Foodgressing

Vancouver Food, Travel, Lifestyle & Photography Blog

You are here: Home / Archives for Cuisine

Christmas Cookie Decorating Class at PICA

by Leave a Comment

I have always wanted to learn how to decorate cookies and so I signed up for a Christmas cookie decorating class when I saw it being offered at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts this past weekend.

  • institute of culinary arts creative cookie decorating 2028

With the cookies already baked and cooled, the focus of the class was on flooding techniques, piping skills, and embellishments with fondant and gum paste.  Chef Michelle, who has tons of industry experience as a pastry chef, led our intimate four-hour class of 8 people.  The class fee included ingredients, supplies, an apron and recipe booklet.  A student from PICA’s professional program was an assistant in the class.

I have very little experience with cooking decorating so this class was quite an beneficial to me.  Chef Michelle taught us decorating and piping techniques but really it comes down to practice, practice, practice! I definitely need to work on having a steadier hand.

Chef Michelle had some beautifully decorated cookies which served as our inspiration.

institute of culinary arts creative cookie decorating 2028

One of the more unique cookies that we decorated was a 3D cookie tree.  The mold was apparently purchased from Dollarama.

institute of culinary arts creative cookie decorating 2028

I got to take home the cookies I decorated plus lots of leftover cookies and icing.  Overall, it was a fun and educational experience and it helped me to get my feet wet in the world of cookie decorating.

pacific institute of culinary arts creative cookie decorating

Ganache Pâtisserie Fall and Winter New Items

by Leave a Comment

Ganache Pâtisserie has announced new creations for this year’s Fall/Winter 2018 Menu.  The first is a new take on a classic French pastry, Paris Brest au Marron ($7.75).  It’s a donut-shaped creampuff with a buttery chestnut mousseline containing crushed pumpkin seed nougatine, savory chestnut pieces and a Chai-spiced chantilly cream.

Ganache Pâtisserie Yaletown 2018

The Noisette Caramel Chocolat ($8.25) combines a hazelnut milk chocolate cheesecake with a layer of moist chocolate cake, a light hazelnut Zephyr Caramel chocolate mousse and a milk chocolate caramel glaçage, dusted with toasted hazelnuts and fleur de sel.

Ganache Pâtisserie Yaletown 2018

The Hojicha Sake Sésame ($8.25) pairs a hojicha, or roasted matcha tea, parfait with a coconut sake kasu panna cotta, elderflower-soaked goji berries with a black sesame chiffon cake and hojicha chocolate glaze.

Ganache Pâtisserie Yaletown 2018

The Earl Grey Chocolat ($7.95) layers a moist Earl Grey chocolate cake with a fragrant Earl Grey mousseline filling and a layer of caramel crunch while an Earl Grey ganache is drizzled over top and accented with a dark chocolate tile and gold flakes.

Ganache Pâtisserie Yaletown 2018

Disclosure:  I was invited to a media tasting.

EAT! Vancouver: EAT! Pastry 2018 Event Recap

by Leave a Comment

The sugar high was real from attending this year’s EAT! Vancouver EAT! Pastry event.  15 award-winning pastry chefs and chocolatiers from Vancouver and beyond, including guest chefs Brett Roy from Sweet Lollapalooza of Edmonton, and Patrice Demers from Patrice Patissier of Montreal were featured at the event.  Proceeds from this event supported Project CHEF, an elementary school educational program focused on healthy food and cooking.

Eat Vancouver Eat Pastry 2018

Here are just some of the treats I managed to forage at the event for the photo above:

  • Patrice Demers (Patrice Patissier): black sesame seed financier, araguani and coffee ganache
  • Julian Helman (Karat Chocolate): ganache and caramel filled chocolates
  • Steve Hodge (Temper Chocolate Pastry): charcoal pavlova with passion fruit cremeux
  • Nicolas Botomisy (Valrhona): dark chocolate and pear dessert
  • Adam Chandler (Beta5): apple pie cream puffs
  • Rebecca Chen (Ancora): dark chocolate tasting trio
  • Jeffry Kahle (Fairmont Pacific Rim): mini raspberry cake bar
  • Betty Hung (Beaucoup Bakery): mini almond chocolate croissant, coconut citrus passionfruit macaron
  • Glenn Knowles (Gem Chocolates): “P2” chocolate: passion fruit + peach ganache
  • Brett Roy (Sweet Lollapalooza): Asian-citrus inspired chocolate bonbons
  • Ricardo Rosas (Faubourg): lavender and earl grey mousse, almond cake, strawberry and vanilla glaze; dark chocolate cremeux, blackberry gelee, sable breton, and chocolate mirror glaze
  • Wayne Kozinko (Hawksworth): chocolate raspberry savarin; caramelized honey apple financier; bonbons
  • Eddy Yee (Pinnacle Hotel): vegan pumpkin hazelnut cheesecake, macadamia white chocolate truffle, coconut caramel, pumpkin jelly
  • Mark Burton (PICA): smoke milk chocolate budino with candied walnuts and fleur de sel

Homestyle Pumpkin Pie by M&M Food Market

by Leave a Comment

Do you like hot or cold pie better?  I pulled out my M&M Food Market homestyle pumpkin pie from the freezer and let it thaw at room temp for 3 hours.  Made some fresh whipped cream and voila, pumpkin pie delight!  The other way would be to make from frozen and eat with a side of ice cream. Either way would still be delish!

M&M Food Market Homestyle Pumpkin Pie

Disclosure:  I received a media kit from M&M Food Market.

The M&M Homestyle Pumpkin Pie has a very rich flavour where you can taste the spices.  The filling is very smooth and has just enough sweetness to balance some spice.  The crust is also very nicely buttery and flaky.  You can find out more about it here.

Find out How to host a Friendsgiving: Tips, Tricks, Meal Ideas

How to host a Friendsgiving: Tips, Tricks, Meal Ideas

Authentic Neapolitan Pizzas at Nicli Antica Pizzeria

by Leave a Comment

When it comes to authentic Neapolitan pizza in Vancouver, Nicli Antica Pizzeria serves the real deal.  In fact, Nicli is the first VPN-certified (Vera Pizza Napoletana) Neapolitan pizzeria in Vancouver which means their Neapolitan pizzas are truly authentic.  I had the opportunity to visit Nicli Antica Pizzeria last weekend for lunch.  Here’s a look at my experience.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

Disclosure:  I was invite for a media tasting.  All food and drink in this post were complimentary.  Opinions are my own.

Modern Italian Charm

The interior exudes modern, Italian charm with exposed brick walls and sleek, white dining tables and chairs.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

You can watch the pizza being made

Diners at Nicli can view the magic behind the pizza making process through the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant.  I stood by the area to capture a few shots of the pizzaolos (professional pizza makers) at work.  They work swiftly but calmly as they stretch out the dough, spread the sauce, put on the toppings and then load the pizzas into the wood-fired pizza oven.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

I love how they have basil plants so that they can incorporate fresh full basil leaves onto the pizzas.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

What I Tried

My guests and I tried the meatballs with beef, pork, grana padano, basil and focaccia; Margherita and Sneaky Devil pizzas.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

The meatballs were hearty and melted-in-your-mouth of deliciousness.  I’m pretty sure that is how Nonna used to make them.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

The tomato sauce used was slightly sweet and aromatic.  The cornicone (raised edge of the pizza crust) was nicely chewy and perfectly charred but did not have any bitterness to it.  I thought the pizza topping to crust and sauce ratios were just right.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

And for dessert, a flourless chocolate olive oil torta with a side of vanilla bean gelato.  I liked that the cake was not overly rich but had a good, ganache flavour.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver

Overall Impression

I had a very enjoyable experience at Nicli from the classy yet inviting atmosphere to the perfectly crafted Neapolitan pizzas.  They are opening a second location in the Edgemont neighbourhood of North Vancouver sometime this year.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria Vancouver
Address: 62 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1K2
Website: www.niclipizzeria.com

