IHOP Restaurants will celebrate its seventh annual IHOP National Pancake Day in Canada on Tuesday, February 25, by inviting guests to enjoy a complimentary short stack (limit one per guest) of IHOP’s world-famous buttermilk pancakes from 7 am – 7 pm at participating IHOP Restaurants.

In return, guests are encouraged to make a difference in the community by giving a voluntary donation to benefit the local Children’s Miracle Network member hospital.

Since the first National Pancake Day in Canada in 2014, guests have generously donated more than $425,000 for their local Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals.

National Pancake Day began in the United States in 2006 and has raised more than $30 million for children’s health. National Pancake Day is also celebrated in Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

Guests may also contribute to Children’s Miracle Network by purchasing a wall icon for $1, $5, $20, or $100 between now and February 25.

Guests who purchase a $5 wall icon will receive a $5 coupon toward their next meal of $10 or more (valid at participating restaurants only).

For more information about IHOP’s National Pancake Day, or to learn more about Children’s Miracle Network, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Did you know?

Pancake Day is a tradition that dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent.

Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.

Here’s a fun way to enjoy M&M’s…in a grilled cheese!

M&M’s Canada sent me their new Dark Sweet Chocolate Bar (which has M&M mini’s) to try along with ingredients to make a decadent sourdough brie grilled cheese sandwich with it.

Check out my video to see how it turned out including the final clip where I cut the sandwich in half to see all the gooeyness!

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Here's a fun way to enjoy M&M's…in a grilled cheese! @mmscanada sent me their new Dark Sweet Chocolate Bar (which has M&M Minis) to try along with ingredients to make a decadent sourdough brie grilled cheese sandwich with it. Check out my video to see how it turned out including the final clip where I cut the sandwich in half to see all the gooeyness! #FuninaBar #Media #igtvdaily #igtvart #igtv #igtvdaily #chocolate #planetdiscovery #yvreats #WeareNextGen #tastemade #foodandwine #foodlove #video #buzzfeedtasty #eattheworld #forkyeah #f52grams #foodbeast #buzzfeast #eeeeeats #vancouver #vancityhype #vancouverfoodie #chocolatelover #vancouvereats #vancouverisawesome #grilledcheese #cheese

A post shared by Areta Wong (@foodgressing) on Feb 15, 2020 at 5:12pm PST

Dark M&M’S® Chocolate Bar & Brie Grilled Cheese Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 3 tbl salted butter, at room temperature
• 100 – 125 triple cream Brie, sliced
• 1/2 Dark M&M’s Chocolate Bar

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and allow it to come up to temperature.
2. Meanwhile, set out the four slices of sourdough bread and butter one side of each. Place two slices of bread butter side down onto your preheated skillet and divide the cheese between them. Break up your Dark M&M’S® Chocolate Bar and scatter it on top of the cheese. Top each with a second slice of bread, butter side up, and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the filling is starting to melt, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook the sandwich until golden brown and the cheese and Dark M&M’S® Chocolate Bar are fully melted about 2 more minutes.
3. Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately for optimal gooeyness!

Seaside by Executive Hotels and Resorts is a new waterfront hotel destination located in The Shipyards District of Lower Lonsdale.

Seaside’s property restaurant Seaside Provisions blurs the lines between restaurant, bar, and lounge to create a holistic dining experience in a style-infused place referred to as the Living Room, featuring locally sourced coastal tapas and bespoke cocktails in a space filled with curated art and photography.

For Valentine’s Day weekend this year (Feb 14 – 16), Seaside Provisions is offering a special brunch tower. Priced at $35 per person (minimum two people), it includes:

• Salmon tot waffle (smoked salmon, salmon roe crème fraîche, capers, chives)
• Lobster benny for two (lobster, sour cream lemon, chives)
• Dozen oysters (ponzu, lemon, chili oil sauce)
• Chocolate strawberries white & dark chocolate

I had the opportunity to try the brunch tower and found everything to be really delicious. The presentation of the brunch items in a tower is unique and I enjoyed their elevated approach to the offerings. The standout was the lobster benny which was delicious.

Seaside Provision’s sleek dining space makes it an ideal place for a date. We sat by the fireplace which made it extra cozy.

Seaside Provisions has other packages and dinner offerings for Valentine’s Day weekend. See more here.

Seaside Provisions
130-125 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver, BC
seasideprovisions.com

Rice & Noodle has recently opened their third Metro Vancouver location at 2857 West Broadway in Kitsilano.

The budget-friendly, casual eatery serving Asian-style rice and noodle dishes first opened up on Robson Street in 2018. Since then, they have expanded to North Vancouver.

Rice & Noodle West Broadway Menu

On the menu at Rice and Noodle are fast-food style, MSG-free Asian dishes at affordable prices. The menu seems to be standardized across all locations.

You’ll find Thai staples like pad thai, green curry, and red curry and tom yum soup; Japanese noodle dishes like yakiudon; Chinese dishes like chowmein and kung pao chicken; and Chinese-Malaysian fusion noodle soup bowls like laksa.

Some of their dishes are noted to be gluten-free.  Their current menu has 13 dishes available priced around $10-$11.  They also have family combos to feed 3, 4 or 5 people as well as a small selection of sides (like spring rolls, gyoza and more).

The entrees are customizable for choice of protein including chicken, beef, tofu, mixed veggies, and seafood (extra).  You can also choose your spiciness level available from level 1 (mild) to level 10 (spicy).   If you’re feeling extra hungry, you can also opt to have extra protein as well.

Rice & Noodle West Broadway Interior

You will need to order at the front, have a seat and the food is brought out to you when ready.  The interior is minimal but clean and spacious.

I have previously been to their Robson location and have enjoyed their laksa the most. The laksa is a hearty bowl with curry coconut broth, rice noodle, broccoli, carrot, onion, tofu, zucchini, topped with bean sprouts, boiled egg and cilantro. Priced at $10.99. Read more here.

Rice & Noodle West Broadway
Address: 2857 West Broadway, Vancouver
Hours: 11 am – 9 pm
Website: www.thericeandnoodle.com

Coming soon to Olympic Village is Ophelia, a new restaurant offering authentic Mexican cuisine with a refined, elevated approach.

The team behind Ophelia also own The Flying Pig and WildTale. Helming the kitchen at Ophelia will be former WildTale executive chef Francisco Higareda. In fact, the restaurant is named after Higareda’s mother.

Ophelia will be taking over the space currently occupied by WildTale’s Olympic Village location at 165 West 2nd Avenue.

Ophelia’s menu will feature crowd-pleasing favourites like tacos and chilaquiles alongside traditional Latin American dishes such as pulpo en mole (octopus topped with rich mole sauce), bone marrow sopes (thick corn tortillas) and aguachile (shrimp marinated in fresh lime juice and chilli peppers).

Ophelia will also offer a fully licensed bar serving handcrafted cocktails made with premium tequilas and mezcals, along with local and imported craft beers, and New- and Old-World wines.

Further details about Ophelia will be released in the coming months.

Ophelia
165 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC