Pistachio Cream Puff and Sunshine Lemon Tea from Ele Cafe

After our Malaysian feast at John 3:16, we walked one block east to Ele Cafe for sweets and tea.

We sat in their corner booth, enjoying our tea served in a French press, which greatly amused my parents. It was quite funny!

Tea Time at Ele Cafe

They ordered tiramisu, which looked absolutely divine, while I ordered the last Pistachio Cream Puff. My dad had been eyeing my choice of dessert because, as he put it, it looked like a magnet. Hilarious!

Pistachio Cream Puff from Ele Cafe

This was a sweet way to end my special day, filled with love and surrounded by the people I cherish. I am reminded of how truly blessed I am. All glory to God. Thank you, Jesus.

Birthday Malaysian Feast at John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

For my birthday dinner celebration, I decided to enjoy Malaysian cuisine with the family, and to say that we ordered a lot is an understatement. My heart is filled with love and my tummy is filled with delicious Malaysian goodness. It was the first time my parents and siblings had tried Malaysian cuisine, and I was so happy with their reaction, especially my mom. She was so giddy and happy. Thank you, Mama, for giving birth to me!

Let's list down everything we ordered based on the order that they arrived at the table.

The first two dishes were the stir-fried Green Beans (our vegetarian dish) and Mamak Mee Goreng. I love the green beans stir-fried in shrimp paste. As Filipinos, we also used shrimp paste in some of our dishes, so this absolutely catered to our flavour profile.

Green Beans from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

My mom was mind blown by the Mamak Mee Goreng; it's a sweet and savoury fried noodle dish which really hit the spot.

Mamak Mee Goreng from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

After we nearly finished both dishes, the Chicken Satay and Beef Satay arrived with peanut sauce. We have our own version of skewered meat, but in the typical Filipino way, it’s sweet. This one is more savoury, but it was still a home run since I adore the peanut sauce.

Chicken Satay from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

Beef Satay from Malaysian Delights

Then, what became the favourite dish of the evening: Beef Rendang (our beef dish) arrived with steamed rice. When I first tried John 3:16 (I assume this is the restaurant name), I made a note to myself to order the Beef Rendang again, and it’s as delicious as ever with tender meat and rich, creamy curry sauce.

Beef Rendang from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

My other favourite arrived next: the Roti Canai came with a curry dip. My youngest sister described it as being like a flat croissant.

Roti Canai from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

Speaking of my youngest sister, we ordered two Ayam Goreng (fried chicken) – one just for her and the other to share among everyone else. The fried chicken worked so well with the Rendang sauce. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it.

Ayam Goreng from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

The last two dishes to get to the table were the Lamb Kapitan (our lamb dish) and Asam Curry Cod Fish. By the time they arrived, we were nearly full and out of rice. Both dishes were delicious, too. My brother specifically preferred the Asam Curry Cod Fish because even the mild version already had a nice kick to it.

Lamb Kapitan from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

Asam Curry Cod Fish from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights

Oh, and I also ordered their Kari Laksa, but it seems like I didn't take a photo, which is fine because I haven't tried it. I got it for my mom.

For the next time I come back to John 3:16, below is a list of dishes I've tried here so far.

• Asam Curry Cod Fish
• Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken)
• Beef Rendang
• Beef Satay
• Char Koay Teow
• Curry Chicken Puff
• Chicken Satay
• Green Beans (Stir-fried in shrimp paste)
• Kari Chicken
• Kari Laksa (For your mom/not yet tried by you)
• Lamb Kapitan
• Lor Bak
• Mamak Mee Goreng
• Nasi Goreng
• Nasi Lemak
• Roti Canai with curry sauce

Mr. Curry and Beef Curry from Mr. Japanese Curry

I was recently featured in the Employee Spotlight at work, and one of the questions they asked was, "What's your favorite food?" My answer: Curry. Japanese curry, Irish curry, Thai curry, Indian curry, Filipino curry - I absolutely love curry!

Beef Curry with Tonkatsu from Mr. Japanese Curry
Beef curry with stewed beef topped with sliced pork cutlet

Of course, for my birthday, Japanese curry is a must. Since my favorite Suika is still closed, we went to Mr. Japanese Curry instead, where I had my usual Beef Curry with Tonkatsu on top.

Mr. Curry from Mr. Japanese Curry
Beef curry with sliced grilled pork and onions in a homademade garlic soy sauce with fried shrimp, a hard boiled egg, and melted cheese

Hubby went for the namesake Mr. Curry and gave me a bite of each of the unique toppings. I am happy and in a food coma.

