Smooch Food. There's so much to eat!

Our last day of 2020 started with house cleaning; we wanted to welcome the New Year with a clean house. Then, we did our errands outside. Thankfully, it wasn't raining, and halfway through being outside, it was only drizzling. We started our errands with a walk to a donation bin near the local fire station and dropped off donations. We don't do spring cleaning. We do our cleaning after Boxing Day. Afterwards, we went to Granville Island Public Market to order half a dozen donuts from Lee's Donuts. There's a long line, but it moved at a consistent phase, so we're good. People are also social distancing and wearing masks. I can't remember all the flavour I picked. LOL I do remember chocolate, maple, matcha, and peanut. They are all so delicious, especially after putting them in the microwave for 20 seconds. The doughnuts become warm and moist. Happy New Year!

Growing up, one of the practices or superstitions we always hear is how you should have round fruits at the table to welcome the New Year. I remember we will always have grapes, oranges, apples, among others, at our table alongside the usual media noche (New Year's Eve Dinner), which almost always includes Lechon . Hubby said we should continue the tradition by having round or circular things at our table. Last 2017, we ordered pizza and Timbits.   This year we decided on pie and Filipino snacks from SM Delights. NYE Dinner from The Pie Hole I ordered four different savoury pies from The Pie Hole. I made the mistake of ordering a frozen chicken pot pie (#facepalm). We don't have an oven. As if the heavens knew that I made a mistake, I ordered an air fryer night of the 29th, and it arrived the following day, which allowed us to cook the frozen pie. Left to right : Spinach and Feta Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Beef Bourguignon Pie, and Gruyere, Leek & Potato Pie Chicken Pot Pie afte

I thought of ordering from Arts to Bakes or Kaye Bakes for our Christmas Eve dinner desserts, but since it's just hubby and me and we have a small fridge - it won't fit a big cake. I checked PICA's website to see if I can pre-order any of their holiday cake like I did last year. Online shopping for cake led to me buying an Assorted Holiday Cookie Tin, which is more expensive than the cake. Classic Chocolate Espresso Yule Log Classic Chocolate Espresso Yule Log I love the espresso buttercream on the yule log cake. It's so delicious! The size is also perfect for two people, and we'll be able to finish it in a couple to three days. First "layer" of assorted cookies - Linzer, Sable, Crescent, Chocolate Dipped, and Christmas Tree Matcha Cookies All our assorted cookies - Linzer, Sable, Crescent, Chocolate Dipped, and Christmas Tree Matcha Cookies I surprisingly enjoyed all the cookies, even the Linzer! I was so sure I'll dislike the Linzer, but I liked it a

My parents, siblings, and I have a group chat. My sister just sent a menu of Chinese restaurants where they're going to order for their Christmas evening dinner. I responded with "Gusto ko ng siopao" (I want siopao). Siopao is what we Filipino calls a pork (or chicken) steamed buns. My mom called so early in the morning asking if we want it. They'll drive all the way to Joyce Street (East Side of Vancouver) from Richmond and bring us a box of siopao (we're West Side of Vancouver). I have been craving it for months now and I can't believe it's here! Bao Bakery have delicious, freshly made steamed buns.  Siopao, literally meaning "hot bun", is the Philippine cuisine indigenized version of the Cantonese steamed bun called cha siu bao. - Wikipedia When I was younger, I love and would only eat asado siopao, but now I only eat bola-bola and find the asado too sweet. I am growing old!  Half dozen of Chicken Deluxe (Bola-Bola) Steamed Buns Bao Bakery Yay

We ran errands in Downtown today. For lunch, I asked hubby if there's anything he would like; he said that since we're celebrating his third year in Canada, we should eat Canadian food. The only dish that came to mind is poutine. There are a handful of poutine places in Downtown; Smoke's Poutinerie is our usual go-to, but they were closed, so we decided to try Mean Poutine. Mean Supreme Mean Supreme - Crispy fries, brown gravy, fresh cheese curds, certified Angus roast beef, double smoked bacon, grilled onions & peppers and mushrooms He picked Mean Supreme, while I had Philly Cheese Steak. The best part about both? The certified Angus roast beef. It's so good! The fries were crispy too; the gravy was a bit salty for my liking, though. However, the serving is huge! Philly Cheese Steak - Crispy fries, brown gravy, fresh cheese curds, certified Angus roast beef, mushrooms, sautéed onion & peppers  I am willing to give it another try - maybe order something else. Ho

After a complete meal at Olive Garden, we drove to White Rock and walked around the pier. Before heading home, we decided to eat ice cream from Seaside Scoop. I had my usual flavour, Cappuccino while hubby had pistachio. My 1-scoop of cappuccino ice cream in a cup with a waffle cone on top Hubby's 1-scoop pistachio ice cream in a cup with waffle cone on top Yay for Saturday!

I love fried chicken and I'm trying to decide for myself which one is the best in Metro Vancouver. Today, I finally had a chance to try Win Win Chick-N from their branch in Steveston, Richmond BC. Juicy and Crispy Fried Chicken from Win Win Chick-N Look at all the black pepper in the chicken skin. 10-pc Fried Chicken from Win-Win Chick-N We took it home to enjoy for snacks and dinner. The chicken was perfectly spiced and crispy. The breading is not as thick as Church's Chicken or KFC. It's delicious. Win Win Chick-N Storefront My number one favourite chicken is still LA Chicken , then Hi-Five Chicken . I'm still debating whether I like Win Win more than Juke . Hmmm. What's your favourite source of fried chicken in Metro Vancouver?

