Melon Pan, Mochi, and Curry Bread from Kanadell Japanese Bakery

At the Chinatown Festival, we spotted Kanadell Japanese Bakery, selling all sorts of delicious pastries. We picked three.

Melon Pan

Japanese melon pan is a sweet and popular baked treat. It's a sweet, soft bread that reminds me of Filipino ensaimada without cheese topping.

Melon Pan from Kanadell Japanese Bakery

It is called a melon pan due to its characteristic melon-like shape and crisscross pattern on the surface. The flavour is rich, buttery, and slightly sweet bread.

I love it! We got the original flavour, but there are so many other options. I need to find a closer Japanese bakery.

Curry Pan

My favourite food is Japanese curry; when I see a Japanese bakery selling anything with curry, I buy it. We had the curry pan for dinner. It's delicious beef curry with diced potatoes, carrots, and peas. It's a satisfying dinner.

Curry Pan from Kanadell Japanese Bakery

The breaded crust provided a crunch, while the inside of the dough was soft and absorbed the curry sauce pretty well.

Mini Mochi Bites

I love soft, chewy, and slightly sticky mochi, and this little pack has six assorted flavours.

Assorted Mini Mochi Bites from Kanadell Japanese Bakery

• Matcha - It has a slight hint of bitter green tea.
• Earl Grey - It's subtle.
• Chocolate - Rich and velvety with satisfying chocolate flavour.
• Black Sesame - I wish there was more black sesame flavour, but the little I have is perfect.
• Coffee - The bitter coffee is not as strong because it's overpowered by the sweet mochi.
• Red Bean - I love red beans. It's my favourite of all the mochi flavours. It's sweet and creamy.

White Rabbit Cookie from The Kouign Café

After walking around the Chinatown Festival, we decided to stop by The Kouign Café to try White Rabbit Cookie.

I have a confession: this is only my second time in Chinatown since coming to Vancouver in 2015. And I was researching places and food to try last night around Chinatown, and the only café on the list is The Kouign and their White Rabbit Cookie.

White Rabbit Cookie (Mochiko and wheat flour blend cookie, lightly studded with dark chocolate chips, and baked with White Rabbit Candy and Maldon sea salt),
The Speculoos Sky (Cold brew iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, Speculoos chantilly cream, and caramel drizzle), and
The Golden Fog (Mango and passionfruit earl grey tea with condensed milk)

My childhood memory of the White Rabbit is not good. I remember it giving me terrible headaches when I was a child. 🥹 I avoided it. I was hesitant to try the White Rabbit cookie because of it, but when I touched it and noticed how buttery it was, I knew it'll be a moist yet crispy edges cookie. The White Rabbit is a bonus texture, but the cookie is already impressive. All I can think of is my sister, who will absolutely love it.

Fried Bannock from West Coast Bannock

When you have a big sign in your booth declaring that you're the best bannock on the West Coast, you increase people's expectations.

My only bannock experience is with Salmon n' Bannock, and their bannock is baked. Since West Coast Bannock fry theirs, it's lighter and oily. Most things are better fried, and this one is too. It's airy and fluffy.

OG Bannock from West Coast Bannock
Fresh fried Bannock with butter.

It reminds me of Schiarc' or Pizzette Fritte (Fried Bread) from Italian Day on The Drive and even Beavertails.

Signature HK BBQ Pork from Ember Hong Kong BBQ | Chinatown Festival

I don't have much experience with Hong Kong-style pork barbecue except for trying some from HK BBQ Master in Richmond. Today, we went to Chinatown Festival and saw Ember Hong Kong BBQ. We ordered their Signature Hong Kong Barbecue Pork, the last one. They're sold out since we went there on the festival's second day.

Signature Hong Kong Barbecue Pork from Ember Hong Kong BBQ

It was served without rice which is a bummer since sweet and savoury barbecue needs rice to help tone it down. It has a caramelized outer layer, while the meat is juicy and tender. However, it's not as soft as HK BBQ Master. Overall, a delicious bite of pork, but the Filipina in me needs rice.

Red Bean and Green Tea Dorayaki | Chinatown Festival

After Sunday Mass, we took a bus going to Chinatown today. In the last 8 years (since moving to Canada), this is my second time in this area.

Our first bite of food at the Chinatown Festival is Green Tea Dorayaki. It's too sweet. I wished the green tea provided bitterness, but it's also sweet.

Maybe I'm not a fan of Dorayaki in general.

Green Tea Dorayaki grabbed at Chinatown Festival.

What is dorayaki? It is a traditional Japanese dessert consisting of two small pancake-like discs that sandwich a a sweet filling.

Camper Day Donut from Tim Hortons

Good morning! For breakfast this beautifully blessed Sunday, we went to Tim Hortons and ordered our usual (Sausage & Bacon Farmers Wrap).

When we arrived at the store to pick up our mobile order, I noticed the Camper Day Donut, which is essentially Chocolate Glazed topped with sprinkles.

Camper Day Donut from Tim Hortons

Since it's still early, the donuts are still relatively fresh, so it's different from the usual stale. It's also chocolatey sweet, with the sprinkles providing crunch.

Mochachillo and Matchachillo from Blenz Coffee

After eating our smokies from ever-present Holy Smokes, we hang out at Blenz Coffee.

I chose the Mochachillo, while my husband went for the Matchachillo. We also ordered a Lemon Poppyseed Muffin, which we also had from Waves Coffee.

Matchachillo from Blenz Coffe

The Mochachillo is bittersweet. It's pretty in your face, while the Matchachillo also has a strong matcha flavour, according to hubby.

Mochachillo from Blenz Coffee

The Lemon Poppyseed Muffin is sweeter than the one they have at Waves, where there's zucchini.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin from Blenz Coffe

We'll stay at this Blenz location until closing time. Maybe. We'll see.