Eggel De Lox and Latkes Special from Solly's

It's my birthday! Thankfully, the Whitecaps FC doesn't have a game this weekend because they're through to the next round. Otherwise, it'll be another anxiety-filled birthday.

Matcha Latte from Solly's

Hot Chocolate from Solly's

I started my special day with Mass. I'm so grateful for the life and all the blessings I've received. Afterwards, we decided to walk along West Broadway and find a spot that we haven't tried that's already open at like 8:30 am. We reached Yukon with no luck.

Special Latkes from Solly's

I remember that we haven't tried the popular Solly's bagels. We stopped by and I finally got to try their Special Latkes (potato pancakes) and I got my "usual" bagel order of lox and since it's breakfast the Eggel De Lox was the right choice in between an everything bagel.

Eggel De Lox from Solly's
Solly's Eggel with spinach, red onions, dill cream cheese, topped with melted edam, & a piece of lox on top

Eggel De Lox from Solly's
Eggel De Lox from Solly's Solly's Eggel with spinach, red onions, dill cream cheese, topped with melted edam, & a piece of lox on top

It was so messy to eat, like wow. All the salmon, tomatoes, and egg fell out. It's a me problem. The salty savoury combination paired perfectly with my sweet hot chocolate.

Cheese Muffin from Solly's

I also got their cheese muffin because it looked so good in the display window. The texture reminded me of cheese cupcakes I enjoy in the Philippines growing up, but this one is not sweet.

Sham Style (XL) and Manoush'eh Special from Manoush'eh

This spot has been on my list of food to try in Vancouver. Manoush'eh on Davie between Granville and Seymour has a 4.9 Google Maps rating, so I went to check out how good it is. We weren't sure what to try, but there's a section of their menu called Soul of Damascus. I knew we were going to get the Manoush'eh Special because the restaurant name is in it.

The second choice was difficult since we were unsure. Hubby called it, and we got the Sham Style (XL), which is first on the list. When in doubt, always go for the top of the list.

Both items were top-notch in such a way that the bread/dough is the star, and they can get creative with their toppings.

Sham Style (XL) from Manoush'eh
Akawi cheese with parsley, sesame and black seeds

Personally, I enjoyed the Sham Style. The Akawi-style cheese is like mozzarella in flavor and worked so well with the random bites of sesame and black seeds.

Manoush'eh Special from Manoush'eh
Spiced ground beef on house-made flatbread topped with hot pepper paste, tomatoes, minced onions, pickles parsley, tahini sauce, and pomegranate molasses

The Manoush'eh Special is a perfect balance of savory and a little bit of spiciness. Okay, it was a lot of spicy. I love both dishes together because the Sham Style tones down the heat of the Manoush'eh Special.

Smokey BBQ Veggie Burger from Blaze Gourmet Burgers

For company-paid team lunch, the chosen theme is burgers. Since it's gloomy outside, we got burgers delivered from Blaze.

I went for the healthy choice of Smokey BBQ Burger with a lettuce wrap and veggie (harvest) patty. It was so good. I can't even describe how perfect the crunchy lettuce covered in sweet barbecue sauce was.

Smokey Blaze with veggie (harvest) patty and lettuce wrap from Blaze Gourmet Burgers
Pepper Jack cheese, double smoked bacon, crispy onion frites, lettuce, tomato, smokey BBQ, and blaze sauce

I also ordered a side of their spiral (curly) fries, which were perfectly seasoned too.

Curly Fries from Blaze Gourmet Burgers

For reference, below is a list of what I've tried from Blaze.

• Blaze Beef n' Bacon Poutine
• Classic Blaze with beef patty and regular bun
• Classic Blaze with veggie (harvest) patty and lettuce wrap
• Mushroom Lovers
• Smokey Blaze with veggie (harvest) patty and lettuce wrap
• Spicy Fries

Tantuni Bread and Lahmacun from Caspian Flame

Happy Monday! Today, we attended a Memorial Mass at Church, where we took the time to remember our dearly departed and offer prayers for their souls.

Afterward, my husband and I finally got to try Caspian Flame, a relatively new restaurant in town. This location was previously occupied by Bob Likes Thai Food, which closed down for a while before being replaced by Chicko Chicken. I'm not sure how long Chicko Chicken lasted, but now Caspian Flame has taken its place.

Since we're not familiar with Turkish food, we ordered dishes that looked appealing to us, and we were not disappointed.

