Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Phase 2 in BC has started mid-May, and since then, restaurants have slowly been opening up for dining service with limited seating. We decided to wait until today before risking going out to enjoy a delicious meal at Suika. Read my post on things I'd do first when things get better in BC. Check out what's second on the list. First Time to Dine In How's the experience? I want to say the same, but not really. Suika is a popular Japanese restaurant along West Broadway near Fir Street. They're usually jam-packed with people for both their lunch and dinner service. Today, only a maximum of 40 people is allowed in the restaurant. The layout can be divided into three sections, and based on my observation, only 2-3 tables per section has a customer. Specifically, in the location we're in where there are four tables, only two are being used.  There's sanitizer by the entrance which we used, and we maintained a reasonable distance to the host who walked us to our table....

I love slow Saturdays like today. We went to Staples to send off a package to Nova Scotia. Then, we decided to order take out dinner from our favourite Korean restaurant, Royal Seoul House. We're still not brave enough to eat in a restaurant. I'm willing to go in, pick up food, then go out, but outside our house and my parent's place, we haven't spent more than 30 minutes in other establishments. Oh, that's not entirely true, we attended Mass twice now. Anyway, before heading to the restaurant, I called in with my selection. We walked around the neighbourhood and went in 20 minutes later. My order is ready, and I can't wait. Royal Seoul House was empty. Although, patrons may be eating in the private space for physical distancing. Favourite Korean Dishes Unlike in the Philippines, Korean dishes are not as popular here in Canada. They're also not that many Korean restaurants, unlike Japanese cuisine, which is nearly everywhere. I ordered our favourite Korean d...

Today, hubby had a dentist appointment, and because the weather is beautiful, he decided to walk to the dental office (1.6 km). On the way there, he spotted the Shameless Buns food truck! He sent me a text message right away. After waiting for 1.5 hours for his appointment and walk back home, I enjoyed Shameless Buns. Shameless Buns favourite My favourite from Shameless Buns is the  Signature  Sinigang  Fries . If you're going to pick a side, choose this one. It's a Canadian-favourite flavour of salty and sour, just like your salt and vinegar chips, but instead of processed chips, it's freshly fried french fries. Signature Sinigang  Fries Something New Hubby called me because he couldn't decide what else to get. I asked him to read the menu while I look it up on their website as well. We agreed on  Jacked Up Coconut Fries  because I love anything with coconut ( gata).  I enjoyed it. Though I'm a rice girl and I could eat up the jackfruit coconut a...

I continue my support of Filipino businesses and entrepreneurs by ordering Ube (purple yam) cake from Kaye Bakes. Kaye Bakes for Celebration Today we're celebrating three things: my mom's birthday, my youngest sister's high school graduation, and father's day. It only fits to order some cake, and I thought a cake we can't buy from Costco would be fitting. How I ordered from Kaye Bakes? I reached out on their Facebook page Tuesday to ask if they can do a Saturday delivery or if it's too late. I also asked for prices and if they can deliver. They were able to deliver on a Saturday at Richmond. I paid via Interac-E Transfer. Ube Cake Purple yam is famous in the Philippines. The colour is unique, and it's delicious! We love Ube cake in the Philippines, and I didn't think we would be able to enjoy some here in Canada. Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes You should hear the glee from my younger sister. She loves Ube cake the most among all of us...

I wrote a blog post about ten Filipino businesses in Metro Vancouver to support this month (Filipino Heritage Month). Where to get Coconut Jam in Metro Vancouver? One of the businesses on the list is Bukobaba . They sell premium coconut food and wellness products. Browsing through their website and store and learning about their business, I discovered that their products are available in Meinhardt Fine Foods. We do our grocery shopping in Meinhardt, and I decided to look for Bukobaba, and I found it! Woot! Bukobaba Products at Meinhardt Fine Foods I purchased one bottle of the Coco Jam + Cacao, and we're hoping to use it as a spread to our sandwich, instead of Nutella. We can't wait to try it. Coco Jam + Cacao from Bukobaba purchased from Meinhardt Fine Foods. I can't wait to support more Filipino businesses, not...

Before the pandemic, hubby and I used to have breakfast every Sunday at Tim Hortons before going to Mass. Today, we decided to do that again. We grabbed our usual Tim Hortons favourite. We had two Farmers Breakfast Wrap (sausage for me and bacon for him), a small single single for hubby and a small hot chocolate for me. It was drizzling this morning, and we decided not to eat in the store, so we found a spot under a building awning, and we enjoyed our food there. Look! Balancing a small cup of hot chocolate and Farmers Breakfast Wrap from Tim Hortons in one hand as I try to take a photo. Hubby's Farmers Breakfast Wrap I'm hoping we can go back to doing this consistently.

