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[Hot Chocolate Festival 2023] Motoretta Gelato and its Unique Savoury & Sweet Combo

Posted in Beverage, Cafe, Cheese, Chocolate, Dessert, Downtown Vancouver, gelato, Hot Chocolate Festival, ice cream, Italian, Joyce, Lower Mainland, Restaurants, Vancouver, tagged Bel Paese, Castelvetrano Olive, gelato, hot chocolate, Hot Chocolate Festival, Il Re, Italian, Kitchen Table Restaurants, Motoretta Gelato, Parmigiano Reggiano, Passione Gelato, Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, Zabaione on January 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is back and it’s going to be a month of delicious indulgence of chocolate goodness! This year, 66 vendors have put forth 145 flavours of hot chocolate creations. I have started going around to taste some, how about you?

First up, Motoretta Gelato, part of the Kitchen Table Restaurants, with Salvatore Boccarossa at the helm. You may know Sal from Passione Gelato so you know his flavours are always spot on. They offer two unique pairings of sweet and savory.

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[Roundup] My 10 Favourite Bites/Sips in 2022

Posted in Asian, Beer, Bistro, Brewery, Burger, Canadian, Casual, Chinese, Dessert, Dinner, Favourites, French, Fried, Fusion, Hotpot, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Joyce, Lower Mainland, Meat, Michelin Guide, Neighbourhood Gem, No Reservation, Pasta, Portland, Restaurants, Roundup, Surrey, Sushi, U.S., Vancouver, Vancouver Island, West Coast, tagged 2022 Recap, 2022 Review, Bar Susu, Bluefin Tuna, burger, Butter Chicken, Cascade Brewing, Clove - The Art of Dining, Commercial Drive, craft beer, Durian, Extreme Eatery, Fresh Pasta, Frog Legs, Hei Hei Rice Roll, Hotpot, Linh Cafe, New Mandarin Seafood Restaurant, Oca Pastificio, Parksville, Portland, Rice Rolls, Roundup, surrey, Sushi Hil, tandoori chicken, Tortelli, Yushang Hotpot on January 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Hello 2023!! 2022 is a wrap and there’s so much to be grateful for and to celebrate. With things returning to a new normal, I had the pleasure of discovering a lot of new places last year. Many are worthy a repeat visit and of them all, here are my 10 favourite bites/sips. Now keep in mind this list is about the specific item listed, because one can’t possibly like everything at every single place. These dishes just really stood out for me. Interestingly, only a couple of these places were hosted tastings. The rest were paid out of our own pockets. Also remember, restaurants rotate their menu on a regular basis so what I had listed here may not be available anymore (and I will try my best to specify below), but I’m sure you would find something you like if you decide to visit these restaurants sometime soon.

And without further ado, in no particular order, here are the 10 items:

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My Favourite Restaurants near Coquitlam Centre for Pick-up or Delivery #TakeOutDay

Posted in Asian, Casual, Comfort Food, Coquitlam, Delivery, Dinner, Fried, Hotpot, Italian, Joyce, Korean, Lower Mainland, Neighbourhood Gem, Pasta, Port Coquitlam, Restaurants, Roundup, Take-Out, Thai, tagged #TakeOutDay, bb.q Chicken, Chada Thai Fine Cuisine, Coquitlam, Coquitlam Centre, COVID-19, Delivery, DoorDash, Fantuan, Food Delivery, Jeong Na Gae, Korean Fried Chicken, Kulinarya Filipino Eatery, Pasta, Pasta Polo, Skip The Dishes, Support Local, Take-Out, Uber Eats, Vesta Grill on April 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

As we are all practising physical distancing, we are also cooking more at home. Even though Mama Lam does most of the cooking in my household, it’s still nice to offer her a break. And that would also help support local businesses to keep them afloat during this challenging time. Even though I’ve been mostly active in Vancouver and Richmond, I actually live in Coquitlam (I’m willing to travel for food!). Here is a round-up of my favourite places near Coquitlam Centre that are available for pick-up or delivery right now.

Click on image to view map

Personally, even though it’s a hassle, I prefer to call the restaurant directly to order, and pick up my food order. That way, the restaurants don’t have to pay the hefty fees that delivery companies charge. However, not all restaurants take orders via the phone because that may take away their time to focus on fulfilling the orders.

Since last week, there’s a campaign called Canada Take Out, which encourages Canadians to support local restaurants by ordering take outs. The official #TakeOutDay is every Wednesday, but don’t forget, your favourite restaurants need your support everyday.

Lastly, of course there are more options in the area than the list below. These are simply my favourite places to go. And if you have suggestions for me to try, let me know! (more…)

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Taste of Yaletown 2017 – La Pentola $45 Menu

Posted in Culinary Events, Dinner, Italian, Joyce, Pasta, Restaurants, Taste of Yaletown, Vancouver, Yaletown, tagged La Pentola, ling cod, Linguine Vongole, Media Event, Opus Hotel, Pasta, Prix Fixe, Risotto, Steak, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Talk Shop Media, Taste of Yaletown, Yaletown on October 25, 2017| 3 Comments »

The other restaurant that I visited during the Taste of Yaletown media event was La Pentola at the Opus Hotel. La Pentola also offers a 4-course menu for $45.

Food

It’s a big menu, with two salad options for first course:

Beets, Frisee, Pickled Onion, Hazelnuts, Whipped Ricotta

Duck and Radicchio, Frisee, Grapes, Pecans, Balsamic, Parmesan

Both salads were tasty. Frankly I was so focused on the hot dishes I only had a small bite of each salad. They looked good, with just the right amount of dressing. I probably would’ve chosen the beet salad because I like beets, but the duck salad sounded more interesting.

Second course is pasta. The Linguine Vongole was quite good. Pasta was al dente, clams tasted fresh. (more…)

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[Travel] Cuckoo Trattoria & Pizzeria, Coombs BC

Posted in Bread, Italian, Joyce, Lunch, Pasta, Pizza, Restaurants, Travel, Vancouver Island, tagged Coombs, Country Market, Cuckoo Italian Restaurant, ExploreBC, ExploreVancouverIsland, Goats on the Roof, Hats, Pasta, Pizza, Spaghetti Carbonara, Travel, Vancouver Island on August 31, 2017| Leave a Comment »

If you are asking for suggestions around Mid Vancouver Island, almost everyone would tell you about this little town named Coombs. According to Wikipedia, the town of Coombs has a population of 1,300+ but they welcome thousands and thousands of visitors every year. So what’s there?

The biggest draw is definitely the Old Country Market, better known as the Goats on the Roof Market. Namely, there are living goats on the roof! We were lucky to see a few of them grazing and chilling on the roof.

Inside, it’s a giant grocery store/market. A lot of local and imported food products, as well as a deli/food counter. I have picked up some candied smoked salmon jerky there and they were very good. And best find at the market? Mr. found a Panama Hat that fits his gigantic head, and I scored a $5 Sun Hat!