H Tasting Lounge Golden Week 2018 Afternoon Tea

by Leave a Comment

H Tasting Lounge at the Westin Bayshore is currently offering a limited-time dining experience in celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival and Golden Week.  Available from Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 5 pm until October 7, the traditional Afternoon Tea in H Tasting Lounge boasts an enhanced menu of Asian- and European-influenced indulgences.  I was invited to try out this unique afternoon tea experience at H Tasting Lounge.  Here’s a look at what you can expect.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Priced at $80 per person, the afternoon tea set had all sorts of surprises and whimsical elements to it.  I was really impressed with the variety of items and creativeness in which they were presented.  Above is a photo of all the delicious items we received as part of the afternoon tea experience.  I will go on to discuss each part in further detail below.

Tea Selection

The experience started after the hostess seated my guest and I at one of the plush corner booths at H Tasting Lounge.  She then presented us with box containing samples of Tealeaves loose leaf selection.  The tea were in small vials such that we were able to smell the tea before making our selection.  I went with the Organic Vanilla Rooibos while my guest had the Imperial Earl Grey.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Bonsai Candy Floss & Scones

The next item that was brought to us was a selection of freshly baked scones along with a bubblegum bonsai candy floss.  The idea was that you would tear away some of the cotton candy to enjoy with the savoury scones.  Also offered was vanilla butter, honey and jam.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Golden Flower Cocktail

The featured cocktail included in the afternoon set was the “Golden Flower”, created by H bartender Andrew Kong for these annual celebrations.  The cocktail is an aromatic marriage of sweetened Osmanthus tea (Osmanthus tea and elderflower syrup), Bombay Sapphire East gin, Umé Japanese plum wine, Giffard ‘Ginger of the Indies’ liqueur, and Ms. Betters ‘Mt. Fuji’ bitters.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Golden Ferris Wheel

The Golden Ferris Wheel held the savoury items of the afternoon tea including: BBQ pork puff, dim sum (har gow, siu mai), charcoal bao, prosciutto croissant sandwich, braised pork-belly bao, and open-faced smoked-turkey sandwich.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Tiffany-blue jewelry box

The sweets were presented in a Tiffany-blue oversized jewelry box featuring mini moon cakes, green-pea cakes, BBQ pork puffs, Chinese pastries, and panna cotta.

h tasting lounge golden week afternoon tea 2018

Overall Impression 

I really enjoyed all the creative elements of H Tasting Lounge’s Golden Week afternoon tea set.  From the cocktail to the savouries and the sweets, there were so many different and interesting items to stimulate your senses from beginning to finish.  While H Tasting has afternoon tea service regularly, this limited edition set is available until October 7.  Bon appetit!

H Tasting Lounge
Address: 1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver, BC
Website: htastinglounge.com‎

Toronto Japanese Dessert Cafe: Little Pebbles

by Leave a Comment

In Vancouver, we don’t really have Japanese dessert cafes specializing in pastries for me to satisfy my sweet tooth.  One of the most prominent ones was Chicco Cafe on Robson which had closed down last year.  Last year, when I visited Toronto, I made it a point to go to Little Pebbles to indulge in some Japanese-style baked goods.  I was excited to try out some of their treats over coffee with my friend who I was staying with.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

Kensington Cafe

Since my visit, Little Pebbles remains in the Kensington area but apparently moved a few units down from their original location but to a larger space.  At the time, I really enjoyed their clean, minimal interior with a homey atmosphere which made a nice place to get together with others over coffee and treats.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

All their baked goods are made in-house.  Little Pebbles uses Japanese Juhakuto sugar which apparently is sweeter without the calories and more moist than granulated sugar.  They also use ceremonial-grade matcha for their matcha-based drinks and desserts.  On their menu as well were a variety of espresso-based drinks as well as tea.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

What We Tried

My friend and I shared the Black Sesame Chiffon Cake ($5.25), Osaka-Style Strawberry Roll Cake ($5.25) and I had a Black Sesame Latte ($5).

