Bel Cafe

March 26, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Crispy Choux, Orange & Milk Chocolate Ganache

Rose and Raspberry Macaron & Cookies and Cream Macaron

Happy belated International Macaron Day!! And yes, it’s macaron, not macaroon. Honestly, I didn’t really know the difference until sometime late last year after getting all confused and deciding to do some research into it. But what I’m talking about here aren’t the coconut macaroons, but those colourful Parisian desserts that are made with almond flour. And I believe there is a difference in pronunciation too, but I guess most people don’t realize. So yes, International Macaron Day was on March 20th, and honestly, I did not know about this big day until Steph told me. She is clearly the bigger foodie here! So yes, of course we had to celebrate and get some macarons! We wanted to go to Soirette but it was kind of far from where we were, so I did a little googling, and off we went to Bel Cafe. And we discovered it was actually right next to Hawksworth, and is the sister cafe to it! So they are both situated in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Honestly, I’m not a crazy fan of macarons as I think there are tons of other desserts that are more worthy, but Vancouver has been on a macaron craze these past few years. Everyone talks about them, and I’m no expert to judge which ones are better. The rose and raspberry macaron definitely had a very strong rose taste to it, but I actually didn’t really taste any raspberry flavour. I did like the strong rose flavour though, as I love rose flavoured desserts! The cookies and cream macaron was really good too. You could totally taste the cookies and cream flavour with a strong vanilla flavour as well. Almost tasted like a chewy Oreo! Overall, they had a consistent smooth texture with a little chewiness inside which I like! Next, we also got the Crispy Choux, Orange & Milk Chocolate Ganache. It was basically a cream puff with a strong orange flavour to it. Not bad, but I found the puff a little tough, but I think it was supposed to be the “crispy” part of it. Service was exceptional, and the cafe is extremely busy! We almost couldn’t find a seat and had to go for take out. Busy busy cafe with exceptional desserts and savoury items as well!

Miura Waffle Milk Bar

March 22, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Cookies & Cream Waffle
oreo, whipped cream & chocolate sauce

Banana Caramel Waffle
banana, whipped cream, cookie crumbs & caramel sauce

Tiramisu Waffle
cream cheese custard cream, coffee jelly & chocolate sauce

Finally got to try the well talked about Miura Waffle Milk Bar! They are apparently family owned and operated, and upon entering, we were greeted by a very friendly waitress. I believe they are Japanese owned. They basically offer both savoury and sweet “waffle sandos,” which basically means waffle sandwiches in Japanese. They also specialize in flavoured milks and drinks, which I never got a chance to try. I did a little digging on their site and found that they have flavoured milks and yoggy milks. It’s pretty cool since they actually have milk that are flavoured with real fruits and juices, and the yoggy milk are yogurty milk drinks that are thicker than plain milk. Next time, I will definitely try. All my friends got sweet waffle sandwiches since we were really look for a dessert place. However, I believe that their savoury ones are quite popular since most customers had ordered them… I never got to try the Banana Caramel, but I did prefer the Cookies and Cream to the Tiramisu one. I found the Tiramisu to be a little bland since the coffee jelly was not strong in flavour. The Cookies and Cream actually had a good crunch to it and was much more flavourful. Overall, they were still very good, and I would love to try their savoury waffles and drinks next time. The store is quite small, but people seem to always be going in and out, so that’s a good sign!

Trees Organic (Richmond)

February 26, 2012April 25, 2013Leave a comment

Plain Cheesecake and Blueberry Cheesecake

I was craving for some cheesecake the other day on a random weekday afternoon, but everywhere was closed during that time! So I ended up going to the library to buy some cheesecake for Steph and myself so we wouldn’t starve ourselves during our meeting. And by library, I mean the Richmond Public Library, where there’s a little cafe you see everytime you walk by. It’s called Trees Organic, which is also the same one that is in downtown, Yaletown and Gastown! They say that they’re Vancouver’s Best Cheesecake, but I think that might be a little overrated. Definitely not the best I’ve had in Vancouver, but not bad! I’ve had the one in downtown before, and it was pretty good. I had the mango one back then, and at this location, they only had three flavours to choose from. There was the Plain Cheesecake, Mocha Cheesecake, or Blueberry Cheesecake. I always have trouble deciding what to get, so I just decided to go by how many pieces were left in the fridge. The less pieces left must mean that they’re the best sellers… well at least I like to think so! So I ended up with the Plain and Blueberry flavours, with whip cream on the side. The lady working was very nice, although service was a little slow since she was the only one on shift. After a long ride to UBC, I open the containers up to see my whip cream had totally smushed everywhere. Not so appealing, but it was still pretty good! I think I prefer the plain one to the blueberry one, but I think the mango one I had last time was better than these two… Not bad! At least it satisfied my cheesecake craving!

Faubourg

January 23, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Cakes

Savouries

Types of Teas

Vert Provence – A grand green tea with flowery aroma combined with tastes of Provence, red and black fruits plus sweet lavender

3 sets of Purple Afternoon Tea – choice of 2 sandwiches, 2 pastries, and a scone with cream and jam, and choice of tea

My Purple Afternoon Tea Set! – Mini Opera, Chocolate Mousse, Smoked Salmon and Wasabi Cream Sandwich, Cucumber, Roast Beef, and Corriander Cream Sandwich, Scone with Cream and Mandarin Orange Jam

Went to Faubourg a little late in the afternoon, so most of their pastries and savoury items were already all sold out. We decided to have high tea, and they had a smaller set called the Purple Afternoon Tea for $16. We got to choose 2 sandwiches and 2 pastries, and it came with a scone and choice of tea. I have to say that service was quite terrible. We were served by a rude man who wasn’t very polite when we asked questions about the teas. He almost seemed impatient and didn’t want to serve us. Funny, since he was dressed in a dress shirt and all, and looked almost like a manager. He might’ve been, actually, but I don’t know. Food on the other hand was good, and everything was presented nicely. I extremely liked the Chocolate Mousse and the Smoked Salmon Roll. They also have another afternoon set for a slightly higher price, but it includes all the different pastries and sandwiches. I guess you have to go earlier if you want to try their full size pastries!

