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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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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Tasting Plates YVR: Gastown Edition

Having lived in Vancouver all my life, I was surprised that I've never been thought of going on a food tour here before. Curtis (foodobyte) recently started bringing me along to Tasting Plates YVR which is a food tour put on my Vanfoodster and it literally is like a pub crawl, but for food!

The tasting plate adventure this time around was in the Gastown area. Yay!

Our registration check-in was at Catch 122. I previously visited this place before (post here) and had a subpar experience. However, these three tasting bites were impressive. In the front is this delicious and juicy pressed confit pork shoulder with smoked potato and pork crackling. 

Another outstanding item is the house-made tortellini with Quebec cheese curd, house-smoked bacon, and soubise sauce. To say it was smokey is an understatement. This tortellini bursted with flavour inside my mouth and I would gladly eat a whole plate of this.

Next up was the Hastings Urban Farm which promoted Hives for Humanity's raw honey served on the comb and Martin's Marvelous rosemary lavendar and chocolate mole crisps. 

If you are ever on Hastings, you should go check this farm out! When it's bright out, you'll even see the bees working in their little hive!

Honey comb is unlike anything I've ever tasted and is certainly a special treat. The crisps were also delicious and reminded me of the local Lesley Stowe crisps I get all the time.

I've never heard of Burgundy Restaurant before so I was excited to try out some of their offerings. 

The Goat Cheese Fondue was a little more pungent than the usual Swiss or Gruyere but I quite enjoyed it. Especially with the seemingly odd pairings of grape and apple.

They also had a sample of Beef Bourguignon and it was delish. A nice baguette would have been perfect to soak up all the leftover rich gravy.

Last but not least is the (dollop :P) of Chocolate Mousse. Light, rich, delicious.

My only disappointment on the food tour was the Bitter Tasting Room. Not only was the food mediocre, when I asked for a cup of hot water (I had a sore throat at the time), they just gave me hot tap water. Not boiled... I didn't end up touching it.

Their barbecue pulled pork taco was quite bland and dry with no hint of barbecue taste.

At the Salt Tasting Room, we were given two meats, one cheese, three condiments, and crackers.

I am in no way a sophisticated person when it comes to food so meat, cheese, and bread like this are just not my cup of tea. However, all the ingredients were undoubtedly fresh and quite delicious on their own.

Milano Coffee is apparently a very well known coffee shop with three locations in Vancouver alone.

This is totally a hipster coffee shop (I'll get to it in a sec) with a large variety of healthy, organic, and gluten conscious power bars.

First of all, did I miss the memo when all wooden stir sticks changed to pasta? HIPSTER! :P Anyways, the Espresso La Futura Macchiato is not for the faint of heart. But if you like strong triple shot espressos at Starbucks? You'll probably enjoy this.

The Espresso Nuovo Stovetop was absolutely deicious!!! It was smooth, creamy, and a ton of people on the tour loved it too (yes I eavesdropped :P).

At The Irish Heather, we were given a plate of Steak & Ale Stew on Calcannon. I enjoyed its robust flavour and I wouldn't mind it on a cold windy night.

Our last stop of the day was a coffee and dessert shop called Trees Organic. They are famous for their cheesecakes and amazingly, this was one of our restaurants on the tour!

We got a sample of the New York Cheesecake and the Almond Marzipan Cheesecake. Unlike most cheesecakes, this one was light, fluffy, and not dense in the slightest. I like my cheesecake with a bit more substance so I actually didn't prefer this variety. Curtis on the other hand really enjoyed this.

Tasting Plates tickets are around $40 per ticket and the next one is in the Main Street neighbourhood. You can buy tickets here.

Happy Eating!

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