Brunch at Yolks Broadway

Happy Saturday and Happy Halloween!

To start the Halloween weekend, we had our blood taken at LifeLabs as part of our initial visit to our family doctor. After that, we had to do 10-hour fasting. As a result, our last meal was at 9:00 PM the previous night, and our first meal was brunch at Yolks Broadway.

Food coma brunch at Yolks Broadway

Drinks

From the drinks menu, hubby ordered Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate while I had Greens & Almonds Smoothie.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Green & Almonds
Kale & spinach, banana, almond butter and fresh-pressed apple juice.

I enjoyed both drinks, but their drinks menu is so extensive I can't wait to try the others.

Perfectly Poached Bennies

I have two favourite breakfast items: Eggs Benedicts and Chicken & waffles. Unfortunately, the latter is not always readily available at breakfast spots, unlike the former. However, Yolks just made a dish combining the two! So I would like to introduce Buttermilk Fried Chicken Eggs Benedict served with 1/2 Belgian waffle. I even added double-smoked bacon.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Perfectly Poached Bennies

This is amazing! Two perfectly poached eggs on buttermilk fried chicken on 1/2 Belgian waffles with hollandaise sauce and crispy hashbrown patty. I even added extra double-smoked bacon. The fried chicken was surprisingly delicious. I remember having their Chicken and Waffle but thinking the chicken was too salty. This is perfect.

Classic

While I love and enjoy my Eggs Benedict, hubby ordered Croque Madame. We wanted to try this dish at a nearby French cafe, but it was too early for their brunch. So now, we can finally try Croque Madame.

Croque Madame
Menu Description: Maple-smoked ham, gruyere cheese, Mornay sauce, two perfectly poached eggs, Yolks-made Dijon on grilled artisan sourdough with a choice of on side (in this case, Truffle-Lemon Potatoes)

The Croque Madame was good as well, but I'm still so hyped with the fried chicken eggs benedict, it's hard for me to enjoy this. I liked the cheese and sauces especially dipping the truffle-lemon potatoes in it, but portions of the bread were burnt, and since I have no point of comparison, I'm not sure if that's part of the charm.

Sweets

To end our delicious brunch, we ordered Beignets. It's served with two dipping sauces. Hubby enjoyed the salted caramel dip while I loved lemon curd. The tartness emphasized the sweetness of the Beignets.

Beignets
Menu Description: French-style crispy and fluffy "donuts" served with salted caramel and lemon curd.

This is a lovely and happy meal for hubby and me since it has been a while since we had brunch at a breakfast spot.

Bola Bola Siopao from Bao Bakery | Best Siopao in Vancouver

I have been craving for Bola Bola Siopao for what feels like forever. Thank God that the office of our new family doctor is in Burnaby, and we could drop by Bao Bakery before heading home.

Bao Bakery

They have the best Filipino siopao ever! It's seven in the evening when we dropped by there, and I got half a dozen frozen Bola Bola Siopao and two of the already cooked ones. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture of the ones we devoured inside the car.

I was saying my prayers quite loudly - thank God that I'm finally having a delicious siopao.

November 4, 2021 Update 

We microwaved for a couple minutes siopao, and it was great. Fortunately, I had it on the fridge (instead of the freezer) the night before I planned to enjoy it.

Tip: I recommend putting a wet paper towel on top of the siopao to create steam and not dry out the siopao bread.

Dinner from Wendy's

Happy Friday evening! We finally have a family doctor in Canada and tonight was our first appointment. After the doctor visit, we went to Wendy's to grab some quick dinner before heading home.

My mom has coupons (lots of it!) for Wendy's and other fast-food chains, and we could use them.

Spicy Chicken Burger Combo

Unfortunately, the burger wasn't spicy at all. Hubby said there's some heat, but not a lot. Somehow, Wendy's is lagging behind the Spicy Chicken Burger battle, which is unfortunate. However, the french fries were legit. I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

Dinner from The Poutinerie and Dawson's Hot Dogs at BC Place

Happy Wednesday! I wrote this as soon as we arrived home and while the adrenaline was still relatively high.

Why are we watching the Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Minnesota United FC?

We had no plans of watching the game tonight in person. On the other hand, my younger sister was planning to watch the Whitecaps for the first time in BC Place. However, there was a COVID scare at her workplace, and she had to get tested this morning.

