Tiramisu Soufflé Pancake at Fufú Pancake Café

After our salty lunch at Olive Garden, my youngest sister, mom, and dad drove to Vancouver to enjoy Japanese souffle pancakes at Fufú Café.

Ever since trying their soft pancakes for the first time, I have wanted to bring my youngest sister here. I knew she was going to love it. My mom loved it too. Even my dad who doesn't like sweets enjoyed the pancakes.

Tiramisu Souffle Pancake
3 stacked souffle pancakes, mascarpone cheese whipped cream, espresso sauce, almond chunks, dark chocolate curls, espresso flake ice cream, and cocoa powder

I love the crunch from the almond chunks. It's such a great contrast from the pillowy soft pancakes.

Tiramisu Souffle Pancake

Nutella & Caramelized Banana Souffle Pancake
Three souffle pancakes, Nutella whipped cream, caramelized banana, Nutella sauce, roasted hazelnut, double chocolate raspberry ice cream, and icing sugar

Nutella & Caramelized Banana Souffle Pancake

Yay! I am so grateful to spend time with my parents and sisters today.

Shrimp Scampi, Unlimited Soup and Breadsticks at Olive Garden

Happy Wednesday! We watched the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canadian Championship game last night, so today I took a day off so I can wake up later than usual.

My youngest sister and I also planned a road trip to Langley, BC, to have lunch at Olive Garden with our parents.

Spinach Artichoke Dip
A blend of spinach artichoke and cheeses served warm with flatbread crisps.

The flatbread crisps were terrific, but the dip is unfortunately too salty. Whatever blend of processed cheese they used has a lot of salt to be enjoyable. I thought it was me, but my dad noticed it too.

Zuppa Toscana
Spicy Italian sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth

The Zuppa Toscana was delicious. Thanks, past self, for taking a note to order this over the Chicken and Gnocchi.

Shrimp Scampi
A lighter take on a classic! Shrimp sautéed in a garlic sauce tossed with asparagus, tomatoes, and angel hair.

I thought the saltiness from the Spinach Artichoke lingered in my mouth that's why the Shrimp Scampi tasted salty, but when I arrived home and asked my hubby to try my leftover, he said the same thing without my prompting. The two items I chose were salty. :(

I ordered a $7.00 to-go pasta because I ordered an entree. We enjoyed the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce at home for dinner, and it came with four breadsticks. Thankfully, the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is not salty.

Most Expensive Food in BC Place | Canadian Champion Finals 2022

Happy Tuesday! The Vancouver Whitecaps FC is going to the Canadian Champion Finals! Hubby said we should watch in person because we don't know when they'll have the finals here at home again.

As soon as the date was finalized, I emailed Seth (our Whitecaps salesperson) to buy two tickets.

Since it's the finals, ordering the two most expensive items in BC Place seems only fitting.

The Beast's Rib from Beast on Fire

The rib is the most expensive item in BC Place. It cost CAD 38.00 CAD + tip.

The Beast's Rib
Long bone beef rib, barbecued to perfection, served with kettle chips.

A piece of rib

The Beast's Rib was juicy and tender. The barbecue sauce can be better. The Filipino in me wants to eat this with rice. I wish it came with salt & vinegar chips to cut through the fattiness of the ribs.

Is it worth CAD 38.00? I'm not sure since I don't order ribs when going to restaurants. It's delicious, and the serving size is decent, but I think I'd rather enjoy ribs in a restaurant and get better sides than a bag of Miss Vickie's Original flavour,

Smash Goldburger from Beast Unleashed

This burger costs CAD 35.00 + tip. Why is this burger so expensive? There's foie gras on top of the beef patty. Plus, it's served with a Gold Brioche bun.

Smash Goldburger
Foie gras, carnivore beef patty, aged cheddar, smoked back bacon, pickled onion, house recipe sauce, served on a Gold Brioche bun.

Smash Goldburger

This is an okay burger. It's definitely not worth it for the price. The foie gras adds an additional depth of flavour, but the patty was dry, and the buns were even toasted. One food item to avoid.

After enjoying our meal, we watched the Whitecaps win against Toronto FC to become the Canadian Championship.

Lunch at Shizenya

We're back in Vancouver! We arrived home shortly after 10 in the morning. We unpacked a bit but walked to church for Sunday Mass. Afterwards, we went to Shizenya for lunch. I am craving rolls, and while there are five options near our home, we have not been to Shizenya, so here we are.

