Lunch from Takenaka Japan food truck at Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF)

Happy Sunday! Coming from the high of the Whitecaps' win last night, we woke up a bit late and went straight to Mass. We didn't have time for breakfast. Right after Mass, we went to Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF) on the corner of West 10th Avenue and Fir Street.

There are six food trucks today and we've tried four of them already, so we decided to order from the remaining two that we haven't supported yet.

Takenaka Japan food truck

I ordered from Takenaka and was so happy that they have curry. If you've been reading my blog (I doubt anyone does except my husband and mom), Japanese curry is my absolute favourite food especially the one they serve at nearby Suika. 

I can't believe that Takenaka came really close. The only thing missing is slices of tonkatsu and this would have been my new favourite curry. The only reason Suika is still number one is that the beef in their curry is shredded or sliced thinly, but the one from Takenaka is chunkier (like the one from Mr. Japanese Curry).

Stewed Beef Tendon Curry and Rice
Slow-cooked beef tendon curry, seasoned half-boiled egg, onion pickles, radish sprouts, and steamed rice.

Stewed Beef Tendon Curry and Rice from Takenaka Japan food truck

I like the container they used for the curry. The top level has the curry, while the bottom compartment has the rice and egg.

Chicken Karaage (3 pcs)
Flavour-packed spice mix marinated crispy chicken kara-age

Meanwhile, the chicken karaage tastes the same as Suika, so it goes perfectly with the curry sauce.

Green Tea Panna Cotta
Matcha green tea panna cotta with sweetened red bean

To end the meal, we enjoyed the Green Tea Panna Cotta. This one is definitely better than Suika.

Based on the items I've tried today, I can't wait to order from Takenaka again.

Takenaka Japan food truck menu

Takenaka Japan food truck menu

Dinner from Beast on Fire at BC Place | Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs LAFC

Happy Saturday! We haven't been at BC Place since watching the Canada Men's National Team win against Curaçao. The last match we watched at BC Place was almost a month ago against Real Salt Lake.

The match was lacklustre in the first 70 minutes. Thankfully, in the last 20 minutes, the Whitecaps played entertaining football and in the 89th minute was rewarded with a goal from Designated Player Andrés Cubas. The win felt extra special because the team defeated Max Crepeau (the 'Caps goalkeeper last season) and Whitecaps' former manager, Marc Dos Santos. It felt like beating your ex after a terrible breakup.

We also got a free bucket hat because we came in early (like always) to the match.

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Now, we discuss the food. As I continue my quest to try all concession stands and food at BC Place, we ordered dinner from Beast on Fire. We chose the Slow Roasted Prime Rib and The BLT.

Slow Roasted Prime Rib

I was so surprised at how tender the prime rib was. This is a restaurant-quality item. However, it's quite messy to eat, so if you decide to order this make sure you eat it in one of the available tables. It'll be challenging to eat back in your chair.

Meanwhile, the BLT includes a thick slab of bacon. It was also enjoyable, but if you can only get one choose the Prime Rib.

The BLT from Beast on Fire

Before the match started, I ordered a Bucket of Chicken Tenders and Fries from Lionsgate Grill.

Bucket of Chicken Tender with Fries

I am so happy with the result of the match. We'll be back at BC Place on Friday and I pray that players stay healthy and all those injured recover quickly. 

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.

Lunch from The Jerk Shack at Thank Granville It's Food truck (TGIF)

Happy Saturday! We walked to Thank Granville It's Food truck (TGIF) for lunch today. There are two food trucks that we haven't tried, and we decided to order from The Jerk Shack.

I ordered the Jerk Chicken, Rice & Peas, Beef Jamaican Patty, and Chicken Jamaican Patty. For fun, I also ordered a side of fried plantain.

Lunch from The Jerk Shack

Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas
Jerk seasoned and marinated chicken leg and thigh, served with rice and peas (red kidney beans), steamed coconut milk, thyme and other herbs, with a side of Caribbean slaw (beets, carrots, and cabbage) dressed with a sweet and tangy vinaigrette. 

I regret not trying jerk chicken sooner. The chicken was juicy, and the sauces were delicious. I am glad they separated the spicy sauce because my husband won't be able to tolerate the heat.

Beef Jamaican Patty from The Jerk Shack

Chicken Jamaican Patty

I am happy with both patties and can't decide which I like better. The beef is more "traditional" in flavour while the chicken is curry.

Next time, I'll be selfish and order one of the Jerk Chicken Rice just for myself.

Poutine for Lunch | Celebrating Canada Day at Canada Together in Canada Place

Happy Canada Day! How do we usually celebrate Canada Day?