She called me ten minutes before four in the afternoon explaining the situation and asked if I would like to buy her tickets instead since she's self-isolating. After discussing it with my husband, we said yes. Thankfully, there's modern technology, and she was quickly able to transfer her ticket to me via the Ticketmaster app. I sent her the payment, and off we go.

Back in BC Place again

The last time I watched the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in person was during their first and only MLS game last February 29, 2020; it was two weeks before the pandemic "started."

We arrived at BC Place ten minutes before six in the evening. The gates opened at six, and the first thing we did was buy dinner. #FoodPriority

The closest food vendor from our section was The Poutinerie. I ordered the Short Rib Poutine, fries, and refillable drinks.

Short Rib Poutine
Pulled short rib, cheese curds, red wine gravy, and green onion

While enjoying our food, the players were warming up. The game this evening is vital in the Whitecaps quest for a playoff spot. I was praying so hard during the first fifteen minutes of the game. I kept praying, "Lord, please help the Whitecaps win." over and over again. Finally, I calmed down and just started focusing on the game.

29 seconds before kick-off

The team scored less than a minute before the first half was over because of an own goal. Talk about a miracle! 😂

Michael Boxall opens his account for the 'Caps after 10 years!#VWFC #VANvMIN pic.twitter.com/PMUJ3gjkjb

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 28, 2021

During the break, we walked around and decided on getting a hot dog and nachos with cheese from Dawson's Hot Dogs. Unfortunately, my hot dog picture doesn't look good, so here's a picture of the nachos instead.

Nachos with Cheese

The game went on, and at the 60th minute, this happened:

Football is cruel https://t.co/6ByUQJRdrn pic.twitter.com/OSSjpE0uBf

— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) October 28, 2021

My sister sent me a message asking how much I prayed for that goal to miss! It should have been a sure goal for Minnesota, but by some miracle (the post), it bounced out. Phew!

Then, at the 64th minute, Brian White scored a second goal for the Whitecaps. So it's Dajome to Gauld to White!

PICK UP THE PHONE GREGG 🇺🇸#VWFC #VANvMIN pic.twitter.com/9l2cB6QKOQ

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 28, 2021

There were substitutions, and I applauded each player that came off the pitch because this team deserved it tonight.

Unfortunately, it's not a clean sheet because Minnesota scored a goal in the 90th minute. I'm just glad the team was able to hang on through the additional three minutes. Thank God that the Whitecaps won! 

Post Game Joy

After the game was over, we stayed until the end of "Stand by Me," and I appreciated (more than I thought I would) how Vanni Sartini walked around the pitch, cheering with the supporters. And the team followed him around. My hands hurt from all the clapping, but my heart was filled with joy.

I am so happy and grateful that the Whitecaps won!

I already have tickets for the game against the Sounders on November 7. That was supposed to be my first time back in BC Place, but the universe has other plans, and I am glad that I was able to witness this critical game.

For reference, here's a Tweet I posted around the 30th-minute mark. 

I am more tense than usual since I'm watching in person. 🙏🙏🙏 Please please please win. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/vGUnumDdZf

— Smooch Food Vancouver 🇵🇭🇨🇦 (@smoochfood) October 28, 2021

Dinner Celebration at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

We're celebrating a special occasion today and decided to have dinner at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ.

We visited the Gyu-Kaku branch that's walking distance from our place. I called in yesterday to make a reservation since it's recommended. The lady over the phone advised that we should have our BC Vaccine Passport and an ID ready.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining

Since it's our first time at Gyu-Kaku, we ordered the Chef's Favourite BBQ Course for 2 people. It included the following items:

Starters

• 2x Miso Soup
• Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap
• 4 pcs Gyu-Sushi
• Napa Kimchi
• Gyu-Kaku Salad

BBQ Items

• Gyu-Kaku Kabli Short Rib
• Harami Skirt Steak
• Filet Mignon
• Umakara Ribeye
• Garlic Shio Cabbage
• Pork Belly
• Shrimp Garlic
• Broccoli with Cheese

Almost all Gyu-Kaku's Must-Try items are on the list above, so I am pleased with what we ordered. On top of the Chef's Favourite BBQ Course, we also ordered three items from the Small Plates section of the menu:

• Fried Chicken Karaage
• Takoyaki
• Fried Pork Gyoza Dumplings

Chef's Favourite BBQ Course

The first three items to arrive are the Miso Soup, Gyu-Kaku Salad, and Napa Kimchi.

