Bola Bola Siopao from Mr. Siopao de Langley | "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!"

"Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!" is an annual Christmas Market organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver. It's my first time going with my husband, mom, and younger sister this year.

After going through the temperature and vaccine card check, the first food booth to welcome you is Mr. Siopao de Langley. I ordered five (one bag) of bola-bola siopao.

Mr. Siopao de Langley

I will update this post once we enjoy the siopao.

Bola-Bola Siopao Update

The Bola-Bola Siopao from Mr. Siopao de Langley tasted like something you will get from the Philippines. I wish I had some sauce to go with it though.

Bola-Bola Siopao

If you're in Langley, then this is definitely a good siopao place, but since I am in Vancouver I still love the Bola-Bola siopao from Bao Bakery.

Though, I did find The Bao Place in Burnaby near Metrotown. I'll definitely check them out and compare if they are any better than the Bao Bakery.

Puto Bumbong from Max's Restaurant | "Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!"

"Maligayang Pasko, Vancouver!" is an annual Christmas Market organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver. It's my first time going this year, with my husband, mom, and younger sister.

The first food truck we saw outside was Max's Restaurant. You should see how giddy my sister was at the thought of Max's fried chicken.

Max's Restaurant Food Truck

Perusing the menu, I knew I would order the pork barbecue and palabok, then at the bottom of the menu was puto bumbong. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find puto bumbong in Vancouver? I ordered two of the purple rice cake.

It was delicious and nostalgic for Christmas back in the Philippines.

Puto Bumbong

Pork barbecue and palabok

The barbecue was thicker cut, and the palabok was okay as well. However, I prefer both dishes from elsewhere.

We had our Max's food-to-go and enjoyed it in our home with Mama and my younger sister.

Where to buy Puto Bumbong in Metro Vancouver?

Honestly, I have no idea. I am reviewing the Max's Restaurant menu in Vancouver and it seems like the puto bumbong we had is a one-time thing. I will update this post once I found a vendor.

Update:

I found a Facebook vendor selling Filipino snacks and rice cakes: KakaNinz! Her menu includes puto bumbong. I'll order from her, but she's pick-up only. I'll see what I can do.

Dinner from Salmon n' Bannock

As I continued my food coma day and first day as a Canadian Citizen, we ordered dinner from Salmon n' Bannock. I thought of using UberEats, but after our food coma lunch, I took a nap and woke up at 6:00 PM. I checked the app, and it says that Salmon n' Bannock has temporarily closed the store for delivery.

I called the restaurant to check if they were available for takeout orders. The wonderful person I spoke with said yes. I told her that we'd check the menu and call back with our choices for pick-up.

I looked at the Mains section of the takeout menu and realized we tried two of the five possible options last Canada Day, so I ordered the remaining three for tonight.

Salmon n' Bannock Dinner

Fiss n' Barley
Our Wild Sockeye Salmon is served on our barley. Served with Seasonal Vegetables and Signature Bannock.

The Fiss n' Barley was delicious. I love the grilled Brussels sprouts, perfectly cooked salmon, and flavourful rice (they didn't have barley). However, it didn't come with the signature bannock.

Bannock Tacos
Our signature bannock is covered in house chilli and topped with organic greens, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.

The person who took our order over the phone recommended we add bacon on top of the tacos, and oh boy, was that a fantastic suggestion. The flavour of tacos is all here, but it's on top of delicious Bannock instead of a tortilla.

Signature Bannock with House Chili (Vegetarian)

The chilli is excellent, and I wondered why I thought the one they serve at Tim Hortons is even close. Freshly cut tomatoes, black beans, melted cheese, and a bit of heat. It's perfect for this rainy evening.

We enjoyed our dinner while watching the Vancouver Canucks win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Poutine from La Belle Patate | First Meal as a Canadian Citizen

I just finished my Canadian Citizenship oath-taking, and for lunch, we decided to order poutine from La Belle Patate (The Beautiful Potato).

Canada was founded by three groups: the aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people), the French, and the British.

Our lunch today is an appreciation to the French people in Canada.

Left: Smoked Meat Poutine
Right: La Belle Poutine

The Poutine was delicious, but as expected food was coma-inducing. The gravy was good, not too salty, and the curds were melted. I enjoyed the smoked meat too.

Overall, it's good poutine. I think it's the best one I've had so far.

Breakfast and Penguin Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

As mentioned in my earlier TimBiebs post, I ordered breakfast today and included the Penguin Dream Donut.

If you have been following my blog (which I don't think anyone is, except maybe my mom - "Hi, Ma!"), you would know that hubby and I would try any available dream donut.

• Dulce de Leche Dream Donut from early 2020
• Chocolate Hazelnut Éclair Dream
• Sea Salted Caramel Dream
• New York Cheesecake Dream Donut
• Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring
• Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring
• Apple Pie Dream Donut

Today, I included the Penguin Dream Donut in my breakfast delivery alongside other Classic donuts because hubby asked if we tried them all, and I said no.

Penguin Dream Donut, Boston Cream Donut, Vanilla Dip Donut,
Honey Cruller Donut 💓, Honey Dip Donut, and Apple Fritter Donut 👎

Penguin Dream Donut

The Penguin Dream Donut looks so adorable. Though, hubby said it doesn't look like a penguin. 🐧

Breakfast delivery from Tim Hortons

Our delivery includes two Farmer's Breakfast Wraps (one sausage and one bacon), two hashbrowns, one coffee, and one hot chocolate.

It's a fantastic Friday!

#TimBiebs delivered from Tim Hortons

Happy Friday! For breakfast today, I had Tim Hortons delivered. It's a special day because today is when I become a Canadian Citizen.

Before my online oathtaking, we enjoyed breakfast and finally got to try the famous TimBiebs. It's a Timbits flavour collaboration between Tims and Justin Beiber.

10 pack of timbiebs

1. Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Timbieb
2. Birthday Cake Waffle Timbieb
3. Chocolate White Fudge Timbieb

Let's get right into it. I enjoyed the Sour Cream Chocolate Chip and Chocolate White Fudge, but I absolutely hate the Birthday Cake Waffle. I want to burn it. I find it too sweet, like it'll rot my teeth just by eating it.

Anyway, if they will keep one flavour permanently, I think the Chocolate White Fudge will be a good candidate.

But my brother is right; they are better than what I thought it'll be, plus it's not bone dry like some of their donuts in the past.

Filipino Spaghetti from Shameless Buns | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

There are three things you should know about Filipino households.

1. All Filipino households have a rice cooker. When my younger sister moved out, my housewarming gift was a rice cooker and rice. 🤣
2. All Filipino households have their own variation of the adobo. The only thing consistent with an adobo recipe is it has chicken and/or pork, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic, and whatever version you have at home is the best. Well, at least, that's how my siblings and I think with our dad's adobo. 💓
3. The same can be said about Filipino-style spaghetti. It's sweet and savoury with cut-up hotdogs, and any Italian will get upset with our culture's rendition of the spaghetti. Every household has its own version of their mom's (or grandma's) spaghetti, and we think our mom's spaghetti is the best. 🍝

All this introduction just to introduce the Filipino Spaghetti from Shameless Buns. Of course, I'll be biased and think that my mom's spaghetti is still the best. However, enjoying the Filipino Spaghetti from Shameless Buns is like that scene in Ratatouille when Anton Ego (food critic) was transported back to his childhood.

Filipino Spaghetti from Shameless Buns

I felt that way. It's like eating the spaghetti served by our neighbour during a children's party (the child in my memory is that kid I played with all the time outside our home before I became a tween). It was delicious and nostalgic. While devouring the pasta (with perfect noodle-sauce ratio), I could hear the laughter and visualize the balloons and party hats in my head. Then, of course, there's also pabitin and my mom's panic voice that I should wipe my face covered in spaghetti sauce. 

Reheated the Shameless Spaghetti on the pan. This is half of the container.

I hope all food can make you feel like this. The only thing missing is a piece of Tasty (it's what we called a sliced loaf bread when I was a child because it's a famous brand we were familiar with where we lived).

I will absolutely rebuy this, and if Shameless Buns can make a combo with toasted pandesal (and butter) on the side, that'll be genuinely nostalgic. The thought is making me smile ear-to-ear already.

All-Cheese Ensaimada Box and Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moment | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

I have a confession to make. I am not a fan of ensaimada, in general. I remember growing up; I just find it too sweet. So if I am in front of a bakery with lots of Filipino bread options, there are two bread I won't order (sorry, bread!) ensaimada and pan de coco.

With this premise, you might be thinking about why I ordered 8 ensaimada during Magkasama Christmas Market this year. Well, the description said there are savoury ensaimada and cheese ensaimada - who says no to cheese?

I am hoping Ensaimada Moment can change my general aversion to ensaimada.

Let's get started. We had all 8 ensaimada for breakfast today. 

All-Cheese Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moment

I reheated the All-Cheese Ensaimada Box for 30 seconds in the microwave, which melted some cheese on top.

All-Cheese Ensaimada from Ensaimada Moments

Because all the ensaimada looks the same, I couldn't identify which flavour is which (update: I found a flavor guide in Instagram, so I'll do my best to properly caption each ensaimada), but this is the first one I tried, and it's what I think is the Classic Ensaimada. It's the sweet one that made me dislike ensaimada, to begin with, but it's as good as it can go.

I am sure ensaimada lovers will absolutely go crazy with how delicious the ensaimada was.

The one above is the second one I tried. It's not as sweet as the first, but I am unsure of its flavours since the sweetness was still overpowering my tongue.

This is my favourite from the All-Cheese Ensaimada Box. There's still sweetness, but whatever cheese was used above counterbalances the sweetness with a bit of saltness. I surprisingly enjoyed it.

Salted Egg Ensaimada

The salted egg was shockingly my least favourite of the four. Because ensaimada is generally sweet, the salted egg became overpoweringly salty. I love it in bibingka, but not ensaimada.

Our breakfast would have ended here, but I felt hungry, so we decided to eat the remaining four ensaimada.

Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moments

I enjoyed the four ensaimada in this box more than the All-Cheese one, which is surprising. I reheated this one for 20 seconds to avoid the melted mess of the first one.

Sweet & Savoury Sampler Ensaimada Box

Pork Floss Ensaimada

I think this is pork floss, and I absolutely love it. It works well on top of the fluffy pastry.

Ube Halaya Ensaimada

I think this is ube, but I base it on the colour. It's a bit sweet but not overpowering, and I surprisingly enjoyed it.

I thought the ensaimada below and above would be as sweet as the one in the All-Cheese Box, but unexpectedly not. It's possible that the flavours just work better together, and one is not overpowering the other.

Overall, I'll order the Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box again.