Anh + Chi

July 6, 2016July 5, 2016Leave a comment

Anh and Chi is the new hip and modern Vietnamese spot that took over the prior space, Pho Hoang. The restaurant is owned by the same family but the children now run the restaurant.

The restaurant is clean and modern with natural sunlight shining in to make picture taking effortless. Be aware of the long line ups and no reservations here. We came here closer to 2pm and got a seat within 15 minutes.

They’ve really vamped up the decor and everything inside just has a modern flare to it.

Soda Ép: Hand-Craft Soda – Fresh Lime, Dragon Fruit Tonic, Salty Plum

We started off with their Hand-Craft Sodas which the servers recommended. From left to right is the Fresh Lime, Dragon Fruit Tonic, and Salty Plum. The Salty Plum really wowed us with the drink not being overly salty or tart. It had a nice balance and was very appetizing. A must order!

Chả Giò – Crispy Spring Rolls

Onto the appies of which included the Crispy Spring Rolls which comes in a beautiful woven basket. They really know how to play with presentation here and hence their high prices. $7 for two rolls is not cheap. The spring rolls are filled with pork, prawn, carrot, taro, bean thread vermicelli and black mushroom. Many of their dishes are served with lettuce, mixed herbs and a chili fish sauce of which you then wrap around. I have to say, the flavours of these spring rolls are very modernized but I loved it!

Sài Gòn – Prawn Salad Rolls

The Prawn Salad Rolls were also presented beautifully. Each order comes with one roll cut in half (pictured is two orders). You can also choose from grilled pork or chicken. The rolls were filled with lettuce, bean sprouts, rice vermicelli and my favourite ingredient was the mint which gave it a very fresh taste. It was served with a delicious peanut sauce.

Cánh Gà – Fried Chicken Wings

The Fried Chicken Wings were a hit at our table with a marinade of chili fish sauce, butter, garlic, and green onion. The outside was crispy with the inside moist. We did find that this dish was slightly on the saltier side though.

Phở Hoàng

We got a taste of their predecessors by ordering the Phở Hoàng but it still came at the new prices at $11 for a normal bowl of pho. This came with sliced beef sirloin, brisket, tripe, tendon and meatballs. The broth was actually pretty good but I wouldn’t pay the price for it when I can get the same or better at a cheaper joint.

Bánh Xèo – Vietnamese Crêpe

I’ve been seeing the Vietnamese Crêpe all over social media so I suggested we try this as it’s not something I would usually order at Vietnamese restaurants. Filled in a crispy egg omelette was pork, prawn, bean sprouts, and mung bean. This was served with the same lettuce, mixed herbs and chili fish sauce so you could wrap the egg in. I really liked how crispy the outside was but found the inside ingredients to be under-seasoned.

Khay Bánh Hỏi Lụi Nướng – Street-Side Platter

The Street-Side Platter is great for sharing and consisted of house-made pork sausage, beef in betel leaf, grilled chicken, fried spring roll & grilled prawn. It was served with fresh lettuce, mixed herbs, pickled carrots and daikon, fine rice vermicelli, rice paper and chili fish sauce. We were given a warm bowl of water to soak the rice paper in to wrap our grilled meats so you got some DIY fun. However, I found it quite messy to do and would’ve prefered to have the assembly already done for me. All the meats were grilled just right and flavoured very well. The only one that lacked flavour would be the prawn.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nlhQ26XCd7c/V3rY7_aon_I/AAAAAAAAB2w/YAnGr6hgdJUKL64JOxDOCPfpCbB6JJE1gCCo/s640/10.jpg

Bún Thịt Nướng Chả Giò Tôm – Vermicelli Bowl

Lastly, we got the Vermicelli Bowl which was very similar to the previous dishes as they consisted of the same ingredients. I would skip this if you already ordered the above dishes. We chose to have grilled chicken and it also came with a grilled whole prawn, fried spring rolls, a bed of greens, mixed herbs & chili fish sauce.

