Pinoy Fiesta Vancouver 2022: Unang Hirit sa Tag-Init

In 2019, we joined the "Pinoy Fiesta Vancouver: Unang Hirit sa Tag-Init." Unfortunately, it was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic. There is still no news if the event with proceeding this 2022.

I'll update this post once I hear any news.

Halo-Halo Festival 2022 in Vancouver

Summer in Vancouver is hot. If you want to beat the heat, check what desserts tropical countries like the Philippines have to offer.

What is Halo-Halo?

The literal translation is mix-mix. It is a dessert from the Philippines consisting of shaved ice, condensed milk, and sugar. Then, you add mixed fruit, boiled sweetened beans, and gelatin that you mix together. It's usually topped with purple yam (ube), leche flan, and ice cream.

Halo-Halo with Ice Cream

Halo-Halo Festival in Vancouver

Eight restaurants are participating in the event to promote halo-halo and provide relief from the heat.

When is the event?

July 15 to August 16, 2022

What to expect from the restaurants?

Halo-Halo and other desserts are inspired by flavours from the Philippines.

List of participating Filipino restaurants

• Grandt Kitchen
• KaonTa
• Kabayan Fiesta
• Mabuhay Foods
• Mr. Siopao de Langley
• Pampanga's Cuisine
• Plato Filipino
• Sago To Go
• Win Win Chick-N

Lunch at Sushi Bang

After Mass, we planned to head to Costco, and on our walk, we decided to stop by Sushi Bang for lunch.

Bristol Roll
inside: deep-fried prawn and crabmeat
outside: salmon

Bristol Roll

It's a good roll, but somehow the Special Rolls from Masa and Sushivan are just better. We also ordered two bento boxes and an Ebi okonomiyaki.

Lunch from Sushi Bang

Box B Beef Bento Box
Beef Teriyaki with rice, assorted tempura, 2 pieces salmon and 2 pieces tuna sashimi, salmon maki, and salad

Hubby ordered the Box B Beef Bento Box, and the beef teriyaki was surprisingly delicious, better than others we have tried so far. Though, the sashimi and salmon maki are just okay.

Salmon Bento Box
Salmon teriyaki with rice, assorted tempura, BC roll, and salad

The assorted tempura and BC roll are good, but the salmon teriyaki is better at Sushivan. The salmon was cooked excellently, but the teriyaki sauce didn't work well. I'm not sure cause it was good with the beef.

Ebi Okonomiyaki

There is an abundance of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, but so far, I have only found two others (Hime Sushi and Gyu-Kaku) that serve Okonomiyaki, which was terrific. I'll return for this and to try the rest of the Special Rolls.

If you know of other restaurants that serve Okonomiyaki, please leave a comment below so we can add it to our to-eat list.

Breakfast at Tim Hortons

A blessed Sunday to you. 😃 As part of our routine, before heading to Mass, we go to Tim Hortons to enjoy breakfast.

Breakfast from Tim Hortons

I ordered the Sausage Breakfast Sandwich with Homestyle Biscuit. Comparing this to the one from Wendy's yesterday, I stand by my assessment.

Sausage Breakfast Sandwich with Homestyle Biscuit 

The Tims biscuit was toasted; that's why it's not as soft as the one from Wendy's. The sausage is savoury with a slight sweetness, while the one yesterday definitely has more heat.

I recommend the Tims Sausage Breakfast Sandwich with Homestyle Biscuit overall, but if you enjoy spicy food, you'll love the new Sausage Breakfast Sandwich from Wendy's.

Ice Cream from Baskin-Robbins

Will it be a surprise that this is only my third time trying Baskin-Robbins (BR)? I remember going with my siblings and trying it for the first and only time (so far) back in 2007 when we were in California for a family vacation. The second time was in the Philippines when they opened a location.

We don't see BR as often, so when we did, we decided to grab a scoop of ice cream each.

I ordered the Caramel Macchiato while hubby had difficulty picking a flavour. He ended up choosing the Jamoca Almond Fudge.

