Salted Caramel Mocha at Waves Coffee House

Every year, my hubby and I have an annual meeting. It's a date when we have a retrospective and planning. First, we review the current year - how we felt, what we achieved, etc. Then, make plans for next year. We have our couple goals and individual goals.

This year we met at my favourite Waves Coffee House in West Broadway.

Breakfast at Waves

We had a Bagel Breakfast Sandwich, which had fluffy eggs and bacon.

Bacon and Egg Bagel Sandwich from Wave Coffee House

We also enjoyed Spinach Feta Bistro, which is flaky and warm.

Spinach Feta Bistro from Waves Coffee

We absolutely love the Salted Caramel Mocha with Dark Hot Chocolate, their seasonal drink.

Salted Caramel Mocha from Waves Coffee House

The Waves Coffee House in West Broadway has such positive energy and aura that I love staying there. Thank God for all the blessings this year, and can't wait for what He has planned for us next year.

Corporate Parties and Events at Vancouver Aquarium

We attended a holiday party at Vancouver Aquarium this evening. Since this is a food blog, I'll share pictures of the food and how the event went. For additional context, there are about 200 employees and plus ones.

Vancouver Aquarium Main Entrance

Beautiful Lights in the Canaccord Exploration Gallery.

Christmas Tree Display in Pacific Canada Gallery.

Hors D'oeuvres

The gates at the Vancouver Aquarium opened at 7:00 PM, and as soon as we entered while doing registration and coat check, servers started walking around offering hors d'oeuvre.

I think we tried all of them while drinking alcohol. There's a beef wellington tart(?), tuna in an edible cup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a couple others which I didn't catch the name of.

Hors d'oeuvre served inside the Vancouver Aquarium.
I'm testing the collage feature of Google Photos in this post.

No specific hors d'oevres stood out. At around 7:30 PM, the CEO gave a short speech which ended with a fish joke. Then, the doors "opened" to more sections of the Vancouver Aquarium.

Charcuterie Board

The Tropics section of the Vancouver Aquarium offers a Charcuterie Board "buffet." There are cold cuts, smoked salmon, crackers, pita bread, BC cheeses, and sauces.

My selection from the Charcuterie Board.

I needed to learn how to combine things, but it was surprisingly delicious. There was a cheese with a truffle flavour and another with a pungent taste that worked really well with the crackers.

Assorted Taco

We explored more of the Aquarium and discovered they served assorted tacos in the "Treasures of BC Coast" section.

Hard-shell taco with deep-fried battered shrimp, soft-shell taco with deep-fried battered shrimp, and fried flour tortilla taco with shrimp and guacamole.

Hubby and I attended a party in 2019 at the Vancouver Aquarium and I never forgot the delicious taco shrimp they served that night. I am happy to share that the same taco is available this evening deep-fried.

If you're attending a party inside the Vancouver Aquarium, look for the tacos!

Carving Station

In the Canaccord Exploration Gallery, there's a craving station with a sign that says, "Opens at 8:30 PM".

Carving Station plate from Vancouver Aquarium.

They served mashed potatoes, tater tots, freshly made potato chips, an assortment of dips, bread rolls and butter, turkey, ham, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Except for the potato chips, nothing else stood out. Unfortunately, there were no labels on the front of the food, so there's no way to know if the food I listed above is accurate.

Assorted Desserts

At 9:30 PM, they opened the desserts bar in the Pacific Canada gallery. There is a variety of cakes and fruits.

There's also hot water for tea and coffee available.

Assorted desserts from the desserts bar in the Vancouver Aquarium

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I am home now food coma and with sore feet (heels are my nemesis). Nevertheless, it was a wonderful evening with my hubby and meeting his colleagues.

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

I love South Granville and all the available restaurants near me. But, unfortunately, we don't have a ramen shop nearby or a fried chicken place.

I am spoiled at my parents' place where there's a Popeye's, Church's Chicken, and LA Chicken within a kilometre range.

