Salmon Family Bibimbap at Suika

After breakfast at Tim Hortons and Sunday Mass, we bought gifts for my parents, siblings, and our secret Santa at home.

Then, we had lunch at my favourite Suika. This is probably the last time we'll be here for the year, and this has become a happy place for me.

Hubby tried the Salmon Family Bibimbap on the Chef's Special menu. It was surprisingly delicious.

Salmon Family Bibimbap
Flaked salmon, ikura, and kanimiso butter served in a hot stone bowl. Topped with crispy salmon skin.

We love crispy fish, and this is awesome. I wish there was egg on top to maintain the bibimbap feel, but the stone bowl and crispy rice at the bottom are perfect.

Signature Beef Curry with tonkatsu (pork loin cutlet)
Suika original stewed beef tendon curry.

Meanwhile, I ordered my usual Chicken Dashi Karaage and Signature Beef Curry with Tonkatsu, and this time with extra curry sauce on the side. 🤤

Chicken Dashi Karaage
Juicy deep-fried chicken thigh, crispy on the outside and filled with rich dashi shoyu flavour

After lunch, it's still snowing outside but not as heavily as in the morning.

Sausage Breakfast Sandwich from Tim Hortons

Happy Sunday! We woke up at 7:00 AM to watch the World Cup Finals. Congratulations Argentina! We saw a few centimetres of snow on the ground when we opened our window blinds. Hubby took out our snow boots so we could proceed with the day.

It's snowing in Vancouver!

Our first stop is Tim Hortons for breakfast. I usually don't post about my Tims breakfast anymore, but since it was snowing outside, it seems like a good idea to write and share my photos.

"There's Snowplace like Tims" Holiday Cup

I love the Tims holiday slogan, "There's snowplace like Tims," and it's snowing outside. You might think I'm crazy for getting so excited about the snow, but we occasionally see it in Vancouver, and I still feel a childlike wonder when I see snowflakes fall on the ground.

Sausage Breakfast Sandwich and Coffee from Tim Hortons

After breakfast, we slowly walked to Church for Sunday Mass.

Baklava and Turkish Tea and Coffee from The Golden Horn Turkish Bakery and Cafe

Happy Sunday morning! My husband and I planned to visit the Vancouver Christmas Market today. Unfortunately, we arrived an hour early before they opened. While waiting, we walked around the Convention Center to look for a place to hang out and spotted The Golden Horn Turkish Bakery and Cafe, which sells Turkish Tea, Turkish Coffee, and assorted baklavas.

Assorted baklava, Turkish Coffee, and Turkish Tea from The Golden Horn Turkish Bakery and Cafe

We ordered one of each baklava available on display, one Turkish Tea for me and Turkish Coffee for my husband. This is the best baklava I've had. They're not overly sweet and, more importantly, not stale.

Left: Pistachio Baklava
Right: Coconut Almond Baklava

I prefer the walnut and pistachio (which I am calling 'The Classic' 😅), and I'd gladly order both again.

Walnut Baklava and Midye Baklava (Hazelnut & Chocolate Truffle)

Meanwhile, if you want a baklava with a surprise in the middle, order the Midye Baklava.

Left: Chocolate Baklava
Right: Hazelnut Baklava

You can skip the chocolate baklava unless you're unfamiliar with baklava. It's a great introduction to the textures of the dessert but with a ubiquitous chocolate flavour.

Kadaif (Pistachio)

If you want all the baklava flavour but with a crunchy and chewy texture, go for the bigger size kadaif.

Turkish Coffee

Hubby is pleased to try Turkish Coffee from a different country, and the serving cup is beautifully designed. I enjoyed my Turkish Tea as well.

Turkish Tea

Please drop by and order a box of assorted baklavas if you're in the area. They're fantastic as gifts too.

Chicken BLT McMuffin from McDonald's

Happy Sunday morning! Breaking from our breakfast routine, we went to McDonald's to try the relatively new Chicken BLT McMuffin. I also ordered the Chicken McGriddle and a couple hash browns.

I love the Chicken BLT McMuffin. The chicken was dry, but the bacon, tomato, lettuce, and whatever sauce they used worked well.

Chicken BLT McMuffin from McDonald's Canada

I also forgot how good the hash browns are from McDonald's compared to Tim's. 😱 It's not dry and stale!

The McGriddle has always been my favourite because the "buns" is sweet compared to the savoury meat. But, unfortunately, the chicken is also dry, and there's no sauce.

Chicken McGriddle

I'll be happy to order the Chicken BLT McMuffin again alongside a hash brown when I come back to McDonald's.

Wendy's Canada offers Fired Up Chicken Sandwich

Wendy's Canada offered the Fired Up Chicken Sandwich starting last month, and we finally tried it today.

Fired Up Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's Canada
Get fired up with a juicy, all-white meat chicken breast marinated and breaded in our unique, fiery blend of peppers and spices topped with jalapeños, a jalapeños cheese slice, and sriracha cheese sauce. Finished with crispy onion tanglers and mayo - all on a premium bun.

I have tried all the Spicy McChicken® from McDonald's Canada, and nothing is as spicy as the Fired Up Chicken Sandwich we had today. The sauce was spicy, and the slices of jalapenos pushed it to the edge. I love it! The bread and chicken were dry, but the spiciness was on point.

Other than the sandwich, we ordered Chili and Bacon Cheese Potato.

Chili from Wendy's
The only hearty chili made with our hot n' juicy beef. Perfectly seasoned and positively irresistible. It's the one you've been waiting for.

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Sauce Baked Potato from Wendy's
A hot, fluffy potato topped with rich, creamy cheese sauce and crisp bacon strips. Because nothing goes with a potato-like cheese and bacon.

I loved Wendy's Chili, and it's better than what Tim Hortons has to offer. I also created a food hack of covering the Baked Potato with Chili.

I'll happily eat another Fired Up Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's Canada. Then, I'll continue trying Wendy's sides menu because the Chili and Baked Potato were excellent!

Gravy Lovers Sandwich from KFC

KFC Canada introduced the Gravy Lovers Sandwich last month. Today, we finally got to try it.

Gravy Lovers Sandwich from KFC Canda

When I first heard of the Gravy Lovers Sandwich, I thought it'll be like a beef dip or French dip. I thought the idea was to dip a KFC sandwich into the gravy. Instead, we received a so-so chicken sandwich with sauce on the side which we had to pour.

Gravy Lovers Sandwich from KFC Canada
The Gravy Lovers Sandwich features our delicious hand-breaded chicken filet, 1 slice of Monterey Jack cheese, creamy mayo, and 1 crunchy indented hashbrown with an individual gravy.

The gravy was delicious, and the chicken was crunchy outside and was not dry. However, besides the gravy, there's not much flavour in the sandwich.

Gravy Lovers Sandwich from KFC in Canada

I enjoyed the Gravy Lovers Sandwich and will gladly have it again because I like the KFC gravy.

Limited Time Only: A&W Chicken Nuggets

A&W is offering chicken nuggets for a limited time and is served with the new sweet chili sauce.

A&W Chicken Nuggets
Crispy on the outside, seasoned 100% chicken breast on the inside. All from chicken raised without the use of antibiotics. Served with a lip-smacking (sweet chili) sauce, each perfect bite tastes better than the last.

It's not as crispy as McNuggets from McDonald's, and the chicken itself is not as flavourful as the one from Wendy's, but the Sweet Chili Sauce is quite delicious.

A&W Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Chili Sauce

A&W Chicken Nuggets

Overall, the A&W Chicken Nuggets are not something I will crave and try again.

Salted Caramel Mocha at Waves Coffee House

Every year, my hubby and I have an annual meeting. It's a date when we have a retrospective and planning. First, we review the current year - how we felt, what we achieved, etc. Then, make plans for next year. We have our couple goals and individual goals.

This year we met at my favourite Waves Coffee House in West Broadway.

Breakfast at Waves

We had a Bagel Breakfast Sandwich, which had fluffy eggs and bacon.

Bacon and Egg Bagel Sandwich from Wave Coffee House

We also enjoyed Spinach Feta Bistro, which is flaky and warm.

Spinach Feta Bistro from Waves Coffee

We absolutely love the Salted Caramel Mocha with Dark Hot Chocolate, their seasonal drink.

Salted Caramel Mocha from Waves Coffee House

The Waves Coffee House in West Broadway has such positive energy and aura that I love staying there. Thank God for all the blessings this year, and can't wait for what He has planned for us next year.

Corporate Parties and Events at Vancouver Aquarium

We attended a holiday party at Vancouver Aquarium this evening. Since this is a food blog, I'll share pictures of the food and how the event went. For additional context, there are about 200 employees and plus ones.

Vancouver Aquarium Main Entrance

Beautiful Lights in the Canaccord Exploration Gallery.

Christmas Tree Display in Pacific Canada Gallery.

Hors D'oeuvres

The gates at the Vancouver Aquarium opened at 7:00 PM, and as soon as we entered while doing registration and coat check, servers started walking around offering hors d'oeuvre.

I think we tried all of them while drinking alcohol. There's a beef wellington tart(?), tuna in an edible cup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a couple others which I didn't catch the name of.

Hors d'oeuvre served inside the Vancouver Aquarium.
I'm testing the collage feature of Google Photos in this post.

No specific hors d'oevres stood out. At around 7:30 PM, the CEO gave a short speech which ended with a fish joke. Then, the doors "opened" to more sections of the Vancouver Aquarium.

Charcuterie Board

The Tropics section of the Vancouver Aquarium offers a Charcuterie Board "buffet." There are cold cuts, smoked salmon, crackers, pita bread, BC cheeses, and sauces.

My selection from the Charcuterie Board.

I needed to learn how to combine things, but it was surprisingly delicious. There was a cheese with a truffle flavour and another with a pungent taste that worked really well with the crackers.

Assorted Taco

We explored more of the Aquarium and discovered they served assorted tacos in the "Treasures of BC Coast" section.

Hard-shell taco with deep-fried battered shrimp, soft-shell taco with deep-fried battered shrimp, and fried flour tortilla taco with shrimp and guacamole.

Hubby and I attended a party in 2019 at the Vancouver Aquarium and I never forgot the delicious taco shrimp they served that night. I am happy to share that the same taco is available this evening deep-fried.

If you're attending a party inside the Vancouver Aquarium, look for the tacos!

Carving Station

In the Canaccord Exploration Gallery, there's a craving station with a sign that says, "Opens at 8:30 PM".

Carving Station plate from Vancouver Aquarium.

They served mashed potatoes, tater tots, freshly made potato chips, an assortment of dips, bread rolls and butter, turkey, ham, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Except for the potato chips, nothing else stood out. Unfortunately, there were no labels on the front of the food, so there's no way to know if the food I listed above is accurate.

Assorted Desserts

At 9:30 PM, they opened the desserts bar in the Pacific Canada gallery. There is a variety of cakes and fruits.

There's also hot water for tea and coffee available.

Assorted desserts from the desserts bar in the Vancouver Aquarium

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I am home now food coma and with sore feet (heels are my nemesis). Nevertheless, it was a wonderful evening with my hubby and meeting his colleagues.

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

I love South Granville and all the available restaurants near me. But, unfortunately, we don't have a ramen shop nearby or a fried chicken place.

I am spoiled at my parents' place where there's a Popeye's, Church's Chicken, and LA Chicken within a kilometre range.

I was happy when we tried Le Coq Fit. It was delicious fried chicken and less than 1.5 km from our home.

Today, we tried C&T Chicken at Burrard Avenue, close to West Broadway. I chose all spicy flavours for all our orders.

We opted for 2 and 2 chicken meals. It comes with 2 chicken thighs and 2 chicken legs. The breading was thicker than expected, but it had a decent amount of heat and was so juicy. Perfectly cooked.

Fried Chicken Thigh from C&T Chicken

I look forward to ordering this again and eating it with rice at home. They serve a Szechuan-style fried chicken which apparently means no gravy but ketchup.

Next, we ordered the Fried Chicken Big Burger. It was huge! It's the most giant spicy chicken burger I have ever had. There's a piece of hash brown inside, but the party itself is unexpectedly bigger than expected. More than the size, the flavour is good too. It has a decent amount of heat and is juicy.

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

Lastly, we enjoyed the chicken popcorn. I'll gladly order this again. It's bite-sized, and it's delicious. The exterior is crispy, while the inside is juicy and has a lot of flavours - umami and a bit of heat.

Chicken Popcorn and French Fries from C&T Chicken

Overall, I am happy to have C&T Chicken closer to us when we need to satisfy our fried chicken cravings.

Trying McDonald's Bacon Deluxe McCrispy

Our second burger for dinner from McDonald's tonight is the Bacon Deluxe McCrispy.

Bacon Deluxe McCrispy from McDonald's Canada
Bacon and a slice of fresh tomato take the McCrispy to the next level. Made with crispy, tender and juicy 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken, then topped with shredded lettuce, creamy mayo-style sauce and served on a soft potato bun for a taste that’s so McDonald’s.

Bacon Deluxe McCrispy from McDonald's Canada

Unfortunately, there's not enough sauce in it and it was dry. The good thing is there's a generous amount of bacon.

McDonald's Canada Carolina BBQ Quarter Pounder Review

I love the Carolina BBQ sauce in the Carolina BBQ Quarter Pounder from McDonald's Canada.

