Bel Cafe 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Bel Cafe

801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

For those of you going through Street Food City withdrawal, fear not, the Hot Chocolate Festival is still going strong at multiple venues. And just a hop, skip and a jump away from the former venue of Street Food City is Bel Cafe, the little sister to the famous, Hawksworth in the historic Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Named after Chef David Hawksworth’s wife, Annabel, the Bel Cafe offers a take out counter as well as a full service dining area. And believe me, the service is super attentive. Not only did they check on me three times (and all I ordered was a hot chocolate, a sandwich and macarons), but the server opened the door for me too when I left the cafe.

Vanilla macaron, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Being the macaron lover that I am, the first thing that I ordered was two macarons – vanilla and pistachio. When I picked them up, I could already tell that they were lighter and more airy than the ones at Thierry. When I bit down, I found the creamy filling to be lighter than Thierry macaron fillings too, with a fluffy and silky creamy texture. My vanilla macaron totally collapsed upon my first bite though. The top part cracked and caved into the middle of the cookie. There were a few hollow spaces inside the cookie. This is sort of a macaron no no but maybe I got a bad one. The pistachio macaron didn’t collapse the same way that the vanilla one did. The vanilla macaron tasted delicious though, I could taste the subtle sweet vanilla bean notes.

Vanilla macaron, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Pistachio macaron, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

The pistachio macaron had a lot more creamy filling than the vanilla macaron. It tasted wonderfully sweet and nutty. These little macarons were definitely light and delicate. I liked that they were chewy but I have to admit I prefer the slightly sturdier Thierry macarons.

70% Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate with citrus and green cardamom hot chocolate, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

70% Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate with citrus and green cardamom hot chocolate, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

I also ordered the featured hot chocolate as part of the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival: the 70% Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate with citrus and green cardamom hot chocolate. I normally don’t order dark hot chocolate but since this was part of the festival, I went with it. The hot chocolate was presented in such a gorgeous way with the fancy thick swirl of whipped cream topped with sprinkles of nutmeg, green cardamom seeds and orange zest that even the diners from the next table looked over to comment on how lovely my hot chocolate looked. I quickly scooped up most of the whipped cream with my teaspoon before even getting to the hot chocolate (old habit). When I finally took my first sip, I was surprised to find that the hot chocolate wasn’t bitter at all. It was more nutty and wonderfully refreshing with citrus notes only further enhanced by the green cardamom. The light fluffy cloud of whipped cream also melted into the hot chocolate making it creamier and thicker.

70% Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate with citrus and green cardamom hot chocolate, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Also served with my hot chocolate was a Valrhona dark chocolate fudge cookie, and boy was it dense! I love dense cookies. This one wasn’t chewy, as it was literally a little clump of thick, rich fudge. When I ate it along with the hot chocolate, it really was like a chocolate explosion in my mouth, the cookie bringing out the sweet and tart citrus notes in the hot chocolate and the drink bringing out the bitter nuttiness and natural sweetness in the fudge. For someone who doesn’t usually enjoy dark chocolate, I quite liked this cookie and will even rank it better than the macarons at Bel Cafe.

Valrhona dark chocolate fudge cookie, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Valrhona dark chocolate fudge cookie, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Now, onto the main course: the sandwich with all my favourite ingredients, the Roasted Butternut Squash, Asian pear, arugula, brie, and apple marmalade sandwich. The sandwich, much like all the other food presented at Bel Cafe was extremely pretty to look at, colourful and appetizing. But I was hungry. I was surprised to find that the butternut squash wasn’t as soft as I had expected, it was actually a little bit on the crunchy side. It still tasted amazing though, juicy with a deep sweetness, a great accompaniment with the more neutral flavours of the Asian pear. The slices of very juicy pear were definitely crispy, fresh and crunchy. This fruit is so juicy that even the thin slices caused my sandwich to drip as I was eating each half of it. It was great though, I loved the contrasting textures in this sandwich.

Roasted Butternut squash and Asian Pear sandwich, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

The brie cheese was also the perfect creamy and mild cheese to pair with the sandwich fillings and it really helped glue the sandwich together. The sweet apple marmalade really brought out the arugula’s peppery taste, and also added another flavour dimension to the sandwich.

Roasted Butternut squash and Asian Pear sandwich, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Even the little side salad that came with the sandwich was tasty, even though it was a tad overdressed.

Roasted Butternut squash and Asian Pear sandwich, Bel Cafe, 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Unfortunately, the hot chocolate that I tried was only offered for a few days of the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. They are now onto their new flavour. The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival will be going on at Bel Cafe and other local chocolate shops and cafes until February 14, 2012. Check out a full listing of venues and hot chocolate flavours here.

I will definitely revisit Bel Cafe soon for more sandwiches and desserts though!

Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Street Food City

January 24 to 26, 2012, 11 am to 3 pm

Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

You know that Vancouver is a foodie town when hoards of hungry diners flock out to support our little army of food carts parked outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on the rainiest and windiest day in January. As part of Dine Out Vancouver and supported by the Street Food Vancouver Society and Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, during Street Food City, food carts line the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza from January 24 to 26 from 11 am to 3 pm, serving up good eats and providing a lively atmosphere. Some carts even have special ‘Dine Out’ menu items. Dennis Pang (of Go Popcorn fame) and our foodie friend, Jeff Voon and I decided to check it out.

Tacofino, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

I was really hoping to finally try the Juice Truck but they’re not at the event until tomorrow. There were many great classics to choose from though: Re-Up was there as was Tacofino along with some of this season’s new favourites: Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck and La Brasserie.

Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

We stopped at Coma Food Truck first. It was hard to choose from their big menu but I settled on the bibimbap on recommendation of Dennis. Jeff ordered the same thing (I’m pretty sure this was to stop me from taking pictures of his food). The guys at Coma Food Truck were sweet enough to offer us some hot soup while we waited for our order. It really warmed us up in the pouring rain.

Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Soup, Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

This is actually one of the few times I have eaten bibimbap (I know! What kind of foodie am I?). I usually stay away from bibimbap because it’s spicy and I’m a bit of a wimp. But the bibimbap at Coma Food Truck was actually manageable on the spice level. Bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish made of mixed meat with sliced veggies, chili paste and an egg on top of rice. It was actually perfect for a cold day! And the chili paste wasn’t that spicy, there were some heated moments when I felt like my tongue was burning but only briefly, it was evened out by the sweet undertones in the chili paste. Also, the runny egg, sliced cucumber and other veggies were great cooling elements to balance out the spice.

Bibimbap, Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Bibimbap, Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

I also loved that it came in a nice neat bowl because I did wrap some of it up to bring back to the office.

Bulgogi taco, Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Bulgogi taco, Coma Food Truck, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

The other item we ordered from Coma Food Truck was the Bulgogi Taco. Encased in double corn tortillas were juicy chunks of spicy beef and lots of shredded veggies. Admittedly, this was a challenge to eat. I’m not sure how I did it without spilling it all over myself either. The thing I love about corn tortillas and Coma Food Truck is no exception, is that they hardly ever get soggy. Speaking of which, even though there was a generous dollop of sauce on top of the tacos, the shredded cabbage still remained crunchy and fresh. This was a delicious item, and again, very management on the spice levels even by my wimpy standards!

Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Next up, we visited fan favourite, Re-up BBQ Food cart. We just couldn’t ignore the menu item: Bacon Explosion written on the side of their cart. Since we were ordering lots of food, Dennis and I shared the Bacon Explosion and Michael Kaisaris, owner of Re-up was very kind about cutting our sandwich in half. The Bacon Explosion is a combo that comes with a piping hot cup of chili, sweet southern tea and a sandwich stuffed full of delicious smoked Canadian bacon.

Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

At this point, everything became a challenge to carry in the rain, what with our giant golf umbrella, my camera and our boxes of food from Coma Food Truck. There were some tables under tents available for dining but since it was so crowded, we ducked into the mall to eat. After some careful rearranging of our take-out containers and cups of tea and chili of course.

Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Santa Fe Red Chili with Smoked Pork, Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

By the time we found our seats the dollop of sour cream had already fully melted into the chili but it was still delicious, a wonderful cooling element in a smoky and spicy concoction jam packed with tender and moist shreds of pork submerged in the richest, thickest homiest chili I’ve had in a while.

Bacon sandwich, Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Now onto this famous smoked bacon sandwich. I’m pretty sure Michael at the Re-up cart smokes this bacon himself. I remember reading Tweets about his homemade bacon last summer. I was pleased to find very thick cut pieces of bacon inside the sandwich. It could have been crispier along the edges but I think we waited too long to eat it. I was definitely happy about the fat to lean meat ratio though. The meat was very moist, juicy with a great smoky flavour.

Bacon sandwich, Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

The sweet southern tea not only went well with the smoky bacon sandwich but it also cooled down my tongue after the spicy food from Coma Food Truck!

Southern Sweet Tea, Re-Up BBQ Food Cart, Street Food City, Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza

Street Food City kicked off to a great start, despite rain! A complete list of participating food carts at Street Food City can be found here.

Nian Gao fried with egg

I’ll confess that as a kid, I was petrified of the dragon in the dragon dance. It wasn’t so much the ginormous eyes and teeth of the dragon that was scary, it was the loud, thunderous beat of that drum. I would be able to hear it from blocks away in Chinatown, my dad was literally be forced to take me by the hand and duck into alleys, side streets and random shops just so I wouldn’t get too frightened. I always think about that when I hear that familiar drumbeat of the dragon dance every year.

Nian Gao from De Fresh Bakery, Crystal Mall, Burnaby, Canada

One thing that I always look forward to during Chinese New Year is nian gao, the sticky, sweet and scrumptious Chinese New Year cake that’s only available once a year. Usually, we buy Chinese New Year cakes from New Town Bakery, they sell a lot of classic, old school Chinese favourites like traditional steamed custard buns, deep fried donuts covered in sugar and the most delicious, chewy, sticky and sweet Chinese New Year cake you’ve ever had. But we decided to do something a bit different this year and bought some cakes from De Fresh Bakery which is a popular bakery amongst Westerners.

Nian Gao

Chinese New Year cake is made out of glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, ground into a paste and steamed. The cake can be eaten just like that, as finger food, it’s sweet and chewy. But another traditional way to prepare Chinese New Year cake is to pan fry it with egg.

Nian Gao

Sometimes it’s a challenge to dig the sticky Chinese New Year cake out of its tin pie plate, I use a paring knife. The little shreds of cake that peel off in the process always make good nibbles.

Nian Gao

After the cake is out of its container, I cut it into thick strips, then slice those strips into squares, at least a quarter of an inch or thicker.

Nian Gao

Nian Gao

Next, I beat an egg and dip each square of nian gao into the egg batter. I usually pour a little bit of oil into the frying pan, not for the nian gao but just so the egg doesn’t stick. The nian gao is oily enough that it actually doesn’t really stick to the fying pan.

Nian Gao

Lining up the little egg soaked pieces of nian gao in the frying pan, the heat should be turned up to medium at this point. The sizzle of sweet cake and egg in the pan is the tastiest sound in the world. The little bits of cake begin heating up and melting right away. They’re ready to flip when they turn golden brown. I always have beaten egg leftover at the end, and I just pour it all into the pan.

