Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

We watched the first game of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the Major League Soccer season. They lost, but I had a great time with my brother and my hubby. There are so many food places inside BC Places, and for today, we decided to grab burgers from Lionsgate Burger Grill. Burger with fries and souvenir cup The patty was dry, but the mayonnaise sauce they used is delicious. I know it's a stadium, and I shouldn't be expecting high-quality burgers, but if the patty is cooked a few minutes less, I think it'll be so much better. 2026 Update : How times have changed! If you are heading to the stadium today, check out my updated BC Place 2026 Food & Drink Menu for current prices and new "smooch-worthy" finds.

Spicy Peanut Noodlebox with Tofu Rich & creamy Indonesian peanut sauce with coconut milk, simmered with ribbon noodles, garlic, onions, broccoli, Asian greens, sprouts, peppers & cilantro. Topped with roasted peanuts. Bombay Mac & Cheese Box A cheesy coconut vindaloo sauce, simmered with cavatappi noodles, spinach, fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions & garlic. Topped with cilantro.

I'm feeling upset thinking that tomorrow is Monday, and I have no idea how to face the coming week. Solution? Eat! After walking along Granville Street from Smithe, we ended up near the entrance of the Granville Bridge and decided to have early dinner at White Spot. The menu is extensive and more than 10 pages, so I decided to pick from the "Spotitarian" favourites menu. Seafood Fettuccine Prawns, scallops, & clams tossed in a creamy rose sauce with broccolini, arugula, & cherry tomatoes. Parmesan & garlic panini. They did not skimp on seafood, and it was delicious. I wish the panini is more toasted, but that's such a minor complaint. It's delicious. Zooming in to the yummy Seafood Fettucine Dippin' Chicken (essentially, chicken strips) with honey mustard sauce Salted Caramel Brownie Ghiradelli triple chocolate chip brownie baked in-house. Premium vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream & salted caramel. I want to try more...

Sunday! We had early lunch at Thai Express inside the Pacific Center with mother, before heading to watch Sonic the Hedgehog. Pad Thai Green Curry Our first meal of the day!

We walked 30 minutes to the closest Chipotle and had our fill of the huge burrito and chicken quesadilla. I'm happy. Huge Burrito! The burrito is so big, we had to share it. Chicken Quesadilla Amazing service! After lunch, we walked back home to "burn" calories.

It's been a painful ending to Friday. A colleague said, "you're causing the team stress" when he doesn't do an excellent job managing his team. However, as soon as I saw hubby, he had some great news about work, which confirms our belief that God always provides in unexpected ways. Devil's Kiss Deep-fried lobster, crab meat, cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna, ebi, tobiko, special spicy sauce, makame, and lobster tempura Shrimp Curry (substitute white rice with black rice) Japanese Curry with Shrimp and Rice Assorted Katsu Curry Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu, Ebi Fry 2pcs, Goroke 2pcs, and rice Good start to the weekend.

It was an emotional week in the office, and I'm tired. My dad is flying out of Canada tomorrow to take care of business back in the Philippines. I asked if they have time to have lunch with me today near work, and we ate in the beautiful Bridges Restaurant in Granville Island. My dad enjoyed his Spicy Tuna Burger while my mom surprisingly finished her fish and chips. Hubby had West Coast Chowder, and I had Seafood Penne. Seafood Penne Fish & Chips West Coast Chowder It was a nice break from routine to have lunch with people I love and care about. After lunch, we walked to Blue Hat Bakery, where I decided to buy them baked goodies. My dad had a cup of coffee, and they shared a mango danish. Fresh Mango Danish I felt so loved during the 1.5 hours I spent with my parents and being able to treat them today is a reminder of why I work hard (even if my job could be stressful). I need money to spoil them like this every now and then. Hearing my mom say Ang ...

We haven't had Wendy's in a long time. Since we're in the area (buying lightbulbs at Home Depot), we decided to grab dinner here. Spicy Chicken Sandwich Bacon Cheese Potato I also tried their chicken nuggets today and thought it's so much better than McDonald's.

Cooking for the family and eating Korean food that we all love is the best way to spend Family Day today. Thank God for family, hubby, and long weekend for much-needed love and rest. We ordered two servings of BBQ Combo B, two meals of the Goon Mandu (deep-fried beef dumplings), one large Japchae, and one large Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake). I did most of the grilling and wasn't able to eat as much as I usually do. It's probably for the best too since we've been doing a lot of eating out lately, and I have started to gain a couple pounds again. Grilling is so much fun (although, don't eat here if you have an appointment afterwards since you'll smell like BBQ) BBQ Combo B BBQ Combo B Japchae I need to stay positive since it's back to work tomorrow. Good night!

