Terra Breads is launching their holiday line-up starting tomorrow December 13 until December 24. I had the opportunity to preview these goodies and oh boy, there were all so delicious.

These holiday items will be available at all four Terra Breads cafe locations and are handcrafted, have no artificial colouring and baked fresh each morning.

Spiced Cashew Shortbread

All butter and deliciously tender with a warm blend of cardamom and cinnamon with nutty cashews.

Gingerbread man

Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, simply decorated with royal icing.

Pistachio Croissant with lemon glaze and raspberry crisps 

A delicious croissant dressed up for the holidays. Filled with a rich pistachio cream and topped with a flavorful tart lemon glaze and crunchy raspberry bits and more pistachios. Baked to create the perfect layered crunchy exterior and warm decadent interior. 

Lemon pistachio cake 

A deliciously moist plant-based pistachio cake with citrus accents drizzled with a lemon glaze and topped with crunchy toasted pistachios. 

Stollen

A traditional German cake-like fruit bread perfect for sharing. Packed with rum-soaked raisins, crunchy toasted almonds and a decadent creamy almond marzipan filling.

Panettone

A traditional soft and buttery Italian holiday bread which comes in two flavors.

• Chocolate Cherry, made with sweetened dried cherries and decadent Belgian chocolate. Topped with a cocoa glaze and a dusting of pearl sugar.
• Fruit, filled with raisins, figs, cranberries, orange zest and a touch of vanilla.

H2 Rotisserie & Bar at the Westin Bayshore has a number of festive offerings this holiday season one of which is the Festive Seafood Buffet taking place Fridays & Saturdays during December 6 – 21 from 5:30 pm – 9 pm.

The buffet includes hot and cold seafood, salad, cheese & charcuterie, soup, entrees, chef-led action station, and sweets. The price is $95 per adult and $39 for children aged 6 – 12.

The culinary team at H2 includes Executive Chef Brody Paine, Chef Rolando Garcia, and Chef Geoff Carkner.

I had the opportunity to try out the Festive Seafood Buffet. Here’s a look at the deliciousness.

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Seafood

WEST COAST SEAFOOD SELECTION with traditional condiments: king crab legs, citrus poached prawns, manila clams, salt spring island mussels, candied and smoked salmon.

LING COD KOKODA with coconut cream, fresh lime and coriander

CALAMARI SALAD with fennel, lemon and fresh chilies

Salads

ORGANIC MIXED GREENS with an assortment of dressings

TRIO OF BEETS, PEA SHOOTS, FETA CHEESE, PUMPKIN SEEDS: blanco balsamic glaze

WINTER KALE SALAD with farro and goat cheese

QUINOA SALAD with edamame, pomegranate, Okanagan dried fruits

VILLAGE FARM TOMATOES with torn bocconcini, cracked pepper, and extra virgin olive oil

CHEESE AND CHARCUTERIE

An assortment of international cheese and charcuterie with traditional accompaniments

Entrees

BAKED SALMON with caramelized fennel and vanilla beurre blanc

ROASTED LING COD

FRUTTI DI MARE GNOCCHI with stewed tomatoes and caper crumb

ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES with butter braised leeks and fresh chives

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI with sage cream

Action Station

CARVERY GARLIC AND HERB RUBBED BEEF STRIPLOIN with Yorkshire pudding, selection of mustards, horseradish, and red wine jus

HOUSE MADE PORCHETTA with Bopper’s apple butter

Sweets

A decadent array of sweet treats featuring festive yule log, classic shortbread, eggnog, cranberry cheesecake, apple-cinnamon cake, chocolate-pecan flan, mincemeat tarts, and kids candy store.

I loved all the seafood selection especially the baked salmon, roasted lingcod and West Coast seafood selection. The gnocchi and ravioli were also great accompaniments as was the rosemary roasted potatoes.

Also on right now is the Festive Sunday Brunch buffet. Be sure to check out the lineup of festive events at H2 this holiday season.

Jenjudan Vancouver has launched two new drinks: Brown Sugar Taro Milk and Red Bean Matcha Milk.

Red Bean Matcha Milk “宇治抹茶紅豆” features matcha, red bean, and fresh milk. Red beans can be replaced with another topping while the fresh milk cannot be substituted with soy milk. Priced at $6.50 and comes in a medium cup only.

Brown Sugar Taro Milk “黑糖芋芋鮮奶” has fresh taro, brown sugar, and fresh milk. Extra toppings are allowed for this drink and a sweetness level of 30% – 50% is recommended. Soy milk can be substituted for fresh milk. Priced at $6.25 and in a medium cup only.

Both drinks were pretty good but I enjoy a good fresh taro drink so the Brown Sugar Taro Milk hit the spot for me. The taro chunks were pretty smooth. The brown sugar was more subtle with the taro flavour more dominating.

The Red Bean Matcha Milk is nice but it’s something that is offered at many other BBT houses so it wasn’t very unique for me per se.

Also, I would as for no ice as their ice bits are small and you end up drawing a lot of ice through the straw.

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About Jenjudan 珍煮丹

Founded in 1999, Jenjudan 珍煮丹 originated from Taipei’s Shilin Night Market and is best known for their brown sugar pearl milk drinks – a blend of fresh milk, brown sugar syrup and tapioca pearls.