Carolina BBQ Quarter Pounder from McDonald's Canada
100% Canadian quarter pound beef patty topped with sweet and tangy golden Carolina BBQ sauce, hickory smoked bacon strips, crispy onions, pickles, and two slices of processed cheddar cheese served on a toasted sesame bun.

It was sweet and perfect, with a salty slice of processed cheddar cheese, on top of a juicy beef patty and crispy fried onions. Overall, something I'll happily eat again.

Carolina BBQ Quarter Pounder from McDonald's Canada

I wonder if they can do a Carolina BBQ dipping sauce for Chicken McNuggets. Yum!

McDonald's Canada seasonal Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry

I'm not a fan of candy canes in general because I don't like anything peppermint. It reminds me of toothpaste; that's why I don't like peppermint drinks.

Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry

As part of our Friday foodie adventure, hubby and I tried the new Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry from McDonald's Canada. According to their description, it includes the smooth and creamy vailla soft serve we know and love swirled with peppermind candy pieces and topped off with the deadent hot fudge.

Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry from McDonald's Canada
Take our smooth, and creamy vanilla soft serve swirled with peppermint candy pieces and top it off with our decadent hot fudge.

Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry Thoughts

For this reason, I didn't enjoy the Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry from McDonald's Canada. So I took a couple spoonful, and that's it.

Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry

According to the description, there should be a decadent hot fudge on top of the Candy Cane Fudge McFlurry, but what we received did not have that.

Bulgogi Jeongol from Masa Japanese Restaurant

Happy Saturday dinner! I stayed home all day, but we went to Anticipated Sunday Mass at our local parish. Afterwards, we grabbed groceries, then dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant.

We ordered the Bulgogi Jeongol. It is a Korean hot pot dish with beef and vegetables. I tried the soup base, and it's obviously beef broth. The banchan is a nice touch as a palate cleanser.

Bulgogi Jeongol
Korean hot pot dish consisting of deliciously marinated bulgogi, soup stock, and various vegetables.

We also ordered the Sake Bomb Roll because we are going through the Special Sushi list. It's spicy. Although, I realized I am not a fan of seared salmon on my roll.

Sake Bomb Roll
Spicy salmon roll with seared salmon and special spicy sauce.

Classic Hot Fudge Sundae at Earnest Ice Cream Quebec Street

After a fun and salty dinner at Brewhall, we crossed the street to enjoy ice cream from Earnest Ice Cream. I am surprised to see it full of life and busy on a Friday evening when it's 6°C outside.

I had Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae with Chocolate Topping from Costco last Saturday, and when I spotted the Classic Hot Fudge Sundae on the Earnest menu board, I just had to try it.

Classic Hot Fudge Sundae from Earnest Ice Cream on Quebec Street

The vanilla ice cream is good, but I wish the chocolate syrup was warm. I feel like that's essential for a sundae. However, I am willing to forgive that because they have crushed nuts, and I love the crunchy element of my creamy dessert.

I happily enjoyed my ice cream and can't wait to bring my husband here.

Chickpea Veg Burger for dinner at Brewhall

I am a dieting foodie. As someone who has been overweight all my life, losing weight is always a challenge. I used to be Obese Level II, but now I am down to Obese Level I, and of course, my goal is to be close to a healthy weight for my height and age.

With that all said, I love to eat. Good food makes me happy, and eating out is fun. I have learned to prepare delicious meals at home, so most of the week, I cook low-calorie meals for my hubby and me to help with my diet.

However, sometimes (on weekends), we eat out and end up pigging out. Like this evening, I am meeting with former colleagues turned friends for dinner at Brewhall. I have been looking at their menu all week, trying to decide what to get.

Chickpea Veg Burger

I ordered the Chickpea Veg Burger with a side of fries. The first bite was salty, but as I ate more of the burger, it became less salty, especially in the middle where most of the sauce is, then the last couple of bites was salty again. It's a good vegetarian burger, mainly because when every other restaurant would instead serve fake meat.

Chickpea Veg Burger
House-made veg patty, chipotle mayo, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

Shareables and Cocktails

Because I needed something unhealthy, we ordered Nachos for the table from the Shareable section of the Brewhall menu. It's worth whatever calories it has. Yum! I also ordered the Electric Blue Long Island from the Cocktails menu of Brewhall.

Electric Blue Long Island
A twist on a classic with blue curaçao

It was a fun evening with friends. It's our annual catchup to see how people's careers and work are doing. It's so fun to see everyone!