Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Before heading home, we bought one Double Chocolate Donut from Tim Hortons, and I decided to reheat it for 30 seconds in the microwave. Since we first ate the Maple Dip Donut , the Double Chocolate turned out not as sweet as it usually is. However, I liked the chocolate cake donut, and I am uncertain if the glaze adds anything chocolate to it. Double Chocolate Donut  from Tim Hortons Chocolate cake donut dipped in chocolate fondant. Happy Halloween!

Before heading home, we bought one Maple Dip Donut from Tim Hortons, and I decided to reheat it for 30 seconds in the microwave. I love the soft dough, but the maple glaze became unbearably sweet. Thankfully, I only have to eat half of it since I share it with my husband. Maple Dip Donut  from Tim Hortons Soft yeast donut dipped in rich maple fondant. Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Since I grew up as a Catholic, Halloween is the beginning of All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day is when we commemorate, celebrate, and pray for our loved ones and friends who have passed away. This evening we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy some candles to light up on our altar at home. Before heading home, we decided to grab dinner at Sushivan because I needed their spicy Korean-style Ramen this evening. Rainbow Roll California roll with assorted fish, tobiko, and sauce. Korean-Style Ramen Salmon Teriyaki & Sashimi Box Salmon teriyaki, appy sashimi, appy tempura, salad, 4 pcs California roll, and rice My husband is disappointed that I failed to update my Sushivan menu checklist. Apparently, we orde...

Happy rainy Sunday! My alarm went off early morning because we're attending the 9:00 AM Mass. But, before that, we grabbed our usual breakfast from Tim Hortons. After the Mass, we were greeted by heavy rain. So, we took an Uber ride to Costco for our monthly grocery run. Then, we grabbed a couple pizzas and pop from their food court. Cheese Pizza Slice from Costco Food Court It's my first time trying their pizza "fresh" from the food court. My parents usually bring it home, and it doesn't travel well. Pepperoni Pizza Slice  from Costco Food Court The cheese pizza is much better than the pepperoni pizza from Costco food court, but it needs to be hot. Otherwise, it's not worth it.

We scheduled our HelloFresh box to arrive on Monday last week because my husband did a half marathon run last Saturday, and we don't want to hurry back home afterwards for a delivery. Experience Cooking with Hello Fresh Hi, I am inviting you to experience cooking with HelloFresh. To get started,  claim this $113 discount . Start your cooking adventure today and use the following promo code: FIH-SZLVUTCMXJG4. Happy Cooking! For this week, I ordered six meals at 50% off. Yay! I spent our usual budget for a week-worth of food, so I am pleased that I am not over budget for the first time in months. Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese with Fresh Salad We enjoyed this dish for Monday dinner and Tuesday lunch. I love the bolognese sauce! It was creamy, a bit sweet, and meaty. Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese You can't beat a classic, and our traditional spaghetti Bolognese is here to prove...

MICHELIN Guide Vancouver 2022 was announced last night so this morning I spent time adding the 60 restaurants in one map. I also changed the icon for restaurants that received the MICHELIN Bob Gourmands and MICHELIN stars. I'm a foodie failure because I haven't visited any of the 60 places included in the list.

After our food coma AYCE dinner at Happy Lamb Hot Pot, we stopped by Tim Hortons before heading home. We ordered two of the special donuts that are available year-round. Chocolate Dip Donut from Tim Hortons The Chocolate Dip Donut was dry and stale. As expected of donuts from Tims. This is the bottom-of-the-barrel quality that everything else seems so much better. Chocolate Dip Donut  from Tim Hortons Soft donut dipped in chocolate fondant. Chocolate Glazed Donut from Tim Hortons I'm biased because the Chocolate Glazed Donut is my favourite from Tim Hortons. This one is surprisingly not dry and stale. Chocolate Glazed Donut  from Tim Hortons Chocolate cake donut covered in donut glaze. Yay for tea and donut after a food coma dinner.

