Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Growing up, one of the practices or superstitions we always hear is having round fruits at the table to welcome the New Year. I remember we will always have grapes, oranges, apples, among others, at our table alongside the usual Media Noche (New Year's Eve Dinner). Hubby said we should continue the tradition by having round or circular things at our table. It doesn't have to be fruits that we might not eat and might just throw by the end of the week. Christmas Eve dinner is my family's "big" celebration, so I always struggle to prepare to welcome the New Year. Below is a quick summary of what we did since getting married: To greet 2018, we just ordered Domino's Pizza and Timbits To ring in 2019, we stayed in Pan Pacific Hotel in Downtown Vancouver and watched the fireworks. To start 2020, we did nothing. To welcome 2021, we ordered savoury pies , donuts , and Filipino round snacks . Hubby and I searched for circular or round food the last couple of days and ...

I am a Filipina based in Vancouver and I love to eat. In this year-end blog post, I will make a list of famous Filipino dishes and food and where I recommend you get it. Send me a message in Facebook or Instagram if you have a recommended restaurant that I should try or a specific dish you're looking for. Best Pandesal: Aling Mary's 📍 Aling Mary's Filipino Store & Bakery at 2656 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E7 Half-dozen Pandesal from Aling Mary's Best Taho: O! Taho 📍 O! Taho at  4223 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5V 4G2 Taho from O! Taho Best Siopao: Bao Bakery 📍 Bao Bakery at  5115 Joyce St, Vancouver, BC V5R 4G8 Half dozen of Chicken Deluxe (Bola-Bola) Steamed Buns Best Filipino-style Spaghetti: Shameless...

We were deciding where to order food for today. We need meals that can last us until the end of the week. I thought of having pizza, but I am just not feeling it. So we end up ordering Chinese food from our favourite Chinese restaurant: Lin Chinese Cuisine. Lunch from Lin Chinese Cuisine Pan-Fried Pork Buns Xiao Long Bao (Shanghai Juicy Pork Dumplings) Hunan-Style Braised Pork The Hunan-Style Braised Pork reminds me of the Filipino dish Humba because of the fattiness and general consistency of the sauce. It was unexpectedly delicious and I usually stay away from anything fatty. Spicy Ma-Po Tofu I wish the Spicy Ma-Po Tofu has more flavour. The end of 2021 is almost here, and the whole year felt like a blur.

Happy Sunday! We didn't do any Boxing Day shopping today, which is a first. Instead, we had errands to run, went to Trees for cheesecake, did window shopping at nearby Indigo, and went straight home. I told hubby I wanted ramen for dinner because it's below freezing outside. So I ordered from one of my favourite restaurants Ramen Gojiro. I ordered two Original Karaage because it's my absolute favourite and dipping it in the Spicy Ramen broth is fantastic. Dinner delivery from Ramen Gojiro Ramen Spicy Chashu Yuzu Shio Ramen The Yuzu Shio Ramen is hubby's order, and it's a clear, smooth broth. It's pretty enjoyable. Because I was feeling greedy, I ordered Pork Katsu Curry Don. Pork Katsu Curry Don We ate some of it, but most became leftovers with Chicken Karaage. Perfect for breakfast tomorrow!

This year, I have tried more than a handful of the seasonal cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee. Matcha Cheesecake  last June 6 Taro Cheesecake  last June 26 Mango Cheesecake last July 18 Peanut Butter Cheesecake last September 11 Pumpkin Cheesecake last October 10 Banoffee Cheesecake last November 28 (no blog post) Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake today My previous favourite was the Matcha Cheesecake. It's so good, but the Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake and all the nuts inside is just to die for. Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake The Best 2020 Seasonal Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee We didn't do any Boxing Day shopping today, but we went to Trees to enjoy the seasonal cheesecake and have our annual planning meeting.

Every year my sister picks a place on what we'll have for Christmas Eve dinner. This year we had Korean cuisine, specifically Korean BBQ, at home. We purchased a grill, marinated meat, and side dishes. Christmas Eve Dinner Below is a list of our past "cuisines": 2020 - Chinese Food 2019 - French Food 2018 - Spanish Food 2017 - Japanese Food 2016 and 2015 - "Italian" Food (really it's Pizza and my mom's Spaghetti) After dinner, we played some games then did Karaoke while waiting for midnight. Finally, at midnight, we had our annual tradition of exchanging gifts. It's so much fun to be with everybody. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Happy Friday and almost Christmas! 🎄 Today my parents picked us up from our place. We're going to celebrate Christmas at their place. Before heading there, we went grocery shopping at H-Mart in Richmond. Our theme for Christmas dinner is Korean cuisine. After grocery shopping, we dropped by Lansdowne because my sister had to buy a tripod, and since my mom was already starving, we grabbed lunch from the Japadog. My mom thought we should eat at the food court inside Lansdowne, but I am still paranoid about COVID, so buying a food truck and bringing it home seems the best idea. Left: Kurobuta Terimayo and Kurobuta Okonomi Right: Karaage and Wagyu Beef Terimayo The Kurobuta Terimayo and Kuronuta Okonomi are for my parents, while hubby and I ordered Karaage and Wagyu Beef Terimayo. Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy the Karaage, and I think that's the first Japadog I didn't order. We also ordered four different Shaked Fries flavours: Butter & Shoyu, Shichimi & Garlic, Aon...