I'm craving for fried chicken. Unfortunately, there's no restaurant near our place that is dedicated to fried chicken, so we end up eating at Redbeef Noodle Kitchen after Mass since they have delicious Taiwanese-style chicken popcorn. Craving satisfied! Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken Chicken Cutlet Rice Signature Beef Quartet Noodle Soup Tea Infused Creme Brulee I'll probably order a rice meal next time we come back. Hubby has been teasing me that I ate a quarter of his lunch because it's delicious.

It's hubby's birthday today! I asked him if there's anything he'd like to eat. He said, Jollibee. Unfortunately, the closest Jollibee is a 4-hour drive in Washington, DC, USA. Yes, we need to cross the border and go to another country just to eat Jollibee. Anyway, I asked him again what he'd like to eat. He said ube Ube ice cream, to be specific. Last night, I searched for the best Filipino restaurant in Vancouver, and Pin Pin Restaurant is highly recommended. Pinpin Restaurant We arrived at 2 in the afternoon, and the place is still packed. In the 1 hour, we spent there, I don't think there was an empty table. This place is popular. They have an extensive menu of Filipino favourites. We ordered things I don't usually cook at home (yes, I cook Filipino dishes). Pork BBQ I ordered the Pork BBQ value meal. I haven't found an excellent Filipino-style BBQ here in Vancouver, and I'm happy to share that Pin Pin delivered. This is the best ...

Burger! I picked the place for lunch, but hubby really has no preference on where we'll have dinner tonight. It just so happen that we're picking up a package in Canada Post inside Shoppers Drug Mart at Granville and 13th Avenue, so we decided to have dinner at Bin 4 Burger Lounge a block away. As expected, it was a busy Friday night. It seems like someone cancelled their reservation which is how we got a spot right away. Perusing the menu, there are so many burger options. We decided to start at the top. This is what we do on every new restaurant that we try, order the first and second item from the list. In this case, it's bin # 4 and bin #11. Bin 4 The Heritage Hubby picked Bin 4 "The Heritage" with house cut Kennebec French Fries. The beef they used it delicious, however, it's a bit dry. Bin 4 is your classic burger with a patty, tomato, lettuce, and onion in between a bun. It's good, but I prefer more things in my burger. For every burger w...

Hubby is on a 1-week vacation, and he went near my workplace, so we decided to have lunch at Tony's Fish and Oyster Cafe. I had my usual 2-pc salmon fish and chips (fries), while hubby had 2-pc halibut and onion rings. We also had calamari for sharing. Calamari 2-pc Salmon and Chips (Fries) 2-pc Halibut and Onion Rings After a delicious and happy lunch, we walked to Blue Hat Bakery in PICA. I tripped and fell flat on the concrete. I scrapped my knees (and I'm wearing jeans) and got my hands wounded as well. I think I'll be okay.  We had cake from the Blue Hat Bakery.

It has been a stressful week at work. Monday felt like two workdays already, and we're only on Wednesday. We decided to have dinner out just for a break. Alaska Roll Cucumber, avocado, mayo, masago, real crab meat, and smoked salmon Chicken Korean Style Ramen Chicken Katsu I hope to just take a break for the rest of the week and not even go to work, but it's not yet possible.

Hubby and I love watching Strictly Dumplings on YouTube, and every so often, he would do a video in a hotpot restaurant. We've never had hotpot ever. Today, we decided to have lunch in Happy Lamb Hot Pot (W Broadway at Burrard). They're an all you can eat restaurant. Below are some things to be aware of: Dine-in only (obviously) 1.5-hour time limit You'll be required to pay for any food remained in the pot if it exceeds 250g (we finished our meal) Consuming raw or uncooked meat, seafood, and eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness (meaning cook your food thoroughly!) If you have a food allergy, please notify your server, and we will try to accommodate you. Any sold out item in the menu will not be informed & regular price is required to pay What did we eat? We had half original and half spicy House Special Broth Flavour. Here's the thing - go for original. I love hot food, but I love the Original broth. House Special Broth: Half Spicy / H...