Overall, we were quite happy with Anh and Chi but found that many of the flavours in their main dishes were very similar after a while. Still, it’s great to see Vietnamese cuisine go from the typical cheap eats to becoming modern and upscale. Of course, this comes with a price, but you are paying for the overall experience. Service was also extremely friendly which is a huge change from the usual pho joints.

Pros:
– Great modern twist and presentation
– Service is great and ambiance is beautiful

Cons:
– Pricey
– Some dishes become very similar in flavour

Price Range: $20-30/person

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food:4 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Parking: 3.5 Overall: 4

Kinome

July 5, 2016Leave a comment

K loves soba noodles, so for our family outing, we decided to check out Kinome which has been much talked about for their handmade buckwheat soba noodles. They are only open for dinner and are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Be sure to make reservations as it is usually full.

The decor inside is simple but gives an authentic Japanese feel. They have a fresh sheet that changes up.

The inside is very small. They have around 5 tables of four and the rest is bar seating. Bar seating would be perfect if you order their popular omakase menu. The only downside is there is no air conditioner here so it can get super hot.

Dashi Egg Omelette

We started off with their famous Dashi Egg Omelette. The egg was layered with seaweed and flavoured just enough while remaining a hint of sweetness. So fluffy and moist.

Today’s Sashimi

One order of Today’s Sashimi features whatever the chef believes is most fresh. You can let the server know if you don’t like a specific type of fish. Our order came with 5 types of sashimi. Our selection included Red Tuna (sustainable bluefin tuna), Sockeye Salmon, Tobi-uo (flying fish), Mizu-tako (water octopus) and Shiro-ika (white squid). Flying fish was something new for us and wasn’t too bad! It has a slimier texture but wasn’t too fishy in taste. However, this dish is quite expensive at $30 for very small cuts. Very fresh though!

Grilled Marinated Squid Legs

Next up were Grilled Marinated Squid Legs which came with a side of mayo. I liked how they had a bit of char on the ends and were very tender.

Prawn Tempura

The Prawn Tempura was battered so lightly and the shrimp itself was very fresh because it wasn’t mushy like the ones you get at all you can eat. It had that bounce! It also came with some asparagus.

Braised Berkshire Pork Belly with Grilled Leak & Miso Sauce

The Braised Berkshire Pork Belly was a delicious fatty goodness with the fat melting your mouth.

Chopped Kale & Prawn Kakiage Tempura

A favourite of mine was the Chopped Kale & Prawn Kakiage Tempura. Never though you could tempura kale! It was filled with bits of shrimp and scallop too which was delicious!

Asakusa Soba

Next up was what we came here for – their handmade buckwheat soba! They have three choices. First was the Asakusa Soba which features hand made buckwheat noodle with green onion, tempura bits, radish, seaweed, and sesame. This dish is served cold and you pour a cold broth on top and mix it together. They advise you eat it as quickly as possible so the texture remains. This one was great with a very fresh take on the traditional soba.

Zaru Soba

The Zaru Soba was what I was used to. With this one, you can truly taste how fresh the noodles are. The texture has just the right amount of firmness. I can see why people go crazy over the soba here!

Kamo Seiro Soba

My favourite was the Kamo Seiro Soba though. This was the same handmade buckwheat noodle but served with a warm duck dipping sauce. The sauce was just so flavourful without being too salty. This soba is pricey at $16 but it does come with three tender pieces of duck and is irresistible!

Cold Udon

Kinome’s dishes tend to be smaller in portion size so of course we were still hungry. We decided to try their udon which is new on the menu. There are two choices so we got both. First was the Cold Udon which I absolutely loved. I think I might even like this more than the soba. The udon here is handmade as well and very thin. The cold broth really makes the dish refreshing and keeps that firm texture.

