#MyBridgesMemory Last Lunch at Bridges Restaurant

Bridges Restaurant in Granville Island will be closing its doors this weekend. Tomorrow is their last day of operation. After renovations, the iconic yellow building will be the new home of Tap and Barrel Bridges.

My Bridges Restaurant Memories

I moved to Canada in 2015, and my first full-time job was at the building by the entrance of Granville Island. According to my Swarm App, I have been to Bridges Restaurant seven times (before today).

First Promotion

My first time at Bridges was when I had lunch with our CEO last April 2018. He told me the fantastic news that I will be the new manager of our Vancouver office. I was shaking with excitement, joy, and fear all at the same time.

I wanted to cry after our meal as we were walking back into the office. You see, I was underemployed for nine months after I arrived in Canada. I got married in October 2017, and my hubby was unable to work right away until we get his work permit. It was a challenging time financially and emotionally. 

The news I received that day while enjoying a delicious meal at the patio of Bridges Restaurant is something I will always be grateful for.

Farewell Dinner

A month after my first visit (May 2018) - I am back at Bridges Restaurant to have a farewell and thank-you dinner for my first manager in Canada. He is a great manager and a wonderful human being.

Acquisition Celebration Dinner

The third time I was in Bridges Restaurant was a year later (May 2019). Our company just got acquired! It's an exciting and scary time for the company, but we celebrated the acquisition that evening.

Meeting New Colleagues

After the acquisition, we had many new colleagues, and some of them even visited us in Vancouver. For one team lunch, we enjoyed a meal at Bridges. It's the ultimate Vancouver experience - good food with amazing views.

Customer Meeting

Our office is isolated, meaning we only communicate with our customers over the phone or by email. The one exception is when a customer from Israel is on a series of business trips to meet their suppliers worldwide, which means a short stop in Vancouver. So my colleagues and I agree that they deserve to see and experience Bridges Restaurant.

Lunch with Parents

On a random stressful Friday, my parent's dropped by Granville Island, and we had lunch at Bridges Restaurant because I just knew my mom would love it - the view, the ambiance, and the food.

Celebrating Anniversary

Hubby and I got married twice - once in Canada and a second time in the Philippines. We celebrated our first Catholic wedding anniversary with a beautiful summer dinner in Bridges Restaurant.

Thank You Lunch

Thank you, Bridges Restaurant, for all the beautiful memory. I will miss the cozy yet sophisticated ambiance, delightful staff, and good food.

For lunch today, I made a reservation for 12:30 PM for a table outside. It was a beautiful sunny day! We were almost late because we decided to take a stroll along the seawall from Cambie Bridge.

Vancouver is so beautiful.

Kat is the name of our lovely server today. She told us that Bridges is closing and it's the last weekend. She also mentioned the items that are no longer available.

Nachos with Cajun Chicken
Menu Description: Tortilla chips, cheddar, mozzarella, cotija, corn and black bean salsa, cilantro, banana peppers, sour cream, avocado crema, and Valentina hot sauce.

For sharing, we ordered the Nachos with cajun chicken. Hubby and I enjoyed the cheesy goodness while discussing upcoming projects and planning for the future.

I ordered the Spicy Tuna Burger (the sesame lemongrass crust was amazing!) with french fries while hubby ordered the Grilled Steak (it was delicious!).

Spicy Tuna Burger

Spicy Tuna Burger
Menu Description: Seared ahi tuna, sesame lemongrass crust, avocado, cucumber, spicy miso mayo, crispy onion, and pickled onions.

Grilled Steak
Menu Description: 6 oz sirloin steak, truffle chive butter, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables

To finish things up, I ordered a double scoop of gelato (because the Milk Chocolate Brownie is not available). Meanwhile, hubby ordered the Pecan Caramel Cheesecake.

Espresso and Chocolate Gelato

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake
Menu Description: New York cheesecake, candied pecans, and caramel sauce

Tap and Barrel Bridges

The iconic yellow building in Granville Island will be the new home of Tap and Barrel Bridges. According to Kat, the renovations will take around six months, and they expect to open late spring or early summer next year.

This photo of the Bridges Restaurant and Granville Island Public Market was taken last May 9, 2021, when we were walking along Burrard Bridge.

Lunch at Pho 37

It's a busy Saturday for hubby and me (and my beautiful parents, who helped us with our errands today).

We decided (just a week ago) to send a balikbayan box to my in-laws in the Philippines. It's our first time doing such a thing, and we have no idea what to get and how to do it, but we chugged along.

We started the day in Costco, where we purchased many things we think they're going to enjoy - a personal favourite is the box of 40 (10 pieces of 4 different hot chocolates!). Of course, we also got the usual like Spam, body soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Then, we head to Superstore. I shopped for our food for the week since I am not getting HelloFresh delivery this week. Hubby also got tea and chips (limited edition Pringles and ketchup flavour chips), which we can include in the box.

Before heading to lunch, we stopped by Manila Cargo Express to buy a balikbayan box and ask about the process of sending a package and its costs.

Then, we drove all the way to Ironwood for lunch because my parents love Pho37.

11. Special Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Dac Biet)
Special beef noodle soup with medium-rare beef sliced, beef brisket, meatballs, tendon and tripe.

The soup is much sweeter than what I am used to from other pho places. The combination plate (especially the spring rolls) was good, but I thought the one from Thai Son near Walmart was better. Though, the desserts are delicious! The next time we're back in the Ironwood area, I'll ask my parents to try the nearby Chinese Restaurant.

32. Lemongrass chicken, spring rolls, and minced shrimp on sugarcane with rice

1. Regular Spring Rolls

Deep-fried Banana

After our late lunch, we went back to my parent's place to pack and finalize the balikbayan box. Unfortunately, it was too late to drop it off at the Manila Cargo Express warehouse, so we headed home, and my parents will drop it off on Monday.

When we got home, we had to unpack all our groceries from both the Superstore and Costco. It was an exhausting day, but I am grateful.

Week 3 of HelloFresh

This is the third week that a HelloFresh Box arrived at our home. I went a little crazy and ordered five different dishes.

Zucchini and Lemon Linguine with Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese
HelloFresh Description: We love zucchini all year long here at HelloFresh, and this dish combines some of our favourite flavours. Sweet snap peas, zucchini and basil pesto combine in this delicious linguine pasta! A little squeeze of lemon at the end brings the whole dish together!

My favourite part of this dish is the pesto and goat cheese combination. After enjoying this for dinner, I told hubby we could totally make this again!

Chicken Tikka Masala with Peppers and Garlic Rice
HelloFresh Description: Bold tikka masala and creamy coconut milk coat tender chicken and sweet peppers in this quick and easy curry! The aromas will make you want to dig in before this hits the table.

I hate this dish! Ugh! Why? It's making me eat more rice than I should. It's so creamy and delicious.

Mediterranean Falafel Sandwich with Tzatziki and Side Salad
We're celebrating veggie night with this Mediterranean-inspired sandwich! Packed with pan-fried falafel, creamy hummus, briny pickles, spring mix and tzatziki, it checks off every flavour box!

This is an unfortunate meal. The falafel for the falafel sandwich wasn't inside the box. So I had to be resourceful and use the frozen meatballs we had in the fridge. Well, the hummus was delicious.

Chinese-Style Beef Bowl with Garlic-Ginger Rice and Green Veggies
HelloFresh Description: Chili Garlic Sauce adds a spicy and zesty kick to this bountiful beef bowl. Taking a pic for the 'gram? #putaneggonit!

My only regret with this dish is not adding the whole packet of chilli garlic sauce it came with. It's sweeter than I'd like, so the chilli garlic sauce would have been a big help.

Carb Smart Tagliata Steak Salad with Basil Pesto and Arugula
Fresh Italian flavours, without the starch. Hearty steak, drizzled with sweet balsamic vinegar, tops a zesty salad with a pesto dressing. Steak and Parmesan bring lots of protein to the table in this satiating supper. Carb Smart is based on a per serving calculation of the recipe's carbohydrate amount.

The best part about this dish is the zucchini covered in basil pesto. It's so delicious!

Random Thoughts

Looking at the pictures of the dishes this week, I can't believe how much more vegetables and greens I'm eating since using HelloFresh. We still do our once-a-week grocery, but it's mostly for bread and frozen items we can enjoy for meals that we don't have HelloFresh. We (two-person) enjoyed all five dishes for eight of our meals outlined below:

1. Saturday Dinner: Carb Smart Tagliata Steak Salad with Basil Pesto and Arugula
2. Sunday Lunch: Chinese-Style Beef Bowl with Garlic-Ginger Rice and Green Veggies
3. Sunday Dinner: Mediterranean Falafel Sandwich with Tzatziki and Side Salad
4. Monday Dinner: Chicken Tikka Masala with Peppers and Garlic Rice
5. Tuesday Lunch: Chinese-Style Beef Bowl with Garlic-Ginger Rice and Green Veggies
6. Tuesday Dinner: Zucchini and Lemon Linguine with Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese
7.  Wednesday Lunch: Chicken Tikka Masala with Peppers and Garlic Rice
8. Thursday Lunch: Zucchini and Lemon Linguine with Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese

As you can see from the list, I divided the meals, so essentially, we only eat half the serving for some of the meals. This is intentional for diet purposes. It is difficult to lose weight, especially for someone like me who loves food, so HelloFresh helps with my health journey.

HelloFresh Promo Code!

For a limited time (until September 29), save $100 with my code HS-PAL5157JZ!

* This offer entitles you to a total of $100 off HelloFresh: $50 off your first box + free shipping, $20 off second, $20 off third. Upon redemption, you will be enrolled in an auto-renewing subscription which you may cancel at any time, in accordance with our terms & conditions. Delivery fees may apply for subsequent orders. Please check HelloFresh.ca/FAQ for more information.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee

It's that time of the month when Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee changed their limited-edition cheesecake from Mango to Peanut Butter, and of course, we went there to enjoy a slice. It's much sweeter than I like, but it tastes like peanut butter.

I wonder if they can make a PB & J cheesecake.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Happy Saturday!

Dinner at MASA Japanese Restaurant

Happy rainy Saturday in Vancouver!

After Mass today, we decided to have dinner somewhere that serves soup (i.e. pho or ramen or anything with noodles). I had a dentist appointment recently, and they just placed a temporary crown, and I am paranoid that it will crack, so I thought noodles would be soft enough not to cause any damage. Also, I am not allowed to eat anything crunchy (like chips), hard (like nuts and candy), and sticky (like gum). So, except for the chips, I don't eat nuts, candy, or gum regularly. We also changed our diet recently, and we don't buy chips anymore.

Anyway, as we were walking from the Church to our home, we kept pointing at different restaurants and whether they had noodles and if we had eaten there recently. So that went on until we reached MASA Japanese Restaurant.

Volcano Roll (Salmon)
Menu Description: Deep fried spicy salmon roll with spicy salad and sauce

I love the Volcano Roll; it was spicy good! Though, to be fair, I think I enjoyed all the rolls we've tried so far, like Crispy Jumbo Dynamite Roll, Devil's Kiss, Masa Aburi Cheese Monster Roll, and Knights of the Round Table.

Miso Chashu Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

Delicious ramen to warm the body and soul on this relatively cold night.

Week 2 of HelloFresh

Happy Saturday! I can't believe this is the second week of us ordering from HelloFresh. I now understand better why people enjoy the service so much. We get to enjoy restaurant-quality recipes for a fraction of a cost. The best part for me is the nutritional information and good portions. I divide all serving into two, which solves lunch and dinner, plus I only eat half of the calories.

Bacon and Mushroom Linguine with Spinach and Thyme
HelloFresh Description: Velvety mushrooms and smoky bacon are a savoury match made in pasta heaven! A cheesy and creamy final touch will take your taste buds to new heights.

Cal Smart Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey and Parmesan
HelloFresh Description: The soup we all know and love has gotten a Cal Smart makeover! All of the classic players are here, with DIY, herbed turkey sausage mix and a deliciously hearty mix of veg and pasta. This is sure to please!

Mediterranean Gnocchi with Bocconcini and Oregano
HelloFresh Description: Gnocchi gets a Grecian makeover! Fluffy pan-fried gnocchi get tossed with salty feta, tomatoes, spinach and fresh bocconcini for a Greek pasta upgrade! All we can say is "Opa!"

All three dishes were surprisingly delicious, and I didn't need an oven for any of them (I don't have an oven). Plus, hubby has been super helpful in preparing all three dishes, and it's such a great bonding time.

We both work from home, and after office hours, we would do a YouTube cardio video for exercise, then prepare our HelloFresh dinner. I save half for lunch the following day and enjoy the rest for dinner that night.

Thank God for allowing us to work and earn to be able to afford this service.

Want to try HelloFresh?

For a limited time (until September 29), save $100 with my code HS-PAL5157JZ!

* This offer entitles you to a total of $100 off HelloFresh: $50 off your first box + free shipping, $20 off second, $20 off third. Upon redemption, you will be enrolled in an auto-renewing subscription which you may cancel at any time, in accordance with our terms & conditions. Delivery fees may apply for subsequent orders. Please check HelloFresh.ca/FAQ for more information.

Dinner: First time trying Popeyes

Happy Saturday and Labour Day Long Weekend.

We spent most of the day at my parent's place in Richmond, BC, and their apartment is close to a Popeyes and a Church's Chicken. I want to do a fried chicken battle between the two fried chicken fast-food chains, but to get things started, I ordered from Popeyes tonight. We ordered for delivery with UberEats.

Popeyes Feast

As you can see from the picture above, I ordered a lot. I ordered 8 pieces Bonafide Chicken Family Meal (half mild and half spicy), large cajun gravy, three chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, cajun fries, mashed potatoes and gravy, onion rings, and 8 pieces of New Nugget. Plus, they gave us five biscuits.

Bonafide Chicken Family Meal 

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

8 pieces nuggets

Signature Sides: Cajun Fries, Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Fries, Biscuits, Onion Rings, and Macaroni and Cheese

As I write this blog post, I haven't tried the spicy fried chicken, so I can't comment yet if I like it better than the one from Church's. However, I can tell their biscuits are using salted butter, and the texture is my favourite of all the ones I have tried so far.

The Spicy Chicken Sandwich was delicious. It was spicy, and the chicken was big. Unfortunately, I can't deliver it to our home in Vancouver; otherwise, I will order one chicken sandwich from KFC, Church's, and Popeyes.

My favourite side is Macaroni and Cheese. Unfortunately, the Onion Rings and Cajun Fries didn't arrive crispy, which is unfortunate. However, the Cajun Gravy is the surprise; it was sweeter than I expected.

Overall, a good experience from Popeyes. However, there are many good fried chicken restaurants in Metro Vancouver, so I don't think I'll crave Popeyes anytime soon.

Trying HelloFresh Again

Last September 2020, I wrote a post on why HelloFresh doesn't work for my household. This week we gave HelloFresh another shot because I'm on a "diet," and HelloFresh provides nutritional information that helps manage my food intake.

I address each counterpoint below.

1. Hack to make HelloFresh feel less expensive

This time I ordered 3 meals per week for 2 persons. I still think it's expensive, but I found a hack that will make it more tolerable. The serving portion and calories for each meal are big (when you're on a diet), so I divide each meal into four instead of dividing each meal into the recommended two. We eat half for dinner, and the rest I put in the fridge for lunch the following day. This technique allows me to stay under my calorie intake, making spending for HelloFresh more acceptable. 

It solves both lunch and dinner! If you're working from home and have to think about meals and household chores between calls with customers, it's quite stressful and overwhelming, so solving both lunch and dinner definitely helps.

3 meals for 2 people

Price per serving: $11.49

Shipping: $9.99

Total Price: $78.93

When you sign up using this link, you will get $90 off.

2, 3, and 4. Choose better recipes

In the previous post, I said it's too much effort. However, I realized that if I choose dishes that don't need many utensils, the effort is not too bad. Plus, hubby helps with cutting the vegetables and our way to bond in the kitchen.

The recipes we chose this week were delicious. Better than the experience a year ago, so I am excited to try more dishes.

Cantonese-style Noodles with Beyond Meat
I love the sauce and the crunchy vegetables. It's delicious!

Not Nonna's Chicken Cacciatore with Cavatappi and Basil
My favourite part of the dish is the chicken!

Summer Turkey Bolognese
My least favourite of all the three dishes this week.

5. Packaging

They have improved packaging a lot. For some reason, it felt like there's less waste this time around. Or I just chose recipes that don't have a lot of plastic.

I will continue using HelloFresh, but I need to balance using it and our weekly grocery run. Also, I have a small fridge and don't have an oven, so managing my limited space is always a concern.

Lunch at Viet Flavour Restaurant

One of our after-work entertainment is watching Mikey Chen and Strictly Dumplings on YouTube. In the most recent video we watched, he enjoyed a bowl of pho and other Vietnamese dishes. Thus, we decided to go to the closest Vietnamese restaurant to our place: Viet Flavour Restaurant.

We used to have Express Pho a couple blocks away, but it has closed down to give way for the new sky train station.

Today, we ordered two main dishes, an appetizer, and a dessert.

Pho Dac Biet
Special beef noodle soup (pho) with rare beef, brisket, beef balls, and tripe

Delicious!

It's so delicious I want to cry. I tried adding Sriracha to see its flavour, and I am not a fan of adding it to my pho. It adds heat, but that's about it. I love my pho bowl as is.

Com Suon, Cha, Cha Gio
Grilled lemongrass pork, chicken, and spring roll on rice

This is hubby's order. Of course, I would order my favourite beef stew if he ordered pho, but that's just a good reason to come back.

Cha Gio
Vietnamese deep-fried pork spring rolls

It's hard to go wrong with spring rolls. It's crunchy outside and porky inside.

Kem chuoi Chien
Ice cream fried banana

The dessert is like our turon from the Philippines, but without the sugar coating on the spring roll wrapper.

Overall, Viet Flavour Restaurant is a great source of Vietnamese food. I'll come back to try their Vietnamese beef stew.

The Brownie Bakers at Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF)

The South Granville Business Improvement Association (SGBIA) organized Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF). Every Friday and Saturday from 11 in the morning until 8 in the evening from June through Labour Day, there will be a rotating lineup of food trucks located along West 10th Avenue at Fir Street in front of the Vancouver School Board building.

Trying to catch a food truck is always a challenge. We went to TGIF today in hopes of enjoying dinner from The Jerk Shack. Unfortunately, when we got there at 6:30 PM, they're already gone. That said, we saw The Brownie Bakers. Thankfully, they have more brownie flavours still available, so I ordered one of each available flavour.

Three different brownie flavours from The Brownie Bakers

I mentioned in my previous, and I will reiterate that their brownie is fudgier (cake-like?) and quite different from brownies from stores. I should bring some for my youngest sister since she bakes brownies just to see what she thinks.

Plain Chocolate Brownie

We can only eat two bronies tonight, so as suggested by the nice lady selling at The Brownie Bakers, we placed our Plain Chocolate Brownie in the fridge. I can't wait to put it in the microwave tomorrow.

Classic Toasted Walnuts Brownie

I love desserts with varying textures - fudgy browny and chewy walnuts are a good combination.