The Miso Soup is your traditional miso soup. Meanwhile, the Napa Kimchi is super spicy and such a great palate cleanser. I enjoyed the Gyu-Kaku Salad too, but before we could finish it, more items arrived.

Napa Kimchi, Miso Soup, and Gyu-Kaku Salad

After the appetizers, three BBQ items and the Gyu-Sushi arrived. I enjoyed Filet Mignon the most. It melts in your mouth, and it's so delicious.

Gyu-Sushi, Filet Mignon, Harami Skirt Steak,  and Umakara Ribeye

After the meats, our three small plates arrived. I will order the fried chicken again. The takoyaki and gyoza are okay, but not something I'll order again.

Takoyaki, Fried Pork Gyoza Dumplings, Fried Chicken Karaage

After the three small plates, the Pork Belly, Broccoli with Cheese, and Garlic Shio Cabbage arrived. But I forgot to take a picture since I'm busy stuffing my face with delicious meat.

Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap

This is another must-get for me the next time we're back. Finally, the penultimate items to arrive on our table are the Shrimp Garlic and Gyu-Kaku Kabli Short Rib.

Shrimp Garlic and Gyu-Kaku Kalbi Short Rib

Gyu-Kaku Desserts

My husband has a sweet tooth, and we ordered three of the available desserts.

Matcha Tiramisu
White cake lady finers with matcha green tea cream

This is what all Matcha Tiramisu aspire to be. Not overly sweet and excellent matcha flavour.

Taiyaki with Matcha Ice Cream
A fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red beans. Deep-fried and served with a scoop of ice cream.

I enjoyed the Taiyaki more than I should. The deep-fried pastry should be enough to make me happy, but the matcha ice cream on the side made it over the top better.

S'mores
Classic campfire s'mores. Roast the marshmallows over the grill

I enjoyed roasting the s'mores, but it was so sticky and difficult to eat. I love it!

Note to future me, order the Matcha Tiramisu and Taiyaki with Ice Cream again. Next time, create your own course and choose the following items again.

• Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap
• Napa Kimchi
• Gyu-Kaku Salad
• Gyu-Kaku Kalbi Short Rib
• Harami Skirt Steak
• Filet Mignon
• Fried Chicken Karaage

Maybe try the following items:

• Okonomiyaki (hopefully, it won't be sold out)
• Seawood Soup
• Kobe Style Kalbi Short Rib (instead of Gyu-Kaku Kalbi Short Rib)
• Harami in Secret Pot (instead of Harami Skirt Steak)

I can't wait to come back!

Dinner delivery from Domino's Pizza

Happy Saturday! Every time the Vancouver Whitecaps has a Saturday game, we would almost always visit my parent's place so that we can enjoy the game with our only brother. It's always fun watching with him and recently (last Thanksgiving and today) my younger sister joined us.

Our youngest sister asked that we have Domino's for dinner because my mom kept ordering from Pizza Hut, and she missed Domino's cheesy bread.

We ordered more than enough food for five persons. I also realized that I haven't tried any Feast Pizza, so I'll order one every chance I get.

Domino's Pizza dinner delivery

14" Hand Tossed Chicken Taco
Menu Description: Whole Cheddar, White Processed Cheddar Cheese, Chicken, Green Pepper, Onions, Tomatoes

I enjoyed the Chicken Taco pizza more than I thought I would. If all the Feast Pizza is as good, then I am looking forward to ordering more flavours.

12" Hand Tossed Customized Pizza
Our customization: Whole Garlic Parmesan Sauce, No Pizza Sauce, Cheese Left Extra Pepperoni

My younger sister wanted to customize a pizza. Instead of pizza sauce, she said we should do one with whole garlic parmesan sauce, the normal amount of cheese, and extra pepperoni on one side of the pizza. The portion without the pepperoni was quite good, but the side with pepperoni was just too heavy and salty.

Chicken Carbonara
Menu Description: Alfredo Sauce, Bacon, Chicken, Mushrooms, Onions

My favourite item from the Domino's Pizza menu is the Chicken Carbonara. However, I hate how much I enjoy it and don't even want to share.

8-Piece Boneless Chicken

8-Piece Domino's Pizza Cheesy Bread

I told our youngest sister that Domino's now has other flavours of cheesy bread, but she didn't want to try the new items.

Marbled Cookie Brownie (12pc)

The dessert is requested by hubby. He has a sweet tooth, and these are good brownies.