Warm Udon

The Warm Udon featured the same thin noodles, but I felt that because it sat in the broth, the texture of the noodles became slightly soft. Still, I really enjoyed both version of the udon.

Overall, I was very impressed with Kinome’s dishes, especially their soba and udon. Prices are slightly on the higher side for the size of their dishes, but I think it’s well worth it. Plus, they are extremely environmentally friendly which is always a plus. Service was also very friendly.

Pros:
– Handmade buckwheat noodle and udon is a must order!
– Ingredients are extremely fresh

Cons:
– No air conditioning may be a problem in the summer
– Prices are slightly higher for the portions

Price Range: $20-30/person

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food:4.5 Service: 3.5 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3.5 Overall: 4

Sai Woo

July 3, 2016July 3, 2016Leave a comment

Super late post again but back in early May, us accountants finally celebrated the end of tax season! Our firm treated us to dinner and drinks at Sai Woo in the heart of Chinatown. Sai Woo doesn’t server your typical authentic Chinese food, it’s more of a westernized style of Chinese food.

We basically booked the whole restaurant and the inside decor is beautiful! I loved the fairy lights and the ambiance gave a nice chic and elegant feel.

Their cocktails are what I would come here for and they have a long bar on one side where you can come in if you want to just enjoy some drinks.

Sai Woo Sour

E and I decided to go all out that night (since we were’ paying!) and tried to go down the list of the cocktail list. Yes, huge headache the next day, but it was fun! We started off with the Sai Woo Sour which featured Bombay Sapphire East, Benedictine, ginger syrup, lemon juice, and egg white.

Elderflower 75

The Elderflower 75 was my favourite and consisted of Finlandia Vodka, St. Germain, lemon juice, and sparkling cava. This was the fruitiest drink and extremely easy to drink. Plus, it’s always classy to have some cava in hand.

Smoking Gun

The Smoking Gun is the men’s drink and the process in making the drink is super cool to watch. They light up the drink and some smoke comes out then they throw in this huge ice cube. The drink consisted of El Dorado 12 year old rum, bitters, brown sugar, oak, and tea smoke. A very bitter drink and great for those who like to drink straight rum. The guys said it was too sweet from the brown sugar though…but us girls found it bitter!

Carioca

Another favourite was the Carioca with Cacha 51, guava juice, orange juice, lime juice, and sloe Gin float. Another one of those lighter and fruitier drinks which I enjoyed.

Tuna Tartare

As we booked the place up for a private event, our menu was already pre-ordered and it included some canapés to start. I didn’t get pictures of all of them but a memorable one was the Tuna Tartare which came with nori on top. Quite yummy! They also seem to enjoy using raw ingredients at Sai Woo.

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio

We were able to choose two appetizers each. For myself, I chose the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio which came with broccoli puree, crudite, rye crumble, sorrel, and candied lime. To be honest, I found this to be just average. The beef lacked flavour and the plate itself was also extremely small for the price.

Beet Salad

E got the Beet Salad which came with buckwheat cracker, yoghurt, blackberry sauce, fermented grapes, and herbs. A colourful dish but E also said it was just average.

Sai Woo Salad

My second appetizer was the Sai Woo Salad which comes with smoked sockeye salmon, gem lettuce, frisee, pickled tomato, blue cheese cream, and fennel. Again, something was off about this dish. It was way too acidic with the pickled tomatoes overbearing the whole dish. The smoked salmon was also more like cooked salmon as it was fully cooked. Everyone agreed this dish was too pickled.

Pressed Lamb

For my entree, I got the Pressed Lamb which was my favourite of the dishes. The lamb was packed into a rectangle and was crispy on the outside while staying very moist in the inside. It came with seasonal vegetables of what appeared to be brocolini, braised shallots, kale, sherry jus and a side of long grain rice.

Ling Cod

Some of the other diners got the Ling Cod which came with oyster mushrooms, green onion puree, greens, and jasmine rice. Apparently this was extremely salty for some while being perfect for others. Seems like they have inconsistencies in seasoning.