Happy Wednesday! For dinner tonight, we went to Happy Lamb Hot Pot for an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) hot pot dinner. We chose the Lamb Spine Broth, and it was mind-blowing. The lamb ribs and spices were delicious. But, a fair warning, the broth becomes too much after an hour. All the lamb fattiness feels like clogging your arteries. 😂 This is when a good dipping sauce could help cut through the goodness. Lamb Spine Broth From the AYCE, we ordered just one round of the following items. Lamb Shoulder Slices ⭐ Fatty Beef Slices ⭐ Garlic Beef Black Iberico Pork ⭐ Tender Chicken Fillet Luncheon Pork Cod Fillet Squid Tube Crab Meat Sick Quail Egg Shrimp Ball Mutton Ball Beef Ball Cuttlefish Ball Mutton Dumping ⭐ Pork & Shrimp Dumpling ⭐ Veggie & Pork Dumpling Oyster Mushroom Spina...

After doing the Great Trek and having lunch at Kinton Ramen, hubby requested sweets, so I searched for the nearest cake source, and Google Maps suggested Loafe Cafe. When we arrived at the store, there were no cakes, but many pastries were available. Salted Chocolate Tart It was smooth and sweet but with a hint of bitterness which we can guess came from using dark chocolate. Date Bar The date bar tastes healthier than the Salted Chocolate Tart but is also sweet. I surprisingly enjoyed it more than the tart.

Happy Saturday! My husband is running the Half Marathon of the Great Trek at UBC. He left early while I was still asleep. I left our home at 9:45 AM and arrived at 10:30 AM. Thank God it wasn't raining, and my hubby finished the run safely. After his run and resting for a bit, we grabbed lunch at Kinton Ramen . Lunch at Kinton Ramen Golden Sesame Ramen Pork broth with white sesame paste and thick noodles, topped with seasoned ground pork, seasoned egg, spinach, bean sprouts, scallion, chilli oil, shredded chilli, white pepper, and fried onion. Hubby ordered the Fall Special: Golden Sesame Ramen. The sesame paste flavour is intense! It reminds me of Tan Tan ramen , but with the peanut flavour more subtle. Beef Spicy Garlic Ramen Thick noodles in spicy beef broth topped with beef brisket, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, grated garlic, shredded chilli pepper, and scallions. I love the Beef Spicy Garlic Ramen. First, the beef brisket is tender. The broth was spicy and salty, but the...

It's now starting to get colder and rain is back in Vancouver. With that in mind, there are two food I love to keep me warm: Ramen and Pho. In this post, I will make a list of best pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) spots in Vancouver according to articles in the first page of the Google search results . Best pho in Vancouver you need to try at least once on Daily Hive | October 17, 2022 10 Best Pho & Vietnamese Noodle Spots In Vancouver To Hit Up On A Rainy Day on Noms Magazine | October 26, 2021 The Top Pho Places in Vancouver on VancouverMom.ca | March 29, 2022 Here are 10 restaurants to get the best pho in Vancouver on Curiocity | March 24, 2021 5 Best Places for Pho in Vancouver on Monecristo Magazine | January 8, 2020 Let's begin! Delicious! Best Pho in Vancouver: Anh and Chi All five articles included Anh a...

I cancelled my HelloFresh Box last March because cooking is exhausting. HelloFresh would sometimes send me coupons via email, which I just promptly delete, but they sent me a snail mail of a 50% discount on my first two boxes if I came back before October 15, then 20% for the following two boxes after that. I won't pass up free or at least discounted food, especially with inflation. Our HelloFresh box arrived Saturday morning via FedEx. Teriyaki Beef Bowls with Edamame Rice and Garlicky Broccoli When did we enjoy this? Sunday and Tuesday lunch Instead of garlic salt, I would be happy to grate and use real garlic to get the "garlicky broccoli" because this meal came out bland. Teriyaki Beef Bowls with Edamame Rice and Garlicky Broccoli from HelloFresh Spicy Apricot Chicken with Garden Veggie Orzo When did we enjoy this? Sunday dinner and Monday lunch Yum!...

Yes! Yes! Yes! Tim Hortons has a Vancouver Canucks dream donut designed with the Vancouver Canucks logo. It's not exclusive to the Toronto Maple Leafs , as I initially thought. Vancouver Canucks Dream Donut  from Tim Hortons List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically. Apple Pie Dream Donut Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donut Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut Matcha Coconut Dream Donut ...

