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[#DineOutVancouver 2021] Social on Commercial Drive

Posted in Casual, Dine Out Vancouver, Dinner, Hang-Out with Friends, Happy Hour, Joyce, Lunch, No Reservation, Restaurants, Steak, Vancouver, West Coast, tagged Baseball Steak, Commercial Drive, Dine Out Vancouver, Dine Out Vancouver 2021, Prix Fixe, Steelhead Trout on March 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Life has been busy so I didn’t really look into Dine Out Vancouver until there were only 2 weeks left. There were a few interesting, attractive menus but many came from restaurants that I’ve been before. Since I don’t dine out very much these days, I wanted to use the opportunity to try some place new. Then I spotted a good deal at Social on Commercial Drive. Social has only been open for a few months, back in October 2020 in midst of the second wave of COVID.

Social offers a 3-course menu for only $25, and it’s available for lunch or dinner. Sure, you don’t get to choose your appetizer or dessert, but there are 4 options for entrees, including trout and 8oz sirloin baseball steak. I thought that’s really good value for your money. On their regular menu, the trout would be $28 and sirloin baseball steak costs $36. I decided to take Mama Lam there for lunch.

Food

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[#DineOutVancouver 2021] My Suggestions for Lunch, Dinner, Take Out & Special Offer

Posted in Burnaby, Chinatown, Coquitlam, Culinary Events, Dine Out Vancouver, Gastown, Joyce, Langley, Lower Mainland, Lunch, New Westminster, News, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Take-Out, Vancouver, West Vancouver, Yaletown, tagged Announcement, Dine in, Dine Out Vancouver, Dine Out Vancouver 2021, News, Prix Fixe, Recommendation, Take-Out, Tourism Vancouver on February 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Dine Out Vancouver is back and reimagined! Running from February 5 to March 7, 2021, 366 restaurants are offering prix fixe menus for dine-in or take-out priced between $15 and $54. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the past year has been tough for the restaurant industry. I was glad to see the return of the iconic food festival, while it’s made some adjustments to accommodate the current situation. For one, the festival has been extended to run for 31 days, to allow more opportunities for diners to participate while restaurants are offering lower capacity and limited seating. Also, there’s flexibility in how each restaurant prices their menu so it’s no longer just the 3-4 price points in the past.

Even though the festival is well underway, restaurants are still open for reservations and there’s always room to accept take-out orders. I took the time to review the menus and here are what caught my eyes, based on past experiences (Dine Out or not) as well as menu attractiveness (e.g. value for the money, choice of ingredients, creativity in the menu, enough options for two people, etc.). Also keep in mind that I curated the list based on my preference (as you know, I’m a meat lover and I’m biased against chicken and salmon), my way of thinking, so it may not all suit your taste. But hopefully this gives you a place to start.

Because the prices vary a lot this year, I can’t break them down by price point like previous years. Instead, I organized my list into Lunch, Dinner, Take Out, and Special Offer. And my recommendations are for that specific menu only, even though the restaurant may offer other menu options, after weighing in my preference and my perceived value of the menus. I’ve also included links to the menu to make it easier for you.

Lunch

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[Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2021] Mon Paris Patisserie

Posted in Bakery, Beverage, Burnaby, Cafe, Chocolate, Culinary Events, Hot Chocolate Festival, Joyce, Lower Mainland, Restaurants, Take-Out, tagged Burnaby, hot chocolate, Hot Chocolate Festival, Mon Paris, Ruby Chocolate, Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival on January 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is back! Given the global COVID-19 pandemic and Public Health Order restrictions in BC, most participating vendors not only offer dine-in hot chocolates, but also to-go options and DIY kits. On the top of my list to try was Mon Paris Patisserie because both flavours on the menu sound so good!

On an almost snow day this weekend, we went to Mon Paris for a taste. I was hoping to sit inside the patisserie actually, but both tables were occupied so we could only take them to-go and enjoy them in our car ride.

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[Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2020] Chez Christophe

Posted in Bakery, Beverage, Burnaby, Cafe, Chocolate, Dessert, Hot Chocolate Festival, Joyce, Neighbourhood Gem, tagged Burnaby Heights, Chez Christophe, hot chocolate, Hot Chocolate Festival, Macaron, Ruby Chocolate, Tumeric on February 7, 2020|

Another hot chocolate stop I’ve made was Chez Christophe in Burnaby. I remember meeting Christophe at a work conference years ago when he was doing cooking demonstration. That was before he opened his shop in Burnaby. Since then, I’ve been there a few times for pastries, but this was my first time trying their hot chocolate fest creations.

Both of Chez Christophe’s creations are inspired by popular fantasy stories. First, the Ruby Slippers was true to its name, donning a pretty hue of pink thanks to the use of ruby chocolate. I could taste the fruity, acidic note in ruby, combined with the fragrant, floral note of rose water. The two notes actually complemented each other very well. The ruby covered macadamia nuts were a nice combo of sweet and salty.