goodies.

I absolutely adore their display case. It's simple, lays out all of their products in an extremely attractive manner, and is honestly just a feast for the eyes.

Blueberry drizzle loaf.... Mmmm..

I was so tempted to get their Chocolate Bottom Banana Bar which is essentially a 50/50 bar of banana bread and brownie. How delicious does that sound?!

I ended up getting a Flat White and an Earl Grey Lavender Scone as a snack. It was nice to sit by the window and eat this while reading my kobo. It was a super relaxing way to spend the weekend.

Surprisingly, the lavender flavour was a lot more prominent than the earl grey. The floral taste really sets this apart from all the other regular scones like 'blueberry' or 'cheddar'. Also, the drizzle on top is a citrus icing which went beautifully with the scone. If you don't know what to get here, get this item!!

Purebread is an awesome little bakery and will satisfy any sweet or savoury tooth when you're in the mood. I will most definitely be going back to buy a whole bunch of items to try back home.

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 4.5/5

Price: $

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating! 

                            Habababa... Carbs...

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Cafe de L'Orangerie - What a Hidden Gem!

Having known about this restaurant called Cafe de L'Orangerie for a few years now, I don't know why I never bothered to visit. It's such a hidden gem (actually! Geographically wise) and such a delight for people who like the Japanese Western fusion cuisine.

If you live in Richmond, Cafe de L'Orrangerie is very much like Moncton Cafe in Steveston.

At this mom and pop shop, you can find Japanese style pastas, 'hamburg' which are thick Japanese hamburger patties, curries, etc.

They do poutine a little differently here.. They serve it up Orangerie-Style (Small - $6.25) and is more of a beef tomato stew instead of gravy. Nevertheless, the stew was amazing and the fries were double fried. Perfectly crisp. It honestly could NOT have been better.

For those that like light and refreshing pastas, this Wafu-Style Spaghetti ($9.80) would be perfect. It has bonito flakes, seaweed, mushroom, bacon, garlic, and cabbage.

 I went with the popular Masago de Creamy Spaghetti ($9.80) which had squid, mushroom, asparagus, roe, and cream in it. Even though it took some extra effort to finish, it was delightful. The roe made this dish 'Japanese' and provided a flavour profile that you just cannot get with any other Western ingredient.

I was actually a little shocked when I first saw the Matcha Green Tea Pudding Parfait ($6.95) because I was expecting something tall and layered. Instead, it is served in a bowl along with red bean, dango (glutinous rice balls) and vanilla ice-cream.

Here's the matcha pudding underneath!

In my opinion, Cafe de L'Orangerie is definitely worth checking out if you're into Japanese fusion cuisine. I personally loved this little resto and will gladly return whenever I want something hearty. My only qualm with them is that the service was really slow when I went. It took a while for each dish to come out and it took us at least 10 minutes to wave down a waitress for our check.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!


             Next time I'm getting a large poutine :D

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Starbucks - La Boulange Flourless Chocolate Cookie

Ever since Starbucks introduced their new cafe and bakery line called La Boulange, I've been dying to try out their pastries. I wanted to know whether they were really better than their previous pastry offerings.

I tried their Chocolate Croissant and it was pretty much the same. It didn't blow me away but it was solid.

Their Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cookie is a completely new product exclusive to the La Boulange line. It's even wrapped and sealed to avoid wheat contamination inside the display cases.

Since I am wheat intolerant, I decided to give it a try. It's not cheap. One bag has two cookies and it was $3.95. The cookie is primarily made with egg whites so it tasted quite like a meringue.

Despite it being a tad crunchy on the sides, the center was quite moist and fudgy! I don't usually see a lot of gluten free cookie options around the mall (ex. Timmy Ho's, McDonald's, Cupcakes, Mrs.Fields ...etc) so I will definitely repurchase whenever I want a sweet treat.

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

     
when I see something I can't eat because it has wheat :(

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Bake My Day Cafe - Pastries and Cookies...Yum

With so many patisseries and bakeries popping up all over Vancouver, it's always hard to choose just one to go to when I'm craving a sweet treat. Luckily for me, I found out about a new bakery in downtown called Bake My Day Cafe.

This little French/German bakery is in a very unassuming location on Beatty street 15 minutes away from the Yaletown skytrain station.

 I don't know about you but I thought their sign and branding is super cute. It almost reminds me of those Polly Pocket dolls I used to play with.

See? SOOOO cute.

They sold macarons, cakes, pies, croissants, bread, and a variety of different carb-o-licious delights.

Their cakes have more of a homey vibe and are visually quite different from a lot of the other bakeries around. I actually quite like that fact because it adds a special touch and it looks like a cake I'd get from my grandma's home.

These Macarons ($1.85) were fresh out of the oven and extremely light and delicate. The only downside for me was that it was overly sweet.

I'm a sucker for anything double baked (twice baked potato from The Keg for example :P) so I naturally gravitated towards the Double Baked Almond Croissant 

If you like dense croissants with a good custard, sweet sticky topping, and crunchy almonds, then this pastry is for you. Curtis (foodobyte) and I both really enjoyed this though half was enough for us.

When it comes to Chocolate Chip Cookies, I like mine soft and chewy. These cookies however were more on the crispy side so if you like crunchy edges and dense centers, this one is for you.

The owners of the bakery, Fatima and Tim were kind enough to send us off with a sweet tart consisting of salted caramel cream, and three mini macarons.

Both Fatima and Tim are delightful and I'm so glad they invited me and Curtis to try out their pastries and sweets. You can really tell they both put a lot effort into make this cafe happen and I for one would love to support them and other local businesses.

