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What to Expect at the new Gram Cafe & Pancakes in Richmond

January 27, 2020 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

The wait is almost over! The iconic Japanese-brand, Gram Cafe & Pancakes, will be opening their very first location in Canada at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond.

What to Expect at the new Gram Cafe & Pancakes in Richmond

Founded in 2014 in Osaka, the brand is best known for their Premium Pancakes – a wobbly, triple stack of fluffy, souffle pancakes.

I had the opportunity to attend a media preview of Gram Cafe at Aberdeen Centre. Here’s a sneak peak at what you can expect on the menu

Gram Cafe & Pancakes Richmond Menu

The menu will feature both sweet and savoury pancakes. You can expect each menu item to be between $14 – $16.

Premium Pancakes

The signature classic Premium Pancakes are made-to-order and served at 11 am, 11:30 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 3:30 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 6:30 pm, 7 pm daily. There are 10 orders served at each of the time slots.

It’s like eating cottony clouds! Thick, airy, fluffy, quite eggy and not super sweet.

Check out my Instagram post to see the pancakes wobble!

View this post on Instagram

The wait is almost over! The iconic Japanese-brand, Gram Cafe & Pancakes, will be opening their very first location in Canada at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. @gramcanada – Founded in 2014 in Osaka, the brand is best known for their Premium Pancakes – a wobbly, triple stack of fluffy, souffle pancakes. The menu will feature both sweet and savoury pancakes. You can expect each menu item to be between $14 – $16. The signature classic Premium Pancakes are made-to-order and served at 11 am, 11:30 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 3:30 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 6:30 pm, 7 pm daily. There are 10 orders served at each of the time slots. Other menu items include: 👉Tiramisu: a small, triple stack of pancakes with mascarpone tiramisu cream, cocoa powder, and milk chocolate 👉Mixed Fruits & Chocolate: fresh fruits, homemade creme anglaise and chocolate sauce. 👉Apple & Tea Cream: grilled apples, homemade creme anglaise, vanilla gelato and Earl Grey tea cream. 👉Bacon & Scrambled Eggs: golden smoked bacon with scrambled eggs and salad 👉Pancake sandwiches to go featuring two pancakes and cream If you haven't tried Gram Cafe's iconic Premium pancakes before, they are definitely worth trying. You can expect the soft opening to happen in the early February. #media Full post: foodgressing.com/gram-cafe-richmond #thehappynow #foodbeast #vancouverfoodie #yvreats #dishedvan #f52grams #buzzfeedfood #yahoofood #foodintheair #feedyoursoull #eeeeeats #spoonfeed #thekitchn #foodporn #foodstagram #getinmybelly #eatingfortheinsta #buzzfeast #thrillist #eater #feastagram #feedfeed #onthetable #eatfamous #huffposttaste #eattheworld

A post shared by Areta Wong (@foodgressing) on Jan 27, 2020 at 11:12pm PST

Tiramisu

The tiramisu is a small, triple stack of pancakes with mascarpone tiramisu cream, cocoa powder, and milk chocolate.

Mixed Fruits & Chocolate

This one consists of fresh fruits, homemade creme anglaise and chocolate sauce.

Apple & Tea Cream

The Apple & Tea cream has grilled apples, homemade creme anglaise, vanilla gelato and Earl Grey tea cream.

Bacon & Scrambled Eggs

One savoury option is the golden smoked bacon with scrambled eggs and salad.

Takeout version

Gram Cafe also has takeout versions of their premium pancakes which are pancake sandwiches with cream in the middle.

Gram Cafe Richmond Location

You can find Gram Cafe Richmond on the ground level by the mall entrance to the parkade.

The spacious setting features a mix of dining tables, counter seating and bar seating.

Find out where else in Metro Vancouver serves fluffy souffle pancakes here.

When is Gram Cafe Richmond opening?

If you haven’t tried Gram Cafe’s iconic Premium pancakes before, they are definitely worth trying. You can expect the soft opening to happen in the early February.

The other Metro Vancouver locations (Downtown, Kerrisdale, Brentwood) are expected to open in a few months.

Gram Cafe & Pancakes
4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit1360, Richmond, BC
gramcanada.com

Colourful Handmade Dumplings at Nine Dumplings inside Robson Public Market

January 22, 2020 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

A new food stall specializing in Northern Chinese-style handmade dumplings has opened in the West End. Meet Nine Dumplings, which set up shop just about a month ago inside the food court of the Robson Public Market.

Nine Dumplings inside Robson Public Market: Colourful Handmade Dumplings Vancouver

All contents of this post are copyright secured by Digiprove with verifiable time-stamped evidence of the content.