It's always fun to hang out with my siblings.

Lunch and Apple Pie Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

We're celebrating hubby's 4th anniversary in Canada with lunch delivery from Tim Hortons. It's my first time ordering directly on the Tim Hortons website, and apparently, their delivery partner is DoorDash.

Lunch delivery from Tim Hortons

Anyway, as with our previous Tim Hortons visit, we ordered whatever Dream Donut is available.

• Dulce de Leche Dream Donut from early 2020
• Chocolate Hazelnut Éclair Dream
• Sea Salted Caramel Dream
• New York Cheesecake Dream Donut
• Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring
• Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring

Today, we were able to try the Apple Pie Dream Donut. It was surprisingly delicious. I love the crumble on top and the surprising apple pie in the middle.

Apple Pie Dream Donut

I also ordered one of my favourite items, the Chili. I was going to order Potato Wedges but saw Chili & Cheese Potato Wedges. I'm too weak to say no to that. I regretted not going for the tried and tested Potato Wedges. I do not recommend the Chili & Cheese Potato Wedges. It's their Chili Soup on top of Potato Wedges; they're good separately but not together.

Chili & Cheese Potato Wedges

We also ordered featured items like the Pumpkin Spice Muffin and Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp. 

Small Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp and Pumpkin Spice Muffin

Lastly, hubby ordered Slow Cooked Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap since it's the only remaining chicken wrap that we haven't tried. He thought the other chicken wrap was better.

Slow-Cooked Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap

It's such a food coma lunch.

Week 6 of HelloFresh: Spicy Week

We skipped the HelloFresh delivery last week because I didn't like the available options. This week I ordered three meals because only these three have a reasonable amount of calories and do not require an oven.

Spicy Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts and Ginger Rice
HelloFresh Description: Speedy, spicy stir-fry! Juicy pieces of chicken get a flavour boost from a quick marinade, while crunchy golden peanuts will remind you of the takeout classic!

This is not my favourite HelloFresh dish and that's because I am familiar with Kung Pao Chicken. It's one dish I almost always get at Chinese restaurants. My favourite one is from Gourmet Wok inside Granville Island Public Market.

I reheated the Spicy Kung Pao Chicken for lunch and it's really one of the worst (if not the worst) dishes we've had from HelloFresh.

Tuscan Sausage Linguine with Sweet Bell Pepper, Chili, and Parmesan
HelloFresh Description: Juicy pork sausage, thyme and garlic create the perfect flavour base for this classic pasta sauce. Built up with sweet peppers, chili and Parmesan cheese, this recipe is so simple and delicious, you'll want it to become a part of your weekly repertoire.

The pasta dish is so delicious! Quite the opposite of Kung Pao Chicken. The pork sausage is juicy and I love the heat from the chili. Plus, it feels healthy because of the zucchini and bell pepper.

Sausage and Broccolini Pasta with Fresh Penne

This is another winner recipe. Hubby's only concern was why is the penne in the picture covered in tomato sauce while ours is not. The answer is I have no idea. Thankfully it was delicious.

Skipping HelloFresh next week

I am skipping HelloFresh next week. I was planning to have a rice bowl week where all four dishes includes rice as the base, unfortunately, the traumatizing rice dish this week (I'm looking at you Kung Pao Chicken!) is making me hesitant to order their rice dish. Thus, no HelloFresh next week and time to look for a Chinese restaurant nearby where we can pick up food that we can reheat for most of the week.

Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Trying Li'l Donuts from McDonald's

Happy Saturday! I have wanted to try the Spicy Chicken McNuggets ever since it was released, but we only eat out once a week, and we usually have plans during the weekends, so for the first time in a while, we have a weekend with zero plans.

The only plan for this weekend is to be cozy at home (since it's raining outside) and order in.

Delivery from McDonald's

Is the Spicy Chicken McNuggets spicy?

A year ago, hubby and I ordered a lot (is way too much possible?) from McDonald's. We tried all three Spicy McChicken®, and only the Ghost Pepper had substantial heat to be a little painful.

The Spicy Chicken McNuggets have the same flavour as the non-spicy version, but when it reaches your throat, that's when you feel some heat. It's not painful spicy by any means, but definitely delicious.

What's up with the Li'l Donuts?

McDonald's Canada introduced the Li'l Donuts a couple months back. My brother said he liked it better than Tim Horton's donuts, so I am keen to try it. According to the website, there are six different Li'l Donuts flavours, but there were only three available when we placed the order in DoorDash.

