Mount Pleasant Archives | Page 2 of 3

Vij’s Restaurant: Inventive Indian Cuisine

December 24, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that Chef Vikram Vij is a Canadian culinary icon. He’s a restaurateur, celebrity chef, and cookbook author and has delighted high-profile individuals like the Royals with his food. I had never been to their location on South Granville but have sampled a few of Vij’s dishes before at a Dine Out Vancouver event a few years ago. This past summer, a few friends and I made it a Girl’s Night Out at Vij’s new location on Cambie. And so one evening around 5 pm, we stood in line for about half and hour before the restaurant opened for our first dine-in experience at Vij’s.

Exotic, Charming, Energetic

The interior of Vij’s is spacious with a lounge area, a main dining area, and a rooftop patio. I thought the decor was exotic, charming and elegant with red and yellow hues as the primary colours. The energy in the dining room was high and the chatter was loud. Sometimes, I found it difficult to hear my friends at the same table!

We also took a sneak peek at their rooftop patio which seemed like a nice space for summer dining.

What We Tried

Mango Lassi ($5.50 each)
Meeru’s Monarch Butterfly ($13)
Mutton ($14)
Cinnamon Shortribs ($29)
Lamb Popsicles ($29.75)
- Extra Lamb Popsicle ($5)
Naan, Gluten Free Corn Chapati (no charge)

We received a complimentary chai sample as we settled in as well as a few small bite appetizers.

To start, we had a delicious glass of mango lassi (milkshake). Smooth, creamy and very refreshing. It was sweet enough to mask the sourness of the yogurt. Great way to clean the palate during the meal from Vij’s flavourful and spicy-licious dishes.

The complimentary naan was hot and fresh out of the oven. It was not so much a plain naan but was buttery, had some garlic flavour and topped with herbs.

Crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Delicious!

One friend is gluten-free and Vij’s has a gluten free corn chapati which is an gluten-free alternate to naan.

Our first starter was the vegan Meeru’s Monarch Butterfly which had raw sugar and ghee braised squash with wood ear mushrooms. It was such a tasty appetizer starting with the thick squash slices that were crispy on the edges but tender on the inside. Then you’ve got a luscious, creamy sauce to go with it. It’s a slightly sweeter appetizer and I would recommend it.

The story behind this top-selling Vij’s appetizer is a bit fascinating. It is inspired by the plight of the Canadian monarch butterflies, whose population is threatened by deforestation in Mexico where they winter and from loss of their primary food, milkweed, due to herbicides. Their appearance is symbolized by the orange in the squash and the black in the woodear mushrooms. The blue plate is the sky and the saffron cream represents the sun. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Our second starter was the Mutton kebobs with Bengali style curry. Simple, delectable but bold with spices. The meat was tender, juicy and very tasty.

Moving onto mains, we had the infamous wine marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream curry on turmeric and spinach potatoes. It’s the most popular dish at the restaurant and understandably so. The lamb meat was grilled to perfection, tender and moist and fell off the bone nicely. The smooth, creamy curry sauce added more flavour to the lamb meat. It met my expectations for a much raved about dish.

Our other entree was the cinnamon shortribs which was also very rich, flavourful and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The cinnamon flavour was just right and not too overpowering.

Service

I did think that Vij’s servers were generally quite pretty – perhaps they hire a certain type? But anyhow, our server was excellent. She constantly checked on us, refilled our glasses, explained all the dishes. Exceeded my expectations given how busy the dining room was.

Overall Impression of Vij’s

I must say that Vij’s dishes take your taste buds on a journey with the beautiful combinations of spices and flavours. Your palate will certainly not be bored. Pricewise, a bit on the higher side but I was satisfied overall. Service was outstanding. Rating: 4/5

Website: vijsrestaurant.ca

Mount Pleasant Lunch: Congee Noodle House

September 23, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Congee Noodle House is regularly ranked by Zomato as one of the top 10 restaurants in Metro Vancouver based on popularity. Serving Hong-Kong style dishes that is delicious and affordable, Congee Noodle is also a hit for anyone looking for late night eats as they open until 2 am. Earlier this month, I visited Congee Noodle House for some comforting eats, specifically congee and noodle. What better place to enjoy these than at a restaurant whose name suggests that they specialise exactly in those things?

