Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut 2022 version from Tim Hortons

In my previous post, I mentioned ordering the Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut, but it never arrived. Instead, I received two Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donuts.

We went to Tim Hortons last night, and the Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut still eludes me. It was sold out from our favourite Tim Hortons location.

Today, hubby went to Downtown Vancouver to pick up a package and surprised me with the Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut!

Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut Pumpkin spice ring donut dipped in a fall-coloured orange fondant, topped with candied praline pumpkin seeds and drizzled with a burst of white fondant.

This is definitely better than the Creamy Maple Pecan. It's not overly sweet, the donut itself is not dry, and I absolutely love what I think are pumpkin seeds on top. I'll gladly order this again. However, I'm not sure what pumpkin spice is something to taste like (other than from the sugary drinks everyone is selling during fall), and this has no pumpkin spice flavour.

---

List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons

I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically.

Apple Pie Dream Donut Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donut Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut

New York Cheesecake Dream Donut Penguin Dream Donut Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut Sea Salted Caramel Dream Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring

Breakast from Sasaya Bistro Ltd at Taiwanfest

Happy Saturday! After our food adventure at Richmond Night Market, we woke up later than usual today and did errands home. We left at 1:00 PM for our first meal of the day at Taiwanfest. We love Taiwanese food, and I blame this little fast food in Makati in 2011 called Dang Dee for our love for Taiwanese Sausage, fried chicken, and fried pork chop from the island nation.

With that said, every Labour Day weekend, we would go to Downtown Vancouver to see the displays, learn a bit more about the culture and their current struggles, and of course, eat.

Taiwanfest seems much smaller this year than previous years, and there's only one food vendor as well - Sasaya Bistro. They're a restaurant in Burnaby which we tried in 2015 by some conspiracy by the universe.

We were lining up to order their bento and were informed that they had run out of rice. I was upset but too angry to deal with them, so we just ordered Deep-Fried Diced Chicken and Deep-Fried Taiwanese Sausage.

Deep-Fried Diced Chicken from Sasaya Bistro Ltd.

Deep-Fried Taiwanese Sausage

Both were delicious and sufficient to pacify my hunger, but I needed rice, so we walked to nearby Hot-Star Fried Chicken, a Taiwanese fast food focusing on large fried chicken.

Dessert from Stuffies Pastries inside Metropolis At Metrotown

After buying medicine and as we're walking on our way to the food court, I spot the adorable Stuffies Pastry Cafe. I told my husband that we should buy one after dinner.

Orient Express Stuffies Soft-Serve
Creamy, vegan vanilla soft-served with mochi skewer, read bean paste, and rice crispies  in a vegan fish-shaped waffle cone

Yes, it does look like a fish is eating our dessert. The waffle cone was delicious and was perfect with the red bean paste and soft-serve ice cream.

The pastry reminded me of Oishi Manju and Moshi Manju which we enjoyed from a mall stand near the arcade where our mom used to leave us while she goes shopping and running errands. I'll try more Stuffies next time.

"Midnight" Snack from McDonald's

It's not really midnight, but it's an after-dinner meal. So after hanging out at Blenz, we walked around Indigo across the street and stayed at VSB Park for an hour.

I was craving McDonald's french fries, so before heading home, we ordered fries and chicken nuggets from McD's.

10-piece Chicken McNuggets and French Fries

It's a happy day! Plus, it's a holiday tomorrow, which means no work.

Ice Cream from COWS | Weekend in Squamish

It's our dad's 60th birthday, and to celebrate, we're spending the weekend at Squamish, BC.

From our Airbnb in Squamish, we decided to take a drive to Whistler. We walked around the village and enjoyed a quiet few minutes near Peace Park. It was sunny and hot, so ice cream from COWS seemed the perfect way to cool down.

A cow in front of COWS,

Left: Caramel Moocchiato (Caramel coffee ice cream, English toffee, and chocolate marble swirl)
Right: Brownie Explosion (Vanilla ice cream, chocolate marble, and brownie pieces)

Yay for creamy and delicious ice cream. Afterwards, we drove to Alice Lake and spent the rest of our afternoon enjoying the view and cool breeze under the shade of beautiful trees.