Happy Thursday! I had to pick up a package at the nearby FedEx location and decided to order any new dream donut at Tim Hortons. Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut I am glad that the donut itself is not dry. The inside is filled with what I presume to be cherry, and the other half is chocolate-filled. Is it something I'll order again? Not really. Dinner from Tim Hortons We also ordered dinner of large chilli with whole wheat homestyle bun, grilled cheese melt, and Old Fashioned Plain Donut. The Old Fashioned Donut from Lee's Donuts is so much better, but they don't sell it anymore. Today is the last workday for the week for me and the last workday for the year for hubby. For references, below are the previous dream donuts we've tried. Dulce de Leche Dream Donut from early 2020 ...

To say that Redbeef Noodle Kitchen is our second favourite restaurant in Vancouver is an understatement. It's the only restaurant we ordered more than three times this year, and we absolutely love their food. It hits a different spot. Dinner feast from Redbeef Noodle Kitchen Curry Chicken Cutlet Rice and Curry Beef Rice I like the Curry Chicken Cutlet Rice, and it's so nice that the curry sauce is in a separate container. It's like enjoying Chicken Cutlet Rice and having the option to dip it in curry sauce. The Curry Beef Rice is for hubby, and it's so good. I recommend the Curry Beef Rice over the Chicken if you want curry. Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken My absolute favourite (and must-try item) from Redbeef is the Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken. It's still so good. Steamed Creamy Custard Buns I was hoping the Creamy Custard Buns would be sweet, but it tasted like salted egg yolks. It's delicious, but not something for dessert. Malay Sponge Cake This is a...

Hubby and I are in "lockdown" 🤣. I attended a dinner with more than 20 people in Burnaby, and the restaurant didn't check vaccination cards. So we will stay home for 14 days and see if we develop any COVID-19 symptoms. If we don't (I hope we don't), we will head to my parents for Christmas Eve dinner. With that said, this weekend, instead of going out, we ordered in. I was browsing DoorDash, figuring out where and what to order. We don't have any specific cravings, but I found Le Coq Frit. It's a relatively new restaurant along West Broadway. We pass it by a few times when walking to and from church. I ordered a lot of things which are to be expected. Lunch from Le Coq Frit Our delivery arrived in beautiful bags. Our delivery arrived in reusable bags, which we kept. Chicken & Croffles Croissant waffles with Boneless Thigh Real Crispy Chicken, Jalapeno, and Spicy Mayo. It's my first time trying croffles, and it's so awesome. It's essential...

This week is the last week we're ordering from HelloFresh for the year. Cantonese-Style Noodles with Beyond Meat This tasty veggie knock-off has it all! Tender peppers, chewy chow mein noodles and green beans, all tossed in a glossy salty soy and hoisin sauce! One-Pot Mexican-Style Quinoa and Black Beans with Lime Crema This Mexican-style one-pot wonder is jam-packed with veggies and flavour, making this the perfect dinner for any night of the week. Creamy Paprika Chicken with Sweet Peppers on Buttery Mash This comforting dish builds slow-cooked flavour, that will have you dreaming of Oma's chicken paprikash, in a fraction of the time. Juicy chicken thighs and sweet bell peppers are a classic pairing for the rich t...

Where to get Silvanas in Metro Vancouver? Happy Wednesday! I opened our fridge today and realized we still have a box of assorted Silvanas from The Khaykery which we got from "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!". Six Silvanas in a beautiful pink box. Ta-da! Taking my first bite. Yum! 10 minutes later - it's gone. We surprisingly enjoyed the Silvanas. Yay!

" Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver! " is an annual Christmas Market organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver. It's my first time going with my husband, mom, and younger sister this year. Where to get Kwek-Kwek in Vancouver? Plato Filipino is such a happy store. My mom, sister, and I ordered a lot of dishes. I had to stop myself at three while my mom just kept pointing at everything. 🤣 I ordered turon . It's my favourite Filipino dessert and I got lumpiang shanghai as well because why not and right before we leave their booth outside has kwek-kwek and barbecue. My sister was excitedly saying, "Ate, kwek-kwek! Kwek-kwek!" 🤣 Kwek-Kwek and Lumpiang Shanghai Turon I placed all items we purchased in the air fryer. It came out perfect as expected.

I had a busy Saturday. We were running errands all morning, and at around noon, we were buying food from the "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!". I had dinner with former colleagues organized by the previous company I worked for in the evening. It's pretty awkward to be in the same room with employees who resigned and are still working for the company, to say the least. However, it's nice to see colleagues who became friends. I had two drinks: Pacific Breeze and She Sells Sea Shells. Pacific Breeze Coconut water, iced tea, muddled mint, and lime. She Sells Sea Shells Sparkling wine, sweet vermouth syrup, lemon, orange, and soda For an appetizer, I ordered the Calamari. Meanwhile, for my entree, I selected the Seafood Garganelli Pasta. Seafood Garganelli Pasta Salmon, prawns, mussels, pesto, and white wine herb cream sauce (served with garlic bread) Calamari Peppers, jalapenos, tartar sauce, and chipotle aioli To end the evening, I enjoyed a Lava Cake. Lava Cake Warm chocol...