Family-Owned and Operated

This family-owned and operated business is no stranger to the dining scene in Metro Vancouver. They used to run Nine Dishes – an award-winning restaurant in Richmond (behind Costco) which focused on Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant closed after their landlord sold the property for redevelopment.

Nine Dumplings Menu

Nine Dumplings features a lot of the dishes from Nine Dishes but new to the menu (and the focus of their offerings) are the handmade dumplings.

The handmade dumplings feature 9 different types of fillings including pork & cabbage; pork & chives; pork & cilantro; pork & kimchi; pork & green pepper; vegetarian; squid pork chives; lamb & zucchini; and scallop & fish.

The dumplings are $4.99 for 6 pieces of the regular fillings and $5.99 for 6 pieces of the more specialty fillings.

Or if you can’t make up your mind, get the 10 piece sampler featuring 1 dumpling of each of the flavours offered for $9.99.

The dumplings can be steamed, boiled, cooked in a soup or made spicy with Szechuan oil and chilis.

If you want to know what colour the dumplings are, just look at the menu as the item name is colour coded based on the colour of the dumpling skin.

The owner, Yves, tells me that the colours are natural. Turmeric for yellow; squid ink for black; butterfly pea for blue; spinach for green; beet root for red; and purple cabbage for purple.

There are also a few Sichuan-style dishes including Spicy Drooling Chicken, Spicy Boiling Fish, Spicy Fried Chicken and more.

What We Tried

The owner presented us with some complimentary dishes to start. I loved the sweet, warm, glutinous rice and red bean dessert soup.

We also had the spicy clear noodles which was slightly spicy and stimulated the appetite.

I ordered 6 different types of dumplings:

Pork & cabbage (half Green/half Plain)
Pork & cilantro (blue)
Pork & kimchi (green)
Pork & green pepper (red)
Vegetarian (purple)
Lamb & zucchini (yellow)

The dumpling skins were sturdy, a bit chewy and not overly thick. The fillings were delicious, flavourful and tasted fresh.

All the dumplings tasted true to their flavour and very excellent. My favourite was the pork & cilantro and second to that would the pork & kimchi. There are quite a few options so there’s something for everyone.

I didn’t get the sampler as I like to try the dumplings a few more times rather (even just to judge) rather than just one piece. However, the sampler would be a good intro to the type of fillings offered.

I talked to the owner Yves afterwards and he seems very humble. His wife and daughter are helping out with the business. He brought out a tray of his dumplings for a quick photo op!

Overall Impression

All in all, Nine Dumplings is a hidden gem in the West End and definitely worth checking out. Time and money well-spent and stomach space happily occupied. I’d be interested to try the other fillings that I missed this time (pork & chives; squid pork chives; and scallop & fish) as well as other Beijing dishes (like the green onion pancake). Rating: 5/5

Nine Dishes @ Robson Public Market
204-1610 Robson Street Vancouver, BC

Bel Cafe Kitsilano: Salads, Pastries, Bowls [Review]

December 24, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Bel Cafe in Kitsilano is one of my favourite cafe’s in the neighbourhood where I can enjoy gourmet food and drinks, pastries and desserts made in-house daily. As a Chef David Hawksworth venture, you can certainly expect top-notch quality and expertly prepared foods.

Bel Cafe Kitsilano: Salads, Pastries, Bowls [Review]

Note: This is not a sponsored post. None of my food was sponsored and this review was done anonymously.

This past summer, I had lunch there and the spread included Lavender Tea Latte; Iced Chai Tea Latte; Salmon Sushi Salad; Aged Cheddar, Bacon & Leek Croissant; Chicken Bibimbap; and Strawberry Vanilla Cake.

The Salmon Sushi Salad ($18) is a deconstructed dish of salmon sushi and it was very delicious! Brown rice was used and avocado pieces were scattered throughout the salad while the flavour was from a citrus soy vinaigrette.

The Chicken Bibimbap ($14) was a nourishing bowl of carrot kimchi, brown rice, and white ponzu.

The Lavender Tea Latte ($4.7) with its vibrant blue hue certainly garnered a lot of attention from other customers. It had a very smooth and floral flavour.

For dessert, a Strawberry Vanilla Cake which was moist, light, fluffy and not overly sweet.

Bel Cafe certainly has a wide range of options from breakfast to lunch and snacks. I definitely recommend visiting them for grab-and-go or a sit-down meal. Rating: 5/5

Bel Cafe Kitsilano
1780 W 3rd Ave
Vancouver, BC
belcafe.com

Holidays 2019 at Seaside, North Vancouver’s newest waterfront, boutique hotel destination

December 13, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

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

The boutique property delivers world-class luxury and comfort, comprised of 71 deluxe rooms and spacious suites that boast stunning panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and snow-capped North Shore mountains.