Ice Cream from Baskin-Robbins

Will it be a surprise that this is only my third time trying Baskin-Robbins (BR)? I remember going with my siblings and trying it for the first and only time (so far) back in 2007 when we were in California for a family vacation. The second time was in the Philippines when they opened a location.

We don't see BR as often, so when we did, we decided to grab a scoop of ice cream each.

I ordered the Caramel Macchiato while hubby had difficulty picking a flavour. He ended up choosing the Jamoca Almond Fudge.

Caramel Macchiato
Wake up your taste buds with delicious salted caramel swirled throughout coffee-flavoured ice cream with real espresso flakes for an extra kick.

Caramel Macchiato and Jamoca Almond Fudge (Take our Jamoca ice cream, add roasted almonds and a chocolate-flavoured ribbon. Feel your taste buds buzz!)

It's hard to do ice cream wrong, but I am pleased that hubby and I are consistent with our flavour choices. I always go for coffee ice cream. I don't drink coffee but love it in desserts (cake and ice cream). Meanwhile, hubby likes nuts in his ice cream, whether crushed into the ice cream or as a flavour base.

Day after Canada Day ice cream from Purdy's Chocolatier

Last year on Canada Day, we enjoyed a scoop of ice cream from Purdy's Chocolatier. We planned to get ice cream from Purdy's yesterday (Canada Day), but walking to and from Canada Place for Canada Together has been exhausting, so we decided to go straight home instead of getting ice cream.

That said, after lunch today at Thank Granville It's Food truck (TGIF), we decided to go to the Purdy's Chocolatier a couple blocks from our home. I had Espresso Flake while hubby ordered the Maple Walnut.

Maple Walnut and Espresso Flake Ice Cream

We enjoyed it at the pop-up plaza on 13th Avenue and Granville Street.

13th Avenue and Granville Street Pop-Up Plaza

It was such a relaxing way to enjoy ice cream. I appreciate what South Granville BIA and the City of Vancouver have done with the pop-up plaza, and I am glad to see it stay.

Greek Pies from Serano Greek Pastry | Greek Day on Broadway 2022

Happy Sunday! After Mass, we walked straight to McDonald Street and joined in the festivities of Greek Day on Broadway 2022. You know that I'm here to learn and enjoy delicious food from Greece.

We walked the stretch of the festivities to check all the food options, and there were a lot and have decided to buy only from those offering Greek food.

Our first stop was Serano Greek Pastry, where we ordered one Spanakopita and one Tiropita. These are Greek pies.

Spanakopitas and Tiropita from Serano Greek Pastry

Spanakopitas
Spinach and feta baked in a filo pastry.

I absolutely love the filo pastry. My familiarity with filo is with baklava, so this feels like eating savoury baklava. The filling is delicious for both, but I thought the spinach one was just awesome.

Tiropita
Feta baked in a filo pastry

This is our first bite of food during Greek Day on Broadway, and happy to report that I can drop by Serano Greek Pastry at any time to order the pies again or try other delicious bread they offer.

Kitkat McFlurry from McDonald's

After a satisfying lunch at Suika, we walked to nearby McDonald's to get ice cream. Hubby chose the new(?) Kitkat McFlurry, while I had the more traditional Oreo McFlurry. It's perfect on this hot sunny summer day.

Regular-size Kitkat McFlurry

Snack-size Oreo McFlurry

We enjoyed our ice cream under the shade at the nearby Vancouver School Board front yard.

A Scoop from Uno Gelato

Happy Sunday! After Mass today, we decided to walk around and ended up doing a 9-kilometre walk in portions of the Seawall and across two bridges. On the False Creek side, we saw Uno Gelato open on the side of Mahony and Sons (now called Mahony's Tavern). I ordered Roasted Hazelnut while my husband went for Pistacho. 

Pistachio Gelato and Roasted Hazelnut Gelato

I am grateful that we're not allergic to nuts since we enjoyed both ice creams while continuing our walk. The flavour is so distinct and pronounced.

Paced Walking

Breakfast from Tim Hortons | 2 Farmer's Breakfast Wrap for $6 Offer

Happy Sunday! For breakfast today, we're going to enjoy two Farmer's Breakfast Wraps for $6.30 to utilize my weekly offer from Tims. I also ordered a small coffee and a small hot chocolate redeemed with our Tims Rewards points.

Sausage Farmer's Breakfast Wrap

Bacon Farmer's Breakfast Wrap

We enjoyed our meal while slowly walking to church for Sunday Mass.

Party Tray from Sushi Master Vancouver

Happy Saturday! We're celebrating our mom's birthday today, and she requested sushi party trays. I was initially going to get them from T&T Supermarket, but they don't allow pick-up before 2:00 PM when I tried ordering online.

I searched for sushi party trays near me on Google Maps and found several options, which is not surprising because there are around five sushi restaurants within a kilometre of where we live. I chose Sushi Master as part of our BBB campaign.

I ordered both of their party trays which means I can try a lot of their rolls and nigiri.

Party Tray A from Sushi Master

Party Tray A (52 pcs) includes the following items:

• California Roll (8pcs)
• Dynamite Roll (8pcs)
• Yam Roll (8pcs)
• Alaska Roll (8pcs)
• Salmon with Avocado Roll (8pcs)
• Salmon Maki (6pcs)
• Tuna Maki (6pcs)

Party Tray B from Sushi Master

Meanwhile, Party Tray B (37 pcs) includes the following: 

• Salmon Nigiri (4pcs)
• Sockeye Salmon Nigiri (4pcs)
• Tuna Nigiri (4pcs)
• Ebi Nigiri (4pcs)
• Crunchy California Roll (8pcs)
• Salmon Avocado Roll (8pcs)
• House Roll (5pcs)

It was our first time ordering a Sushi Party Tray ever, so it became quite overwhelming to have so many options, but everything was delicious. 

Is there a thing such as "I ate too much sushi?"

I highly recommend you try food from Sushi Master and support local businesses in Vancouver.

Chocolate Trio Ice Cream Donut from Mister x Lee's Donuts

Mister Artisan Ice Cream celebrated its sixth anniversary with an extraordinary limited collaboration with famous Lee's Donuts.

On June 11 and 12 (today), they were selling only 200 servings of the limited-edition Chocolate Trio Ice Cream served in a glazed Lee's donut, then it's hot-pressed to order.

We left our home at 2:00 PM and walked to their location in Kitsilano. We waited for around 40 minutes and were able to grab 2 of the 200 servings available.

A scoop of Chocolate Trio Ice Cream on top of a glazed Lee's donuts

Ice Cream Sandwich Donut collab between Mister and Lee's Donuts

Delicious

Was it worth the wait? Yes! Who knew that warm glazed donut (not overly sweet like the one from Krispy Kreme) would be the perfect vehicle for ice cream? This is the ideal collaboration. I love it.

Trying the Biebs Brew™ by Tims x Justin Bieber

We tried a Cold Brew for the first time at Starbucks about a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, it was too bitter for a non-coffee drinker like me. I had little hope for the Cold Brew by Justin Bieber just because I don't drink coffee and will most likely find it bitter.

Today, we walked to Queen Elizabeth Park and back to our home. A total of 11 kilometres, and it's not even noon yet! On our walk home, hubby asked if we could get the Biebs Brew™ so I could write it here. (I have such a supportive husband).

Biebs Brew™ by Tims x Justin Bieber

The Biebs Brew smells so lovely and sweet, but after taking a sip, it's still quite bitter. Not as bad as the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew, but it's not something I would drink again. Hubby said it's like a single single dark roast Tim's coffee but with ice. I am trusting him on this one since I am not a coffee drinker.

Super Dishes Egyptian Halal Cuisine at Riley Park Summer Farmers Market | Flavours of Hope

After enjoying the empanada and croissant, I couldn't resist the falafel and baklava from one of the stalls (Super Dishes Egyptian). Even the pita chips looked great, so I picked them too. But, unfortunately, we're too full, so we decided to bring it home.

Best food at Farmers Market: Super Dishes Egyptian

After paying for our items, the lady offered us a free taste of the dolmas. I took a bite and was blown away. 🤯 I can't believe I haven't heard of or tried the dish before. It's savoury and sour. It's delicious. I was raving about it the whole time during our walk home.

Dolmas
Delicious authentic grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, parsley, onions, tomato sauce, and spices made in Egyptian style. Ready to eat!

When we got home, I started munching on the pita chips and holy smokes; why is this so good?! It has the crunchiness of chips but is still chewy like pita bread. I can keep eating it all day long.

Pita Chips

The next item is the falafel, the best one I have tried in Vancouver, replacing the one on West 4th Avenue. The only thing I regret is not buying the hummus. After the first three bites, it becomes dry without any sauce.

Falafel
A traditional family recipe from Alexandria, Egypt, made of chickpea, parsley, onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, and spices.

Five Falafel

The last thing we enjoyed was the baklava. It's the best baklava I tried in Vancouver. To be fair, I am not an expert in this Mediterranean dessert, but the ones I have attempted to are overly sweet; while this one has that sweetness, it's the taste of walnuts you will get.

Baklava
Classic Middle Eastern dessert with walnuts, simple syrup, and puff pastry.

What a delicious booth! I can't wait to try their food again. It's my first time trying Egyptian dishes, and I can't wait to eat more and learn about the culture.

June 22 update:

We're planning to walk to Riley Park again to enjoy the offerings from Riley Park Summer Farmers Market and as I am going through the vendor list I discovered "Flavours of Hope." I like the name, so I thought of checking their website and they're a "non-profit social enterprise that supports refugee newcomer women to earn livable income and build social connections in communities through cooking and sharing culinary traditions and stories." Guess what? Super Dishes Egyptian Halal Cuisine is supported by Flavours Hope and I am looking forward to tasting more delicious dishes from Flavours of Hope members.

Croissant from Ça Croustille at Riley Park Summers Farmers Market

After enjoying the empanada from Empanada Gals, we grabbed a croissant and chocolate twist from a French bakery, Ça Croustille.

The butter croissant was not flaky, but the lamination was excellent. It's also the chewiest croissant I have tried in Vancouver.

Butter Croissant

A peek inside the Butter Croissant

My husband chose the chocolate twist, which has the same lamination as the croissant but with chocolate providing sweetness. I liked it.

Chocolate Twist

Overall, a great second vendor to get food from at the Farmers Market.

Empanada from Empanada Gal at Riley Park Summer Farmers Market

Happy Saturday! We went to the Nat Bailey Stadium parking lot today to pick up my free shirt for the 2022 RBC Race for the Kids, which is happening tomorrow. After getting my shirt, we dropped by Riley Park Summer Farmers Market to buy breakfast and lunch.

The first meal of the day is beef empanada from Empanada Gal. It was delicious, but the best part was the sauce. I would happily buy that sweet, spicy, tangy sauce in a bottle to take home and enjoy with any bland food I end up cooking.

Beef Empanada by Empanada Gal

4 pieces of Beef Empanada in one order

They also sell frozen empanada, which you can cook at home. Unfortunately, I don't have an oven, and my air fryer was recalled, and I haven't purchased a new one. So next time, I'll get frozen empanadas and cook them at home for breakfast.

Hershey’s S’mores Iced Capp from Tim Hortons | BEST ICED CAPP EVER

I love Tim Hortons Iced Capp! In 2018, I got addicted to the Salted Caramel Iced Capp and would have it almost every other week. I had to control myself to drink it less. I can’t believe that the Hershey’s S’mores Iced Capp this year is even better.

Hershey’s S’mores Iced Capp from Tim Hortons

Hershey’s S’mores Iced Capp while watching the Edmonton Oilers game

The Hershey’s S’mores Iced Capp features the brand’s signature coffee and cream blended with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, marshmallow-flavoured topping and graham crackers.

This is available for a limited time, so you bet I’ll be back and order this again.