Nian Gao with egg in frying pan

The egg is delicious when it soaks up the sweet brown sugar flavours of the cake.

Nian Gao with egg in frying pan

It only takes about 10 minutes or less for the nian gao to be ready. I like the nian gao semi-firm, still retaining their shapes but of course the longer you heat the little cakes, the softer and more mushy and stretchy they get.

Nian Gao

Nian Gao

Nian Gao

The reason why I cut my nian gao so thick is just because I want each piece to retain its shape and be slightly firm around the corners but soft and gooey in the middle. I love that thin layer of fried egg crust lining each piece and the first piping hot bite when the stretchy, sugary melted cake sticks to the ends of my chopsticks and the roof of my mouth.

Nian Gao

Nian Gao

The nian gao from De Fresh Bakery doesn’t taste as sweet as the ones from New Town. I actually think I’ll go to New Town to pick up a few of their cakes after the New Year.

Taro root cake

Taro root cake

The other cakes that we bought from De Fresh Bakery are also available all year around but can also be eaten during Chinese New Year: steamed radish rice cake and steamed taro root cake.

Taro root cake

Taro root cake

These cakes are also made out of a type of paste and cornstarch and can be eaten straight out of the box or pan fried. These cakes are savory as opposed to the sweet sticky nian gao. All three cakes symbolize family unity in their round shape. The sweet nian gao is a signifier for a sweet and happy new year.

Taro root cake

Taro root cake

Taro root cake in frying pan

Taro root cake

Readers of this blog are familiar with my adversity to fresh taro bubble tea but I happen to love steamed taro root cake. Especially the taro root cake from De Fresh Bakery with big squares of taro found throughout the cake. Other spices and dried shrimp are steamed right into the cake adding more flavour and texture. These cakes can be cut up the same way as the nian gao. I try to slice them up thicker than the nian gao though since they’re softer and more easily breakable in the frying pan. It’s not necessary to coat these cakes with egg. They have enough flavour on their own.

Radish Rice cake

The steamed radish rice cake is more pale in colour but is just as tasty as the taro root cake. Also loaded with lots of other yummy ingredients such as dried shrimp, spices, bits of Chinese sausage and little squares of radish, it was hard not to nibble as I was cutting up this cake.

Radish Rice cake

Radish Rice cake

Radish Rice cake

Since the radish rice cake was more pale in colour, it browned up nicer in the fying pan, forming a tasty, thin golden crust on each slice.

Radish Rice cake

My all-time favourite Chinese New Year dish is still and has always been fried nian gao though. Nothing quite compares to the deep sweet flavour and the sticky, gooey texture.

Nian Gao

Happy Chinese New Year! May the year of the dragon bring luck, love and good fortune!

Reno's, 151 East Broadway, Vancouver

Reno’s

151 East Broadway, Vancouver

Sometimes nothing quite hits the spot like a good ol’ greasy spoon breakfast. Design Girl and I visited Reno’s just for that. Downstairs from the famous Lee Building, Reno’s is a Chinese Canadian establishment serving all-day breakfast as well as lunch and dinner with some homey Chinese dishes thrown into the mix. The set-up is cafeteria style, diners grab plastic trays and shove them along metal rails, place an order and pay and the food is fried up upon order.

I kind of felt right at home at Reno’s, hearing the sizzle of bacon, smell of fresh brewed coffee and murmur of Cantonese spoken between the line cooks and cashier. Actually, the whole environment and fusion menu made me think of Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill, my favourite book as a student. Diamond Grill captures Fred Wah’s childhood, growing up in his parents’ Chinese Canadian cafe in Nelson, BC.

Breakfast special with hamburger steak side, Reno's, 151 East Broadway, Vancouver

Design Girl added a side of hamburger steak to her breakfast special alongside the potatoes, sausage and eggs and it totally made me think of the ‘mixed grill’ dish in Diamond Grill, described in the book as a motley crew of fried meats.

Pancake Special, Reno's, 151 East Broadway, Vancouver

My ultimate breakfast craving is always pancakes so naturally, I ordered the pancake breakfast that also comes with other greasy spoon breakfast staples, eggs, bacon and sausage. I ordered my eggs scrambled and they came out nice and fluffy. Not as fluffy as the eggs at The Red Wagon but good enough.

Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

Pancake Special, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

Pancake, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

Pancake Special, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

The pancakes were fluffy as well. I’m happy to report that they were the right thickness. I can’t stand paper thin pancakes! The ones at Reno’s are thick enough to soak up butter and syrup and not get overly soggy. They tasted great, slightly sweet with a very small hint of butter. They definitely satisfied my pancake craving!

Pancake Special, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

Now onto the mystery meats. I have no idea what was in the hamburger steak but it was delicious! Nice and greasy, moist and fatty. I realize I wasn’t doing my arteries any favours but something in the hamburger steak just made it so addictive.

Hamburger steak, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

Hamburger steak, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

The bacon was actually too crispy for my liking. I know everyone loves crispy bacon but I actually like bacon with crispy edges and ends and a slightly limp middle, if that makes any sense. Nonetheless, Reno’s bacon was salty to the max and was equally as addictive as the mystery meat hamburger steak.

Sausages and bacon, Reno's, 151 E. Broadway, Vancouver

The breakfast sausages were the best! I already love breakfast sausages in general but the ones at Reno’s were especially nice and plump, and salty, moist and tender in the middle. Again, I have no idea what parts of the pig have been ground and filled into these little sausages but boy, were they tasty!

You can imagine that after this immense sodium intake, I spent the rest of the day guzzling gallons of water but it was worth it! I love greasy spoon breakfasts! The best part was that this whole breakfast including a cup of coffee was under $10. What a deal!