Easily accessible by a 10-minute sea bus ride, Seaside and The Shipyards provide the ultimate Harbourside escape for travelers and locals during the holiday season, including the following:

The Shipyard Christmas Market (December 7, 8, 14, 15) 10 am – 5/6 pm
The Shipyard’s winter ice skating rink
Skiing at Grouse, Cypress or Seymour Mountains
Touring the majestic Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. See this hotel package.
Touring the Polygon Art Gallery

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.

Seaside Provisions will be open regular hours for the Christmas holiday, with the following programming:

All month long: Fireside Christmas Dinner package—6 – 10 guest experience, $600
December 13-15: Sweater Weekend—Wear your Christmas sweater and receive $20 gift card, to be used January 5^thand February 28^th
December 31: NYE Gala Experience and After Party, $139/pp
January 1: New Years Day Brunch, 8 am-4 pm

Visit www.seasidehotelvancouver.com/ for more details.

Related post:

Vancouver New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Brunch 2019/2020

Richmond Family-Friendly Dessert Spot: BlackBall Taiwanese Dessert

December 1, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

One of my favourite places to take my family for dessert is Blackball Taiwanese Dessert in Richmond. This international Taiwanese dessert chain opened up a few months ago at 1061-8300 Capstan Way.

Richmond Family-Friendly Dessert Spot: BlackBall Taiwanese Dessert

One our last visit along with our friend David (pickydiners.com), we had the following:

Fresh Milk With Purple Rice & Mini Balls
Fresh Milk with Matcha Jelly
Tie Guangyin Tea with Yam Balls & Boba
Longan Peach Gum Dessert
Mini Balls Grass Jelly Dessert

We really loved the Fresh Milk with Purple Rice & Mini Balls because of the chewy and nutty flavours of the purple rice.

The Mini Balls Grass Jelly Dessert was a great shareable dessert and featured a luscious grass jelly topped with brown sugar shaved iced and black sesame, matcha, yam, and white rice mini balls

The Longan Peach Gum Dessert was a warming, comforting and nourishing hot dessert with peach gum, longan and dates.

The mega-popular toy series, Bobo & Coco, is also available in store at Blackball. These come in box sets and for each box you buy you will also get a $10 gift certificate to dine at @liuyishouhotpot in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

I definitely recommend Blackball as a great place for families to gather together for desserts. There’s something for everyone from cold to hot desserts and drinks. If you’re worried about kids getting too much sugar, I would say that you don’t really need to as the desserts aren’t really that sweet and certain drinks can be customized for sweetness.

To learn about other offerings at Blackball, see my previous post here.

BlackBall Taiwanese Dessert Richmond
8300 Capstan Way Unit 1061, Richmond, BC
www.facebook.com/BlackBall.Richmond

Yaletown CandyTown 2019: Self-Guided Cocktail Tour

November 26, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

CandyTown is Yaletown’s favourite holiday festival, transforming the neighbourhood into a winter wonderland on November 30 from noon – 7 pm. This one-day event is Vancouver’s only free outdoor winter market.

Yaletown CandyTown 2019: Self-Guided Cocktail Tour

CandyTown is not just for kids, alongside games and festive characters the event also offers a self-guided CandyTown Cocktail Tour that highlights festive cocktails from some of Yaletown’s best restaurants.

The CandyTown Self-Guided Cocktail Tour gives adult attendees of the annual CandyTown event, an opportunity to indulge in a little holiday spirit while exploring the festive activities happening in the neighbourhood.

Attendees can grab a copy of the CandyTown Tour map at the Winter Is Coming attraction and explore the various restaurant stops highlighted.

Holiday cocktails with flavourful infusions and creative garnishes will be available for one day only during the CandyTown event.

Cocktail highlights from this year’s participants include:

House Special who will be mixing up a Coffee Crisp cocktail that will give attendees of CandyTown the perfect buzz for mingling amongst a crowd.

OEB Breakfast will be serving up a Winter Sunrise that tastes festively fresh and an Apple Pie Moscow Mule that has hints of apple cider and garnished with an apple wheel and cinnamon stick for the ultimate cup of the holidays in a glass.

Ombre Social House will be pouring dessert in a glass with an irresistible Tiramisu Martini as well as the classic Dirty White Russian

Other participants attendees can check out on their self-guided tour are Sciue’, Banter Room, Tasty Indian Bistro, MeeT in Yaletown, and more.