Thomas Haas

January 22, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Chocolate!

Cakes!

Mmmmm…

Macarons!

Tree made of Macarons!

Dark Chocolate Orange – Layers of thin chocolate manjari cake, orange bavarian, orange confit, caramelized cocoa bean crunch and dark chocolate mousse, Exotic Cheesecake – Classic cheesecake with passionfruit, mango and orange zest , Crispy Chocolate Raspberry – Dark Manjari chocolate-raspberry mousse, light vanilla Bavarian, chocolate sacher cake, and crispy hazelnut wafer

Double Baked Almond Croissant

I finally got to visit Thomas Haas! After a disappointing visit to find out it was closed on Tuesdays, I decided to go again on a weekend. Probably a bad idea though, because it was packed with people and there was nowhere to sit! The lineup almost reached the door! I decided to try a few desserts since it took me twice to finally get some desserts! I’ve had Thomas Haas chocolates and truffles from gifts before, but I never visited the store myself, so I was extremely excited to see all the desserts in the behind the window! The Dark Chocolate Orange was quite good, although I found it a little too sweet. The Exotic Cheesecake was not bad too, but the fruits were a little sour, so I probably would have preferred to an original cheesecake. The Crispy Chocolate Raspberry was definitely my favourite though. It had a wafer bottom, and it wasn’t too sweet. Really delicious. Another one of my favourites was the Double Baked Almond Croissant. I don’t know what it was, but something about it was REALLY delicious. You don’t get that really buttery oily flavour to the croissant, and the almonds make it extra delicious. I would definitely go back for that croissant. And there are still so many other cakes I would love to try! The chocolates and macarons also look delicious! I was also able to see Thomas Haas, himself, at the store, and he was kind enough to let us try a new cake, I’m guessing. I believe it was some sort of fruit cake, and it was quite delicious as well! Would love to go back soon now!

Kumare

December 20, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Lumpiang Shanghai
Deep fried bite sized pork spring rolls

Beef Mami
Beef, egg, spring onions, and vegetables

Inihaw na Pusit
Grilled squid

Pancit Langlang
Stir-fried vermicelli and egg noodles, diced chicken and pork, and assorted vegetables.

Leche Flan

Ube Macapuno Cake
Ube chiffon cake and cream cheese icing

This is my second time at Kumare now! First time, I have to admit that I had no idea what I was ordering and wasn’t ordering the right “Filipino” food, so this time, I brought a Filipino friend with me for lunch! First off, we got some spring rolls that were filled with pork. They were really good and the filling was quite different from the ones I normally eat. Then, there was the soup, which I found quite interesting. It had a lot of vegetables and it had a sour taste to it. Not something I would normally order, but it wasn’t too bad. The squid was really interesting, as it was filled with green and red peppers, and then it was grilled. I have never tried something like this before! It was delicious other than the parts that were grilled a little too much. Those parts had a burnt taste to it. This time, my friend ordered noodles that were supposed to be Filipino – not those Pad Thai noodles I ordered last time that clearly were originated from the Malaysian and Thai Cuisine. The noodles were like vermicelli and had an interesting flavour to it. Quite delicious! And last but not least, I finally got to try their desserts, since Kumare also has a bakery section to the restaurant. I insisted on trying the Taro Chiffon Cake as I wanted to for the longest time, but my friend also suggested the Leche Flan, which is basically like a caramel pudding. So glad she ordered that because it was so delicious! Definitely one of my favourite desserts now! The Taro Cake was also not bad, as it had a nice taro flavour to it and the cream wasn’t too thick. It was also topped with some coconut that seemed to be freshly peeled off! Overall, it was a great experience having Filipino food. I think I might have a better idea of what to order next time and I’m definitely coming back!

Steveston Cannery Cafe

December 6, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Scrambled Eggs with Sausage, Toast and Potato Hash

Shrimp Omelet with Toast and Potato Hash

Woke up early to go grab some breakfast, and realized that Richmond didn’t actually have a lot of “breakfast places”. Finally decided to try The Cannery Cafe in Steveston Village. It’s situated in an old building that’s said to be quite historic and had a lot of interesting Steveston heritage decor. Food is ordered at the counter and then they bring the food to you. Food is made simple, nothing too special or fancy, but I liked it since the portions were just right unlike the gigantic IHop portions. Great place to grab some good breakfast if you’re not looking for anything fancy.

Waves Coffee House (Steveston)

September 23, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

I usually go to Blenz or Starbucks for coffee-type drinks, but decided to try out Waves instead. Went to the one in Steveston Village and found that the place is really cozy and comfy! A great place to have a nice chat or just to chill at night. Not a huge coffee drinker, and was craving some desserts as usual, so decided to try their brownie! I was surprised that it wasn’t at all as sweet as I had imagined it to be though! Quite good! I really want to try the huge assortment of paninis and sandwiches they have for lunch next time though!