dessert Archives - Page 10 of 18

Food: Passion8 Cafe

May 30, 2018

One random evening, Macaroni and Cheese asked the boyfriend and I to try Passion8 Cafe! We have driven by it before and I’ve seen good reviews online, so off we went!

Passion8 is most popular for their Korean milk shaved ice, aka bingsoo. It is essentially a mixture of ice and milk shaved in paper thin sheets.

They also have cakes, cafe drinks, and toast boxes, but it seemed like the bingsoo was the most popular among customers that night. It was also pretty busy but we got there minutes before a line started, yay!

Strawberry blossom bowl, $14.00: The boyfriend and I went with the strawberry, and it did not disappoint. The milk shaved ice was refreshing, light, and slightly sweet. It would probably be too bland by itself though. It came with a generous portion of sliced strawberries, a scoop of chocolate (your choice of choco or vanilla) ice cream, and some cheesecake bites.

We really enjoyed it and did not leave feeling disgustingly full because it is such a light dessert.

Mango bongo single, $11.00: Macaroni and Cheese had a large dinner, so they decided to just share a single. It came with fresh mango cubes, cheesecake, and a scoop of ice cream as well. The mango was fresh and ripe, just like our strawberries. They had no complaints about it as well.

I’m really glad that they suggested this place because we really enjoyed it here. I would love to come back if I’m craving some bingsoo!

Yay!

Food: L’otus Cake Boutique

May 9, 2018

A few months ago, Maki and Nigiri surprised us with a couple pieces of cake from L’otus Cake Boutique! L’otus is a cafe in Richmond and known for their mille crepe cake. A mille crepe cake is basically a thinly layered crepe cake. The word ‘mille’ means a thousand, and since the cake has so many layers, that’s where it gets the name from!
Mango mille crepe cake: The first one they got us was the mango mille crepe cake. Each layer was very thin just like a crepe, and in between there was fresh mango and whipped cream. The mango was ripe and sweet. The whipped cream tasted very light with a hint of sweetness.
Strawberry mille crepe cake: The second slice was the strawberry! The whipped cream was also very light tasting. There was a nice amount of fresh strawberries inside as well.

Compared to other cakes, mille crepe cakes are a lot lighter and not as dense. Depending on where you go, some places may be super sweet but L’otus was not that sweet, which I actually prefer because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

Both of the cakes tasted fresh and you could really tell that they were good quality slices. I would imagine that mille crepe cakes take a lot of patience to make due to the fragile nature of the crepes (if they’re too thin, they could break, but it also can’t be that thick) and how many layers you need!

Yay!

Indigo Age Cafe – High Tea

July 22, 2017

Sangria found a Groupon for vegan high tea!

I’ve only had high tea once at Neverland Tea Salon, back when I was free to eat all the dairy I pleased. I enjoyed it and I see why high tea is appealing, as it is a cute, fun, and social activity. However, I don’t think I would personally pay more than $30 per person for high tea… which means I won’t get to try the other upscale high tea places. That’s fine with me though, because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anyways! I much prefer savoury items.

Indigo Age Cafe is a small and hidden cafe in downtown. If you aren’t deliberately looking for the place, chances are that you would have missed it.

It was a hot day that afternoon, so the cafe was a bit stuffy. However, it felt very cozy and welcoming with a woodsy/nature theme inside. We were greeted right away and told that they would prepare our high tea. It took quite awhile to prepare and we were getting impatient … maybe like 35-40 minutes since we sat down?

Anyways, we were very happy when the food finally arrived. We were told what each food item was, but I didn’t bother writing it down because it changes constantly depending on the day.

Instead, feast your eyes on the pictures!

Now the most important part… was it delicious? Yes! After going to Eternal Abundance a couple weeks before, I did not have high hopes for Indigo Age Cafe… but it was actually really good. Each item was carefully made with little details. We could see why we waited that long for our food.

There were some items that had an eclectic mix of different food but they actually went really well together!

All the veggies were fresh and crunchy too! I really liked the cucumber cup and would love to recreate it at home or for a picnic!

The stuffed mushroom with avocado paste was so good! Same with the stuffed tomato cup!

Last but not least, a close-up of the vegan desserts!

I would highly recommend the high tea with a Groupon. It is a nice place to go if you want to try something new and exciting.

Apart from high tea, they also serve vegan Ukranian dishes. Talk about unique!

Bon Chaz Bakery Cafe

May 23, 2017

Back in first and second year, Bon Chaz was one of my most frequented haunts because it was across from my university and right outside my bus stop. For the next 3 or so years, I stopped going due to an equal mix of wanting to try out new places, taking the skytrain instead, and doing full-time co-op meant I wasn’t in that area as much anymore. Over time, I forgot about Bon Chaz until my last semester at SFU almost four years later! Once I started going back more often, I wondered why I stopped going in the past years.
Bon Chaz is a very cozy cafe with really friendly staff. Most importantly to a student, it is also very cheap and they offer a 10% student discount (excluding combos). Whenever I go in, the atmosphere is always happy and welcoming. As they bake their bread fresh everyday, it smells amazing in there. Yet another reason why I love Bon Chaz so much!
Beef Pastrami Baguette w/ dijon mustard, $4.98: This is one of my two go-tos when grabbing lunch here. Their baguettes are amazing – so soft, doughy and fresh. Their baguettes also come with an extra layer of bread, like a double decker sandwich! On the top, are the super fresh and crunch veggies. There is a generous portion of beef pastrami and for $5, you just can’t beat the price and quality. Especially in downtown. Since it is a double decker sandwich, one of these keeps me full and satisfied the whole day! I would like to warn you that with the dijon mustard, this sandwich can get spicy!
Garlic Tuna Baguette, $5.48: A bit more than the beef pastrami baguette, but still just as delicious! Just like the beef pastrami, the baguette is very fresh and comes as a double decker sandwich. There is also a very generous portion of tuna that will fill you up. I love the strong garlic taste as well. I usually get the garlic tuna baguette if I want something warmer, as the beef pastrami sandwich is no toasted.

