Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

It’s game day! Today we gathered at my parents' house to watch the Whitecaps Western Conference Finals against San Diego. It was a full house: my parents, my brother, my sister and her fiancé, and, of course, me and hubby! For the official game-day fuel, I had to order from the official pizza of the Whitecaps FC: the Canadian chain, Pizza Pizza! It's so fun to be with the whole family watching a high-stakes game, especially if they win (fingers crossed!). We kept the main event simple and classic with an X-Large Classic Cheese Pizza. But we went all out on the sides! We got Garlic Cheese Fingers, a huge basket of Single Onion Rings, Jalapeno Poppers, Double Curly Fries, and Tots with Peppercorn Ranch dip. Garlic Cheese Fingers from Pizza Our Garlic Cheese Fingers are baked to golden perfection, topped with melted mozzarella and a buttery garlic spread. Whether you're sharing or keeping them all to yourself, they're the ultimate sidekick to any...

For dinner tonight, we decided on some flame-grilled deliciousness and headed over to Nando's at their Davie Street location. We always love their signature peri peri chicken! Boneless Chicken Thigh  with Spiced Rice and PERI-Fries from Nando's Hubby went with the classic combo: the Two Boneless Thighs served with a side of Spiced Rice and PERI-Fries. Meanwhile, I opted for the Chicken Thigh Skewers, accompanied by sides of Golden Cauliflower and Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Chicken Thigh Skewers  with Golden Cauliflower and Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Nando's It was a great meal overall, but I have a few notes for my next visit (and for anyone else planning a trip!): Spice Level : I think the sweet spot is definitely the third level of spice (Medium or Hot, depending on how the...

When we visited Mexico City (CDMX) last June, one of the absolute best street foods we tried was esquite , or corn in a cup. We've been dreaming about it ever since! Tonight, as we were taking a cold winter walk to see the holiday lights at St. Paul's, we suddenly spotted a food cart called La Esquiteria! You know we had to stop and give it a try immediately. We ordered the classic Esquite and it was truly delicious! It uses the same white corn and comes mixed with broth and mayo. Instead of traditional cotija cheese, they use feta, which provided a similar satisfying salty, crumbly texture. Esquite (Corn in a Cup)  from La Esquiteria food cart The only difference from the CDMX version is the spice. In Mexico City, they add a spicy chili powder by default, but here at La Esquite, I had to do it myself and choose which specific spice to add. Even with that minor differen...

Happy Thursday! It was a chilly day, which meant the theme for team lunch could not have been more perfect: Ramen! We took a quick walk over to our usual spot, Jinya Ramen, which is always a reliable choice for a cozy lunch. I decided to branch out from my usual favorites and ordered the Chef's special of the month: the Creamy Classic Tori Paitan. Creamy Classic Tori Paitan  from JINYA Ramen Bar Chicken broth: chicken chashu, dehydrated tomato, enoki mushroom tempura, seared corn rib, spinach, butter and chili thread. Served with thick noodles. Wow, it was delicious! The broth was incredibly comforting and rich (exactly what I needed on a colder day). I especially enjoyed the unexpected addition of the dehydrated tomato. It provided a wonderful, tangy contrast to the rich, creamy texture of the tori paitan broth. Overall, this was a surprisingly successful and delicious Chef's special. Definitely one I recommend if it pops up again! I've had qu...

Today was a big day! We had a noon meeting with RBC to finalize our mortgage (huge relief!), and now we have about three hours to kill before BC Place opens its gates for the Whitecaps game. Our first stop for a mid-afternoon treat? The Belgian Chocolate Cafe! We've actually known about this cozy little spot for years, but we've never properly had the chance to stop by. It was the perfect little "hot chocolate date" to celebrate the mortgage finalization and fuel up for the game. Hot Chocolate from The Belgian Chocolate Cafe Butter Croissant  from The Belgian Chocolate Cafe For my order, I kept it classic with a Hot Chocolate and a perfectly flaky Butter Croissant. Hubby, naturally, went for something a bit sweeter, choosing the rich Hazelnut Hot Chocolate alongside a beautiful Pistachio Croissant...

Our company-paid team lunches are always fun because they come with a theme! Every week, we have a little contest: an employee posts a question, everyone enters a guess, and the person closest to the correct answer gets to pick the food theme for the following week. This week's winner chose Greek! We planned on ordering from The Greek in Yaletown, but Uber Eats was not cooperating (it completely shut down our order attempts!). That forced a last-minute pivot, and I'm so glad it did! Mix Shawarma Plate  from Mediterranean Grill Chicken, beef, and lamb with dill rice I quickly switched us over to Mediterranean Grill, and what a delicious save! I happily devoured my Mixed Meat Plate. It came with fluffy dill rice, a fresh salad, warm pita, and that essential cooling tzatziki. The portion was huge! I definitely had to box up some of the leftovers, which we happily enjoyed for d...

I keep having long days at work. I enjoy it, but I'm absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. For dinner, we stopped by Kinkura Sushi in Davie before walking home. Dinner at Kinkura Sushi + Sake I ordered a healthy Tofu Teriyaki while hubby got the Giant Chicken Katsu. Tofu Terkiyaki  from Kinkura Sushi + Sake I love their teriyaki tofu, especially the sautéed vegetables at the bottom that are covered in the teriyaki sauce. Hubby's katsu is huge, but we both think the pork version is better there. Giant Chicken Katsu from Kinkura Sushi + Sake For sharing, we ordered the Chef's Roll, which was totally unexpected. Instead of seaweed, they use a rice wrapper (like what you get on a Vietnamese summer roll). Inside is fresh sea...