Sakura Blossom Roll
Fresh real crab with mayonnaise, spicy albacore tuna, cucumber, organic avocado, brown sushi rice, and wild sockeye salmon.
Sauce: Creamy Maple Sauce

Dragon Magic Roll
Wild sockeye salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, organic brown sushi rice, grilled eel and organic avocado on top
Sauce: Homemade anago sauce

Both rolls are delicious, but I think the Dragon Magic Roll is better. It's creamy because of the cream cheese and avocado. The salmon is fresh and sweet. Then, there's a crunch from the fresh cucumber.

Assorted Tempura
Tiger prawn (4 pieces), sockeye salmon (2 pieces), and vegetables (5 pieces)

The sockeye salmon tempura was delicious, and I'll gladly order that again.

Mochi Ice Cream
Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice cream wrapped in Mochi skin

The black sesame mochi ice cream is better than the green tea one.

Breakfast at White Spot | Weekend in Squamish

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

Happy Sunday! We're heading back home to Vancouver, but before that, we decided to have breakfast at White Spot. I didn't even know White Spot offers breakfast, but I am happy to enjoy the good food.

Nat's Hearty Breakfast
Two eggs (sunny side up), bacon, sausage, and multi-grain toast. Endless smash brown potatoes.

Coffee

Classic Benedict
English muffin topped with thick-cut back bacon, two poached eggs, & hollandaise. Endless smash brown potatoes

I am not a fan of bacon, but the thick-cut back bacon with the Classic Benedict was unexpectedly excellent. Now, I wish there was a White Spot nearby to enjoy it again.

Dinner at The WaterShed Grill | Weekend in Squamish

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

After a quick side trip to Whistler and spending a couple hours at Alice Lake, we had dinner at The WaterShed Grill.

To start, I had the Gin Fizz while hubby ordered the Blueberry Lemonade. It was scorching hot in our patio seat by the river, and the ice on our drinks melted immediately.

Left: Blueberry Lemonade (Blueberry vodka, blue curacao, and lemonade)
Right: Gin Fizz (Gin, cucumber, strawberry puree, fresh lemon, & soda)

For our appetizer, we tried their Crab Cakes. It was delicious and steaming hot. We're off to a good start here.

Crab Cakes
Wild rock crab, house-seasoned and pan-fried golden brown, basil aioli, lemon and mixed greens

I chose the salmon burger for our main meal while hubby had the river burger. It was a good salmon burger, but the river burger is definitely the better burger. You can never go wrong with perfectly cooked beef patty and bacon.

Salmon Burger with Poutine
Wild sockeye salmon fillet, pickled red onion, lettuce, tomato and wasabi mayo

River Burger with Onion Rings
6 oz house-made local free-range beef, bacon, cheddar, house mayo, and peppercorn sauce

To end the meal, we enjoyed a dozen mini donuts, which have a more pronounced cinnamon flavour. We ate it while watching the Whitecaps FC game on my 6-inch phone.

Mini Donuts

The best part of dining at The WaterShed Grill is the view.

View of the Squamish River

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.

Breakfast at Crabapple Cafe | Weekend in Squamish

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

Happy Saturday morning! From our AirBnB in Squamish, we drove to Whistler for a quick side trip, but before the 45-minute drive, we grabbed breakfast from The Crabapple Café.

I had my usual eggs benedict while hubby ordered their chorizo sausage hash.

Chorizo Sausage Hash
Chorizo sausage, sauteed peppers and onions on a bed of hash browns. Served with two poached eggs, cheddar cheese, smashed avocado, and roasted red pepper and tomato relish.

I enjoyed both food items. The Chorizo Sausage Hash is a bit spicy, but I love the peppers and onions. The dimension in flavour is unexpected from an unassuming cafe.

Smoked Salmon & Crispy Capers Eggs Benedict
Cold smoked sockeye and steelhead salmon with crispy fried capers on a toasted English muffin under two poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with hash browns

Lunch at Sky Pilot Eatery BBQ | Weekend in Squamish

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

After breakfast, we drove to Shannon Falls and enjoyed the view before the bus of tourists arrived. Then, we went to the Sea to Sky Gondola, which offered a fantastic view of Howe Sound.

At the top, we ate lunch on the Octagon Deck and ordered from their barbecue menu. We enjoyed the hummus served with flatbread and crackers and smokies.

