After Run Meal from Indish Food Truck | RBC Run for the Kids 2022

Happy Sunday! I joined the RBC Run for the Kids 2022 and did a 5-kilometre run. Unlike my husband, who can run a half-marathon, I am obese and have been slowly but surely losing weight. Since I am a bit lighter (almost 25 lbs lighter than my heaviest weight), I can do a light jog/run without hurting my knee.

I did cramp my leg, so obviously, more warmup is needed, but other than that, it felt great to run/jog, especially since we're supporting a good cause. This fun run is a fundraising event for the BC Children's Hospital.

After the run, we grabbed breakfast/lunch from Indish Food Truck. We picked two rice bowls, one with butter sauce and chicken tikka, while the other had coconut korma and chana kebab. I also ordered a couple samosas.

Rice Bowl (Fragrant, low GI basmati rice bowl, served with a side of kachumber salad. Perfect for all sauces. Have a Rice Day!), Butter Sauce (Butterless and chickenless, luxurious tomato-based sauce that's mildly spiced. Discovered by accident, put Indian food on the world map.),  Chicken Tikka (Tender boneless chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, herbs, and our signature spice blend. Cooked to perfection!)

Rice Bowl (Fragrant, low GI basmati rice bowl, served with a side of kachumber salad. Perfect for all sauces. Have a Rice Day!), Coconut Korma (rich, comforting coconut gravy, simmered for hours with a fragrant temperating of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and earthy spices. Makes you go coo-coo nuts!), Chana Kebab (Melt-in-your-mouth black chickpea kebabs with herbs and our signature spice blend. The new definition of melt in your mouth!). 

The butter sauce is more tomato flavour than I expected or what I am used to from other restaurants that serve butter chicken, but still delicious. I prefer the Coconut Korma, though. That sauce can go with any protein and would still be awesome.

The best thing we had today, though, was surprisingly the samosa. Suddenly, it feels like all the samosas I've had so far have been subpar. This is definitely the best samosa I've had in Vancouver.

A couple Samosa

Samosa
Traditional Indian savoury pastry filled with mildly spiced potatoes. This is possibly the most loved snack across India and maybe now the whole world!

After our meal, we ordered a scoop of Horchata ice cream from Crema Ice Cream and Desserts.

Horchata Ice Cream

Dinner from Boca'O at Thank Granville It's Food trucks Vancouver

TGIF is back! The South Granville Business Improvement Association (SGBIA) organized Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF). Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 noon until 7 in the evening from June through the last weekend of August, there will be a rotating lineup of food trucks along West 10th Avenue at Fir Street in front of the Vancouver School Board building.

It's a busy food day, and I am happy. After Mass this afternoon, we enjoyed dinner under the trees from Boca'O as we support TGIF. Unfortunately, because it's late in the day, they're sold out of many things already, which is unfortunate since the Spanish Oxtail Poutine sounds terrific.

We chose two Spanish Burgers. I had a La Manchega while hubby picked the La Molona. They both were served with the delicious Patatas Bravas.

La Manchega with Patatas Bravas
Patatas Bravas: potatoes confited in olive oil, Ailioli, and Salsa Brava

La Manchega
AAA+ ground beef, Manchego cheese, stir-fried onions, Piparra pepper, salsa brava, and organic mixed greens

The stir-fried onions are excellent, but my favourite part is the peppers. I love the tartness and heat, which is a great palate cleanser from the fattiness of the beef. Overall, a well-balanced burger.

La Molona
AAA+ ground beef, Sobrasada (Spanish chorizo pate), egg fried in olive oil, Piparra peppers, tomatoes, and Ailioli sauce

La Molona

Hubby asked me to take a bite of his La Molona burger, to which I am more than happy to oblige. It's a messy burger, but hubby loves it. The Spanish Chorizo pate and egg add additional depth of flavour, plus the Piparra pepper is *chef's kiss*.

To end our meal, hubby requested we order the only dessert available (because the other one is already sold out). So we enjoyed the Cremoso de Chocolate. Who knew adding chilli pepper, sea salt, and olive oil would make a dessert this complex?

Cremoso de Chocolate
Chocolate ganache, olive oil, chilli pepper, and sea salt

Cremoso de Chocolate

The chocolate ganache is smooth and sweet. Meanwhile, the sea salt is something I always see in desserts (e.g. salted caramel), but chilli pepper is a fantastic discovery. The subtle heat makes me keep going back. I'm genuinely surprised.

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.

Jamaican Patties from MJ's Caribbean Cuisine at Riley Park Summers Farmers Market

Before going home, we decided to buy Jamaican patties from MJ's Caribbean Cuisine. The Philippines has a food stall famous for its Jamaican patties. I absolutely love it and am excited to enjoy Jamaican patties again.

I ordered one beef, one chicken, and a vegetarian, and the best one of the three was the chicken. It's definitely the most flavourful.

Beef Jamaican Patty

Chicken Jamaican Patty

I was sure that I had taken a picture of the Vegetarian Patty, but I couldn't find it.

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.

Empanada from Empanada Gal at Riley Park Summer Farmers Market

Happy Saturday! We went to the Nat Bailey Stadium parking lot today to pick up my free shirt for the 2022 RBC Race for the Kids, which is happening tomorrow. After getting my shirt, we dropped by Riley Park Summer Farmers Market to buy breakfast and lunch.

The first meal of the day is beef empanada from Empanada Gal. It was delicious, but the best part was the sauce. I would happily buy that sweet, spicy, tangy sauce in a bottle to take home and enjoy with any bland food I end up cooking.

Beef Empanada by Empanada Gal

4 pieces of Beef Empanada in one order

They also sell frozen empanada, which you can cook at home. Unfortunately, I don't have an oven, and my air fryer was recalled, and I haven't purchased a new one. So next time, I'll get frozen empanadas and cook them at home for breakfast.