Service Rating: 5/5

Food Rating: 3.5/5

Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

                     do you like cookies bro?

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Lucky's Doughnuts - Great Place to Chat Over Latte and Donuts

In my opinion, Lucky's Doughnuts (at either location) offer the most delicious variety of donuts in the Lower Mainland. From Maple Bacon Fritters to Creme Brulee donuts, they have some cray cray options to choose from!

I came with Meta Knight one day because I was cravingggg those creme brulee donuts I had last time (post here). Their flavours are always changing so I didn't have high hopes. Luckily for me, they did have it! Just a pumpkin flavoured one.

That display case gets me every time. From wanting one donut to four, that's always the case when I wait in line right in front of it!

It seems to me that this place is always packed and line ups are the norm. They don't have many tables inside but they do have a nice heated patio.

I got a regular latte and it was really good. Love their 'Tiffany' turquoise blue cups. Hehe :)

Thomas got the Matcha Bismark and it didn't look super matcha-y on the outside. Little did we know, it was packed full of matcha on the inside. Yum..

Yeah this is the money shot right here- look at all that matcha goodness. Needless to say, we both were VERY happy with this choice.

They didn't have their regular Creme Brulee Donut so I settled for the Pumpkin Brulee Donut which is essentially the same thing except it has pumpkin flavouring. I personally like the regular one more because the pumpkin tasted a bit artificial.

Lucky's is the only place I know that torches donuts with sugar like a creme brulee. It's ridiculous, it'll give you a sugar high, and it'll leave you wanting more next time. Can't recommend the original creme brulee donut enough.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!


Oh yeah... glaze that donut...

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Top 10 Restaurants to Go to During the Winter Time

When I think of winter, I think of scraping frost from my car in the morning, curling up in my blanket- burrito style (best way to sleep in my opinion), Mariah's 'All I want for Christmas is you" blasting in my car, and eating hot soupy anything to keep my insides warm.

There are so many amazing restaurants in Vancity that serves up delicous hot eats, perfect for combating the nippy air and chilly wind so I thought I'd share a few of my favourites with you. These restaurants are in no particular order. They are all my favourite go-to places during the winter time.

1. Burgoo - Must Get Item: Soup and Sandwich Combo


Burgoo by far makes one of my favourite grilled cheese sandwiches because it's made with an obscene amount of butter and cheese. *Drool*.... and when you pair that with their hot Seafood Potage soup? It's the perfect lunch combo to warm you from inside out.

2. Dinesty - Must Get Item: Soup Pork Dumplings


The last time I blogged about Dinesty was back in 2011 and I wrote about my less than stellar experience. I've returned many times since then, and they've surprised me with improvements each time. Their Xiao Long Baos (soup dumplings) are pretty spot on and if you've never had them before... You are missing out. These little soupy meat purses will change your life. Like legit.

3. Crackle Creme - Must Get Item: Honey Lavender Creme Brulee


Honey. Lavender. Creme. Brulee. Need I say more??

4. Marutama - Must Get Item: THE EGG


Oh god. Their glorious egg still haunts me in my sleep and I'm constantly depressed at the fact that I live so far away from this place. Marutama serves up extremely rich, chicken broth-based ramen with an egg so delicious it'll make you sing to the heavens. Just go and try it.

5. Swiss Bakery - Must Get Item: The Cronut (or Frissant)


It's really hard to explain in words how a cronut tastes but all I can say is... if you like doughnuts, and you like croissants, you will love these cronuts from Swiss Bakery. During my hibernation in the winter, my body craves carbs and this is its calling.

6. CHAU Veggie Express - Must Get Item: Diving For Pearls Pho


What's the first thing that pops into your mind when I say "vegetarian pho"? I can tell you the word 'delicious' was not on my mind. However, after trying their Diving For Pearls Pho, I am now a convert. This particular broth made with lychees and dates is still one of the most flavouful and delicious pho broths I've ever tasted to date. Give this place a try even if you have doubts. Most likely you'll love it.

7. Chez Meme - Must Get Item: French Onion Soup and Bourguignon Baguette


One look at this picture and I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about. In addition to their AMAZING french onion soup, this local mom and pop shop located in Burnaby will surely blow your mind when you taste their baguette sandwiches. Meta Knight and I both love their short rib baguette called "Bourguignon".

8. Gokudo Shabu Shabu - Must Get Item: Hot Pot Combo


Everyone knows hot pot tastes better when it's rainy, snowing, or windy outside. :) During the winter, I like Gokudo because their hot pot combo gives you tons of veggies, tons of meat, a drink, a carbolicious side, and a dessert, all for about $15 bucks. Plus, their individual hot pots mean no-calling-in-sick-the-next-day-when-you're-too-nice-to-ask-your-sneezing-friend-to-hold-off-on-double-dipping-her-chopsticks.

9. House of Tofu Soup - Must Get Item: Seafood Tofu Hot Pot and Fried Dumplings


I'm no vegetarian but these fried dumplings are the bomb. Also, Korean tofu soup is like the modern day chicken noodle soup. A little spicy, hearty, soupy, the perfect medicine to any cold.

10. Forage - Must Get Item: Their Award Winning Seafood Chowder


Soup. Soup. Soup. Soup. Did I mention I like soup? As an avid seafood lover, I can't imagine anything better than this award winning smokey seafood chowder on a cold windy night. As if that's not enough, it's topped with a soft boiled quail egg and pork rinds. Yes. I said pork rinds *wipes drool off keyboard*.

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the post. :) And if you're anything like me in the winter time... you'll relate.



Happy Eating!

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