French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

French Made Baking

81 Kingsway, Vancouver

French Made Baking has been around for a little while tucked away in that little bend in the road just before Kingsway melds into Main. Design Girl and I decided to check it out. Just in time for the Hot Chocolate Festival!

French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

As soon as we went in, I was immediately taken by the quaint, charming interior design. The little cozy shop with its white pillars, arched doorways and marble tables and counter tops reminded me so much of Paris, for a second, I almost felt like I was back there, ordering pastries and soaking in the rich, buttery aromas of baking croissants and baguettes. Admittedly, the two customers seated by the window conversing entirely in French also added to the authenticity of this little shop.

Hot Chocolate Festival menu, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

This was my first time checking out the Hot Chocolate Festival and a menu board at French Made Baking listed the different gourmet hot chocolate drinks offered on each day. The festival does not have a physical venue, but instead, a selection of the city’s cafes and restaurants participate in the festival by featuring a special flavour of hot chocolate each day. We were at French Made Baking on Jan. 14 and to my delight the flavour was Praline Milk Chocolate, two of my favourite sweets!

Creme Brulee and Canele, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

Canele, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

The two desserts I chose to go with my hot chocolate were a canele and my other favourite French dessert: creme brulee.

Canele, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

The thing that I love most about caneles are their soft, moist but fluffy insides. Tasting like custard with a similar texture to that of a French cruller, I can eat a million of these things. Not to mention they’re gorgeous to look at, the brilliant yellow center against a deep, brown caramelized outer shell.

Canele, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

Canele, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

I haven’t had enough caneles to have a proper frame of reference but I can vouch for the ones at French Made Baking. I love the crusty exterior and sweet custard center. It was the perfect pastry to pair with the delicious hot chocolate.

Praline Milk Hot Chocolate, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

My hot chocolate was rich! I wasn’t expecting it to be so thick, it was almost like the drinking chocolate that I had at the Palace of Versailles last year. The nutty praline flavours gave the drink a wonderful dimension and the sweet milk chocolate really hit the spot on a freezing cold day.

Creme brulee, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

My favourite part about a creme brulee is that moment when I get to knock my teaspoon through the brittle top to dive into the rich, thick custard underneath. I was pleased to see the perfectly torched layer of caramelized sugar on French Made Baking’s creme brulee. So the only thing left to do was smash it with my spoon. Unfortunately, to my dismay, the trademark first ‘crack’ didn’t happen. There were two reasons for this. I was using a plastic spoon. And the creme brulee at French Made Bakery are pre-torched. Each little custard cup sits ready-made and on display behind the counter. The sugar top was more chewy than it was brittle and crispy. It was still tasty though! And I could see the specks of real vanilla bean distributed throughout the custard.

Creme brulee, French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

The actual texture of the custard was incredible, thick, rich and sweet. Just the way I like it. Now if only the top was crispy, this creme brulee would have been perfect.

I enjoyed myself at French Made Baking. One of the best parts was that we scored the seats facing into the open kitchen where we got to watch the bakers fill macarons and mix croissant batter. They even offer macaron baking classes here! I think I might sign up!

French Made Baking, 81 Kingsway, Vancouver

My only complaints have nothing to do with the food but a little bit more to do with presentation and branding. I have to confess that I’ve never really liked the cartoon happy face and rounded sans serif font used on the shop’s signage. It makes the place look amateur even though the interior design of French Made Baking is elegant and sophisticated. I am also not a fan of the paper plates and plastic utensils but that’s an easy fix. Other than that, I’d gladly return to French Made Baking for treats, drinks and maybe even baking classes!

Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar

1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I’ve always wanted to eat at Blue Water Cafe on the corner of Hamilton and Helmcken in Yaletown so we finally visited over the holidays. The experience was good and bad. Blue Water Cafe is famous for their fresh oysters as well as their sushi bar and cooked seafood. The ambiance is lively yet intimate and the dining room is set up so there is a sushi bar on one side and an open kitchen on the other side.

When I used the washroom, I noticed that they have the same delectable-smelling ginger hand soap that was in the washrooms at Thierry. This makes sense since Thierry is operated by Blue Water Cafe.

Chickpea spread and seaweed butter, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I loved the creative spreads that came with the bread basket: a chickpea spread and seaweed butter. The chickpea spread was slightly sweet, moist and mild in taste. The seaweed butter was interesting, the texture was creamy, it was salty and the seaweed gave the butter a very slight earthy, bitter taste.

Blue Mountain Chardonnay, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Since I knew we would be feasting on seafood, I ordered the Blue Mountain Chardonnay, which was clean, crisp and light with slight citrus notes.

Oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I confess that we went a little bit overboard with ordering oysters. I love oysters, and given the opportunity, I can slurp a million of them, ice cold, by the half shell, all slippery and luscious. So we ordered two dozen, six of each type available that night (all BC oysters): marina’s top drawer, beach angel, kusshi and royal miyagi.

Oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

The oysters were served to us in an impressive presentation all lined up on ice in a two-tier platter with lemon wedges and sauce. I don’t dress my oyster with anything so I could have done without all that extra stuff, even though the bright yellow lemon wedges looked pretty in the middle of the platter.

Oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

First up: marina top drawer, a plump, BC oyster. This was my first taste of marina oysters and I loved it! The meat was soft and silky. It tasted very light, fresh with a very subtle hint of fruity sweetness near the end. It actually went beautifully with the Blue Mountain Chardonnay.

Marina top drawer oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Next up, one of my favourites, the royal miyagi oysters. These ones were skinnier and tinier than I remember from other oyster restaurants but this also might be because I was holding them up to plumper oysters such as the marina and kusshi. Royal miyagi oysters are also from BC and the oyster meat has the same silky smooth texture as the marina. I loved that there was still a little bit of salt water swishing around in the oyster shell adding a hint of briny saltiness to the otherwise delicate oyster, clean and mildly sweet in flavour.