Event Details

Yaletown Candy Town
November 30: 12 pm – 7 pm
yaletowninfo.com/event/candytown

Jingle Bao Vancouver: Rainbow Soup Dumplings [Review]

November 25, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened on Denman is Jingle Bao, a dumpling house offering soup dumplings, noodle soups and snacks.

jingle bao vancouver rainbow soup dumplings

The restaurant takes over the space at 774 Denman St formerly occupied by Rad on Denman (a hot pot place) and Ritual (a restaurant once famous for being the first certified living wage restaurant in Vancouver).

Since my family and I love soup dumplings, we decided to give Jingle Bao a try as it is also conveniently located in our neighbourhood.

Jingle Bao Menu

The signature item at Jingle Bao is their Rainbow Soup Dumplings (spinach, mushroom, shrimp, spicy Szechuan flavour, and original pork).

Other dumpling offerings include traditional xiao long bao (pork soup dumpling), Crispy Snowflake Pork Dumplings, Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, and Vegetable Dumplings.

They also offer dim sum staples like Pork Sui Mai and Shrimp Ha Gow as well as snacks like Chilled Garlic Green Beans, Salt and Pepper Chicken and Crispy Fish Fillets.

FYI, their current offering is smaller than what they have posted on their website.

House-Made Dumplings

The dumplings are made in-house and guests can observe the process through the open window to the counter.

Here is a bit of footage that I took when I was there:

View this post on Instagram

I checked out the newly opened #JingleBao @westendbia – a dumpling house serving soup dumplings, noodles and snacks. – They serve rainbow soup dumplings with different fillings (spinach, mushroom, shrimp, spicy Szechuan flavour, and original). – You can observe the dumpling making process right at the front counter. It was fun to see the different coloured dumpling wraps. #NotSponsored – #igvideo #video #vancouver #yvr #instagramvideo #videograms #vid #vancouverisawesome #vancity #weamaze #dumpling #videooftheday #dessert #dimsum #instavideo #asianfood #foodgressing #xiaolongbao#vancouverfoodie #yvreats #xlb#bestvideooftheday #foodbeast #feedyoursoull #eater #eeeeeats #buzzfeast #f52grams

A post shared by Areta | Food & Travel Blogger (@foodgressing) on Nov 23, 2019 at 4:32pm PST

What We Tried

We ordered the following from Jingle Bao:

Traditional Pork Soup Dumplings (5 for $5.95)
Rainbow Soup Dumplings (5 for $6.95)
Shrimp Ha Gow (4 for $7.95)
Crispy Snowflake Pork Dumplings (6 for $8.95)
Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (4 for $7.95)

The Pork Soup Dumplings (original xiao long bao) didn’t disappoint being nicely aromatic with a hot, rich broth and thin wrappers.

The Rainbow Soup Dumplings with different fillings (spinach, mushroom, shrimp, spicy Szechuan flavour, and original) were also good in general. The mushroom filling had the strongest flavor while the shrimp filling had the weakest.

The Crystal Shrimp Dumplings were also tasty and not just a dish pretty in pink for the novelty factor.

We also really enjoyed the Crispy Snowflake Pork Dumplings which had a tasty pork filling and was nicely crispy on the edges but not overly greasy.

The Rainbow Soup Dumplings did take a bit of time to be made while all the other dishes were delivered to us much more quickly. I initially ordered three rounds of Rainbow Soup Dumplings but they only delivered one to us after a half hour.

It was slow to receive those dumplings considering we were the first customers in the restaurant for the day. I had to cancel the two other orders as we needed to head out.

The ha gow were OK with nicely, thin, translucent wrappers and bouncy, shrimp fillings. However, they were on the expensive being $2 per piece and I can’t say it was worth it.

The original Pork Soup Dumplings ($1.20 each) and Rainbow Soup Dumplings ($1.40) were more worth it in terms of taste and value.

Service/Operations

Service felt a bit scattered as there was only one server. At one point, one of the staff in the kitchen decided to help the front of the house.

My table was also pretty wobbly so I decided to fix it myself by putting some tissue underneath.

Hours of Operation

The hours of operation posted on Google and on their website aren’t quite accurate. They currently open at 11:30 am and close somewhere around 9 pm according to staff.

Overall Impression of Jingle Bao

All in all, I’d be interested to return. The food and prices were reasonable but the food was slow to come out. I saw a lot of tables which seemed to be idling due to the long wait. They will need to have a faster table turnover if they want to make it on Denman. Rating: 4/5

Jingle Bao
774 Denman St, Vancouver, BC
jinglebao.com

Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo Set to Open in Vancouver

November 18, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Signage has gone up on the 1700 block of Robson Street for the upcoming opening of the iconic Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo.