Lemongrass Chicken

The other entree option was the Lemongrass Chicken which came with vermicelli noodles, bitter greens, and a sunny side up fried egg.

Baklava

Dessert was just as disappointing. the Baklava was unappealing to look at and consisted of pistachio nuts, toasted nuts, honey rose pearls, and phyllo chips. This was sort of an deconstructed baklava but something about it just didn’t seem right.

Chocolate Cake

The Chocolate Cake came with candied fennel and orange marmalade and it appeared that most diners did not enjoy this. Perhaps it was gluten free and therefore the cake itself was very hard and dry.

Overall, we found the food at Sai Woo to be underwhelming but we think it might be because they aren’t experienced with catering to a large group. Most diners who have gone to Sai Woo on a regular day have had good experiences, so I would probably give them a try during their regular service. I have to say that their drinks are great so I wouldn’t mind coming here to grab a drink. Plus the decor is beautiful inside!

Kamei Royale – Grand Opening at New Location

June 27, 2016Leave a comment

Note: All food and beverages were complimentary, but opinions are based on personal experience.

Thanks to Loopp Media and Klip Magazine, we were invited to the grand opening of Kamei Royale at their new location in Coal Harbour at 1066 West Hastings. Kamei Royale used to be around Burrard and Georgia if you remember.

The event was packed so it was hard to really capture the interior space. A long bar is on one side.

They have a large selection of beers and wines.

This is only one side of the dining area. The new location is quite large and also features more private dining areas on the other side.

We were able to sample a variety of appetizers, sushi, and oysters.

We also got to watch the chef cut a blue fin tuna which weighed over 100lbs and to sample the melt-in-your mouth tuna!

Unfortunately, the place was packed and I was too short to capture any photos of the actual demonstration. I watched through other people’s camera screens… But here are some parts of the fish.

A Japanese lion dance followed to celebrate the opening.

I loved watching the sake barrel-breaking ceremony.

The chefs smashed the barrel and all those in the front row had a good splash!

Kamei Royale has their own brand of sake and it tasted delicious!

The restaurant is open to the public beginning Monday, June 27 for lunch only. Dinner service begins July 5.

Pink Elephant Thai – 5 for $55

June 22, 2016June 21, 2016Leave a comment

Note: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my personal experience. Dishes pictured unfortunately have a yellow tint due to a misuse of a camera setting and therefore are not a true representation of the colours of the dishes.

Pink Elephant Thai is celebrating their 5th anniversary and the Alberni location is offering a special menu for a limited time. The anniversary menu allows diners to choose 5 items for $55. To be specific, that’s 2 appetizers and 3 entrees from their select menu. I would say this is perfect for 3 people or 2 if you’re really hungry.

I was invited by Grace along with other food bloggers to check out this anniversary menu specifically. It was actually my first time at Pink Elephant Thai and I was impressed by the ambiance! Those pink cushioned sofas are perfect for a girls night out!

We started off with some virgin drinks, including this citrus tropical drink (which I forgot the name of). Fruity and refreshing, and would’ve been perfect with a shot of alcohol!

Pink Colada

The other drink we were served was the Pink Colada which is their take on a pina colada but flavoured more strongly with cherry. This wasn’t my personal favourite since I don’t like cherry flavoured drinks.

Spring Rolls

Onto the appetizers! The menu has 10 appetizers to choose from so I can imagine choosing just two to be very hard. Luckily, we got to try all of them! Starting off was the Spring Rolls, which I found subpar. I didn’t like the wrapper and found it too chewy. The filling also lacked flavour.

Chicken Satay

I loved the marinade of the Chicken Satays which featured Thai spices and a hint of coconut milk. The satay sauce was also delicious but I found the chicken to be slightly on the drier side.