Royal miyagi oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

The beach angel oysters were on the plump side and brinier in taste. I loved these ones because even though they were meatier than the other oysters, they were still delicate and smooth in my mouth.

Beach Angel oyster, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Now onto the kusshi oysters, which are some of my favourite oysters. They are smaller than the other oysters but have a deeper shell, thus yielding tasty, little round oysters with smooth flesh and mild flavour.

Kusshi oysters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I easily gobbled three or four of these before coming to my last one. I dropped the empty shell onto my bread plate along with the rest. Then, I saw it! The small but definitely moving, creepy crawly little worm making its way from the inside of the oyster shell to the outer edge. I’ve caught it on video. Check out our little friend below. Look on the left of the oyster shell, the little worm is crawling up and out of the shell:

Honestly, I was considering just forgetting about the little critter but to be on the safe side, we decided to alert our server. She was pretty freaked out. I actually think she shrieked. When she ran off to show her manager, we questioned why we, ourselves, the diners were so calm. After all, we’ve just finished eating 24 oysters, surely, statistically speaking, we must have consumed a few of those worms.

Within minutes, a smartly dressed older man with a sophisticated French accent walked up to our table, introduced himself as Stefan and shook our hands. He calmly explained that the worm inside the oyster shell was just a harmless sea worm. He sees them all the time, and everything should be fine. I’ll admit that after this meal, I have in fact, actually spent time googling tape worms and other parasites and symptoms. Turns out symptoms take weeks, months and sometimes even years to appear. So if my blog posts abruptly stop some time in the future, we’ll have to blame it on this fateful kusshi oyster that I swallowed. Death by oyster. I can’t think of a better way to go.

I was quite surprised that Stefan didn’t offer to waive the cost of our oysters right then and there.

Qualicum Bay Scallops, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I was actually way too excited about the Qualicum Bay scallops entree that I ordered to think any further about the sea worm. And the scallops smelled phenomenal when they came to the table. Swimming in a fragrant ginger and citrus sauce and topped with micro greens, I couldn’t wait to dig in!

Qualicum Bay Scallops, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I love scallops almost as much as I love oysters. And these juicy and succulent scallops were seared to perfection with a slight char on top and soft and tender meat inside. The meat nearly melted in my mouth, warm, buttery and smooth. The citrus sauce was rich from the butter and sweet and tart from the lemon juice.

Qualicum Bay Scallops, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Qualicum Bay Scallops, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Buried underneath all the glorious scallops were a couple of wild rice fritters that added a crispy texture to the dish.

Wild rice fritters, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

The sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms we ordered weren’t memorable at all.

Sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

We also ordered the Ahi Tuna. This plate was just as gorgeous and colourful as the scallops. The pink center of the tuna slices played off the pure pale shades of the onion puree and the deep green of the kale on the plate.

Ahi Tuna, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I’m not a fan of kale but I’ll admit that it added a leafy heartiness to this dish, bringing out the sweetness in the onion puree. The puree was silky smooth and the perfect delicate compliment to an equally delicate fish like tuna.

Ahi Tuna, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

The tuna meat was amazing, silky and smooth, each bite was so subtle in sweet flavour that I had to eat slowly to enjoy it.

Our sushi was served last (“we’re having toro for dessert,” joked my dining mate) because our server was so freaked out by the worm in my oyster that she completely forgot to put in our sushi order with the sushi chefs at the bar. No joke. Now do you think I should be concerned about that worm?

Lobster roll and toro, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Again, I forgot about the worm when our plate of sushi was placed in front of us: the beautiful pink ribbons of toro arranged in lovely little rows on the plate beside the pretty lobster roll.

Lobster roll, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

I ordered the lobster roll because it reminded me of the egg crepe roll I had at Tojo’s. It’s one of Tojo’s signature menu items, a paper thin egg crepe wrapped around filling. Chef Tojo doesn’t use rice or seaweed in his egg crepe roll. He created it for diners allergic to seaweed. The lobster roll at Blue Water Cafe was almost as tasty as Chef Tojo’s. I loved the large chunk of lobster inside the roll, it was tender and moist. The distribution of mango in each piece of roll was uneven though, there were some big sweet and juicy mango cubes in some pieces but others only had a sliver.

Toro, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

The toro was incredible. This was definitely comparable to Tojo’s. The meat was buttery smooth, sliding right off my tongue. I really didn’t even have to chew, the meat just dissolved into a tasty pool of clean and sweet deliciousness in my mouth.

Toro, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Before the dessert menus were placed before us, we got some complimentary dessert, fruit sorbets. They were cold, sweet and refreshing. Great palate cleansers and a wonderfully light ending to a very full meal. I wasn’t sure if these were served to us to sooth us post-worm incident. The next table seemed to be getting the same treatment.

Sorbet, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

As we were finishing up our sorbets, a small plate of complimentary Financiers was placed before us. Now, for sure this was to placate us, post-worm incident. Although, you’d think they’d spring for more than just three tiny Financiers. The Financiers were dense, buttery, nutty and delicious though. In retrospect, I realize we could have gotten extremely angry over the worm AND the forgotten sushi but we chose not to let it ruin our night.

Financiers, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Financiers, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

Financier, Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, 1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, Vancouver

When the bill came, we noticed that about $40 was knocked off the bill, which was approximately half the price of the oysters.

All in all, I still had a wonderful time at Blue Water Cafe and as an adventurous and voracious foodie, one worm isn’t going to stop me from eating oysters!

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Thierry Patisserie

1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Since my trip to Paris, I constantly crave macarons. We visited Thierry with just that in mind: macarons, and lots of them! There are three things that I look for in macarons: the delicate, chewy cookie, the creamy filling and the combined flavour of cookie and filling. Thierry passes the test on all levels.

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

I also must note that I love the decor at Thierry, modern and European, it definitely reminded me of Paris cafes with a nice patio outside. Inside the shop, there were display cases of perfectly arranged cakes, tarts and chocolates. Jars of cookies lined the top of the counter.

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Thankfully, one of the things that was different from a Paris cafe was the washroom. French bathrooms are tiny, the toilet and the sink and faucet are in two separate rooms. I never found out why this was. Thierry takes a page out of Canadian interior design, making the washroom large and spacious (toilet, sink and faucet all in the same room). Needless to say that the washroom at Thierry was immaculate but what I noticed and loved was that the soap smelled deliciously like ginger. It was both refreshing and mouth watering. Yes, I wanted to eat it. It smells even better than the soap at Holt Renfrew.

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

But I was at Theirry for one thing and one thing only: macarons!

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

I got the idea that the macaron flavours change daily, when I went to the counter, they had nine flavours on display: lemon, lime, gianduja (chocolate with hazelnut paste), passion fruit, chocolate caramel, coffee, and what I assume are seasonal flavours: apple and spice, gingerbread and cranberry.

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

I can’t remember when I first fell in love with French macarons but I’ve loved them for a long time, I’m attracted to the mildly sweet, chewy meringue cookie the most. The perfectly domed top, the ruffly ‘feet’ along the edges and the fluffy middle. I’ve read that it takes two days to make the perfect macaron cookie, after baking the egg white cookies in the oven with the door slightly ajar, the cookies are then placed on the counter top to set to the perfect consistency, light, airy but chewy. At Laduree in Paris, we tasted cookies that were so airy and fragile, most of them were partially crushed in our bags as we walked a short distance along the Champs Elysees. Also at Laduree, we discovered that the actual size of French macarons is the same size as a small hamburger, what we know as French macarons in Canada are actually referred to as ‘mini macarons’ in Paris.

Thierry only sells mini macarons but they were still delectable (even though I wish they were bigger!).

Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The first one we tried was the cranberry flavour. It was almost a shame to eat it as it was so gorgeous to look at: brilliant red with angel white cream filling. The cookie was just the consistency that I was craving.

Cranberry macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

You can tell in the picture that the top of the cookie was crisp. When I bit in, the top of the cookie caved into a soft and chewy middle. The cream filling was amazing, sweet and tart just like a cranberry. And the surprise in the middle was a bright red, sweet and sour cranberry! It really added an extra punch of flavour to the little cookie. And it was such a surprise to find a real piece of fruit inside the macaron.

Cranberry macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Lime macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The next one we tried was the lime flavour. This was also another gorgeous cookie, great colour and shape. I love the perfectly smooth and nearly flawless tops of Thierry’s macarons. The lime flavour wasn’t as sour as I had expected. It was more on the sweet side, like a sweeter version of a key lime pie. The citrus flavour was refreshing and light.

Lime macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Our next fruit flavoured macaron was the passion fruit, bright orange and filled with a rich darker filling. The filling was thicker than the lime and cranberry flavours but was just as delicious. The sweet passion fruit flavours were subtle but present. The feet on this macaron are perfectly symmetrical all the way around the cookie, which was impressive.

Passion fruit macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Passion fruit macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Passion fruit and lemon macarons, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The apple and spice macaron stood out because when we got to the center, there was a little cube of real apple, juicy and sweet, adding a kick of flavour to a sweet and slightly spicy macaron. I also love that the filling in this macaron seems to be bursting out of the cookie, making me think of the filling-heavy macarons at Pierre Herme in Paris. The nutty and cinnamon tastes in this macaron made me think of freshly baked apple pie and Indian summer days or as my friend eloquently put it: this macaron made him think of freshly picked apples at the farmer’s market.

Apple and Spice macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Apple and Spice macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Apple and Spice macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Carrying on with the fruit flavour macarons, we tried lemon next. The lemon flavour quickly rose to the top as my friend’s favourite over the ‘farmer’s market’ apple and spice flavour. I think this might be because of his love for lemon meringue pie and this macaron really did taste like the macaron version of a sweet and tart lemon meringue pie. Again, there was a lot of filling in this cookie, the cream oozing out the sides as I bit into the cookie.

Lemon macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Lemon macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The black macaron turned out to be gingerbread. I had initially thought it was going to be licorice. There were hints of licorice flavour in the cookie but there were also waves of sweet and spicy ginger. It was a pretty creative flavour and a great holiday cookie.

Gingerbread macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Passion fruit, lemon, gingerbread and cranberry macarons, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The coffee macaron tasted like coffee ice cream, sweet but lightly laced with coffee bean flavour. The filling was smooth and creamy.

Coffee macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The gianduja macaron was marked with a stylistic brown streak on top to differentiate it from the other chocolate flavour. I wasn’t sure what gianduja was but found that the filling tasted exactly like a Ferrero Rocher, a sweet mixture of chocolate and hazelnut, rich and decadent. This quickly became one of my favourites as I am partial to all things hazelnut.

Gianduja macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Gianduja macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

The chocolate caramel with its sticky and sweet filling reminded me of caramel squares. I didn’t like this one as much as the gianduja flavour though. I have to confess that the top of this cookie was somewhat hard, I can’t figure out if it was because we left the cookie out of the box for too long as we chatted and tried the other macarons or if it was because this particular macaron was just stale to begin with.