Known as Kaneko Hannosuke in Japan, the brand specializes in tendon – not a fibrous connective tissue but rather a meal of tempura served over a bowl of hot rice.

Kaneko has been known to draw long lineups for their delicious tempura at reasonable prices.

While the original location is in Chuo Ward, Tokyo and there are other branches in Japan, Kaneko has also expanded overseas to the US (California, New Jersey, Chicago, Hawaii) and Taiwan. This location on Robson Street in the West End will be there first Canadian outpost.

THE HISTORY OF KANEKO-HANNOSUKE

Hannosuke Kaneko was a renowned Japanese chef, serving as the second chairman of “Isshin-kai,” – a Japanese chef’s association. He had a passion for Japanese cuisine and personally kept a recipe book named “Enma-Cho.”

His grandson, Kaneko Shinya, inherited the recipes and discovered the secret to the “Edomae” sauce for a rice bowl dish. With the secret sauce recipe and numerous times of trial and error of what ingredients would best go with it, he came up with tendon – a rice bowl with tempuras on it.

Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo Menu

There is no specific menu information for the Vancouver outpost yet but other overseas locations have the following items. You can expect something similar for the Vancouver location.

Shrimp Tendon
Edomae Tendon
Chicken Tendon
Tempura & Zaru Soba
Tempura Box
Tendon & Zaru Soba Set
Kakiage Tendon
Original Tendon
Tempura Plate

Stay tuned to more information on Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo Vancouver.

Halloween Mochi Ghost at 3 Quarters Full Cafe

October 27, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

If there’s something strange in your neighborhood. Who you gonna call? ??

I’ve always enjoyed 3 Quarter Full Cafe’s mochi and this time they are offering mochi ghosts with taro or red bean/strawberry filling now until Halloween. What Halloween treats are you enjoying this year?

Disclosure: I was invited for a media tasting.

You can also order from 3 Quarters Cafe via foodora (delivery or pickup) and Ritual (pickup only).

3 Quarters Full Cafe
789 Comox St, Vancouver, BC
www.instagram.com/3quartersfullcafe

Tractor Digital at 666 Burrard: Order Online and Grab-and-Go

October 21, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

What’s a quick, easy way of grabbing a healthy, meal in Downtown Vancouver within a 90-minute window? Try Tractor Digital!

Tractor Digital at 666 Burrard Order Online and Grab-and-Go Vancouver

Tractor’s seventh location, Tractor Digital, is a cashless restaurant. You make your order online and swing by their location at 666 Burrard, grab the order with your name on it, and go!

You can select your desired pick up time at check out, thereby eliminating the lines and wait times typical during the weekday lunch rush.

No lines and no waiting. Pre-ordering is also great for the kitchen team as it allows them to prepare customers’ meals precisely for when customers walk in the door.

While Tractor Digital will share the bright, modern aesthetic of other locations, the new eatery is grab-and-go style and will not have dine-in seating.

All of its 1,800 square feet is dedicated to the full kitchen serving seasonally inspired and locally sourced salads, sandwiches, soups, stews, and bowls made-to-order.

Tractor Digital is open from 10 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner.

Disclosure: I was invited to try Tractor Digital.

What to Expect at the new Gram Cafe & Pancakes in Richmond

Gram Cafe & Pancakes Richmond Menu

Premium Pancakes

Tiramisu

Mixed Fruits & Chocolate

Apple & Tea Cream

Bacon & Scrambled Eggs

Takeout version

Gram Cafe Richmond Location

When is Gram Cafe Richmond opening?

Colourful Handmade Dumplings at Nine Dumplings inside Robson Public Market

Family-Owned and Operated

Nine Dumplings Menu

What We Tried

Overall Impression

Bel Cafe Kitsilano: Salads, Pastries, Bowls [Review]

Holidays 2019 at Seaside, North Vancouver’s newest waterfront, boutique hotel destination

Richmond Family-Friendly Dessert Spot: BlackBall Taiwanese Dessert

Yaletown CandyTown 2019: Self-Guided Cocktail Tour

Event Details

Jingle Bao Vancouver: Rainbow Soup Dumplings [Review]

Jingle Bao Menu

House-Made Dumplings

What We Tried

Service/Operations

Hours of Operation

Overall Impression of Jingle Bao

Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo Set to Open in Vancouver

THE HISTORY OF KANEKO-HANNOSUKE

Tempura Tendon Hannosuke Tokyo Menu

Halloween Mochi Ghost at 3 Quarters Full Cafe

Tractor Digital at 666 Burrard: Order Online and Grab-and-Go

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