Ice Cream from Marble Slab Creamery

After lunch at Ma Dang Goul, we walked along Denman to enjoy Car Free Day West End. Before reaching English Bay beach, we stopped by Marble Slab Creamery. 

Ice Cream - Something with Peanut Butter

Ice Cream - Something with Chocolate

The line was long, and I can't remember which combination we had. All I know is that Marble Slab Creamery is the closest ice cream shop to English Bay Beach along Denman Street, and it's the perfect way to end summer.

I love Vancouver!

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat and OREO Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat from Dairy Queen

After dinner at Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant, we grabbed ice cream from Dairy Queen. The line has reached outside the fast food because it's hot outside.

I chose the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard® Treat because Fall is about to start.

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat is September's Blizzard of the Month

I surprisingly loved it. I love what feels like pie crust, and the pumpkin flavour is good too.

Meanwhile, hubby chose the OREO® Hot Cocoa Blizzard® Treat. There are crushed OREO® and cocoa fudge in this Blizzard Treat from Dairy Queen.

Oreo Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat

This is the last weekend of summer because September 22 (Thursday) is the official first day of Fall.

Spicy Habanero Sausage Bagel Breakfast Sandwich and Maple Bacon BELT for breakfast from Tim Hortons

Happy Sunday! My dysmenorrhoea is so bad today that I was squirming in pain at Church during Mass.

Before heading home, we tried two new items today: Spicy Habanero Sausage Bagel Breakfast Sandwich and Maple Bacon BELT from Tim Hortons.

Spicy Habanero Sausage Bagel Breakfast Sandwich from Tim Hortons

It's your typical breakfast sausage between a plain bagel and slobbered with spicy habañero sauce. The heat was great, but I'll stick with the classic sausage breakfast sandwich.

Spicy Habanero Sausage Bagel Breakfast Sandwich from Tim Hortons

Maple Bacon BELT from Tim Hortons

My hand smelled like maple. This is a winner! The maple bacon is delicious and works great with the egg, lettuce, and tomato. I'll gladly order this again.

Maple Bacon BELT from Tim Hortons 

Brazilian Pastels from Whatafood | Car Free Day Commercial Drive

Happy Saturday! After doing household chores most of the morning, we walked almost 6 kilometres from our apartment near South Granville to Commercial Drive to participate and join the fun at Car Free Day Vancouver: Commercial Drive.

We walked the nine blocks from North Grandview Highway to 1st Avenue and checked out which food trucks, restaurants, and food stalls were available.

Before reaching 1st Avenue, we spotted Whatafood Brazilian Street Food. We're uncertain what to expect but decided to order both available flavours: Cheese and Beef & Cheese.

Cheese and Beef Brazilian Pastels

Whatafood

Cheese Brazilian Pastel

Beef & Cheese Brazilian Pastel

I would recommend the cheese. The beef was alright, but the crispy exterior of the Brazilian Pastel with the creamy, cheesy inside is perfect for the Cheese flavour.

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.

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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.