If you’re in downtown and looking for a quick, cheap, and delicious bite to eat, I would highly recommend Bon Chaz. It’s a hidden gem, and has definitely alleviated wallet pain. With the low price coupled with a student discount, I didn’t feel as guilty buying a Booster Juice to go with my baguette afterwards. They also have great pastries, coffee, and vegan/vegetarian options!

CHOP Steakhouse & Bar – Richmond, BC Location

August 26, 2016

For the boyfriend’s birthday, he wanted to have a good ol’ piece of hearty steak. Since we usually go to The Keg for steak, he wanted to try a new place so we went to CHOP Steakhouse & Bar in Richmond! The restaurant is connected to a hotel, and easiest to get to by car.

There are also other CHOP restaurants in Canada! From my knowledge, CHOP is currently a small Canadian chain.
I had made reservations on Open Table for an early dinner, at 6 pm. When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full! We ended up parking on the hotel side, which was still a really quick walk. The outside of the restaurant looked pretty modern and posh.

There were lights on the ground that would illuminate really nicely should we have come after dusk.
We were quickly seated, and the restaurant was pretty empty, save for a few other tables. Other parties ended up coming in as well, but it was nowhere as busy as The Keg would be. I guess this place isn’t really located in a residential neighbourhood or an entertainment district either, which explains the quieter venue!

We didn’t mind the quietness, as we were seated in a little corner of the restaurant that had a nice view of the statue pictured above! Our table also had this really big, modern wire ball lamp above our table. It felt a lot cooler to sit here than at the other tables 😉
It was an special occasion, so of course drinks were ordered!

Caesar, $6.99: The boyfriend’s go-to drink, after beer. He really enjoyed the caesar. The celery stalk inside the drink was really long, it went all the way to the bottom of his cup! Although I don’t normally like caesars, I found this one pretty tolerable to drink so that is saying something =P

Pink lemonade, $7.49: This girl loves her fruity cocktails. The pink lemonade came with lemonade, raspberry liquor, soda, and a scoop of raspberry sorbet on top. I absolutely loved this drink and couldn’t stop sipping it. You could barely taste the alcohol, it tasted like a raspberry lemonade instead. The drink tasted better with the sorbet mixed inside.
Tuna tataki, $14.95: As an appetizer, we decided to order the tuna tataki because the boyfriend looooves tuna tataki. Unfortunately, this dish was really disappointing. The tuna was pretty hard on the outside and tasted as though it had been prepared awhile ago and left in the fridge.

It also did not melt in our mouths the way delicious tuna sashimi should. Other than the lack of freshness, the fried onions and sauce were both really flavourful.
Bread, complimentary: The bread was served nice and warm, with no complaints!
Filet mignon, $39.95: On to the main course! I had my heart set on the prime rib, but changed my mind last minute and ordered the filet mignon, cooked medium rare. The filet mignon came with a red wine reduction, and I chose fries as my side.

Due to my dairy restriction, I had asked our server to double check that the steak was not slathered with butter or another dairy product prior to cooking. She had assured me it wasn’t, but after a couple small bites, I could definitely taste butter. I asked her again and she suddenly had this ‘OH CRAP’ look on her face and brought it back right away, LOL. Turns out they do cook the filet mignon in butter.

Because of this, they had to bring it back to the kitchen and made one without dairy. I actually liked the plain filet mignon more because I like my steaks very simple, usually only with a dash of salt and pepper. If the steak is any good, you don’t need to drown it in seasoning and sauce.

It was cooked a nice, medium rare and was sooo incredibly tender and delicious.
Rib eye, $37.95: Unlike how I was set with the prime rib before changing my mind last minute, the boyfriend stuck to his original decision and ordered the rib eye. When we were looking up the menu a few nights prior, he knew immediately that he wanted the rib eye!

The rib eye was cooked a perfect medium rare as well, and was extremely tender and full of fragrant spices. The boyfriend enjoyed the rib eye a tremendous amount, and thought it was the perfect dish to have on his birthday! Woot!
Mini birthday dessert bite, complementary: I had called in requesting a birthday dessert for the boyfriend. After confirming with our server, they brought over the mini birthday surprise! She was nice enough to give us the option of a complementary full dessert due to her dairy mistake above, but the boyfriend was already too full at this point and I am unable to help him eat this =(

However, we appreciated the offer and this was a reflection of the great service we received throughout our meal, although service was a bit slow in the beginning.

Overall, we had a lovely evening here for his birthday and really enjoyed our first visit. CHOP is a great option for steaks, and I would definitely recommend trying it. Compared to The Keg, CHOP has a more modern, young, and hip vibe while The Keg is more classic.

Yay!

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