Hastings-Sunrise Bagel Sandwich from Rosemary Rocksalt

It's my 4th team lunch at my current work, and our co-founder chose a bagel. I ordered from Rosemary Rocksalt because they're in Uber Eats.

I ordered Hastings-Sunrise with Rosemary Rocksalt Bagel and a side of potato wedges.

Hastings-Sunrise with Rosemary Rocksalt Bagel

The tender brisket between a toasted salty bagel, melted cheddar, and soft egg is the perfect sandwich hitting all textures. I enjoyed it.

Potato Wedges from Rosemary Rocksalt

The potato wedges arrived soggy after 20 minutes of delivery time. It's still impressive, though. You can see that it's real potatoes.

Facing North

I ate my lunch on the rooftop of the building with the gorgeous view of lush mountains and blue skies. Thank God for all the blessings.

Food Adventure at Surrey Fusion Festival

Summer weekends are all about attending and enjoying different festivals and events. We find ourselves in Surrey today to support the 2023 Filipino Fiesta Extravaganza. While researching that event, I discovered the Surrey Fusion Festival happening nearby on the same weekend. It is the biggest multicultural event in BC (according to their website).

I haven't seen anything like this! I saw food booths from six continents (sorry, Antarctica). It was pretty overwhelming. We decided to focus on African nations since our only experience with their cuisine was when we had dinner ONCE at Simba's Grill.

But, before that, we dropped by the Indigenous Village.

Bannock from Bannock Queen Bakery

Yay! I'm always happy to support Indigenous businesses, and I love Bannock. This one is not deep-fried like West Coast Bannock, so it's not as airy, but it's still surprisingly soft and light. It's not as heavy and dense as what I am familiar with.

Classic Bannock with butter from Bannock Queen Bakery

After finishing our Bannock, our first stop was the Democratic Republic of Congo. After perusing the menu and going near the counter, the lady said their food was not yet ready. Sad. We had planned to come back but were food coma already.

Ugali (Fufu) from Rwanda

We had zero knowledge of African cuisine, so we ordered unfamiliar things. They offered rice with chicken & cassava leaves or ugali (fufu) with chicken & cassava leaves. Of course, I went for the ugali (fufu).

Hubby and I found a spot with tables and chairs under a tent in the middle of one of the gardens. Hubby was reading to me what ugali (fufu) is.

Ugali, also known as fufu in some regions, is a traditional staple food in many African countries, including Rwanda. It is made from maize flour (cornmeal) mixed with water and cooked to a thick, dough-like consistency.

Ugali (Fufu), Chicken, and Cassava Leaves from Taste of Rwanda

Ugali has a dense and firm consistency. It's like sticky rice but chewier. It absorbs the sauce from the chicken stew and the cassava leaves. The cassava leaves stew looks like our Filipino Laing but without the coconut milk and spiciness.

Mandazi from Zambia

After enjoying our Ugali from Rwanda, we stopped by Zambia and got the Mandazi. It's a popular snack in various African countries, including Zambia.

Mandazi from Zambia

It is a deep-fried doughnut or fried bread with a mildly sweet taste. The exterior is crunchy and golden brown, while the interior is soft and pillowy.

Beef Suya from Nigeria

We die with this one. The beef suya was tender and easy to chew, and the flavour was remarkable. However, it was topped with spicy flavouring. I took the first bite and immediately told my husband it was spicy. I love hot food, so my hubby knows when I say something is spicy (for me), it probably is. It's a delicious spicy but still too much for us.

I removed the powder from some pieces so my husband could try it. We found a beautiful spot under the trees and got chairs to cool down. My lips felt puffy and numb afterwards.

Suya is a popular Nigerian street food made from thinly sliced beef marinated in a mixture of spices before being grilled or babecued over an open flame.

Beef Suya from Nigeria

After finishing the suya and listening to nearby entertainment, I started to doze off. I took a 15-minute nap enjoying the cool breeze.

Holland Park, Surrey

After my nap, we got free freezies (ice candy) from real estate developer, Parkway. Then, we walked through the rest of the booth to find anything else interesting. I am full, so choosing one last meal at the festival is essential.

Lamb Chop, Sausage, and Corn from Namibia

We settled on a lamb chop, sausage, and corn from Namibia because it's the only one not offered in other African countries' booths.

Corn, Sausage, and Lamb Chops from Namibia

The lamb chop is tender and succulent, grilled to perfection, bursting with savoury and smoky flavours. Meanwhile, the Namibian sausages (boerewors) are grilled over an open flame. Lastly, corn is a staple in many dishes and the same with links. It is grilled in an open flame adding smoky sweetness to the maize.

Sago't Gulaman from Philippines

To end our food adventure, we wanted cold sweets. We're hoping Kumare in the Philippines booth offers halo-halo, but sago't gulaman hits the spot too.

Sago't Gulaman from Kumare

We enjoyed our sweet drink on the walk to the King George station.

Chicken Isaw and Red TJ Hotdog from Zugba | 2023 Surrey Fiesta Extravaganza

After Sunday mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel, hubby and I took a bus back to Surrey Central Station to visit the 2023 Surrey Fiesta Extravaganza.

We have yet to try three food booths, one of which is Zugba. A local (Surrey) Filipino restaurant.

I saw chicken isaw (intestine) and a red Tender Juicy brand hot dog! I also got Filipino pork BBQ and banana cue.

Banana Cue, Red Tender Juicy Hot Dog, Chicken Isaw, and Pork BBQ from Zugba

I love the isaw! It tastes clean - no funkiness. The Filipino pork barbecue was tough, so I can't recommend the piece I got. Meanwhile, the banana cue was sweet and soft.

My favourite and most nostalgic is the red Tender Juicy hotdog (grilled)! I feel like a 5-year-old kid back in the streets of the Philippines.

Smoky Honey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich and Wrap from Tim Hortons

Happy, blessed Sunday morning to you! We start our day earlier than usual today since we plan to go to Surrey to attend Mass. Before taking transit to Surrey, I opened my Tim Hortons app to order breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised to see new items: Smoky Honey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich and Smoky Honey Bacon Farmers Wrap. I got both.

Smoky Honey Bacon Farmers Wrap from Tim Hortons

Smoky Honey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich from Tim Hortons

The base is similar to their usual breakfast sandwiches and farmers' wrap. What makes it new and different is the smoky honey bacon. It's perfectly sweet and savoury and a bit sticky. I enjoyed it. Definitely better than their usual bacon.

I wrote and published this while inside the bus. Editing will happen when I get home later today.

Mocha Torte from Sweet Obsession

My dad requested a mocha cake from my sister, and because they lived close to Sweet Obsession, and got a Mocha Torte.

Mocha Torte from Sweet

I love mocha cake, and this one hits the spot. 🤤 I worry about where to get delicious mocha cake, and now I know.

Mocha Torte from Sweet Obsession
Six thin layers of vanilla sponge and mocha buttercream coated in chocolate ganache

It was soft and not overly sweet. My dad loves it too.

Dim Sum and more at Continental Seafood Restaurant

We celebrate our dad's birthday with a family dinner at Continental Seafood Restaurant in Cambie Road, Richmond, BC.

We arrived at the restaurant at 5:00 PM for an early dinner. I love the service - they're so attentive to us since there are only two other occupied tables.

We got the following items:

Pork & Shrimp Dumpling Deep Fried Taro Samosa Pork Spring Roll Half & Crispy Chicken

Shrimp Scallop Dumpling Deep Fried Squid with Salt & Pepper Shrimp Spring Roll Baked BBQ Pork Bun

Soya Sauce Chow Mein Roasted Pork BBQ Pork Yangzhou Fried Rice

Everything was delicious and unique. That's all you need to know. Kidding; skip the Half & Crispy Chicken.

Half Crispy Chicken from Continental Seafood Restaurant

The Baked BBQ Pork Bun reminded me of asado bola-bola siopao. The Pork & Shrimp Dumpling (siu mai) is better than the Shrimp Scallop Dumpling.

Baked BBQ Pork Bun from Continental Seafood Restaurant

Deep Fried Taro Samosa, Pork & Shrimp Dumping, and Shrimp Scallop Dumpling from Continental Seafood Restaurant

Both spring rolls are crunchy on the outside and delicious on the inside. It's just a matter of preference if you like pork or shrimp. If spring rolls are not your thing, you can skip it. But it's better than other Chinese restaurants around.

Shrimp Spring Roll and Pork Spring Roll from Continental Seafood Restaurant

I have a secret love for deep-fried taro, so I always get it in the rare times I see it. Meanwhile, my younger sister has always been fond of deep-fried squid with salt & pepper, so we always order it.

Deep Fried Squid with Spicy Salt and Pepper from Continental Seafood Restaurant

I wanted to compare the Roasted Pork and BBQ Pork with HK BBQ Master. The roasted pork was not as crispy, while the BBQ pork was not as sweet but still tender.

Any 2 BBQs (Roasted Pork and BBQ Pork) from Continental Seafood Restaurant

The best part of the meal is Yangzhou fried rice. It's the best in Metro Vancouver that I've tried so far.

Yangzhou Fried Rice from Continental Seafood Restaurant

After dinner, we drove back to my parents' place to eat cake while watching Mission Impossible (1996).

Soya Sauce Chow Mein from Continental Seafood Restaurant

Beef Teriyaki Box from SUSHI UOmo Restaurant

For team lunch this week, a colleague from Cork chose Japanese cuisine (specifically sushi). Since we're having it delivered and it's 30°C outside, I am worried that raw fish delivered might not be a good idea; that's why I went for the Beef Teriyaki Box.

It was a lot of food, and I finished it all! I have tried a better Japanese bento box, but judging it since it was delivered seems unfair. Everything was packed well (no spills), and it was edible.

Beef Teriyaki Box delivered from SUSHI UOmo Restaurant
Appetizer tempura, beef teriyaki with rice, California roll, salad, and house appetizer

My teriyaki box came with appetizer tempura (2 pieces prawns and 3 pieces vegetables), beef teriyaki with rice, California roll, salad, 2 pieces gyoza, and miso soup. I was happy and surprisingly didn't feel a food coma after.

For my amusement, below is a list of our team lunch so far:

• Brazil: Boteco Brasil
• Portugal / South Africa: Nando's
• Japanese: SUSHI UOmo Japanese Restaurant