Fish Cake

The Fish Cakes are home-made with Thai spices and are perfect for those who love spice! I really enjoyed these and liked how it wasn’t mushy.

Thai Shrimp Cake

A personal favourite was the Thai Shrimp Cake which came with a sweet and sour plum sauce. As Sherman would say, the shrimp was “boing” or “bouncy”. You know that texture where this is some bite to it? Yeah, hard to describe, but let’s just say these were delicious!

Thai Style Pork Cheek

Another winner at the table was the Thai Style Pork Cheek which was marinated with Thai herbs and spices and grilled to perfection. This was not tough at all and again had the perfect chew. Highly recommend this!

Crispy Tofu

The Crispy Tofu showcased soft and silky tofu lightly battered and deep fried. As tofu does not have much flavour, you really needed the accompanying sweet chili sauce to go with it.

Som Yum Papaya Salad

The Som Yum Papaya Salad featured green papaya strips seasoned with fresh lime juice and Thai spices. I found this slightly too sour for my liking.

Larb Gai

The Larb Gai was really spicy but I really enjoyed it. This dish consisted of minced chicken mixed with fresh lime juice, roasted rice, and Thai spices.

Yum Neau

Yum Neau is a Thai Style Beef Salad. Pink Elephant Thai used sliced grilled New York beef and mixed it with fresh lime juice and Thai chili. This is again a very spicy and acidic dish, but I wish the beef was more tender. I found it slightly dry.

Tom Yum Gai

The last appetizer was the Tom Yum Gai. This is the perfect appetizer since the spicy and sour flavours open up your appetite. The hot and sour soup consisted of chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass and Thai spices. Only downside of this dish is the chicken being too dry once again.

Red Curry, Yellow Curry, Green Curry

Onto the entrees. Your entrees also come with two bowls of rice because you pretty much need rice to go with the spicy Thai food! First up were three curries: red, yellow, and green. They were all strong in coconut flavours but my favourite was the yellow curry as it was more aromatic.

Thai Basil Stir-Fried

Sautéed with Thai chili, bell peppers, green beans and fresh basil, the Thai Basil Stir-Fried was a great dish to go with rice.

Thai Black Bean Sauce

The Chicken Thai Black Bean Sauce was sautéed with Thai black bean sauce, ginger, fresh pineapple and snap peas. Again, the chicken was slightly on the dry side.

Cashew Nut Stir Fried

I actually found the Chicken Cashew Nut Stir Fried to taste similar to the Thai Black Bean Sauce. I guess they have similar ingredients and spices at the end of the day. I really like cashews in dishes though!

Pad Thai

Stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind sauce, tofu, ground peanuts, egg, green onions and bean sprouts

Pad Kee Mao

The Pad Kee Mao is more commonly known as Drunken Noodles. These rice noodles were stir fried with Thai chili, bell peppers, onions, green beans and fresh basil. Again, I found the flavours to be quite similar to the other entrees.

Chili Pepper Fried Rice

I really liked the Chili Pepper Fried Rice with chili, egg and diced vegetables. This was very spicy, but almost addictive! If you can’t take too much spice, I would suggest letting your server know.

Mixed Seasonal Vegetables

The last entree was the Mixed Seasonal Vegetables which looked underwhelming but tasted delicious soaked in oyster sauce.

Overall, Pink Elephant Thai’s anniversary menu is a pretty good deal to try a variety of their popular dishes. I found I enjoyed their appetizers the most as I found there was more variety in the flavours whereas many of the entrees tasted simliar. I would suggest getting one curry and one noodle or rice dish to get the most variety.

Cabrito

June 15, 2016Leave a comment

K has been talking about Cabrito forever so we finally decided to check it out on a Friday night after work. With the nicer weather we have now, the patio is up and running! Note that this is an extremely late post (2 months ago), so apparently the menu has changed up a bit.

The restaurant is quite spacious and uses mostly natural light. There is a bar if you want to just grab some drinks and light snacks.