Breakfast from Tim Hortons

Happy Sunday! It's the second day in a row that we grab breakfast from Tim Hortons. This time we took advantage of the promo "2 Can Dine for $8.99 - All Week," which means 2 Coffee, 2 Classic Breakfast Sandwiches, and 2 Hashbrowns for $10.00 (including tax and cup charge).

I should have used the same promo yesterday and saved almost $5.00. Oh well.

Homestyle Biscuit Sausage Breakfast Sandwich

English Muffin Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

We ordered the sandwiches with the default buns, and they're both excellent. Surprisingly better than the Steak and Eggs Sandwich yesterday.

Breakfast Sandwiches and Wraps from Tim Hortons

For future me, here is the list of breakfast sandwiches and wraps that we've tried. This menu is from the Tim Hortons app based on the closest location to our home.

☑️ Steak & Egg Breakfast Sandwich ☑️ Homestyle Biscuit - May 2022 ☑️ English Muffin - May 2022 🔲 Plain Bagel 🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel 🔲 Everything Bagel 🔲 Plain Croissant 🔲 Four Cheese Bagel ☑️ Sausage Breakfast Sandwich ☑️ Homestyle Biscuit - May 2022 🔲 English Muffin 🔲 Plain Croissant 🔲 Plain Bagel 🔲 Everything Bagel 🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel 🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

☑️ Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

☑️ English Muffin - May 2022

🔲 Homestyle Biscuit

🔲 Plain Croissant

🔲 Plain Bagel

🔲 Everything Bagel

🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel

🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

🔲 Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

🔲 English Muffin

🔲 Homestyle Biscuit

🔲 Plain Croissant

🔲 Plain Bagel

🔲 Everything Bagel

🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel

🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

🔲 Sausage & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

🔲 Homestyle Biscuit

🔲 English Muffin

🔲 Plain Croissant

🔲 Plain Bagel

🔲 Everything Bagel

🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel

🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

🔲 Farmer's Breakfast Sandwich

Sandwich Type:

🔲 Sausage & Egg

🔲 Bacon & Egg

🔲 Egg & Cheese

Breakfast Bread Options:

🔲 Homestyle Biscuit

🔲 English Muffin

🔲 Plain Croissant

🔲 Plain Bagel

🔲 Everything Bagel

🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel

🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

🔲 Grilled Breakfast Wrap

Sandwich Type:

🔲 Bacon & Egg

🔲 Sausage & Egg

🔲 Egg & Cheese

🔲 Sausage, Bacon, & Egg

🔲 Bacon & No Egg

🔲 Sausage & No Egg

☑️ Farmer's Breakfast Wrap

Sandwich Type:

🔲 Egg & Cheese

☑️ Sausage & Egg - June 2020

☑️ Bacon & Egg - June 2020

🔲 Bagel BELT

Sandwich Type:

🔲 Sausage & Egg

🔲 Bacon & Egg

🔲 Egg & Cheese

Breakfast Bread:

🔲 Everything Bagel

🔲 Plain Bagel

🔲 Sesame Seed Bagel

🔲 Plain Croissant

🔲 Four Cheese Bagel

🔲 Simply Sausage Breakfast Sandwich

🔲 Homestyle Biscuit

🔲 English Muffin

Lunch from LA Chicken | Birthday Game Night Celebration

Our youngest sister's birthday celebration is today, and she requested that we have a game night. 

We started the day by watching Spider-Man: No Way Home because my brother and husband have not seen it yet. I don't really have an affinity for superhero movies except for Spider-Man. Even then, the only ones I watched were the three movies with Tobey Maguire; apparently, I saw the first Andrew Garfield, which I didn't even remember.

After the movie, we had lunch. My mom cooked her Filipino-style spaghetti, and we ordered fried chicken and sides from LA Chicken. Lastly, we had a Costco chocolate cake.

My mom's spaghetti and fried chicken and sides from LA Chicken

We also watched The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin so that my younger sister's Canadian boyfriend could learn about Filipino humour. It's funny. Even our youngest sister's best friend had a laugh.

Then, we had game night. We played Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle all night (until 10:00 PM). Then, finally, we reached Book 5 and couldn't get past it. We almost defeated it during the last round, but Voldemort and his Death Eaters took over all our locations. I can't wait to play again!