Casual and Spacious

The interior of Congee Noodle House is rather spacious with dining tables of various sizes. This restaurant looks like it can easily accommodate a large group as there were several round tables fitted with lazy susans. I came here for a late lunch with my husband and our friend and the restaurant was still very busy. Cleanliness was just so-so as the staff tried to keep up with dishes that were leftover from customers that were done.

Congee Noodle House Menu

While choices of congee and noodle dishes are plentiful at this restaurant, did you know that they also serve Peking Duck and have live King Crab in holding tanks? You’ll find a variety of BBQ meat dishes, curry, seafood, and vegetable dishes. The menu itself has over 200 items listed so if you need some extra time with the menu that would be perfectly understandable.

What We Tried

Our party of three ordered the following:

Spicy jelly fish with sesame oil ($8.50)
Shrimp and scrambled egg with fried rice noodle ($14.50)
Sliced chicken and Chinese mushroom congee ($7.00)
Curried beef brisket on steamed rice ($13.50)

To start, the spicy jelly fish was a bit of disappointment. It was light on flavour and not as crunchy as I would like. There were some parts that were sandy so I guess they did not wash it enough.

The shrimp and scrambled egg with fried rice noodle is one of my Chinese go-to comfort dishes (see other review of this dish at Hon’s and New Town). I thought that Congee Noodle House nailed it – lots of sauce and decent sized shrimp.

I would order this again and I did in fact order it for takeout again recently.

My friend’s sliced chicken and Chinese mushroom congee was piping hot and he had to wait a few minutes before eating it. He thought it was reasonably priced ($7) and satisfying.

The curried beef brisket on steamed rice had wonderfully tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of meat. Lots of good curry flavour and good portions.

Overall Impression of Congee Noodle House

We were quite satisfied with the food we had for lunch in terms of portions, price and taste. I’d be happy to return to try out their Peking Duck or other rice and noodle dishes. Rating: 4/5

Website: https://chinesebites.com/vancouver-chinese-restaurants/congee-noodle-house/

Afternoon Tea Mount Pleasant: La Petite Cuillère

August 24, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Afternoon tea is definitely one of my favourite foodie activities. It’s a fun way to celebrate a special occasion, hang out with a group of girlfriends, or to spend time with your grandma. A few months ago, my friend was moving away from Vancouver so we decided to have a going-away afternoon tea. On my wishlists of afternoon tea places to try in Vancouver was La Petite Cuillère in Mount Pleasant. The girls seemed to be curious about La Petite Cuillère too so we decided to give them a try.

Cozy & Cute Decor

When I first stepped into La Petite Cuillère, I was immediately in awe of the whimsical, Victorian-inspired decor. Cute little tea cups sets, vintage decorations and potted plants were everywhere.

I very much enjoyed the atmosphere which was was relaxed, unpretentious and felt very cozy and inviting.

This table setting looked perfect for afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea Set Choices

A few nice things I found with La Petite Cuillère was that not only did they have a few afternoon tea options but that they were affordable too. I’ve had afternoon tea at various Fairmont Hotel restaurants before and the experiences have been excellent though obviously at a higher cost. Because of the price, they are reserved for more for special occasions. However, at La Petite Cuillère, the full afternoon tea service is priced reasonably at $25 per set plus $1.25 for the tea. For a more modest experience, there is the “La Petite Cuillère Tea” and the “High Tea” afternoon tea menus priced at $14 and $15.50 plus the cost of the tea, respectively. These options simply have fewer items than the full afternoon tea service. And if an afternoon tea menu doesn’t tickle your fancy, La Petite Cuillère also has a “Le petit fromage Tea” – a cheese and tea set priced at $13.75 plus the cost of tea.

What We Tried

To start, we had individual teapots which were presented in a cute teapot cozy.

Two of us, who were more health-conscious, decided to forgo sweets and get the cheese and tea set. I was surprised as to why they would go for essentially cheese and crackers at an afternoon tea place, but I respected their decision. And when they received the platter, they got just that: a few cheese selections, crackers and complimentaries including almonds, strawberries and cranberries. My two friends seemed to be disappointed from their poor choice and they end up sampling a few items from my full afternoon tea set.

My afternoon tea set came with the following:

Top tier: chocolate lavender cake, cheesecake with strawberry topping, macaron (unknown flavour)
Middle tier: shortbread cookie, scones, banana bread
Bottom tier: croissant sandwich, tuna salad mini tart, and cheese & cucumber crostini

The chocolate lavender cake slice was a particular standout for me because it had a more unique flavour combination. It was also very moist in texture and the lavender flavour really complimented the chocolate. Although I don’t remember the macaron flavour, the texture was on point: meringue-like texture with an eggshell-like outer crust.

The cheesecake was very smooth and creamy.

On to the second tier, I thought that the banana bread and shortbread cookie were a bit too pedestrian for an afternoon tea set. The scones were good but not great; the texture was buttery and flaky.

Last is the bottom tier which had the savoury items.

The tuna salad tart was the most memorable; I simply enjoyed the flavour of the salad

The croissant sandwich and croistini were good though not particularly memorable.

Our other friend went with the “High Tea” which had shared the same items as my tea set minus a few ones.

Overall Impression of La Petite Cuillère

All in all, I thought that the afternoon tea experience at La Petite Cuillère was pretty good given the price. Most of the items seemed pretty average but they tasted good just not all that memorable. However, I quite enjoyed the cute decor and inviting environment. I’d be interested in revisited La Petite Cuillère in the future and would recommend them for more budget-friendly afternoon tea. Rating: 4/5

Newly Opened: Fable Diner

August 5, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

The much anticipated Fable Diner is now open in the historic Lee Building at 151 West Broadway at Main Street. Fable Diner is Chef Trevor Bird’s second venture with the first being sister restaurant, Fable Kitchen, in Kitsilano. Chef Bird is still continuing with the farm-to-table concept but in a more casual, diner setting. This week, I visited Fable Diner for lunch to try out their offerings.

Modern-Day Diner

An immense renovation took place of the space formerly occupied by Vancouver greasy spoon Reno Diner. When I entered Fable Diner, I was impressed by the look and feel of this new, modern-day diner. It’s bright, spacious, warm and inviting with a mix of dining tables, booths and bar seating. Definitely feels like the kind-of-place where want to bring your family and friends for a feel-good meal.

Fable Diner Menu

Fable Diner’s all day menu has quite a range from classic breakfast food to “fancier” diner items. A conservative breakfast option would be the Trucker’s Breakfast (eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, pancake, jam) whereas a more higher-end entree would be the Ancho Salmon (corn, chorizo succotash, jalapeño yogurt, corn nuts.) I thought it was interesting how there were some Asian-inspired twists to classics like the Roast Duck Pancakes (Kimchi, green onion, kewpie, crispy business) and Tempuraed Onion Rings. Customers can also enjoy a classic milkshake or sundae to go with their meal. The menu is fully available online.

What We Tried

My husband and I tried the following for lunch:

Blueberry and Vanilla Milkshake ($8)
Roast Duck Pancakes ($14)
Chick Pea Fritters ($9)
Reno Burger with 3 Add-ons ($8 + $3)

To start, we had a Blueberry and Vanilla Milkshake which was nicely thick and creamy.

I quite liked the crunchy cereal toppings which reminded me of Momofuku’s cereal milk ice cream.

They also gave us the “excess” portion of our milkshake which did not fit into the cup. I thought that it was very nice of them to do that which made the $8 price tag more reasonable.

The Chick Pea Fritters were nicely tender on the outside and crispy on the outside. The pea shoots were grassy, sweet and delicate. A very interesting flavour profile from the mix of slightly spicy curry mayo and sweetness of the pea shoots.

The Roast Duck Pancakes were a mouthful of flavour explosion. Here we’ve got sour and spicy kimchi with tangy and sweet kewpie mayonnaise. The pancakes were light and fully and the duck pieces were tender and moist. A very interesting and creative take on traditional pancakes which now seem all too boring. I did feel that the portions were on the smaller size given that this pancake dish cost $14.

The Reno Burger – a tribute to Reno Diner – comes with a grass-fed beef patty, pickles, and fries. We opted for a few add-ons at $1 each including kimchi, cola onions and bacon. It was again another flavour-loaded item stemming mostly from the spicy kimchi. The patty was nicely juicy and tender. The fries, however, seemed pretty average.

Service

We were regularly checked on by our server, who frequently approached us with a smile. Other staff who delivered food to our table were also friendly.

Overall Impression of Fable Diner

In general, I thought the dishes we tried from Fable Diner had some very interesting and creative takes. My only issue would be the items tended to be on the pricier side given the portions. I still have items I want to try like the Bone Marrow & Beef Cheeks and Ketchupless Sheppard’s Pie. I’d definitely be interested in returning. Rating: 3.5/5

Website: http://fablediner.com/

South Indian Curries and Dosas at Chutney Villa

July 20, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Chutney Villa in Mount Pleasant has been a restaurant that I have been going to for dine-in and take-out Southern Indian Cuisine. Located just off of West Broadway and Cambie, the restaurant has been open for many years and has received recognition by Vancouver Magazine and the Georgia Straight. It’s a casual eatery with honest-to-goodness South Indian food featuring rich, deeply-spiced curries and crisp, crepe-like dosas.

The interior of the restaurant is simple and clean with pieces highlighting the Indian heritage.

What We Tried

Over the years, I have tried the following at Chutney Villa:

Fish molee taali
Lamb curry ($16)
Egg dosa ($10)
Masala dosa ($10)

On our first dine-in visit to Chutney Villa back in 2012, my husband and I had the fish (cod) molee taali and the lamb curry. The curries were very flavourful and rich and amount of meat in them were reasonable. The taali came with “rice, veggie sambar rasam vadai pachadi and dessert” which made the meal more filling in my opinion. The amount of rice given seemed a lot more than other Indian places that I have tried. I didn’t quite like the soup in the taali because it was too bitter for me. The lamb was good being very tender.

I remember that the service on that visit needed improvement. The server was nice but she was the only server looking after the floor. The restaurant was about 70% full and she was kept quite busy. Our glasses did not get refilled and it took a while to get our bill. Because of the slow service from that dine-in service, I began to get their dosas just as take-out over the years.

Most recently, we went in for a light, dine-in experience for their dosas. They came with a trio of chutneys including apple, coconut, and tomato.

The egg dosa was topped with egg, onions, and chillies. Pretty good overall and you could really taste the egg in it.

The masala dosa was stuffed with a wonderfully hot filling of potatoes, peas,and carrots. Texture was on point being thin, crispy and not too oily.

Overall Impression of Chutney Villa

Chutney Villa’s staying power in the Vancouver food scene highlights how customers have enjoyed their South Indian comforting dishes. Their dosas are “da bomb” and their deeply-flavoured curries do not disappoint. Rating: 4/5

Website: Chutneyvilla.com

Canada Day Revisit to Pizza Garden

July 20, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

After celebrating Canada Day on Granville Island, we decided it was time to grab a casual bite to eat. With us was our friends, a couple also with a young child, and my husband proposed that we go to the Pizza Garden in Mount Pleasant. It had been a few months since we attended the grand opening of this Pizza Garden location and since then we have visited the one in Downtown Vancouver. My husband is quite the fan of Pizza Garden and he was eager to introduce their delicious Neopolitan-style pizzas to our friends.

AUTHENTIC NEAPOLITAN PIZZAS

If you’re not familiar with Pizza Garden, here are a few things I learned about them. To start, their dough is made from 100% Caputo flour imported from Italy. Their tomato sauce is made using fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes simmered with extra virigin oil and herbs. All of their meats are sourced from Italy or locally in BC and the vegetables they use are all fresh and never frozen. Each pizza is made to order and cooked on a hearth stone in an authentic Italian-style wood-burning oven. And their crust is a palate-pleasing crisp.

What We Tried

With four adults and 2 kids, we ordered 2 x 8 slices from the warmer for $18.99 deal. Everything was eaten; no leftovers. We had an assortment of Hawaiian, Classico (4 cheeses), Pepperoni, Cappricciosa, Delhi Italiano, Ruchetta and Prosciutto Fungi.

I would have to say that my favorite was a vegetarian one – the Ruchetta. It was simple yet delicious – alfredo sauce, mozzarella, fior di latte, grana padano, mushrooms, red onion, arugula, and olive oil.

The crusts were wonderfully crispy, thin and not overly chewy. However, I do think that Straight Outta Brooklyn’s Pizza pizza crust is ever more crispy and delicious than at at Pizza Garden.

Overall Impression of Pizza Garden

Looks like things are running smoothly at this newly opened Pizza Garden. Delicious, crispy, fresh-tasting thin-crusted Neapolitan pizza. Reasonable prices for the portions. Good selection and flavours. Our friends enjoyed their first Pizza Garden experience and it looks like it won’t be their last. Rating: 4/5

Website: pizzagarden.ca

Miura Restaurant and Bar’s Exciting New Menu

March 26, 2016 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Disclaimer: All food in this review was complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Miura’s story began in 2010 when Dennis and Jenny Muira started Miura Waffle Milk Bar in Downtown Vancouver. They quickly became a must-try eatery with their signature Waffle Sandos, a delicious Asian-inspired waffle sandwich that left diners lingering for more. The Waffle Sandos was so good that it was even featured on the Food Network’s “You Gotta Eat Here!” Now in their Mount Pleasant location, Miura is offering an exciting new menu with inspiring eats that extends beyonds waffles.

Asian-Fusion Eats

Miura’s updated menu features interesting fusion dishes with influences from Japanese, Italian, French and Pacific Northwest cuisine. Some of their comfort eats include Korean poutine, Char-Siu pork tacos, cheese gyoza, fried chicken donburi to name a few. Also featured are sake cocktails, signature cocktails and beers that make perfect pairings for their dishes. Their menu is fully available on their website.

What I Tried

To start, the tuna nori carpaccio ($12) was simple, light and delicious. I really enjoyed the presentation of the dish with the perfect arrangement of the tempura fried albacore tuna pieces on the lemon ponzu sauce. I love albacore tuna and this dish was most definitely on point. The tuna was scrumptious and the sauce was wonderfully zesty.

As a lover of poutine and Korean food, I felt that I needed to try Miura’s Korean Poutine ($10). Rich and flavourful, this dish did not disappoint. It was quite a comforting dish with shredded chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, cilantro, green onion, sour cream, and Korean spicy sauce.

And always, I love a nice cheesy pull…

The waffle burger ($11) is a definite two-hander. It’s a mouthful of goodness with a juicy 6 oz beef patty, lettuce, tomato, mayo and teri sauce. The waffles were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside – stuff that dreams are made off. This is good and I would recommend it.

The soup of the day came with the waffle burger. It was a creamy mushroom soup which had a wonderful flavour.

The star of the meal was the udon alfredo ($11) with shitake and button mushrooms in a white miso sauce. Jenny had noted to me that this was a very popular dish and rightfully so! I was in love with the chewy udon noodles and the alfredo sauce was flavourful, creamy and delightful. I was scrapping the bottom of the plate because it was so good. A definite must-have at Miura!

The idea of a fish and chips sushi roll ($7) is simply mouthwatering and the end product is just delicious. Where have you been all my life? Miura’s unique dish has fried halibut, gari wasabi tartar sauce, crispy potato, and garlic soy. I was impressed that they use a fatty fish like halibut which was also fried perfectly. The rolls were stylized with elegantly placed twisted strands of crispy potato.

The Morning Glory cocktail (grapefruit juice, sake, agave syrup, lemon juice and club soda) ($7) was fruity and refreshing.

Overall Impression of Miura

To say the food at Miura is delicious is an understatement. The menu seemed thoughtfully put together with a lot of interesting and creative eats. I was very impressed with the presentation of the dishes. I thought that the value was also very reasonable. The must-try item at Miura is the udon alfredo – so good you will be licking your plate. Rating: 5/5

Website: www.miurayvr.ca
Facebook: @miura-restaurant-bar
Twitter: @miurayvr
Instagram: @miurayvr

Pizza Garden Main Street + GIVEAWAY!

February 22, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Pizza lovers can rejoice as a new Pizza Garden location is now open in Mount Pleasant! Located at 3011 Main Street, this is the 7th location in Metro Vancouver. I attended the grand opening party to learn more about the art of pizza making and to try some of their offerings.

Authentic Neapolitan Pizzas

Pizza Garden focuses on creating authentic Neapolitan pizzas using the best ingredients. To start, they use flour imported from Italy. Their tomato sauce is made using fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. All of their meats are also sourced from Italy or locally in BC. The vegetables they use are all fresh and never frozen. Each pizza is made to order and cooked in an authentic Italian-style wood-burning oven.

While neapolitan pizzas in the city are typically offered in a sit-down restaurant, customers can enjoy this style of pizza in a more casual grab-and-go setting.

Open Kitchen

Pizza Garden at Main Street has a lovely open kitchen where customers can watch the pizza making process. The pizzas are a labour of love and I was really mesmerized by all that was happening in the kitchen.

Loved watching the pizza making @PizzaGardenCa Main Street! pic.twitter.com/aMKTE5j0HS

— Foodgressing (@foodgressing) February 23, 2016

I tried several different flavours of pizza – all of which had a delicious crispy, thin crust.

The Funghi , which had mushrooms and white truffle oil, was wonderfully cheesy.

The Pizza Magic was another favourite of mine and loaded with various ingredients including sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and spinach.

Pizza Garden Opening Week Specials

Some opening week specials include a medium size (14″) 3 topping pizza for $13.99 + tax. You can also get an extra-large (17″) 3 topping pizza for $17.99 + tax. An individual slice is $2.62 regular.

Instagram Giveaway

February 24: I am excited to be partnering with Pizza Garden to give three of my followers each a 14″ pizza. Please head on to Instagram for your chance to win!

UPDATE: Congrats to @eatingwithkirby,@wjleung45, and @sandypalooza!

[INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY] @pizzagarden.ca in Mount Pleasant is now open! To celebrate, I am partnering with @pizzagarden.ca for a pizza-licious giveaway! #MyPizzaGarden Prizes: 3 lucky winners will each win a 14″ pizza (good at any Pizza Garden location, pick up only) TO ENTER: 1. Like this photo 2. Follow @pizzagarden.ca + @foodgressing 3. Tag your pizza lovin’ pals in the comment below! (Limit 5 entries per person, 1 friend = 1 entry) Open to GVRD residents. Giveaway ends Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 11:59 PM PST. Per Instagram rules, we must mention this is no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s term of use.

A photo posted by Foodgressing ? (@foodgressing) on Feb 24, 2016 at 9:03pm PST

For more information on Pizza Garden, visit their website or social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

Seriously Good Earnest Ice Cream

October 2, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It is no secret that Vancouverites love their ice cream. This past year has seen a slew of new soft serve shops opening around town including Soft Peaks, UYU, and Rooster’s. But when it comes to the creamiest of them all, I would have to go with Earnest Ice Cream. They simply have *seriously good* ice cream. Like seriously.

Quebec Street Store

Where can you get their seriously good ice cream? Well, there are two locations in Vancouver: one on Fraser Street and the newer store on Quebec Street.

I would describe Earnest Ice Cream’s store in Mount Pleasant as very hipster chic. The bright open space with red brick walls and wood pallets makes it very inviting. There are even wooden pallets outside the store for you to sit on and enjoy your treat outdoors. This place emanates a cozy vibe which makes it a great place to relax and enjoy ice cream.

One scoop or two?

At Earnest Ice Cream, you can treat yourself to single scoop ($5), a double scoop ($7), or even a hot fudge sundae ($7). They serve coffee as well for a lovely pairing with your soft serve.

You can bring home the love with a pint for $11. I usually buy a few pints myself to enjoy at home. There is even an express line for buying pints.

The Big Question: Which Flavour?

What I love about Earnest Ice Cream is that they focus on making the best flavoured possible for their soft serve. There are no additional toppings or syrups so the flavour of the ice cream really needs to stand out. Their hard work has paid off because their flavours are just *amazing.*

So the big question is which flavours are the tastiest? I’m a usual fan of their Salted Caramel and Matcha Green Tea. Their Salted Caramel has a lovely sweet and salty taste.

This week I took to Instagram to ask others which Earnest Ice Cream flavours they liked best. London Fog and Whiskey Hazlenut were most definitely popular choices.

I popped into Earnest Ice Cream yesterday and treated myself to a double scoop of Whiskey Hazlenut and their new fall special Pumpkin Pie. Made of organic pumpkin and pumpkin spices, their Pumpkin Pie is absolutely delicious. The Whiskey Hazlenut is just off-the-wall good. It is made of a whiskey ice cream with roasted hazlenuts folded in. The result is a slightly salty, but smooth and creamy soft serve with a nuts mixed in.

Overall Impression of Earnest Ice Cream

I personally think that Earnest Ice Cream has the tastiest ice cream in Vancouver. Whether you enjoy their treats at their store or at home, you’ll sure be satisfied by their delicious flavours and rich and creamy texture. Rating: 5/5

Website: http://earnesticecream.com/

Facebook: @EarnestIceCream

Twitter: @earnesticecream

Instagram: @earnesticecream

Afternoon Tea at Shaktea

August 14, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Afternoon tea is one of my all-time favourite foodie activities. What could be better than enjoying delicious treats and a cup tea with good company? When I saw the Social Shopper deal for afternoon tea at Shaktea, I immediately jumped on it. The deal was $20 for an afternoon tea experience valued at $34 regularly. Shaktea is located at 3702 Main Street in the Riley Park and Little Mountain area. I set out for an afternoon tea experience at Shaktea with my husband on a late Friday afternoon.

Making Reservations

When I phoned Shaktea to make the afternoon tea reservation, I got their voicemail that mentioned sending in an e-mail to make the reservation. Within the same day, one staff member called me on the phone to complete the reservation. I appreciated how fast the response was and the staff member seemed friendly over the phone.

Shaktea Afternoon Tea Experience

When we walked into at Shaktea, I immediately sensed their laid-back and comfortable vibe. We were greeted promptly and were allowed to sit anywhere we wanted. It seemed like the kind of place where you could just spend an afternoon catching up a friend or getting lost in a book.

The tea menu had a good selection of green, rooibos, black, white, oolong and herbal varieties. We were not offered any tea samples to smell which was a bit disappointing. I chose the cream Earl Grey tea while my husband had a matcha latte (additional $0.50). I thought it was cute that the teapot came with a knitted cozy. The matcha latte was also served in a traditional matcha bowl. You were allowed one tea pot refill.

Our afternoon tea sets came in two separate three-tier stands.

The top tier had a raspberry cheesecake bite, an Earl Grey macaron, a chocolate peanut butter cup, and a matcha date ball. They were all good, but my I enjoyed the matcha date ball which had nice mix of matcha and nutty flavour.

The middle tier had a lemon square and two house-made scones with Devonshire cream and jam. The cream and jam were in little sample cups which were not very good in terms of presentation. The scones were nicely crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The bottom tier had one house-made crumpet of our choosing. My husband had the Johnny Peach which is made of peach compote, devonshire cream and ginger snap crumble. The crumpet was spongy and moist and the compote had the right amount of sweetness.

The Lemony Snicket crumpet had great lemon flavour. It is made of lemon curd, agave cheese blend and shredded coconut.

Overall Impression

I enjoyed Shaktea’s laid-back and comfortable vibe. The afternoon tea set was good, but nothing much to rave about. I thought it was neat that they used teapot cozies and traditional matcha bowls for matcha lattes. At $17 per person for afternoon tea, what Shaktea offers seems fair. Rating: 3.5/5

Mmmm…afternoon tea treats ?☕️ crumpets, Earl Grey #macaron, lemon square, and raspberry cheesecake bite #afternoontea

A photo posted by Foodgressing ? (@foodgressing) on Aug 15, 2015 at 11:26am PDT

Address: 3702 Main St. Vancouver, BC

Menu Photos: Tea, Food

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Shaktea

Website: www.shaktea.ca/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/shaktea

Exotic, Charming, Energetic

What We Tried

Service

Overall Impression of Vij’s

Casual and Spacious

Congee Noodle House Menu

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Congee Noodle House

Cozy & Cute Decor

Afternoon Tea Set Choices

What We Tried

Overall Impression of La Petite Cuillère

Modern-Day Diner

Fable Diner Menu

What We Tried

Service

Overall Impression of Fable Diner

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Chutney Villa

AUTHENTIC NEAPOLITAN PIZZAS

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Pizza Garden

Asian-Fusion Eats

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Miura

Authentic Neapolitan Pizzas

Open Kitchen

Pizza Garden Opening Week Specials

Instagram Giveaway

Quebec Street Store

One scoop or two?

The Big Question: Which Flavour?

Overall Impression of Earnest Ice Cream

Making Reservations

Shaktea Afternoon Tea Experience

Overall Impression

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