The brand has four new outposts in Metro Vancouver: one at 1210 Robson Street (West End), 290 Robson Street (Stadium District), one at 3490 Kingsway (coming soon) and at 125-5999 Cooney Road in Richmond (coming soon).

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Jenjudan BC
1210 Robson Street, Vancouver
290 Robson Street, Vancouver
3490 Kingsway, Vancouver (coming soon)
125-5999 Cooney Road, Richmond (coming soon)
www.instagram.com/jenjudan_canada/

H2 Rotisserie & Bar at the Westin Bayshore has a number of festive offerings this holiday season one of which is the Festive Sunday Brunch Series taking place every Sunday until December 22 from 12 pm – 3 pm.

The buffet included breakfast favourites, seafood, salads, cheese & charcuterie, dim sum, turkey carving station, and sweet treats. The price is $69 per adult and $30 for children aged 6 – 12.

I had the opportunity to try out the Festive Brunch Buffet. Here’s a look at the deliciousness.

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Breakfast Favourites

Seasonal sliced fruits; selection of croissants, danishes and scones (with honey, jams, and butter); warm cinnamon buns; an assortment of healthy nuts and seeds; and mango chia pudding.

Seafood

The seafood display was amazing and featured Lobster Bisque, West Coast Seafood (like Snow Crab Legs, Citrus Poached Prawns, Manila Clams, Salt Spring Island Mussels, and Candied and Smoked Salmon). Seafood Ceviche “Martini”, Ling Cod Kokoda and Calamari Salad rounded out the seafood selection.

Salads

Organic Mixed Greens (with an assortment of dressings); Trio of Beets, Pea Shoots, Feta Cheese, Pumpkin Seeds with Blanco Balsamic Glaze; Winter Kale Salad with Farro and Goat Cheese; and Quinoa Salad.

Cheese and Charcuterie

An assortment of international cheese and charcuterie with traditional accompaniments

Asian

Har Gau and Sui Mai

Entrees

Traditional eggs benedict; Belgian waffles; Baked Salmon, and Potato Hash. Sides included Turkey Sausage, Double Smoked Bacon, Roasted Root Vegetables, Bayshore Honey Glazed Brussels Sprouts.

Action Station

Roasted Fraser Valley turkey breast with traditional stuffing, turkey gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Sweets

Also impressive was the decadent array of sweet treats including Festive Yule Log, Classic Shortbread Eggnog, Cranberry Cheesecake Apple-Cinnamon Cake, Chocolate-Pecan Flan, Mincemeat Tarts, and assorted candy.

My favourites were the Lobster Bisque, West Coast Seafood Selection, Seafood Ceviche Martini, Mango Chia Pudding, Winter Kale Salad, Roasted Fraser Valley Turkey Breast, Baked Salmon, Mincemeat Tarts, and Eggnog & Cranberry Cheesecake.

Be sure to check out the lineup of festive events at H2 this holiday season.

Plant-based diets are gaining popularity as people begin to understand more of the benefits. Dining out can sometimes pose challenges for those who prefer to eat plant-based as some restaurants may have limited options.

However, Mosaic Bar & Grill at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver has a plant-forward menu featuring 6 dishes with options like Crispy Cauliflower to Beyond Portabella Burger. The menu is described as plant-forward rather than plant-based as there are some dishes that include a poached egg. Here’s a look at what we tried.

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What We Tried

The Beyond Portabella Burger ($23), a vegan and gluten-free option, features a Beyond meat patty, roasted portabella mushroom, gluten free bun, cashew cheese, lettuce tomato and onion. It’s a fully-loaded plant-based burger that can satisfy your burger cravings (without the meat).

The Buddha Bowl ($21) is a nourishing bowl with red quinoa, green chick peas, mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, roasted seeds, tomato, avocado and pickled red onion. I really liked the red quinoa and the earthy flavours of the mushrooms.

The Lentil & Chick Pea Tempeh Lettuce Wrap ($17) features house dry rub, romaine lettuce, tomato, carrot and garlic sauce. This dish wasn’t my favourite of what we tried; it just didn’t do much for me in terms of taste.

Finally, there was the Roasted Brussel Sprouts Salad ($16) with poached egg, pumpernickel, goat cheese, pomegranate, and quince vinaigrette. I enjoyed the rich, juicy sweet pomegranate contrasted with crispy roasted brussel sprouts.

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Overall Impression

It was nice to see a hotel restaurant like Mosaic offer a menu focused on plant-forward options. My favourites were the Roasted Brussel Sprouts Salad and the Beyond Portabella Burger.

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Mosaic Grille & Bar @ Hyatt Regency Vancouver
655 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC
www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/canada/hyatt-regency-vancouver/yvrrv/dining

The 28^th annual Gingerbread Lane made its return to the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.

This year, 29 gingerbread creations designed by secondary schools, professionals and amateur culinary artists participated in the annual competition.

Over 20,000 visitors each year admire the culinary creations and vote for their favourites.

The Gingerbread Lane has raised over $75,000 for charity over the past 26 years, and last year the charity partner is Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon.

I had the pleasure of being a media judge for the competition. Here are a few photos of some of the entrants.