Last June 12, I wrote a post about ten Filipino-owned businesses in Metro Vancouver to support because it's Filipino Heritage Month. Today, on top of ordering from LA Chicken , I called Little Ongpin Restaurant yesterday to place an order for pick-up at 11:30 AM this morning. Yes, we're having a feast at home! What to get from Little Ongpin Restaurant? I absolutely love their Lumpiang shanghai and pork barbecue. My brother and sister enjoyed their Chami noodles, while my mom likes the kare-kare. Lumpiang Shanghai Kare-Kare Chami I have tried a few Filipino restaurants in Metro Vancouver, like Pin-Pin , Aling Mary, Josephine's, and Bahay Kubo all the way in Surrey. But my favourite Filipino restaurant is still Lit...

LA Chicken has the best-fried chicken in Metro Vancouver. It's flavourful, crispy, and crunchy just how fried chicken should be. With that said, there's a long line of people to get inside the small shop today, and that makes me happy. I'm so proud of folks at Richmond, supporting their local restaurants to help keep them open. I ordered 12 pcs of fried chicken (thighs and leg), half original and half spicy. Spicy Fried Chicken from LA Chicken Original Fried Chicken from LA Chicken LA Chicken Line in front of us Inside LA Chicken How to order from LA Chicken? There's a long line outside because only two people at a time are allowed inside. The person at the counter takes your order, makes you pay, then he goes to the back to pack your order. He then leaves it at the table on the left side of the cash register, and you'll be on your way. Then, he can help the next customer. The process is quick, and I saw a couple more men at the back, cooking the chicken as fast as ...

June 12 is the Philippine's Independence Day (#FilipinoHeritageMonth), and as such, I thought of promoting some of the Filipino-owned business here in Vancouver.  This was taken July 1, 2016, during the Canada Day celebration at Steveston, Richmond BC. It's the first time I saw the Filipino-Canadian community since moving to Canada in 2015. As I research and read about each business I highlighted here, I realized how much I miss the Philippines and how proud I am of the Filipino and Filipina behind each of these enterprises. ✓ Bukobaba Bukobaba sells premium coconut food and wellness products. Buko is the Tagalog word for coconut. I'll look for their product at Meinhardt Fine Foods since that's now my default grocery. It's also perfect since I'm almost out of coconut oil when I cook vegan Laing. June 14 Update : I purchased a bottle of Bukobaba Coco Jam + Cacao ...

I haven't been to Starbucks since March 15 (Sunday). Today, we decided to grab a couple Frappuccino just because we have points to use for a free drink. Physical Distancing There is a couple and a lady waiting when I went inside. They're in line for mobile order pick-up. There is signage on the floor on where to stand to ensure people are physically distancing. Physical distancing and lines inside Starbucks The Starbucks barista asked for my name and said my order is ready, yay! I picked it up on the table and off I go. Before I exit, another barista is wiping the door (which seems to be always open) with sanitizer. Inside Starbucks Starbucks Drinks We went home and enjoyed our Frappuccino with a homemade egg sandwich while watching Tangled on Disney+. Tall Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino and Venti Double Chocolaty Chip Creme Frappuccino I can't wait for Starbucks to slowly open up the dining area. I would love to hangout in one again.

My youngest sister insisted we order pizza from Canadian 2-for-1 pizza. I said, sure, we can try it. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Canadian 2-for-1 Pizza Mediterranean Canadian 2-for-1 Pizza Mediterranean Canadian 2-for-1 Pizza Four Cheese Pleaser Canadian 2-for-1 pizza We were discussing why this pizza is so good, and we've come up with the following reasons: The dough is chewy and tastes delicious. The topping is superb. Finally, the sauce, dough, topping ratio is perfect. We don't like the dough of Domino's Pizza. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut can be a bit too oi...

This is not a drill! Jollibee is almost here in Vancouver! Yes! We don't have to drive all the way to Edmonton or Seattle for our Jollibee fix. You just have to take transit or drive to Downtown Vancouver core to get Chicken Joy and Peach Mango Pie. Jollibee Feast Where will the Jollibee be in Vancouver? The location is going to be at 833 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC. Why is Jollibee so popular? My mom and I had this discussion. She said she doesn't understand why we're (me and my siblings) so excited about Jollibee - it's not even that good. The nerve! Anyway, my sister and I explained that more than the food we love (i.e. Peach Mango Pie), Jollibee is our childhood. It's what we grew up with. It's a symbol of being Filipino. It's a reminder of home. Jollibee Longganisa with Fried Rice and Sunny Side Up Egg Jollibee Corned Beef with Fried Rice and Sunny Side Up Egg Jollibee Fried Chicken Joy What to get from Jollibee? I would imagine the line would...