Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Happy Wednesday! I'm excited and a little anxious today because the Whitecaps are playing Inter Miami in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-finals. After work, we walked across the street to Fable Diner & Bar to catch the second half of the game with many fellow Whitecaps supporters. Thankfully, by some miracle, the Whitecaps won 3-1, which means they are moving on to the finals! During the game, my hubby ordered The Diner Burger with onion rings, while I went for the Vancity Salmon Burger with fries. The Diner Burger  from Fable Diner & Bar Smash burger, streaky bacon, sunny egg, onion rings, lettuce, garlic aioli, and potato bun Vancity Salmon Burger  from Fable Diner & Bar Grilled and smoked steelhead salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, onion and potato bum ...

My youngest sister absolutely fell in love with the Japanese curry from Yuu Japanese Tapas in Richmond, BC. She was insistent we have it delivered while I was spending the day visiting them. I was more than happy to oblige since I hadn't had Japanese curry in months, and Suika (my favorite spot for the dish) has been closed for more than six months! Yuu's version of the dish is great. They have a beef curry sauce base that comes with tender beef brisket, and I added pork cutlet as a topping. Curry Beef brisket on Rice topped with  Deep Fried Panko Bread Crumb Pork Cutlet from Yuu Japanese Tapas Suika is still my favourite but it's great to know that I can get curry in Richmond too.

Since my husband is attending a convention this weekend, I decided to have a date with my mom. We took the bus to Steveston. She requested that we enjoy seafood from Pajo's at their Rocky Point Park location. Pacific Wild Sockeye Salmond Fish and Chips from Pajo's at Rocky Point Park Fully flavoured, intense flavour profile with a meatier texture. Cooked in our signature tempura style batter, crisp, tender. Served with fresh cut fries and signature tartar sauce. I ordered my usual salmon fish and chips. Enjoying it outside with my mom under the beautiful sunshine, facing the water, was a truly wonderful moment. Thank God for my parents.

Last Thursday, I enjoyed avocado toast, so for Saturday brunch, I decided to get another one, this time from Freebird Table and Bar in Richmond, BC. Avocado Toast and Fruit  from Freebird Table and Bar Sourdough toast, crushed avocado, greens, pickled onions, spiced chickpeas, poached eggs, lemon dill yogurt, and seasonal fruit cup My husband is attending a convention at the Executive Hotel, and he kindly allowed me to stay in his room. While he was at his event, I savoured my avocado toast and orange juice from Freebird.

It's a big Thursday for Vancouver, BC. Messi and Inter Miami are in town for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Since we didn't get tickets to watch it at BC Place, we decided to grab a table at GoodCo Bars to enjoy the match. Nacho Man  from GoodCo Bars Mozzarella, cheddar, pickled Jalapeños, chipotle sour cream, black beans, and salsa fresca It's a two-hour affair, which means food! We started with the Nacho Man, the perfect starter while enjoying the first half of the match. Veggie Burger  from GoodCo Bars Mushroom and brown rice patty, lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, and herb mayo Then, I chose the delicious and healthy Veggie Burger, while hubby went for the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich. Mont...

Happy Thursday! For our team lunch, we headed to Meat & Bread nearby. At this point, I have tried almost all of their classic sandwiches: porchetta , buffalo chicken , and meatball .  I have also tried a couple limited-release sandwiches: pulled pork mac & cheese  and gyoza pulled pork .  Today, I chose their Steak Frites Sandwich. While it wasn't their best offering, the shoestring fries made it a tad too salty for my liking. Steak Frites Sandwich  from Meat & Bread Moist braised beef brisket pulled with a red wine jus, truffle butter, and crispy shoestring fries

Happy Thursday! For breakfast today, instead of my usual Tim Hortons, I decided to opt for a healthier (albeit pricier) choice: avocado toast from Tractor Foods. Avocado Toast from Tractor Foods Smashed avocado, sundried cherry tomatoes, pickled red onion, sprouts, everything crunch, and sourdough toast I love the sourdough toast and, of course, the creamy smashed avocado balanced by pickled red onion. It's a great start to the day.