Happy Sunday! We went to the closest Tim Hortons location to our home and checked if there was anything new in the dream donut scene. I spotted the Baker's Choice  description in a couple of donuts and asked the cashier about it. Baker's Choice Donut  from Tim Hortons Venetian-filled  yeast donut, chocolate dipped and designed for Halloween. Maple dip Venetian-filled  donut topped with chocolate drizzle and candied bacon. Baker's Choice gives the baker a say in the decorating. Bakers are invited to display their creativity with locally-created (branch-specific) Baker's Choice.

Typhoon Bubble Tea Cafe is located in the Cambie Plaza strip mall in Richmond. I remember noticing them five years ago when I still live with my parents. Unfortunately, they are cash only, and I don't carry cash. This is what I ordered for dinner from Typhoon Bubble Tea Cafe. We visited my siblings in Richmond today, and our youngest sister requested that we order from Typhoon because she wants rice. So, of course, I am more than happy to oblige since I love Taiwanese cuisine, and as expected, I ordered a lot for my husband and me to share. Typhoon House Special Chicken Nuggets We ordered chicken nuggets for sharing, which was a good bite-size fried chicken. Taiwanese Sausage with Rice and Sides We love Taiwanese Sausage, but this one is not as sweet as I am used to when ordering from other Taiwanese restaurants. Taiwanese Pork Chop with Fried Rice The fried rice is exceptionally flavorful and delicious. It's the best thing tonight and works well with anything. I didn't exp...

Our youngest sister works at Eggspectation in Richmond, BC, so after practicing our civic duty in voting and participating in the local election. We went straight to Eggspectation for lunch. I have a list of menu items we have and have not tried and picked based on that. My sister was the one who brought our food to the table, and she mentioned that she made sure they looked pretty for my picture. High Rise Pancakes Kick-start your day with a mighty stack of pancakes with sausages, bacon, and potatoes layered between them and top with a sunny-side-up egg. Top-view of the High Rise Pancakes Inside view of the High Rise Pancakes I am surprised at how much I love the High Rise Pancakes from Eggspectation. With the syrup drizzled all over, it's the perfect sweet and savoury breakfast to kick start any day. Classic Benedict Two perfectly poached eggs on smoked ham and a toasted English muffin, topped with our famous hollandaise sauce and our Lyonnaise-style potatoes I love eggs benny, a...

We're back in Vancouver! As much as I was pleased to see the mountains, I fell in love with the hustle and bustle of Toronto. I never knew how much I missed the fast life until I went there. My sister was ready to disown me when I said it. 😂 When we landed in Vancouver, I told my husband that I wanted soup and/or rice, so we went to the airport's second floor (departure area, before security) and walked through the Food Hall at the Domestic Terminal. Unfortunately, there are no soup or rice, only sandwiches and burger. We walked all the way to the International Terminal and spotted Thai Hang. It's a Vietnamese stall. Grilled Lemongrass Chicken on Steamed Rice I took a bite of the juicy grilled chicken and a spoonful of rice and felt comforted. Then, I slurped the beef broth from the Pho Nam Bo Vien, which was perfect. The pho soup is the ultimate comfort meal a...

We're going back to Vancouver! Before that, we grabbed lunch from Caplansky's Delicatessen. I remember Zane Caplansky when watching Guy's Big Project . I remember rooting for him to win. When searching for places to eat in Toronto, I checked multiple sources like Anthony Bourdain , Michelin Guide , and Food Network shows like You Gotta Eat Here  (YGEH) and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (DDD). I had already ordered when I saw the DDD symbol on the menu. So hubby and I went for starred menu items, which indicates they are fan favourites. The Reubenesque I love a good Reuben sandwich, and it's something I use to eat at least once a week at PICA Blue Hat Cafe when I get free lunch from there, paid for by work. The Reubenesque Smoked meat, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, coleslaw, and grilled on rye The smoked meat was delicious, but I wish there was more Russian dressing because it was a bit dry in some sections. The Caplansky Burger 70% fresh ground beef and 30% smoked meat...