The colourful painting of the Spanish bull was a nice touch to the decor.

Cabrito Sangria

We started drinks off with their signature Cabrito Sangria. Although at a higher price and smaller portion than many restaurants, I loved how they added cinnamon on top which paired really well. Plus, this didn’t taste watered down.

Campo de Borja – Torres 5G

Near the middle of the night, we ended up opening two bottles of red wine. They have a huge selection of Spanish wines here.

Since K’s fiance works as a chef here on the weekends, we got to try some items that were off the menu. These are K’s favourites and they were some sort of lamb patty with sun-dried tomatoes and topped on some delicious bread drizzled with olive oil. They need to put this on the menu since it’ delicious!

Ceviche

We had the Ceviche which was loaded with scallops. These were fresh and the sauce was not overwhelming. Highly recommend this!

Smoked Patata Brava

One of my favourite Spanish tapas are patatas bravas. It can be a simple dish, but is delicious with a good glass of beer. The Smoked Patata Bravas here are made with Kennebec potatoes & topped smothered in a delicious Piquillo sauce. This version is mostly tomato based and skips the aioli sauce.

Chorizo

The Chorizo dish featured the Txistorra Basque chorizo which was not too spicy for me and enjoyed.

Jamón Ibèrico de Bellota

Jamón Ibèrico is cured ham from 100% acorn fed pata negra pork leg and is aged 36 months and hand carved. This was delicious! It had the right amount of fat to meat ratio and it pretty much melted in your mouth. A must order for beginners to Spanish tapas.

Lamb

Next up was the Lamb dish which featured roasted lamb lollipops and potatoes on a squash puree. The lamb was cooked to a beautiful medium rare and was extremely tender. Paired with the silky smooth squash puree, this was a stellar dish!

Artisan Sourdough Bread

With all the wine, we decided to grab some more dishes to fill up. We got a side of Artisan Sourdough Bread which comes with extra virgin olive oil. Something about just dipping bread into olive oil was so addicting… I guess they serve good bread here.

Meatballs

We found out that Cabrito was participating in Vanfoodster’s Meatball Challenge, so we decided to order the Meatballs. I believe these were beef and chorizo meatballs. I found these slightly on the dry side, but since it came in a bowl of delicious tomato sauce, it helped moisten the meatballs. Plus, the sauce was great for dipping the bread too.

Rotating Cheese Board

With wine in hand, we thought we should end dinner with some cheese. They do a variety of cheese boards, and also a rotating cheese board which features cheese from around the world. We decided to select our own cheese and got the Blue Cheese, a Cheddar, and Manchego. I’m not a fan of blue cheese so I skipped that. I don’t remember what type of cheddar the middle one was, but it was slightly sharp and great paired with bread. The Manchego is a 12 month aged sheep milk and originates from Spain, which is where I first tried it. These were thinly sliced and delicious when paired with the side of sweet honey.

Scrambled Ostrich Egg

We finished dinner off with a little surprise from K’s fiance and this was a Scrambled Ostrich Egg! How cute is that! It was my first time trying ostrich egg, and I have to say, I can’t really tell the difference, but this scrambled egg was moist and on point.

Overall, we had an amazing time at Cabrito and I will definitely be back. I love the sharing plates and large selection of drinks. The vibe in here is just great. Portions are slightly small for the price, but I’ve realized that most Spanish tapas in Vancouver are priced like this. This is when I miss how affordable tapas were back in Spain!

Pros:
– Well-executed and quality dishes
– Large selection of wines, beers, and cocktails

Cons:
– Your bill will easily add up!

Price Range: $40-50/person

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Parking: 3 Overall: 4

VCBW: 2016 Opening Night

June 13, 2016Leave a comment

NOTE: I was invited as media with complimentary tickets to the event. All opinions are based on my personal experience.