Tantuni Bread from Caspian Flame
Juicy chopped AAA beef with tomato, red onion, & parsley, tucked in warm bread. Served with lemon and spicy chili pepper

Tantuni Bread from Caspian Flame
Juicy chopped AAA beef with tomato, red onion, & parsley, tucked in warm bread. Served with lemon and spicy chili pepper

We started with the Tantuni Bread, a sandwich filled with beef, and the Lahmacun, a flatbread topped with veal.

Lahmacun from Caspian Flame
Crispy thin flatbread topped with spiced ground veal, red onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Traditionally served with lemon, fresh parsley, and onion garnish.

Lahmacun from Caspian Flame
Crispy thin flatbread topped with spiced ground veal, red onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Traditionally served with lemon, fresh parsley, and onion garnish.

The winner in both dishes was the quality of the dough, both in the bun and the crust. I highly recommend supporting this local business and giving them a try.

All-Canadian Slam and Country-Fried Steak & Eggs from Denny's

Happy Sunday! After Mass, we decided to take some time and enjoy brunch at Denny's.

Country-Fried Steak & Eggs from Denny's
A Southern fried chopped beef steak smothered in rich country gravy. Served with two fresh eggs, crispy hash browns and toast

I ordered the Country-Fried Steak & Eggs, and it was delicious covered in gravy. I remember trying this the very first time I visited Denny's in Richmond, and it was so salty that I avoided Denny's ever since. However, the Denny's in their West Broadway location is definitely better than the location in Richmond.

All-Canadian Slam from Denny's
Three scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese blend, two bacon strips, two all-pork sausage links, crispy hash browns, and toast

Hubby went for the Canadian Slam. I'm unsure what makes it "Canadian" exactly, but it came with scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese blend, two bacon strips, pork sausage links, hash browns, and toast.

Build Your Own Sampler from Denny's
Bacon Cheddar Tots, Wavy-Cut Fries, and Onion Rings

For sharing, we got a Build Your Own Sampler with Loaded Bacon and Cheddar Tots, Wavy-Cut Fries, and Onion Rings. It's so great to snack on these while watching the second quarter of the NFL games on TV.

For reference, below is everything we've tried from Denny's / Bar One.

Signature Slams

• All-Canadian Slam / All-Canadian Diner Breakfast
• Lumberjack Slam

Signature Breakfasts

• Country-Fried Steak & Eggs
• Breakfast Poutine

Denny's Bennies

• Classic Benny / Classic Eggs Benedict
• Southwestern Benny
• Denny's Bennies Prime Rib

Savoury Omelettes

• Ultimate Omelette

Premium Pancakes

• Choconana Pancake Breakfast
• Hearty 9-Grain Pancake

Shareable Starters

• Zesty Chipotle Nachos
• Build Your Own Sampler (Bacon Cheddar Tots, Wavy-Cut Fries, and Onion Rings)
• Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Desserts

• Cookies and Cream Cake
• Pecan Pie

Comforting Dinners

• Slow-Cooked Pot Roast
• Turkey & Dressing Dinner / Turkey Dinner

No Longer In the Menu?

• Brisket Poutine 
• Cheesy Tot Tower
• Fettuccini Marinara
• Loaded BBQ Chicken Tots
• Loaded Nachos
• Salted Caramel & Banana Cream Pancake 
• Thai Chili Chicken Bites

Beef Curry Buns and Pineapple Red Bean Buns from Anna's Bakery

After a long day of viewing houses, I'm absolutely famished. In desperation, we saw Anna's Bakery in Lansdowne, where we're meeting my parents.

Beef Curry Bun from Anna's Bakery inside Lansdowne Centre

I went for the savoury curry beef bun while hubby got the sweet pineapple bun with red bean.

Pineapple with Red Bean from Anna's Bakery

Of course, he chose the better one. I think my curry beef will be awesome once heated up, but there's no time for that since I'm starved.

Mocha and Savoury Waffle from Dose Coffee

Happy Saturday morning! We attended Mass first thing today for All Saints' Day. Then, we waited for Dose Coffee to open at 9:00 a.m. It's our first time here! I went for a dark mocha while hubby got the Nutella mocha. I didn't get any photos because it was raining, and we decided to bring them home.

Spinach and Cheese Waffles from Dose Coffee

We also got their spinach and cheese waffles, which were fresh from the waffle maker. I saw the barista pull them out! We paired our drinks with the waffles, and I made grilled cheese too. We have a busy day ahead with open houses and running errands.