Roasted Garlic Hummus, Olives, Grilled Flatbread and Parmesan Pepper Crackers

Smokies

Jalapeno Cheddar Smokies

Northshore Smokies

After spending 3-4 hours on top, we drove to Downtown Squamish for groceries. For dinner, my dad cooked Filipino-style grilled pork. It was nostalgic.

Breakfast at Tim Hortons | Weekend in Squamish

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

Happy Friday! Hubby and I took a vacation day for today. We're headed to Squamish, BC, to celebrate my dad's birthday. As with any Canadian trip, we started with our usual breakfast from Tim Hortons.

Sausage Breakfast Sandwich

Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

After breakfast, we walked home to change for the day. My mom called to inform us that they were on the way to pick us up.

Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF) is back in South Granville, Vancouver

All summer long last year, hubby and I kept an eye out for new food trucks that's participating in Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF). I am so happy to learn that they're coming back this year.

Screenshot from Instagram

Where is TGIF?

Fir Street corner West 10th Avenue (near the Vancouver School Board)

When is TGIF 2022?

Time: Between 12 NN to 7 PM
Days: Every Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Date: From June 3 to August 28, 2022

What to expect during TGIF?

• Rotating lineup of food trucks
• On some days: outdoor artisan craft markets and a Plaza Party

Which food trucks will be at TGIF?

I will update this post as soon as I see the food trucks list on Instagram, but on the announcement they names Super Thai, The Brownie Bakers, Boca'O, and KYU Grill.

List of Food Trucks participating at TGIF in South Granville

📍 means I went to TGIF and ate at this food truck.
✓ means I ordered from this food truck in the past.

]

June 3 (Friday)	June 4 (Saturday)	June 5 (Sunday)
Marhaba Food	📍 Overland Sandwich ✓	Ay! Mamacita
NaMi Vietnamese		Crema Ice Cream & Desserts ✓
		📍 Munchu Picchu ✓
June 10 (Friday)	June 11 (Saturday)	June 12 (Sunday)
The Jerkshack	📍 Boca'O ✓	Mahshiko Food
Old Country Pierogi	Camion Cafe	Munchu Picchu ✓
	Munchu Picchu ✓
June 17 (Friday)	June 18 (Saturday)	June 19 (Sunday)
Ay! Mamacita	La Callejera Mexican Street Food	Boca'O ✓
The Brownie Bakers ✓	NaMi Vietnamese	Food Daddy ✓
The JerkShack		Munchu Picchu ✓
Munchu Picchu ✓ (2 PM - 7 PM)		📍 Tokyo Katsu-Sand ✓
		Salty's Lobster Shack ✓
June 24 (Friday)	June 25 (Saturday)	June 26 (Sunday)
La Callejera Mexican Street Food	📍 La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
Super Thai ✓	📍 Overland Sandwich ✓	Munchu Picchu ✓
		Tokyo Katsu-Sand ✓
July 1 (Friday)	July 2 (Saturday)	July 3 (Sunday)
Happy Canada Day! TGIF is closed.	📍 Jerkshack ✓	Crack On ✓ (10:30 AM - 4 PM)
	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
	Mahshiko	📍 Mahshiko ✓
	Munchu Picchu ✓	Munchu Picchu ✓
		📍 Takenaka ✓
		Tokyo Katsu-Sand ✓ (11:30 AM - 4:30 PM)
July 8 (Friday)	July 9 (Saturday)	July 10 (Sunday)
Baba's House	📍 Hugs Mini Donuts	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
Cultivate Food Truck	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓	Tokyo Katsu-Sand ✓
The Brownie Bakers ✓
La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
Marhaba Lebanese
Overland Sandwich ✓
July 15 (Friday)	July 16 (Saturday)	July 17 (Sunday)
Camion Cafe	Hugs Mini Donuts ✓	No food trucks today.
The Jerk Shack ✓ (until 3:30 PM)	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓
Marhaba Lebanese (from 1:00 PM)
July 22 (Friday)	July 23 (Saturday)	July 24 (Sunday)
Camion Cafe	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓	La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓ (until 3:00 PM)
KYU Grill ✓	Mahshiko ✓	Tokyo Katsu-Sand ✓
La Callejera Mexican Street Food ✓	Super Thai ✓
Marhaba Lebanese
Munchu Picchu ✓
The schedule below is from the South Granville BIA website and is subject to change without prior notice.
July 29 (Friday)	July 30 (Saturday)	July 31 (Sunday)
The Jerk Shack	Ay! Mamacita	Hugs Mini Donuts
La Callejera Mexican Street Food	La Callejera Mexican Street Food	Old Country Pierogi
The Mahshiko		Tokyo Katsu-Sand
Munchu Picchu
August 5 (Friday)	August 6 (Saturday)	August 7 (Sunday)
Marhaba Lebanese	No food trucks today.	Ay! Mamacita
Munchu Picchu		La Callejera Mexican Street Food
Old Country Pierogi		Tokyo Katsu Sand