McDonald's Li'l Donuts: Sprinkle Donuts, Crème Brûlée, and Boston Cream

The dough is a bit better than Tim Horton's donuts, for sure, but nothing will beat the freshly made donuts from your favourite neighbourhood shop.

BLT with Grilled Chicken Meal

As if the 10 pieces nuggets are not enough, I ordered a burger for hubby and me.

BLT with Grilled Chicken and Large French Fries

BLT with Grilled Chicken

Quarter Pounder BLT

This is hubby's order.

Quarter Pounder BLT

Quarter Pounder BLT

Aside from lunch/dinner (I ordered too much for two people), I also got 14 Monopoly stickers. In addition, I won a Li'l Donut and a cheeseburger.

October 21, 2021 Update

I think I "peaked" as an Instagram foodie. 🤣 McDonald's Canada's account sent me a direct message asking if they could use my picture. I don't mind, of course. I showed the screenshot of their message to our only brother who created the Instagram account for Smooch Food and he said you could ask for food next time. LOL My younger sister said I should have asked for free coffee for our dad who enjoys McD's coffee.

McDonald's Canada sharing my picture in their Instagram story.

Happy Thursday!

Dinner from Delhi6 Restaurant

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend, Canada. I didn't order HelloFresh this week, which means going to the groceries and cooking OR ordering food we can reheat and enjoy with rice. I chose the latter.

Today, I decided to enjoy food from Delhi6 Restaurant along West Broadway. I was planning to order from a different Indian restaurant, but I picked Delhi6 because they commented on one of my Instagram posts (so it seems like marketing with Instagram works because Delhi6 wasn't even on my radar when searching for where to order this week).

I am unsure what to get from Delhi6, so I looked up all my previous Indian restaurant posts to find what we usually get, and here is a list:

• 1x Bombay Mixed Platter, which includes Veggie Samosa, Veggie Pakora, Chicken Pakora, and Fish Pakora
• 1x Mixed (Vegetables, Chicken, Lamb, and Prawn) Biryani
• 1x Aloo Palak (Cauliflower and Spinach)
• 2x Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cottage Cheese)
• 2x Garlic Naan
• 2x Chicken Vindaloo
• 2x Tandoori Chicken
• 2x Veggie Samosa (2 pcs)
• 2x Gulab Jamun

What we ordered from Delhi6?

Based on the list and their menu, we ordered the following items for pick up today.

Currey Poutine, Samosa with Chickpeas Curry, Garlic Nan, Tandoori Chicken, Spinach Paneer Curry, and Chicken Vindaloo

• Samosa with Chickpeas Curry
• Tandoori Chicken
• Chicken Vindaloo
• Spinach Paneer Curry
  
• Garlic Nan
• Currey Poutine

The Samosa with Chickpeas Curry, Currey Poutine, and Garlic Nan are our dinner for tonight. I enjoyed both the Samosa and Currey Poutine. I regret not adding chicken to the poutine, but it's so creamy and cheesy even on its own. I wish I didn't have to share.

Currey Poutine from Delhi6 Restaurant
Menu Description: Homemade potato wedge, cumin salt with Delhi 6 curry curd cheese

After trying curry poutine, it's hard to go back to gravy.

Samosa with Chickpeas Curry and Garlic Nan

Huge and delicious samosa

We're going to have the Tandoori Chicken, Spinach Paneer Curry, and Chicken Vindaloo for breakfast and lunch the next three days.

Tandoori Chicken served with lacha onions and mint chutney

Spinach Paneer Curry (other restaurants would call this Palak Paneer)
Menu Description: Baby spinach puree, fresh cottage cheese curry, and fresh cream

Chicken Vindaloo
Menu Description: Chicken & potato cooked in spicy tangy sauce

October 13, 2021 Update:

We had the Spinach Paneer and Tandoori Chicken. I had the paneer as medium spice level and it tasted like mild. It was still delicious.

However, the Tandoori Chicken is the star. I reheated it in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit, the inside was juicy and tender while maintaining the tandoor flavour of the exterior. The Tandoori Chicken was on top of lachi onions and peppers. I didn't want to throw it away, so I might use it for omelet tomorrow or the following day. We'll see.

Will update this post again once we had the Chicken Vindaloo.

October 14, 2021 Update:

IT'S SO SPICY! I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo with hot as spice-level and it burns. It's so delicious.