Yay! A fantastic place to get mini donuts in Metro Vancouver is in Steveston, Richmond BC. It's freshly baked, soft, and delicious. Assorted Mini Donuts from Outpost Mini Donut Company Cute Donut Counter Where do you get your mini donuts to fix?

It's a long weekend! We're sleeping over at my parents, and we decided to spend a couple hours eating in Steveston. We started our food trip to Steveston with fish and chips at the famous Pajo's. One of Each Fish (Pacific Wild Cod, Pacific Wild Salmon, and Alaskan Wild Halibut) & Fries $26 Pacific Wild Salmon Order Counter It's such a beautiful day to be here!

Happy Saturday! For dinner tonight, we went to pick up food from Sushivan Japanese Restaurant along Granville Street (at West Broadway). Alien Deep-fried asparagus, cream cheese, smoked salmon, unagi, crab meat, and massago If you've been reading my post (or if you search for Sushivan in this blog), you will notice that I am going through their Special Roll. I have tried the Alaska special roll and Awesome special roll. Ika Karage Deep-fried squid Beef Teriyaki Box with Miso Soup Beef Teriyaki, 4 pieces California Roll, Appy Tempura, Salad, and Rice Korean Style Ramen with Chicken If you search my blog for " Sushivan ", I always order Korean Style Ramen. When I crave for spicy Korean noodles I go to Sushivan.

Hubby and I took a walk around the neighbourhood after lunch today. It's the first time in a long time (3 weeks) that we took a walk just for the sake of walking without doing a grocery run. As we're on our way home along West Broadway, hubby spotted a food truck across the street - Miss Siam. We checked out the menu, and we're hoping to get something sweet, but they only have savoury dishes perfect for lunch. Spotted Miss Siam across the street Hello Miss Siam! We ordered the Pad Thai with chicken, which we plan to enjoy for early dinner, but we end up eating as after lunch snack. It was delicious. I didn't expect quality, affordable Thai food so close to home. Pad Thai Chicken Pad Thai The food truck is available at West Broadway and Birch on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 AM to 2 PM.

It's Pokemon Go Fest 2020 weekend which means we're going to spend some hours out in our local park to enjoy the sun, catch Pokemon, and spin Pokestops. Starbucks' Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappucino Last Saturday (day 1 of Go Fest), we decided to grab a venti Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino® from Starbucks after staying in a nearby park for a couple hours. Starbucks Counter Inside Starbucks Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino® Tim Hortons' Caramel Iced Capp Today (day 2 of Go Fest), we decided to grab a large Caramel Iced Capp from Tim Hortons and potato wedges. We enjoyed it in a nearby local park. Tim Hortons Counter Inside Starbucks Caramel Iced Capp Comparison I like the one from Starbucks more and only because of the crunchy thing they put on top. You cannot go wrong with either drink because they're both essentially caramel shake. Actually, Tim Hortons has a seasonal Salted Caramel Iced Capp which I last saw two years ago. They don't serve it durin

After picking a spot and settling down at Kits Beach, my youngest sister, hubby, and I walked to look for a food source. We walked along Cornwall Avenue to see what's open. We decided to buy lunch from Vera's Burger Shack. What to get from Vera' Burger Shack? I got Vera's Burger. I didn't understand what the cashier was saying so I just asked him to put Vera's sauce in it, instead of everything (tomato, lettuce, etc.). #facepalm Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings, French Fries, and Chicken Strips I love Romer's Burger, but the meat in Vera's Burger is so much better. Hubby got the grilled chicken. I made a terrible choice of not putting anything in it. It's probably good for our "diet", but of course, without any sauce, it's dry. The chicken and bun are still delicious, but it could have been better if only I asked them to put everything in it. Vera Burger Vera Burger My youngest sister picked chicken strips. It was surprisi

Sunday! I woke up to my mom's message that they'll pick us up so we can go to Kitsilano Beach. An hour later, we're heading to McDonald's along 4th Avenue (at Balsam Street). We really don't want to buy from McD's, instead, we saw the COBS Bread Bakery across the street and decided to quickly buy croissants from there. I love this paper bag! I got a couple Plain Croissants for my youngest sister, a Ham & Cheese Croissant and a Spinach & Feta Croissant for hubby and myself. Ham and Cheese Croissant Happy Sunday!

Takeout Day is all about supporting restaurants as they try to survive and cope with the challenges of a pandemic. I have ordered from most of my favourite neighbourhood joints, and Express Pho is the last one. I felt sad seeing how they're down to two people in the restaurant (I could be wrong, but they look like a mom and son duo). If you have the means and if you live near West Broadway and Granville, please order from Express Pho. They're right across Jordan, the furniture store. Support and Order from Express Pho We ordered new dishes this time (this blog is useful in recalling what we had the last time we were here). Dinner Tonight Vietnamese Spring Roll (2 Rolls) Curry Beef with Steamed Rice I love the way Vietnamese cuisine cook their beef. They're always so tender. Beef Balls, Chicken Balls in Soup (Rice Noodle is in a separate container) Bean Sprouts and Rice Noodles I hope this post gets more people ordering from Express Pho and that they don't close (like t