The table below is my personal checklist of food trucks that will be part of TGIF 2022 and whether I have tried their food or not. You can view a similar table from 2021 here.

List of Food Trucks in Vancouver
🔲 Ay! Mamacita	🔲 Baba's House	🔲 Bistro Van	☑️ Boca'O
☑️ The Brownie Bakers	🔲 Camion Cafe	☑️ Crack On	☑️ Crema Ice Cream & Desserts
☑️ Food Daddy	🔲 Hugs Mini Donuts	☑️ The Jerk Shack	☑️ KYU Grill
☑️ La Callejera Mexican Street Food	🔲 Marhaba Lebanese Food	☑️ Mahshiko	☑️ Munchu Picchu
🔲 NaMi Vietnamese	🔲 Old Country Pierogy	☑️ Overland Sandwich	🔲 Rolled West Coast
☑️ Salty's Lobster Shack	🔲 Sirius Cravings	☑️ Super Thai	☑️ Takenaka
☑️ Tokyo Katsu-Sand

Pinoy Fiesta Vancouver 2022: Unang Hirit sa Tag-Init

In 2019, we joined the "Pinoy Fiesta Vancouver: Unang Hirit sa Tag-Init." Unfortunately, it was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic. There is still no news if the event with proceeding this 2022.

I'll update this post once I hear any news.

Halo-Halo Festival 2022 in Vancouver

Summer in Vancouver is hot. If you want to beat the heat, check what desserts tropical countries like the Philippines have to offer.

What is Halo-Halo?

The literal translation is mix-mix. It is a dessert from the Philippines consisting of shaved ice, condensed milk, and sugar. Then, you add mixed fruit, boiled sweetened beans, and gelatin that you mix together. It's usually topped with purple yam (ube), leche flan, and ice cream.

Halo-Halo with Ice Cream

Halo-Halo Festival in Vancouver

Eight restaurants are participating in the event to promote halo-halo and provide relief from the heat.

When is the event?

July 15 to August 16, 2022

What to expect from the restaurants?

Halo-Halo and other desserts are inspired by flavours from the Philippines.

List of participating Filipino restaurants

• Grandt Kitchen
• KaonTa
• Kabayan Fiesta
• Mabuhay Foods
• Mr. Siopao de Langley
• Pampanga's Cuisine
• Plato Filipino
• Sago To Go
• Win Win Chick-N

Lunch at Sushi Bang

After Mass, we planned to head to Costco, and on our walk, we decided to stop by Sushi Bang for lunch.

Bristol Roll
inside: deep-fried prawn and crabmeat
outside: salmon

Bristol Roll

It's a good roll, but somehow the Special Rolls from Masa and Sushivan are just better. We also ordered two bento boxes and an Ebi okonomiyaki.

Lunch from Sushi Bang

Box B Beef Bento Box
Beef Teriyaki with rice, assorted tempura, 2 pieces salmon and 2 pieces tuna sashimi, salmon maki, and salad

Hubby ordered the Box B Beef Bento Box, and the beef teriyaki was surprisingly delicious, better than others we have tried so far. Though, the sashimi and salmon maki are just okay.

Salmon Bento Box
Salmon teriyaki with rice, assorted tempura, BC roll, and salad

The assorted tempura and BC roll are good, but the salmon teriyaki is better at Sushivan. The salmon was cooked excellently, but the teriyaki sauce didn't work well. I'm not sure cause it was good with the beef.

Ebi Okonomiyaki

There is an abundance of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, but so far, I have only found two others (Hime Sushi and Gyu-Kaku) that serve Okonomiyaki, which was terrific. I'll return for this and to try the rest of the Special Rolls.

If you know of other restaurants that serve Okonomiyaki, please leave a comment below so we can add it to our to-eat list.