Oreo Brownie

My favourite so far from The Brownie Bakers is surprisingly the Oreo. It's slightly better than the Classic because some Oreo cookies are still crunchy while others are creamy. Every bite has a different texture. It's so exciting to eat.

TGIF is almost over, and I'll miss the food trucks, but I can't wait to slowly eat my way around South Granville and along West Broadway.

Lunch from Kulinarya Filipino Eatery

Today is my third time ordering from Kulinarya Filipino Eatery, and we have enjoyed all their dishes so far. Today we ordered three dishes and two desserts.

Lunch delivery from Kulinarya Filipino Eatery

For lunch, we enjoyed the fried Daing na Bangus and Kaldereta. Then, we'll have the Batil Patong in the next couple of days. For desserts, we ordered Ube (purple yam) Brownie and Cassava Cake.

Batil Patong
Menu Description: From Roy's hometown, Tuguegarao. Stir fry egg noodles, pork belly, egg, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and ground beef

It is the reason I love trying new dishes. Batil Patong is so delicious, and I hadn't heard of it before hubby pointed it out in the Kulinarya Filipino Eatery menu. It's saucy, and as you can see from the picture, the serving is tremendous - definitely good for sharing.

Daing na Bangus
Boneless milkfish with tomato and onion Ensalada

The Ensalada is so delicious, and of course, boneless milkfish is my favourite fish from the Philippines.

Beef Kaldereta
Hearty beef stew in a tomato-based sauce with potatoes and vegetables

The Beef Kaldereta is spicy and delicious, but the serving size is the smallest among all the things we have ordered from Kulinarya Filipino Eatery. But what it lacks in serving size, it makes up in flavour.

Ube Brownie
Purple yam brownie

Hubby and I can't decide if we liked it or not. It does have a nice ube flavour, and it's not overly sweet, but it feels more like a pudding than a brownie, and I think they should serve it with ube ice cream.

Cassava Cake
Pudding made of freshly grated cassava, egg, coco milk, and sugar

I enjoyed the cassava cake. The top has the texture of egg pie, while the cake itself is moist. The inside is filled with cassava. It's delicious. At this point, we have tried four out of the five desserts that Kulinarya has to offer. I'll wait for Leche Flan to be at DoorDash, and we'll order that next.

I also can't wait to visit them in person.

Food Daddy Persian Cuisine at Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF)

The South Granville Business Improvement Association (SGBIA) organized Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF). Every Friday and Saturday from 11 in the morning until 8 in the evening from June through Labour Day, there will be a rotating lineup of food trucks located along West 10th Avenue at Fir Street in front of the Vancouver School Board building.

Happy Saturday! I am going to let you in on a little secret. I started dieting again, and do you have any idea how hard it is to diet when you love good, delicious food? That's why the number of posts has slowed down this August because preparing meals at home would allow me to control portions and ingredients.

That said, it's my goal to try as many food trucks as I could that's part of TGIF. Yesterday, they announced on Instagram that a new food truck is going to be participating today. Hence, we had lunch from Food Daddy Persian Cuisine.

Food Daddy Persian Cuisine

We ordered Food Daddy Plate, which means we get to try all meat on top of fluffy, soft, perfectly cooked rice and a Falafel Plate.

Food Daddy Plate

Hubby and I shared the Food Daddy Plate. The portions are perfect for sharing. If I wasn't on a diet, I would eat the Food Daddy Plate all by myself, even though there's a lot of it. 😂 I highly recommend the beef out of all the three meat, but they're all delicious.

Falafel Plate

The Falafel is a bit dry but perfect with rice. I weighed everything, and the most surprising thing is there's half a kilogram of white rice in the Food Daddy Plate. It's essentially close to two cups of rice, and on a normal day, we only eat a half cup of rice.

Overall, the food is delicious.

We went to TGIF last night too, but it was at 7:00 PM, and Cazba already left. 😞 Oh well, it was good for the diet, though, since we end up having oatmeal and banana for dinner instead.