• 2016: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with sisters
• 2017: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with parents, sister, and brother
• 2018: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with hubby
• 2019: We were not in the country to celebrate. :(
• 2020: Lunch from Salmon n' Bannock
• 2021: Dinner from Salmon n' Bannock and Ice Cream from Purdy's

It's our first year celebrating Canada Day as Canadian Citizens, so we decided to join the fun and activities at Canada Together near Canada Place in Vancouver. For lunch, we grabbed poutine from one of the many food trucks that are part of the event.

Poutine from one of the food trucks at the Canada Together celebration 

Classic Poutine: French fries, gravy, and cheese curds 

It's a happy day to celebrate our country and its people in our beautiful city. Before leaving the event, we grabbed a large pop corn from Cravings Kettle Corn to enjoy for the next couple days.

Large Cravings Kettle Corn

Canada Day Celebration in Downtown Vancouver 

Happy Canada Day!

How did you celebrate today?

List of Food Vendors at Canada Together 2022

1. ThaiBox on Truck
2. B&B Concessions: Gourmet Burger
3. B&B Concessions: Crepes
4. Lemon Heaven Lemonade
5. Cotton Candy stand
6. Twisted Potato
7. Japanese Teriyaki Express
8. It's All About Grill
9. Urban Wood Fired Pizza
10. Juicy Green Express Inc.
11. Tin Lizzy Concessions: Fries & Poutine, Fishn' Chips & Chicken Tenders
12. Tin Lizzy Concessions: Best Grilled Cheese & Poutine
13. Tin Lizzy Concessions: Mini Donuts
14. Aloha Poke
15. Mr. Frosty Ice Cream
16. Munchu Picchu
17. Cravings Kettle Corn

Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

As mentioned in my previous post, we're watching a movie at Cineplex Marine Gateway and decided to have Tim Hortons. This Tims location has two new dream donuts, and I am so excited to try them.

Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut

Introducing the Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut from Tim Hortons.

Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut from Tim Hortons The festive Dream Donut features a Birthday Cake ring donut that's dipped in strawberry fondant, showered in confetti sprinkles, and then finished off with a beautiful rosette of buttercream.

Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut ft Tim Hortons.

Unfortunately, the donut is dry. However, it is not overly sweet, and the flavour is good overall.

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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 Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut

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

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

As mentioned in my previous post, we're watching a movie at Cineplex Marine Gateway and decided to have Tim Hortons. This Tims location has two new dream donuts, and I am so excited to try them.

Introducing the Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut from Tim Hortons.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut from Tim Hortons
Packed with rich and decadent peanut butter-flavoured cheesecake filling, this Dream Donut is also dupped in chocolate fondant and topped with colourful chocolate candy bites and a drizzle of Reese's Peanut Butter sauce.

After a couple of bites, there's nothing inside. 😅

It was good because you can not go wrong with Reese's Peanut Butter. However, I was expecting a peanut butter surprise inside (or something), but there wasn't any. Hubby said there's something inside, and it seems like there is, but it's so tiny that half of the donut doesn't have it.

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List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons

I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically.

Apple Pie Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut

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

Loaded Bowls for dinner at Tim Hortons

Happy Thursday! It's Canada Day long weekend, and we decided to go to Cineplex Marine Gateway to watch "Lightyear."

Before the 7:10 PM movie, we decided to grab dinner from Tim Hortons. 

This time we ordered the Loaded Bowls, which I think are so much better than the Loaded Wraps. It's easier to eat, and hubby felt there's just more food overall.

Chicken Loaded Bowls from Tim Hortons

Chicken Habanero Loaded Bowl from Tim Hortons

How do you distinguish between the two? The colour of the dressing. The Habanero is pink, while the Cilantro Lime is white.

 

Chicken Cilantro Lime Loaded Bowl from Tim Hortons

As part of our dinner, I also ordered the NEW Passionfruit Tea Lemonade Quencher. It's alright, you like passionfruit. Otherwise, it's not something I would recommend.

Chicken Cilantro Lime Loaded Wrap and Chicken Habanero Loaded Wrap for dinner from Tim Hortons

My desire for a cold drink on a hot summer day means ordering a Large Hershey's S'mores Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.

With the drink, I included both the Chicken Cilantro Lime Loaded Wrap and Chicken Habanero Loaded Wrap. Between the two, I love the spiciness of the Chicken Habanero. Though, the Chicken Cilantro Lime is also flavourful. I chose slow-cooked chicken over crispy.

Chicken Cilantro Lime Loaded Wrap and Chicken Habanero Loaded Wrap

Chicken Habanero Loaded Wrap

Chicken Cilantro Lime Loaded Wrap

Have you tried both wraps? Which one did you like better?

Greek Food Feast during Greek Day on Broadway

Hubby and I went to Greek Day on Broadway today and enjoyed delicious food under the scorching heat. We decided to enjoy Greek food and ordered from the booth/stalls that sell them, so we skipped the mini donuts (even though it was tempting) and tornado potatoes and focused on finding traditional Greek cuisine.