The burger phase continues as hubby and I grabbed lunch at A&W today. Hubby went for the seasonal Mushroom Mozza Mama burger. While it doesn't look very appetizing, if you're a mushroom lover, this fast food burger is worth a try. Mushroom Mozzarella Mama Burger  from A&W Sink your teeth into the deliciousness of cremini mushrooms, real mozzarella cheese, grilled onions and grainy Dijon aioli, all topped on succulent grass-fed beef. Meanwhile, I got the Spicy Chicken Burger. Hubby said it looked a bit sad. I don't think there's any sauce on it. It was just a good chicken strip, tomato, and lettuce in between two soft buns. Spicy Chicken Burger  from A&W We got our usual side of onion rings and sweet potato fries. Below is a list of menu items we've tried from A&...

I'm going through a burger phase, which means ordering Smokehouse Burger from Browns Socialhouse when we had team lunch there today to welcome a new colleague. Smokehouse Burger  from Browns Socialhouse Cheddar, bacon, caramelized shallot, iceberg lettuce, tomato, pickle, BBQ sauce, and chipotle aioli The barbecue sauce was excellent in the burger, but I feel like Burger Crush ruined burgers for me. This is good, don't get me wrong, but it's not the best burger in the world.

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Happy Saturday! We attended Sunday's anticipated mass this evening and attended the Rising Hope Concert in support of Sancta Maria. Afterwards, we had dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant, focusing on their appetizers and getting one special roll. Ebi Katsu  from Masa Japanese Restaurant Deep fried breaded prawn with sauce We ordered their Ebi Katsu, Croquette, and Pork Gyoza. They're all delicious! The pork gyoza is crispy on the outside and perfectly seasoned on the inside, which contrasts the soft and sweet croquette. Then, fresh shrimp coated by panko breading. Croquette  from Masa Japanese Restaurant Deep fried breaded mashed squash with sauce Pork Gyoza  from Masa Japanese Restaurant Deep fried dumplings with pork Afterwar...

We received free burgers from Burger Crush the last time we dined here, and it's time to redeem them. For dinner tonight, we got a couple of single cheeseburgers with fries, and we also tried their vegan nuggets. The previous two visits to this spot, I got their 'Veggie Style' Cheeseburger and Vegan Cheeseburgers, and it's not even close to how great the beef Cheeseburger is! I'm not big on burgers in general (I don't crave them) because I always thought the ratio between patty and bun was off. This is the first one that I didn't have to take a sip of my drink between bites. I love it. Cheeseburger  from Burger Crush Brioche bun, smashed Canadian Angus beef patty, cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, and secret crush sauce Cheeseburger  from Burger Crush ...

I've had my eyes on the "Opening Soon" sign at the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop on Robson Street, and after what feels like a couple of years, they're finally open! For today's team lunch, the chosen theme is dumplings, and of course, we had to give this spot a try. Bacon Cheeseburger Fusion Dumpling  from Brooklyn Dumpling Shop I got their Bacon Cheeseburger dumpling, and it's so unusual that I don't know how to feel about it. It's deep-fried dumplings filled with beef. It doesn't really taste like a burger because there's no lettuce. There's supposed to be bacon, cheese, ketchup, and onion, but none of those flavours came through. Okay, maybe I did taste a bit of cheese, but it's still just all beef. I ordered their waffle fries as my side too, and it was alright. I'm willing to give them another try and will probably order one ...

I feel like a headless chicken at work, and a chicken sandwich from Popeyes seems like the perfect dinner. Spicy Chicken Sandwich  from Popeyes We ordered combo 1 and 2 from their menu, which are the Original Sandwich and Deluxe Sandwich, respectively. The Deluxe Sandwich comes with lettuce and tomatoes to make you feel less guilty for munching on crispy, juicy chicken. I got my Original Sandwich spicy while hubby went with a classic (i.e., no spice). Classic Deluxe Chicken Sandwich  from Popeyes We got it with a side of Cajun Fries and Onion Rings. It was a great dinner before grabbing groceries at Costco. Onion Rings  from Popeyes Below is a list of menu items we've tried from Popeyes. Cajun Fries Chicken Nuggets ...

It's a non-working statutory holiday in BC for Remembrance Day. We stayed at home for most of the morning, and after lunch we walked to Waves Coffee in their West Broadway location, where we spent the next two or so hours, during which I finished many of my blog posts. Today, we treated ourselves to two croissant dishes and two of their holiday drinks. I got the Spinach Ricotta Croissant and paired it with the White Matcha Latte, which is part of their Holiday Season menu. Spinach Ricotta Croissant  from Waves Coffee House A baked in-house croissant stuffed with a paste made of delicate buttery ricotta combined with fresh spinach and seasonings. White Matcha Latte  from Waves Coffee House Meanwhile, hubby chose the Eggnog Caramel Brûlée and paired it with their Croissandwich Sandwich. ...

Happy Sunday! With our usual after Mass breakfast, we tried all the Biscoff® and featured items on the Tim Hortons menu. We ordered the Biscoff® Latte, Biscoff® Boston Cream, and Biscoff® Croissant, plus we tried the Holiday Bear Donut, and Crème Brûlée Filled Timbit. Biscoff® Latte  from Tim Hortons Biscoff® Boston Cream from Tim Hortons The only Biscoff® item I'll order again is the Biscoff® croissant. The croissant is generously covered with the Biscoff® spread and the top has crushed biscuits too. The latte and Boston cream you can definitely skip. Biscoff® Croissant from Tim Hortons The Holiday Bear Donut is your chocolate donut designed with what's supposed to be a cute bear, but the mouth on mine is sliding off and the ears are n...

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.

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 ...