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

The roll cake was Osaka style so the outside was not decorated and the inside is only cream.   However, Little Pebbles does incorporate a few strawberry segments into this delicious, light and fluffy cake.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

The Black Sesame Chiffon Cake definitely felt like a melting sponge.  I enjoyed the moist, light texture with a light black sesame flavour.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

The Black Sesame Latte comes in your choice of sweetned or unsweetended.  It was nutty, smooth and delicious.

little pebbles toronto dessert cafe kensington

Overall Impression of Little Pebbles

I really enjoyed my experience at Little Pebbles and would love to visit when I’m in Toronto next time.  The house-made goods were satisfying but not too indulging.  I heard that they opened up a sister dessert place called Koishi Ice Cream which I would love to try.  Rating: 4.5/5

Little Pebbles
Address: 160 Baldwin St #8, Toronto, ON
Website: little-pebbles.com‎

Little Pebbles Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Just Opened: Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson

by Leave a Comment

Newly opened in the West End neighbourhood is Ta Bom Korean Fusion Cuisine.  Located at 1536 Robson Street (between Nicola and Cardero), this is Ta Bom’s second location with their original restaurant in Coquitlam.  I never made it to Coquitlam to try Ta Bom but I had heard positive reviews from other food bloggers who had dined there and enjoyed the experience.  They made an announcement on Instagram of their soft opening this past Friday at 5 pm.  With much eagerness, I took my family for dinner there just after they opened their doors.  Here’s a look at what they are offering and our experience there.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Larger Space

Ta Bom is reported to be almost double in size of the Coquitlam location.   The space is over 2,500 square feet and can accomodate 80 – 100 people.  I enjoyed the modern interior with exposed brick walls and a mix of dining tables and booth seating.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Tabom Menu

I have included photos of the menu below but for a higher-resolution of them download my compiled pdf here (large).

Tabom is known for their circular hot plates featuring choice of main dish (meat or protein – minimum 2 orders) along with side dishes.  Meat options include dak-galbi (stir-fried spicy chicken), jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried spicy pork), jukkumi-jeyuk-bokkeum (stir-fried spicy small octopus with spicy pork) and more.  The hot plate already comes with egg and corn but you can order additional side dishes like rice cake, noodles, fried-rice and so forth.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Also on the menu is the Tabom Signature Hot Pot, Korean BBQ, appetizers, stone bowl rice, noodles, platters, combos and so forth.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Ta Bom Robson also serves a variety of beverages including house wine, champagne, cocktails, Traditional Japanese alcoholic beverages, and other house-made drinks.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

What We Tried

We had the bulgogi (pork) hot plate ($28) with cheese (+$5), corn and egg.  For banchan (side dishes), we were provided kimchi, bean sprouts and potato.

The pork was nicely tender and the soup base was flavourful and on the sweeter side.  The corn was also reasonable being juicy and sweet; I’ve had a bad experience before at a ramen restaurant (see post here) where the corn was not properly defrosted.

The side dishes seem a bit limited in terms of selection and portions compared to what other Korean restaurants offer.  The potato was not very good as it was very hard.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

We also had the Tabom Chicken which was a spicy popcorn chicken topped with cheese.  The chicken had a nice flavour being mildly spicy and the texture was also very good being tender and juicy.

Ta Bom Korean Cuisine Robson Street Downtown Vancouver

Service

Things were off to a good start when we were the first customers in the restaurant.  It was pretty empty at that time and the servers were quite attentive.  As the restaurant got busy, the service we received really suffered.  In fact, we had originally ordered a Volcano Rice which was meant to be mixed in with the main dish and soup base on the hot plate sometime closer to the end of the meal.  The rice didn’t arrive in time before the soup base caramelized.  The manager apologized for the delay, cancelled the order, and gave us a few coupons for a few dollars off on our next meal at Ta Bom.

Overall Impression

I thought the food was pretty good being more of a comfort food type with all the cheesiness in the dishes we ordered.  It was flavourful but rich so I couldn’t really eat to my usual capacity.  Hopefully, the service improves after they fine tune their operations.  Rating: 3.5/5

Ta Bom Korean Fusion Cuisine
Address: 1536 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC
Instagram: @tabom_korean_cuisine‎

Ta Bom Korean Fusion Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Recent Posts

view my food journey on zomato!