Chocolate caramel macaron, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Lime, chocolate caramel, passion fruit macarons, Thierry Patisserie, 1059 Alberni Street, Vancouver

All in all, I loved the macarons at Thierry and will definitely be returning for more cranberry and gianduja ones!

The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The American Cheese Steak Co.

781 Davie Street, Vancouver

Anthony Sedlak‘s black olive and goat cheese tart has been one of my go-to, fail safe recipes for years so you can imagine my excitement when he opened The American Cheese Steak Co. in downtown, Vancouver. Ok, and I’ll confess that I’ve noticed between his stint as host of The Main and the opening of The American Cheese Steak Co., Anthony Sedlak has transformed his image from being a wholesome, low key, boy next door to an edgy, tattooed, culinary rebel. Not that it takes edgy rebels to sell Philly cheese steak sandwiches but it couldn’t hurt to have some street cred.

The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

I have been hearing endless stories about the Cowboy cheese steak sandwich. It’s always the one that Anthony Sedlak makes on TV appearances, and it also seems to be the sandwich that every food blogger in town has been ordering so I was dying to try it too! I was also famished that day and the Cowboy seemed like it was the sandwich loaded with the most ingredients: shaved prime rib, crispy fried onions, bbq sauce AND bacon mayo with aged white cheddar. I was pretty excited about the bacon mayo.

The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

When the sandwich was served to me, I could smell the deep fried onions right away. And true to its reputation, this sandwich is packed! I could barely hold it closed.

The Cowboy, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The Cowboy, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

I have read that Anthony Sedlak and his team spent an extraordinarily long time developing the recipe for the bread and it shows. Just like the freshly baked bread from Meat and Bread, the bread at the American Cheese Steak Co. is soft like a dream but somehow, magically is not soggy from all the bbq sauce and creamy bacon mayo. Even the moisture from the shaved prime rib didn’t make the bottom of the sandwich soggy. I’m impressed. You have no idea how much I hate soggy bread. Not that I had to worry about that at American Cheese Steak Co.

The Cowboy, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The shaved prime rib was delicious! Tender, moist and flavourful, dressed in just enough bbq sauce to give it a healthy kick and a tangy aftertaste. And the onions were salty and crispy, adding a wonderful texture to the sandwich.

The Cowboy, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The bacon mayo! OMG. I’m pretty sure I can drink this stuff. I already love mayo and adding crispy bacon bits to it just pushed it over the top for me. I regretted not ordering a side of it for my fries.

Here’s what I was concerned about when I saw this sandwich, I couldn’t see any cheese on top. I began wishing I ordered one of the classic cheese steaks that have globs of melted cheese just slapped on top.

The Cowboy, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

Thankfully, on my second bite, giant globs of gooey, melted cheese started oozing out of the bottom of the sandwich. I was in heaven! The top of the Cowboy cheese steak is smothered in bacon mayo and bbq sauce with crispy onions, the middle, jam packed with moist, tender prime rib, and the bottom of the sandwich is slathered with melted cheese. These are the three perfect layers in a sandwich. I really should’ve gotten the larger sandwich instead of the 6 inch.

Root Beer, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

I also ordered a root beer to wash it all down. The sweet and bubbly pop went wonderfully with the salty bacon and cheese in the sandwich.

ACC fries, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The reason why I ordered the 6 inch cheese steak was because I also wanted to try the famous ACC fries, tossed in garlic, parsley and parmesan (just in case I didn’t get enough cheese in the cheese steak sandwich).

ACC fries, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

Touted as being twice fried, ACC fries really were very crispy. They still managed to absorb some great flavour from the parsley, garlic and parmesan though.

ACC fries, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

The insides of the fries were interesting, crumbly and soft, a bit like the inside of a baked potato as opposed to a super limp, oil soaked french fry (I guess I am thinking of those skinny McDonald’s fries).

ACC fries, The American Cheese Steak Co. 781 Davie Street, Vancouver

I can’t wait to go back to the American Cheese Steak Co. to try the other sandwiches and their milkshakes!

Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Italian Kitchen To Go

1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Looking for a quick and hot lunch on a cold, windy Vancouver day, Design Girl (www.foodology.ca) and I ducked into Italian Kitchen To Go. Ok, actually, we almost missed it, the entrance to this place is not obvious at all! Downstairs from the restaurant, Italian Kitchen, the To Go section is at the end of a long hallway and under a staircase. It looks like a deli counter. When we finally stumbled upon it, Design Girl said, ‘Oh, I guess this is it.’ Although, by then, we could smell the baking pizzas and fresh pastries.

Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

We picked the most delicious looking items from the display cases. I skipped over the paninis and pasta salads since it was so cold that day, I was totally craving something hot and covered in melted cheese. We settled on the incredible looking Timballo (actually, we nicknamed it the mac and cheese pie), a squash and bacon pizza (the bacon sold us) and a couple of desserts.

Timballo, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Next, we were up against the same dilemma as dining at food carts. Where to sit? With our food cooling fast, we high tailed it to the nearby Royal Center mall. Thankfully there were a few tables available so we quickly unwrapped our food and as all food bloggers do, proceeded to take a million pictures before digging in!

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

The squash and bacon pizza was the first thing we attacked. It was delectable! And I am not just saying that because it was topped with my three favourite ingredients: cheese, bacon and butternut squash. At first, I didn’t know how the sweet squash would fare with the cheese and bacon combo, I was more curious than anything. But it all worked out, the sweetness from the juicy, roasted caramelized squash balanced the crispy and salty bacon and the gooey, melted cheese tied it all together. Watch out for the red chilli flakes though, hidden under the squash slices, I bit down on a few that made me tear up a little. I am such a wimp when it comes to mild spice!