Happy Thursday! Commemorating the Lord's Last Supper, a few church friends and I enjoyed a delightful dinner after mass at Ocean Goose in Kitsilano. I savoured the Atlantic Salmon Teriyaki, a beautifully pan-seared fillet glazed with a rich and savoury teriyaki sauce, served with steamed rice and some delicate seasonal vegetables. Atlantic Salmon Teriyaki  from Ocean Goose It comes with 1 scoop of rice and miso soup My husband opted for the Unagi Tendon, a classic Japanese rice bowl featuring tender pieces of grilled freshwater eel coated in a sweet and savoury sauce, served over a bed of fluffy rice and accompanied by a perfectly crisp tempura. Unagi Tendon from Ocean Goose 5 pieces Unagi, 1-piece prawn tempura on furikake rice This was my first time sharing a meal outside of church with fellow parishione...

Happy Thursday! The theme for our company-paid team lunch is Indonesian cuisine, but since our go-to Bali Bites food truck isn't parked nearby, we decided to go to Club Kitchen. It allows us to order from any restaurant that's part of the club. I went for Hello Nori when I saw they have a Salted Salmon Bento. It came with flame-grilled sockeye salmon on a bed of rice and shredded tamago (Japanese omelet). It also came with roasted edamame and goma-ae on the side. Salted Salmon Bento  from Hello Nori Assorted Rolls and Oshi from Hello Nori If that's not enough, the bento box came with a couple of each: Cucumber Roll Unagi Roll Toro Roll Spicy Shrimp Salmon Oshi Ebi Oshi It was a perfectly delicious lunch.

Happy Thursday! It's the day I usually indulge myself a little by getting a Tims wrap for breakfast. Today, when I opened the app, there was a new item: Scrambled Egg Loaded Box with your choice of sausage, bacon, double stacked (both sausage and bacon), or just eggs. Sausage Scrambled Egg Loaded Box from Tim Hortons  Sausage Scrambled Loaded Box from Tim Hortons  I chose sausage. The box came with two cut up hash browns, scrambled eggs, and crumbled sausage drizzled with their chipotle sauce. It's different and acceptable, but I'll stick to my wrap. I needed that tortilla to help with the sauce.

Happy Thursday! For our company-paid weekly team lunch, the chosen theme is Vietnamese cuisine. We decided to visit our old favourite, Pholicious. I tried their wonton noodle soup, and it's the perfect comfort food on a rainy day. Wonton Noodle Soup  from Pholicious For future reference, here is a list of dishes I have tried from Pholicious: House Special Pho Special Vermicelli Vegan Spring Roll Wonton Noodle Soup

We are breaking from our annual tradition. Every year during the first week of April, we visit our tax preparer to file our taxes. Afterward, we usually grab dinner at Kokoro Ramen. This year, we decided to go to DA LAT because it closes later. For sharing, we ordered one of the best spring rolls we've had in quite a while—perfectly crispy exterior filled with flavorful pork. Spring Rolls  from DA LAT Vietnamese Restaurant Deep-fried spring rolls filled with ground pork, taro, carrot, white onion, garlic, wood ear mushrooms, glass noodle served with Vietnamese sweetened fish sauce. I ordered my go-to Vietnamese dish: Beef Stew. It was satisfactory, with tender beef and good flavor. I wish the consistency were more stew-like than soupy. Beef Stew  from DA LAT Vietnamese Restaurant Steam jasmine rice; wh...

Happy Thursday! It's company-paid free lunch, and the theme for this week is Indian. We walked to the nearby Chakra Indian Restaurant, and I ordered chicken vindaloo with basmati white rice. Chicken Vindaloo  from Chakra Indian Restaurant It was the perfect balance of tangy and spicy. I finished the vindaloo but was able to take half of the rice home.