Lunch at Belgian Fries

I made a post on the best poutine in Vancouver to celebrate Canada Day this year. One of the restaurants included is Belgian Fries along Commerical Drive.

I ordered the Classic poutine to make a fair assessment of how it compares with others that I have tried. On the other hand, hubby ordered the Yam Poutine because it's like the classic but uses yam fries.

Classic Poutine
A fusion of perfect fries, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, topped with cheese curds and yummy veggie gravy.

The gravy is not too salty, and most poutine we've had does not have delicious gravy. This is pretty delicious. It's definitely number 2 on the best poutine that I have tried. I wish the fries were perfectly fried and the gravy, while not overly salty needs more flavour. I'm uncertain what's missing.

Yam Poutine
A hot and steamy dish of Yam fries with squeaky cheese curds and veggie gravy.

Overall, delicious poutine and worth a visit to satisfy any poutine craving you may have.

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.

Dinner at International Sandwich Factory | Checklist

We picked up a package from UPS along West Broadway, and before heading home, we had dinner at International Sandwich Factory across the street.

First, I love the interior design filled with maps of the contents. There are airplanes painted on the wall and other trinkets on the shelves behind the counter. It's such a happy place.

Interior of International Sandwich Factory

Counter of International Sandwich Factory

Map of North and South American Continents

View from inside the store

Next, I am overwhelmed by the options. Thankfully, hubby suggested that we start from the top of the menu and go down from there. This means every time we come here for a meal, it's like being transported to a different place.

Lastly, the sandwiches we got were delicious! I prefer the Cochinita Pibil Sandwich over the Torta because there's unexpected heat coming from the Cochinita.

Torta
Pork, criolla salad, cilantro, avocado, mayo, and habnero sauce

According to Masterclass.com, "A torta is a Mexican sandwich served on a soft roll and filled with meat sauce, and various toppings such as crema, avocado, salsa, and iceberg lettuce."

Cochinita Pibil
Mayan achiote, shredded pork, black beans, red onions, mayo, lettuce, and tomatillo green sauce

Doing my research, Cochinita Pibil originated from Mexico and "is a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatan Peninsula."

I can't wait to come back and try more of their sandwiches! So, for future me, here is a checklist of their different sandwiches.

☑️ Cochinita Pibil 🇲🇽
☑️ Torta 🇲🇽
🔲 Lumberjack (My best guess is from 🇨🇦 because it includes Smokie Montreal)
🔲 Broadway (My best guess is from 🇺🇸)
🔲 Otto & Fritz (My best guess is from 🇩🇪 because of German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann
🔲 Cubano mi Elmano 🇨🇺
🔲 El Che (My best guess is from 🇦🇷 because of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara)
🔲 New Yorker 🇺🇸
🔲 Gringo (My best guess is from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 because it includes English Ham, and it's the term used among Latin Americans to describe a foreigner (usually an English-speaking Anglo American)
🔲 Croissant 🇫🇷
🔲 Italian Gigolo 🇮🇹
🔲 La Ostia (My best guess is from 🇮🇹 because of the ingredients, and Ostia is a Comune in Italy.)
🔲 Veggie Sandwich 🗺️

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

Apple Crisp Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee

There's a new seasonal cheesecake flavour at Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee. The previous one was mango cheesecake which we enjoyed last year.

The Apple Crispy Cheesecake tastes like apple pie but is slightly tartier because of the cheesecake. I'm surprised at how much I enjoy it since I am not a fan of apple pie.

Apple Crisp Cheesecake

Apple Crisp Cheesecake top view

Apple Crisp Cheesecake

List of Seasonal Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee

Below is a list of the seasonal cheesecakes we have tried from Trees arranged alphabetically as of this visit.

Almond Marzipan Cheesecake Apple Crisp Cheesecake Banana Cream Cheesecake Banoffee Cheesecake Coconut Dream Cheesecake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake Matcha Cheesecake Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pumpkin Cheesecake Strawberry Cheesecake Taro Cheesecake

List of Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee

Below is a list of cheesecakes from Trees that are always available.

Blueberry Cheesecake Chocoholic Cheesecake Key Lime Cheesecake Maple Walnut Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake Oreo Cheesecake Tiramisu Cheesecake Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

Dinner at Ton Ton Sushi

After a day at the beaches on the west side of Vancouver, we had dinner at a Ton Ton Sushi before riding the bus home.

I'm surprised how delicious the Dynamite Roll is; better than Masa, Sushivan, and every other sushi place I've had so far.

Dynamite Rolls
Inside: Prawn tempura, crab meat, avocado, cucumber, and lettuce
Outside: Masago

We had Takoyaki as well, which is so-so.

Takoyaki
Deep-fried octopus ball, drizzled with katsu sauce, mayo, bonito fish flakes, sesame seed, and kizami nori

I also tried Creamy Mentaiko Udon for the first time ever and enjoyed it. However, I wish there was protein on top. I'll order creamy udon from other Japanese restaurants we frequent to be able to compare, but overall, it was delicious.

Creamy Mentaiko Udon
Stir-fried Udon noodles tossed in cream sauce with onions, mushrooms, and cod toe topped with garlic chips.

Creamy Mentaiko Udon

Hubby had the Katsu Don. We haven't had it in a long time, so I am happy to enjoy it. It's delicious too.

Katsu Don
Pork cutlet with egg on rice

I can't wait to come back to Ton Ton Sushi.