Lamb Chop from Cretan Association

From the Cretan Association, we had lamb chops. We noticed that there are three stalls - one for lamb chops, another for chicken gyro, and the last one for pork. The line for all three is quite long, so we started with the lamb because it has the shortest line.

We ordered 1/4 kilo of lamb chop combo for $17.00. It included three pieces of lamb chop, tzatziki, fries, and pita bread.

Lamb Chop Combo from Cretan Association

Lamb Chop

The lamb is perfectly seasoned, and the pita bread is so soft. I want more perfectly cooked lamb. We only ordered 1/4 because we wanted room for other delicious eats.

Pork Souvlaki and Loukoumades from the Greek Orthodox Community of Surrey & the Fraser Valley

After enjoying our lamb chops and getting money from the ATM (because some booths are cash only), we lined up to get Pork Souvlaki. I'm a fan of meat in a skewer, but this one is tender and perfectly seasoned. My mouth is watering thinking about it.

Pork Souvlaki from the Greek Orthodox Community of Surrey and the Fraser Valley

I wish I had taken a better picture, but I devoured it way too quickly. We also ordered Loukoumades, a traditional Greek doughnut drenched in sweet honey syrup and topped with cinnamon and sesame seeds.

Loukoumades

Loukoumades

Loukoumades

When you take a bite of the Loukoumades, the delicious syrup just bursts into your mouth and yet it's not overly sweet, which is a complete surprise.

Honey & Walnut Greek Yogurt from Thomakis

Our last food for today is Greek yogurt from Thomakis. For the last couple of weeks, we've been buying yogurt from the grocery because we received free granola during the RBC Run for the Kids, so we're pretty excited to enjoy Greek Yogurt today.

I chose Honey & Walnut Yogurt and had them add crumbs and was pleasantly amused to learn that honey and yogurt are the perfect pair.

Greek Yogurt from Thomakis

Greek Yogurt from Thomakis

It's such a perfect food day; the best part is I don't feel food coma. Although, I dread the walk back home because it's so hot.

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List of Food vendors during Greek Day on Broadway

If you're interested in knowing the other food vendors at Greek Day on Broadway, below is a list.

• Solly's Bagelry
• Little Devils Wood Fire Pizza food truck
• Greek Orthodox Community of Surrey & the Fraser Valley
• TNT Wraps Gyro Donairs
• Tornado Potato
  
• Lemon Heaven
• Gary's Kettle Corn
• Mr. Donair
• Breyers Ice Cream carts
• Whatafood
• Thomas Artisanal Greek Yogurt
• Booster Juice
• Parthenon Market
• Hellenic Canadian Senior's Society of Metropolitan Vancouver
• Cretan Association
• Roasted Revolution food truck
• Hurricane Potato
• Kyu Grill
• Cazba
• Hellenic Community of Vancouver
• Serano Greek Pastry
• Betty's Greek Honey Ballz
• Sahel Donair & BBQ
• Streetdogs: Gourmet Hotdogs, burgers & fries
• Mini donuts
• Mr. Pretzels

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.

Dinner from La Callejera Mexican Street Food at TGIF Vancouver

Happy Saturday! After our late lunch at Suika and enjoying our McFlurry while hanging out at VSB Park, we ordered dinner from La Callejera Mexican Street Food. They're part of Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF).

I have been hearing about the Mexican food that allows you to dip things into a delicious broth, so when I saw that it's something La Callejera has to offer, I chose that.

We ordered Quesabirrias (shredded beef with cheese) and Pastor (pork) Tacos with broth on the side. We ate our dinner at home while watching the BC Lions game.

Four Pastor (Pork) Tacos

I took pictures of the tacos and quesabirrias but forgot to take a picture of the broth.

The broth was too salty on its own while the taco was a bit dry (given we ate it 30 minutes later), but dipping the taco in the broth is where the magic happens. I can't believe how good everything was together.

Quesabirrias
Shredded beef with cheese in 3 corn tortillas

The Quesabirrias are excellent on their own, but that broth gives them additional flavour. I'm impressed and can't wait to try more of their food. Hubby and I also was curious about the Jarritos drink and might try it the next time they're back at TGIF.

La Callejera Mexican Street Food Menu

While searching online, I couldn't find their menu, so I took a picture and am posting it here.

La Callejera Mexican Street Food food truck Vancouver Menu

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.

Lunch at Suika

Happy Saturday! I'm having cramps today, and my hubby is quite worried. So he suggested we have lunch at Suika since their Japanese curry is my comfort food.

While I enjoyed my comfort food, he chose one of the items we hadn't tried from the restaurant.

Beef Tendon Bibimbap
Stewed beef tendon, shitake mushroom, cooked kombu, pickled ginger on rice, served in a sizzling stone bowl.

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

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