On May 27, 2016, Vancouver Craft Beer Week kicked off their Opening Night at Yaletown Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. We were invited as media to join in on the fun.

Each ticket goes for $60 and gets you a complimentary 4oz taster glass and around 10 tokens (if I remember correctly) to sample beers of your choice.

It also includes canapes provided by CRAFT Beer Market and healthy bars from KINDSnacks to keep you filled up. Out of the Nowhere was also in attendance to provide live music for the night. The place was bumping!

There were around 32 breweries and cideries with over 50 beers and ciders to sample from. Most breweries had two choices to sample from.

Some breweries to name a few included: 33 Acres, Steamworks, Field House, Strange Fellows and Steel & Oak. Other than the local breweries, they also had some German breweries such as Erdinger and Stiegl.

One of my favourites was the Éphémère Blueberry Wheat Ale. This is blueberry fruit flavoured ale which mimics the popular Belgian fruit beers, but brewed in Canada. The sweet blueberry flavour really pulled through and is great for those who enjoy lighter beers.

There weren’t too many cideries, but we did find BC Tree Fruit Ciders at the event of which we really enjoyed both the ciders available for sample.

Overall, we had a great time at the Opening Night of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. I enjoyed the smaller venue so you could take time to chat with the different breweries and it wasn’t too overwhelming. A great event if you are a craft beer lover or even if you are new to craft beer. The perfect event to try new beers or just to have a great time with friends!

For more information: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/

Purdy’s – Truffle-Making Class

February 29, 2016February 28, 2016Leave a comment

Over the weekend, S and I attended the truffle-making class at Purdy’s. The class is $50 per person and happens on select dates every month. Check on their website for dates and to sign up.

We chose the Granville location and it is really one of their retail stores, but they’ve turned their back room into a space to host their class.

We arrived a bit early so checked out their retail store, including the aweseome chocolate fountain while waiting.

Purdy’s actually began in Vancouver in 1907 and the first store was on Robson Street! We were then taken to the back office to begin our class led by our chocolatier, Mark.

The first hour was an introduction of Purdy’s history and how chocolate is made. We learned that chocolate begins with this huge cocoa pod and that most of the cocoa is from West Africa.

When you crack open the cocoa pod, there is some white flesh similar to lychee and these little cocoa beans.

Crack open these cocoa beans, and you will have cocoa nibs. We got to sample some of this and it was rather bitter and had a roasted flavour similar to coffee.

Cocoa nibs can go through a hydraulic press to be separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is commonly used in cosmetics and is great for making lotion.

We were then shown the chocolate flavour wheel and told to taste some chocolates and determine what type of flavour profiles we could taste. We were also taught to smell the chocolate first and take a bite of the chocolate instead of putting the whole piece in our mouth.

We started off with this medium roast 72% dark chocolate made with cocoa beans from Peru. I found this to have a slightly tart flavour with cherry tones.

Next was a dark roast 72% dark chocolate with beans from Ecuador. I quite enjoyed this one as the flavours lasted longer in my mouth and had a bitterness to it.

A new creation we got to sample was the Yuzu Jelly Ganache. I loved this one as I enjoy the citrus flavours of yuzu. Jelly in chocolate is always a plus!

After the hour of history and chocolate processes, we finally got to put our hands to work! They set up a station with various liqueurs and flavours we could add into our chocolate. There were also toppings that we could put on top of our chocolates.

They provide you with chocolate shot cups which are our base where we pipe our truffle filling into. We then mixed cream into already melted chocolate and whisked it up until smooth and consistent. We then added our flavours. I chose a hazelnut liqueur while S chose the raspberry flavour.

We then did some piping and here is our finished product! We each got to take home 21 truffles. You can pay an extra $30 to make another set.

Overall, we had a great time learning the history and process of making Purdy’s truffles. A great two hours of knowledge and fun and you get to take home the recipe to make at home. Great event for a date or just with friends! They also have a chocolate bark-making class available.