Caramel Macchiato
Wake up your taste buds with delicious salted caramel swirled throughout coffee-flavoured ice cream with real espresso flakes for an extra kick.

Caramel Macchiato and Jamoca Almond Fudge (Take our Jamoca ice cream, add roasted almonds and a chocolate-flavoured ribbon. Feel your taste buds buzz!)

It's hard to do ice cream wrong, but I am pleased that hubby and I are consistent with our flavour choices. I always go for coffee ice cream. I don't drink coffee but love it in desserts (cake and ice cream). Meanwhile, hubby likes nuts in his ice cream, whether crushed into the ice cream or as a flavour base.

Lunch at South Street Burger

We are at Tsawwassen Mills today for the Stargazer: An Immersive Experience in Outer Space Vancouver. After our out-of-this-world experience, we grabbed lunch at South Street Burger. This is one of only two locations in British Columbia (the other one is in Kelowna, BC).

The competitive advantage of South Street Burger is their "Build your own custom creation from the 30+ free toppings available." I get unnecessarily stressed by any meal where a restaurant asks me to choose ingredients and flavour combinations. I'm an unusual foodie. I don't add sauces as much as other people because I want to enjoy the food as intended by the chef, then I can decide if I like it or not.

Lunch from South Street Burger

Thankfully, South Street has "Signature Burgers." I chose the Mushroom & Swiss, while my husband picked the True North. Unfortunately, the person preparing our order still asked if we wanted customizations to our burger, and hubby asked to do the standard.

Mushroom & Swiss
Sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese, tomato, garlic mayo, and lettuce

True North
Aged cheddar, maple bacon, onions, and signature sauce

Let's discuss the burgers. They're using Dempster's for buns; you can't go wrong with that. I use it at home too. The burger patty is cooked well-done, so it's not as juicy, which is acceptable because I didn't get a soggy bun. The taste of the patty reminded me of Burger King's flame-grilled burgers. The smokiness is truly there.

Breakfast Baconator from Wendy's

Finally! After months of finding time and opportunity, we find ourselves at a nearby Wendy's location early enough to try their (relatively) new breakfast sandwiches. As you know, I love Tim Hortons breakfast and want to see what Wendy's offers.

We arrived at the location at 7:45 AM. This is too early even for me, and yet here we are. Apparently, this location opens at 8:00 AM, so we waited outside. We ordered shortly after they opened, and it took 10 minutes for our order to be ready.

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

I love the sausage sandwiches at Tims and usually enjoy them with biscuits. With that in mind, I chose the Sausage Biscuit Sandwich with orange juice. The sausage itself is spicier, and the biscuit is softer. Wendy's definitely can give Tims a run for its money.

Breakfast Combo from Wendy's

Of course, my husband went for the Breakfast Baconator and coffee. The Baconator is excellent if you love bacon. The buns can be better, though (or is it because I'm used to brioche buns with burgers?)

Breakfast Baconator Combo

As our sides, we tried the potato wedges. Please note that I am highly biased toward the wedges from Tims. The wedges from Tims have crunchier edges, but the one from Wendy's is definitely softer.

I think the general theme of Wendy's breakfast is softness.

Have you tried the breakfast from Wendy's? What's your favourite part?

Nutella & Caramelized Banana Soufflé Pancake at Fufú Café

After a delicious Korean BBQ lunch, we crossed the street and enjoyed a serving of fluffy and delicious Japanese soufflé pancake.

Nutella & Caramelized Banana Soufflé Pancake
3 Soufflé pancakes, Nutella whipped cream, caramelized banana, Nutella sauce, roasted hazelnut, double chocolate raspberry ice cream, and icing sugar.

Beautiful Japanese Soufflé Pancake

I ordered the Nutella & Caramelized Banana Soufflé Pancake. It tasted eggier than I remembered, but I love the Nutella whipped cream (such a revelation!) and roasted hazelnuts. Yum!