Hugs Mini Donuts at Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF)

Happy Saturday! After going to Costco for late breakfast and groceries, we dropped by the corner of West 10th and Fir Street to grab mini donuts from the only food truck in the area today.

Hugs, Mini Donuts food truck

Hugs Mini Donuts

We enjoyed a dozen mini donuts from Hugs and ate them while walking toward the Khatsahlano Street Party.

Poutine and Hot Dog Sandwiches from Costco Food Court

Happy Saturday! We had a long night after the loss of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Friday evening. I woke up two hours later than usual and took my time preparing for the day.

We planned to try Wendy's breakfast. But unfortunately, it's only until 10:30 AM, and we arrived there at 11:00 AM, so instead of stopping elsewhere for breakfast, we just went straight to Costco to apply for membership and grab groceries. Before running errands, we enjoyed a regular beef hot dog, polish hot dog, and poutine.

Hot Dogs and Poutine from Costco Food Court

Poutine from Costco Food Court

The polish hot dog is surprisingly peppery with a bit of heat, but I still prefer the classic beef hot dog. Meanwhile, the Costco poutine has been included in one of the best poutine in Vancouver. The fries are good, and they're generous on the cheese curds. The gravy is alright.

Overall, we paid less than $10 for all this good food. No wonder people eat here before the games at BC Place and Rogers Arena. 

Dinner from Boom Kitchen at BC Place | Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Minnesota United FC

Happy Friday! We took our usual almost 5 kilometres walk to BC Place to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps FC game tonight. We arrived a few minutes before the gate opened at 6:30 PM.

We ordered the remaining two items that we have not tried from Boom Kitchen.

Dinner from Boom Kitchen

Vegan and Gluten-Free Food at BC Place

We tried the Super Happy Power Bowl, the only Vegan and Gluten-Free item we've tried so far. If you're not allergic to gluten and not vegan, this is not something I recommend.

Super Happy Power Bowl
Butternut squash, flavoured tofu, red pepper, sweet corn, edamame, heirloom tomato, marinated slaw, served on brown rice and quinoa.

They did not treat the quinoa with respect. It was grainy and hard, which is unfortunate. The tofu was cooked well, and there's a decent sauce in it but not enough to cover everything.

I had high expectations for this dish because the two other bowls from Boom Kitchen were delicious.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The Prime Rib Grilled Cheese sandwich was acceptable. The rib was fatty and tender, but it was too oily that I wish they had used a spicy sauce or included something sour to cut through the fat.

BC Place Signature Prime Rib Grilled Cheese

Overall, it was a disappointing dinner. To make things slightly better, I ordered french fries and nachos with cheese. I wonder if I can buy cheese dip with my fries instead of nachos. Hmmm.

Nachos with Cheese Dip

Unfortunately, it's not enough for the painful loss suffered by the Whitecaps tonight. The first half went well. They had a string of good passes, but the second half was a disaster defensive-wise. As a result, the 'Caps lost 3-1.

We won't be watching at BC Place until the Canadian Championship finals against Toronto FC since we have vacation plans on the weekend of the 23rd.

I was just thinking that it might be better when our couple's hobby was playing Pokemon Go. 😅 We don't spend as much, and we always have fun. 🙃

IDEA: Whitecaps FC Street Summer Party

I have been going to a handful of events in Vancouver this spring and summer, like the Greek Day on Broadway, Canada Together on Canada Day, and tomorrow I will be at Khatsahlano Street Party.

I thought the Whitecaps FC could organize an event like this before one of their games (just like the Lions did, but different). Football is an international sport, and I think the Whitecaps should do a Summer International Party.

What am I imagining? In Terry Fox Plaza, food vendors from THIS CITY (one of the 'Caps slogans or whatever it's called) based on the countries our players (or their parents, if they want) come from. And I want (hope) that players stay in their booth, interact with the fans, and maybe share a little bit about their country. Below are some examples of the stall I can think of:

• Dajome and Caicedo on a Colombia booth with one local business selling food they grew up enjoying.
• Jungwirth on a German booth selling bratwurst or something else.
• Nerwinski and White selling pizza (I just remembered the video they did when White visited a local business selling New York-style pizza).
• Cubas and Godoy on an Argentinian booth.
• Cavallini and other Canadian players on a poutine booth.
• Since we're in Vancouver, there should also be a booth for Indigenous food.
• We can add more cuisine and countries based on each 'Caps player and staff.
• I also think the Southsiders should have a booth where they give out paper with the cheers printed so more people can join in. OR scan a QR code to a page where they are located.

The benefit of something like this:

1. Re-engage and increase fans inside the stadium.
2. Increase player motivation. I'd like to think that interacting with supporters up close will increase player motivation (of course, I could be wrong).
3. "This City" means supporting and showcasing local businesses in Metro Vancouver in an event like this.

I had this idea for a week now and just needed to write it down. If anyone from the 'Caps want to make this happen, it will make me happy.

Dinner at Tap & Barrel Bridges

Happy Wednesday! My husband and I are celebrating our Catholic wedding anniversary today, and we decided to have dinner at Tap & Barrel Bridges. A couple years ago, we had dinner at the Bridges to celebrate the occasion, but it seems like we didn't do anything out of the ordinary last year.

After work today, we walked to Granville Island, and since we were early for our reservation, we walked around the Granville Island Public Market. I am so happy to see my favourite food option still there (I'm looking at you, Gourmet Wok).

View from Granville Island

We entered the newly renovated Tap & Barrel Bridges, which still feels the same. The view and iconic yellow building are still there, but surprisingly the food is better.

We started with cocktails. I had the refreshing Cucumber Mint Gin & Tonic while my husband picked the Raspberry Crush. We enjoyed our drinks with the Nachos, which have the Bridges Favourites logo on the menu.

Left: Raspberry Crush (Smirnoff vodka, raspberries, lemonade, soda, and lemon)
Right: Cucumber Mint Gin & Tonic (Disruption gin, tonic, cucumber, and fresh mint)

Nachos with Beef Barbacoa added.
Cumin-dusted tortilla chips, cheddar, smoked mozzarella, pickled jalapenos, black olives, pico de gallo, feta, green onion, cilantro, and sour cream

The Nachos were delicious, especially the chips. The barbacoa is dry, and the jalapenos are not spicy, which is good because my hubby can't handle the heat. Unfortunately, our server took away our plate before I got the chance to finish all the bits and pieces at the bottom.

For our mains, I had the Pesto Chicken Linguine, and I added Creole Ocean Wise Prawns, while hubby had the Creole Sirloin.

Mains from Tap & Barrel Bridges

Creole Sirloin
7oz certified Angus beef sirloin, creole butter, truffle mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables

The sirloin is juicy and perfectly seasoned, and it was absolutely delicious. The same goes for the asparagus. But unfortunately, the mashed potatoes got left behind in taste and seasoning.

Pesto Chicken Linguine with Creole Ocean Wise Prawns as an add-on
Sauteed chicken, almond basil pesto, feta, grape tomatoes, garlic shallot cream, and grilled sourdough with creole ocean-wise prawns

Pesto Chicken Linguine

Adding the prawns was definitely the right call as it added depth of flavour to the already delicious linguine. This dish is such a level-up to the seafood pasta dishes Bridges used to offer. Now, I want to see the pasta and sauce with seafood like salmon, shrimp, clam, etc., for a "Pesto Seafood Linguine." I'm drooling just thinking about it.

To end our already gastronomic meal, hubby ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. Unfortunately, the pudding was not warmed through. It was soft but felt dry. I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding
Warm date and molasses cake, toffee sauce, Mario's vanilla bean gelato, and candied walnuts

With what we had today, I can't wait to come back and try more food from Tap & Barrel. I remember having brunch at their Olympic Village location and having an impression of mediocre food. That's why I was pessimistic when they took over Bridges, but I am happy to be wrong because the food was great!

Lunch from Mahshiko 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.

Mahshiko Korean Fusion Food Bar

Lunch from Mahshiko

After ordering from Takenaka, I ordered the Bulgogi Beef Bibimbap and Chicken and Fries from Mahshiko.

Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish usually served in a hot bowl. The first step is to add the gochujang sauce and poke the egg's yolk. Lastly, mix it all up until the sauce and yolk are mixed with vegetables, meat, and rice. I wish I had more gochujang sauce. 

Beef Bulgogi Bibimbap

The serving is good for sharing, so it definitely needs more to cover everything. Unfortunately, the yolk wasn't runny (it's overcooked by a minute), so whatever yolk is left is insufficient to cover the ingredients.

Chicken and Fries

The Chicken and Fries are so great. The chicken is fried perfectly; you can smell it from the box during our walk home. I highly recommend it. Plus, they give you Gochujang sauce to dip the fried chicken, so I'm happy.