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

I also loved that the flatbread crust was just the right thickness. I know this is an Italian restaurant, but admittedly, I am not a fan of thin crust pizzas, I’m more of a pan crust or Chicago style pizza crust kind of girl. And the flatbread crust is perfect, not too thick and bready but sturdy enough to hold up heavy ingredients like juicy squash plus lots of cheese.

Squash and bacon pizza, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

I loved the airy layers in the crust, soft and fluffy in the middle, dry and crisp on the bottom and along the sides.

Timballo, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Now, onto the Timballo. We picked this item since it looked so interesting in the display case, shaped like a pie but made of mac and cheese, how could anyone resist? Did I mention it is also filled with lamb sausage? The sign in the display case also says there are caramelized onions baked in, I guess our slice didn’t have many onions as I didn’t really bite onto any. Nonetheless, everything else about the Timballo was delicious and addictive. Just imagine the perfectly baked mac and cheese with a crusty top and very creamy, ooey gooey insides AND lamb sausage!

Timballo, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Except for the crusty layer of pasta on top, the pasta in the middle of the Timballo slice was very tender and smothered in cream and cheese. This is the ultimate comfort food for a cold day.

Timballo, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

My only complaint is that the lamb sausage is a little bit on the salty side. I spent the rest of the afternoon chugging a lot of water and juice to make up for that.

Timballo, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

For dessert, I picked a couple of macarons since I was craving them and there was a big plate of them on display. When we opened the bag, we found that one of the macarons was cracked and slightly crushed. I thought this was pretty promising though since it showed how delicate the pastry was. The high end macarons I bought in Paris practically cracked at a puff of air.

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Unfortunately, as pretty as they were, these Italian Kitchen To Go macarons really didn’t measure up to Paris macarons. I’m actually still wondering what flavour they were. The macaron cookies were obviously vanilla, specked with vanilla bean seeds and tasting sweet and clean like vanilla. The texture was not what I was expecting though. Hollow in the center and more crunchy than chewy, these cookies definitely weren’t baked at the right temperature in order for the delicate egg whites to set. But it’s the filling that was such a mystery. Instead of a fluffy cream, the filling peeled off in one solid disk. It was sort of fruity sweet but I still have no idea what flavour it was.

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Macarons, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Chocolate fudge square, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Chocolate fudge square, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Our second dessert was delicious though! A thick, fudgy square with a chocolate crust. The actual fudge portion of this square was slightly lighter than I had expected. I thought it would be so thick that it’d stick to the top of my mouth like cement but it had more of a smooth, melty texture, gliding off my tongue and melting into a silky creamy chocolate liquid as I chewed it. It was bittersweet, a great balance with the syrupy sweet macarons we just ate. The crust was also chocolate, a dark bitter chocolate. This dessert was essentially chocolate on chocolate. How could that be bad? It was a great ending to a great cold day meal!

Chocolate fudge square, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Chocolate fudge square, Italian Kitchen To Go, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

I will definitely revisit Italian Kitchen To Go! If only to try the rest of their flatbread pizzas!

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane

Hyatt Regency Hotel

655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

If you’re still looking for Christmas time activities for the kiddies or if you’re a Christmas junkie yourself, you must check out Gingerbread Lane in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Vancouver. With over forty gingerbread houses on display, covered in icing sugar, surrounded by candy snowmen and fondant Santas, it’s hard not to eat everything in sight. It’s a good thing these houses are fenced off!

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

There is a donation box on Gingerbread Lane, collecting funds for the Make a Wish Foundation.

Gingerbread houses originated from Europe and it’s generally a traditional German recipe that creates sturdy enough gingerbread planks to build houses. Gotta love that industrial German engineering! And as you all remember, a very famous gingerbread house was featured in the German fairytale, Hansel and Gretel.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane features gingerbread houses built by Vancouver public school students, culinary arts students and local bakeries. The Lane is magical, enchanting and filled with the perfect amount of Christmas warmth and cheer. You have to check it out!

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

A major sucker for details, one of my favourites was not an actual house but a whole scene created out of gingerbread and fondant. It was a bedroom filled with kids, mice and toys. I especially love the two children hiding under the bed and the sleepy kids on the bench, waiting for Santa.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

I couldn’t capture this in the photos but the cake on the first shelf spins. It was incredible and adorable.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Everything about this gingerbread Christmas scene was sculpted to the last detail. Even the back of the display featured a fat snow man and a ‘Santa’s Workshop’ sign.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Built by the talented students in the Baking and Pastry Arts Department at the Vancouver Community College, every detail in this display was amazing. Also, I wish I could eat it.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

My other favourite was an intricately built gingerbread house made by KD Cakes in Port Coquitlam.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Not only is this gingerbread house gorgeous from the outside, frosted rooftops, candy cane pillars, surrounded by icing trees and a sugar pond. It was what was inside the house that was the most eye catching.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Peeking through the clear candy glass, the inside of the house is as intricately built as the outside. It was hard to take pictures through such tiny windows but inside were rooms filled with candy furniture, a bathroom with a candy toilet, musical instruments, and my most favourite room was a living room with a keyboard, violin, couch, a coffee table and a plate of cookies on top of the coffee table. You can see the chocolate chips in the cookies! Amazing!

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Many other visitors were stooped down low just like me, trying to take pictures through the candy glass windows.

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Another cool thing on Gingerbread Lane were the large Gingerbread men cutouts for little kids to stick their faces in for photo ops. Can you see the cute but shy and scared little boy in the below picture?

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

I’m glad to see the Hyatt Regency continuing this cool Christmas tradition in support of Make A Wish Foundation!

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Gingerbread Lane Hyatt Regency Hotel 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver