SNAPSHOTS | YVR 2013 | DAYS 5 & 6

Our last official day in Vancouver! Technically, second last, but our 6th day was literally waking up and leaving to go to the airport.

Our plans were to go to downtown Vancouver, more specifically, to Robson Street. Seeing as though Vancouver has higher tax on things we can essentially buy in Edmonton, we held off on the shopping and instead just took a stroll in between eating.

Prior to the trip, I had purchased a groupon for Capstone Tea and Fondue which included a swiss cheese and chocolate fondue set for four people. 

For the swiss cheese, there was a platter of bread, pretzels, palmiers,  grapes, apples, carrots, and cherry tomatoes to dip. The chocolate fondue had an assortment of different fruits as well as cookies and cubes of pound cake.

It might have been an extra charge (probably was) to add these ice cream truffles but it was well worth it anyways. The flavours were mango, strawberry, cookies and creme, and green tea. They also came with a variety of toppings such as sprinkles and skor bits.

 The food was honestly okay, I think you go here for the fun and novelty factor. It seems easily replicable at home.

During our stroll, we also stopped into Cupcakes (took some pictures and then left without buying anything...)! I used to watch their show religiously on TV when I had dreams of opening up my own cupcakery! Sadly I think the cupcake trend has plateaued, so I don't see myself capitalizing on the opportunity anymore. Maybe one day?

 At around 4, we started to get a little bit hungry again and so we stopped off at another Vancouver institution: Japadog! They have multiple food carts stationed around the city, and an actual storefront on Robson Street. I was so excited to finally get a chance to eat a Japadog!

 What to get?!

I originally wanted to get the tonkatsu, but decided not to since it wasn't really a hot dog. Instead I went for their most famous creation, the Terimayo ($4.75) which was essentially a beef hot dog with teriyaki sauce, seaweed, Japanese mayo, and fried onions (ie. caramelized onions).

Verdict? Too much hype.

The others had the Love Meat ($5.75) which was essentially a chili cheese dog... but it did look good.

Since it was a weird time, dinner ended up being pretty late. We also just decided to eat at Chop Steakhouse which was another restaurant attached to the hotel, this time through the hotel lobby. It was pretty dead inside from what I remember, but to their credit, it was pretty late.

Again, the food was okay. I wasn't expecting much from a chain restaurant anyways. Plus, the food at Teahouse basically raised my expectations for the rest of the trip.  

Steak Bites ($14.95)

 My pick for entree ended up being the petite prime rib, which came with mashed potatoes, horseradish, some type of tomato, and au jus. I'm not sure the price, but their large cut is $32.95.

Filet Mignon ($37.95) with Lobster Tail ($19.95)

Lobster Stuffed Haddock? (I think they took it off their menu)

Little Lobster Dinner (Again, I couldn't find it on their website... maybe it was just a special?)

The next morning, it was off to their airport. My breakfast was a Lunchables. It was pretty sad, but befitting of my sadness of leaving Vancouver.

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | YVR 2013 | DAY 4

I love Farmer's Markets. The sights, the smells, the people, the food. So Granville Island was naturally one of our must stops on our trip. 

It was a bit hectic trying to get there, since I think we got off a wrong stop and ended up having to walk across a bridge. I'm not so great with walking across bridges; my stomach instantly gets butterflies for no reason. I think it's because of my small fear of the bridge collapsing below my very feet. It can happen you know. Regardless, we made our way across, stopping for some bird eye view shots of the market, before boarding another bus to get down below.

We didn't really have a clue on what to eat, so SC and I randomly chose a place called A La Mode Pie. They served - you guessed it - pie, both sweet and savoury, quiches, soups, etc.

SC had the french onion soup, which was encased in puff pastry. I ended up choosing the ham and cheese croissant sandwich, which was okay... It was literally ham and cheese in a croissant.

Afterwards we walked around the market, drooling at all the food on display.

It took so much willpower not to buy one of everything.

On our way out, we stopped at Lee's Donuts, a local institution at the market. They're famous for their apple fritters, which are literally the size of my head. Seeing as though I could never finish it, I went for the mango madness doughnut instead, which was basically a regular sugar raised doughnut with some mango puree injected inside. It was alright, it taste a bit plain besides the mango in the middle.

Instead of eating our market goodies inside, we took advantage of the nice weather and sat on one of the steps overlooking the bridge and water.

We also had plans to go kayaking, but we're not so much kayaking people. Instead, we journeyed back to the hotel and relaxed until dinner. 

One of the disadvantages of staying at the Sandman Hotel was that it was a bit too far from the hustle and bustle of Richmond's core. The nearest bus stops were also located a couple of blocks away. However, we were able to find a nearby Korean restaurant called Dai Jang Kum. We shared a couple of BBQ combos, which came with galbi ribs, pork, chicken, shrimp, mussels, and a variety of vegetables. All the foods were to be cooked on a grill in the middle of our table. 

The combo also came with bowls of rice, soup, and the obligatory banchan. Let me just put it out there, Korean BBQ is the best kind of BBQ.

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | YVR 2013 | DAY 3

Steamed Pork Dumplings with Shrimp    蟠龍燒賣皇   ($4.95)

Richmond is often described as a mini Hong Kong. Tons of Asian people, tons of Asian restaurants. On this particular morning, we decided to partake in an age-old Asian morning tradition: dim sum! 

Our original plan was to go to Empire Seafood Restaurant because I've read good things about them online. But FOR SOME REASON, people in Richmond don't work on weekday mornings and the wait to get a table was way too long. The hostess actually recommended us to try their sister restaurant instead, which was located just steps away in the same complex. So off we headed to Parklane Chinese Restaurant, where we were seated right away. 

Fun fact: I read a ton of food blogs. Like a ton. And it's funny that a lot of the blog posts about Parklane also mention the fact that they intended to eat at Empire. It's kind of a smart business strategy, open a second restaurant next door to handle the overflow. 

We ordered a lot more dishes than shown, but I thought a small sampling was sufficient. 

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings   帝苑鮮蝦餃   ($4.95)

Steamed Spareribs with Squash   南瓜豉汁蒸排骨   ($4.75)

Baked BBQ Pork Pastry    蜜汁义燒酥    ($4.45)

Steamed Rice Rolls with Prawn    野生鮮蝦腸粉    ($5.45)

After brunch, we walked to Izumi-Ya Japanese Marketplace because I had heard of a chocolate shop that was located inside. Their storefront is called La Chocolaterie, but their website operates under the name Coconama? It's confusing, but whatever their name is, they have the BEST CHOCOLATE EVER. 

The store is run by a Japanese husband and wife team, who were both running the storefront. They were so incredibly nice, handing us samples, being patient when we were so indecisive, and even giving us ice packs to help keep our chocolates from melting.

They are well known for their ganache chocolates, which are as colorful and inventive as their flavours. They are sold individually in portions of two, in cups of ten, or as tarts. I believe they had a promotion of 4 cups for $20, and so the flavours I chose were: milky white, passion fruit, mango and black sesame. I highly recommend the last two, but honestly, whichever flavours you choose, you won't be disappointed.

We also wandered around the marketplace, where I found some limited edition Pocky. Turns out, they weren't that special because Edmonton was also selling them too at the same time...

I think we headed to the hotel afterwards to chill for a bit, but I couldn't help but sneak in a little trip to Daiso again. I mean, I won't have the opportunity for a while. Gotta stock up while I can!

At dinnertime, we regrouped and headed to Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant for some all-you-can-eat gorging. I don't know what it is about AYCE but you always, most definitely leave with regret. Yet we keep on going back. Can anyone explain?

Salmon and tuna sashimi

In terms of Ninkazu, it's one of the better options in Richmond. It's located on the second floor of a small complex right in between Parker Place and Aberdeen Centre. Their website currently advertises $25.95/adult for the deluxe dinner and $22.95/adult for the lite dinner. But honestly, you're already at AYCE. Might as well pay an extra $3 and go all out.

Prawn tempura

Assorted nigiri

Agedashi tofu

Kaki pon

After stuffing ourselves to the brim, we decided to catch a late night movie all the way in Steveston (why?!). Since we were still a couple of hours early for the screening, we went to the bowling alley across the street. I can proudly say I didn't get last place, but uhh.. I'm sorry if I broke your floors bowling alley.

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | YVR 2013 | DAY 2

Day 2 of our Vancouver adventures started at Denny's. Yes, Denny's. It was attached to our hotel so we decided to have breakfast there for convenience sake. What can I say about the food? Well, for one, it's certainly filling. And glistening with grease, but it definitely provided us with the calories we so desperately needed for the rest of our day.

Below is a picture of SC's lumberjack slam (it's hilarious when you know how tiny she is) and my blueberry pancakes (which they topped with strawberries...) which also came with the usual eggs, hashbrowns, and sausages.

After breakfast, we took the skytrain and a bus all the way to Stanley Park. Our main goal for the day was to visit the Vancouver Aquarium which is also located in the park. Besides that, our entire day was up in the air.

Since it was the peak of summer, the aquarium was filled with families and tourists. Crowds and heat, not a great combination. Regardless, my favorite exhibit was probably the jellyfish. I can literally stare and get mesmerized by them all day.

After a couple of hours at the aquarium, we decided to take a walk along the seawall on a quest to get SC's perfect cover photo. Unfortunately, we underestimated how long the "walk" would be and ended up going around the entire park which took nearly the entire day. At least it made for some pretty photos. 

Dinner serendipitously ended up being at the Teahouse in Stanley Park. It was almost like the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it was the hunger and deliriousness I felt after our day-long walk, but it was honestly the best food I've ever had in my life. No joke.

I didn't partake in any appetizers, but this was the Coal Harbour Clam Chowder ($9), served Manhattan style and the Sesame Crusted BC Albacore Tuna ($12) served with seaweed salad and wasabi soy mustard dressing.

Our entrees included the Brome Lake Duck Confit ($24) with fig demi-glace and herb crushed potatoes, the Grilled Salmon Caesar which is no longer on the menu, but I believe it was around $20, and the Linguine Vongole ($19) with manila and Artic clams and prosciutto.  

And then the highlight of the dinner, which was my choice, the Pacific Roasted Sablefish ($35) with miso marinade, local potatoes, broccolini, and asparagus. BEST THING I EVER ATE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Not even an exaggeration. This dish has prompted me to order sablefish at every restaurant from then on if it was on the menu, but none has ever come close to how good the Teahouse prepares theirs.

SO BUTTERY AND SOFT.

I'm getting a little bit too hungry reminiscing about this at night... so let's go on to the desserts. The waitress recommended the White Chocolate Cheese Cake ($9) with graham crust and cherry compote, and rightfully so. Normally cheesecakes are quite heavy and rich, but this cheesecake was so light and smooth.

The Chocolate Milano Cake ($9) would be a chocaholic's dream. Triple chocolate mascarpone mousse on top of an almond wafer crust.

And for my dessert, I was debating between the final three choices on the menu: lemon tart, raspberry sorbet, and the crème brûlée. Since I found it hard to justify $9 for sorbet and the waitress remarked that the lemon tart was just a lemon tart, I chose the Crème Brûlée ($9) which ended up being a recurring dessert for me on this trip.

Not the best crème brûlée I've ever had, but it was decent. REGARDLESS YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY NEED TO GO HERE AND ORDER THE SABLEFISH. Order it, and then thank me later.

- CT