I was happy when we tried Le Coq Fit. It was delicious fried chicken and less than 1.5 km from our home.

Today, we tried C&T Chicken at Burrard Avenue, close to West Broadway. I chose all spicy flavours for all our orders.

We opted for 2 and 2 chicken meals. It comes with 2 chicken thighs and 2 chicken legs. The breading was thicker than expected, but it had a decent amount of heat and was so juicy. Perfectly cooked.

Fried Chicken Thigh from C&T Chicken

I look forward to ordering this again and eating it with rice at home. They serve a Szechuan-style fried chicken which apparently means no gravy but ketchup.

Next, we ordered the Fried Chicken Big Burger. It was huge! It's the most giant spicy chicken burger I have ever had. There's a piece of hash brown inside, but the party itself is unexpectedly bigger than expected. More than the size, the flavour is good too. It has a decent amount of heat and is juicy.

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

Fried Chicken Big Burger from C&T Chicken

Lastly, we enjoyed the chicken popcorn. I'll gladly order this again. It's bite-sized, and it's delicious. The exterior is crispy, while the inside is juicy and has a lot of flavours - umami and a bit of heat.

Chicken Popcorn and French Fries from C&T Chicken

Overall, I am happy to have C&T Chicken closer to us when we need to satisfy our fried chicken cravings.

Churros from Authentic Churros at Vancouver Christmas Market

Churros! In 2016, I wrote about my churros hunt in Vancouver.

Our primary experience with churros is from Taco Bell in the Philippines. It's pretty simple, really. The fried dough is distinct churro-shaped and has a chocolate dip on the side. No cinnamon sugar or sugar coating - just the donut and a thick chocolate dip.

We found the closest churro from a food vendor in the Richmond Night Market. Then, today I discovered that the Authentic Churros food hut in the Vancouver Christmas Market gives you the option between sugar and cinnamon sugar, which means I can probably ask for no sugar. The only downside is I didn't see any chocolate dip.

Sugar Churros from Authentic Churros at Vancouver Christmas Market

The churro is delicious. I went for sugar, and I love it. We enjoyed it while walking to Costco for our weekly grocery run.

Below is a list of food vendors inside the Vancouver Christmas Market we have tried so far, and we're almost done trying all of them.

#40 Bratwurst Haus #41 Haxen Haus #42 Das Gulasch Haus #43 Kartouffel Haus #43 Hurricane Potato #44 Chimney Cake

#46 Cheese Me Raclette #45 Das Langos Haus #47 Perogies #48 Das Smoked Haus #51 Pancake and Waffle Haus

#53 Mr. Hotcakes #54 Authentic Churros #55 I Love Chocolate #60 Das Apfel Haus #61 Those Pretzels

Poffertjes at Vancouver Christmas Market

After enjoying a Classic Raclette and Pork Hock, we went into dessert mode. We decided to try the Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes) from Pancake and Waffle Haus.

Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes) from Pancake and Waffle Haus
Traditional Poffertjes (10 pieces) with icing sugar and maple syrup.

They're so tiny. It's bite-size pancakes. Because we're in Canada, I opted for maple syrup, a delightful, easy-to-eat dessert.

Dutch Mini Pancakes from Pancake and Waffle Haus

We'll get the croffle and affogato next time. 🤤

Food Vendors inside the Vancouver Christmas Market

Below is a list of food vendors inside the Vancouver Christmas Market we have tried so far, and we're almost done trying all of them.

#40 Bratwurst Haus #41 Haxen Haus #42 Das Gulasch Haus #43 Kartouffel Haus #43 Hurricane Potato

#44 Chimney Cake #46 Cheese Me Raclette #45 Das Langos Haus #47 Perogies #48 Das Smoked Haus

#51 Pancake and Waffle Haus #53 Mr. Hotcakes #55 I Love Chocolate #60 Das Apfel Haus #61 Those Pretzels

Pork Hock from Haxen Haus at Vancouver Christmas Market

I now understand why there's always a long line for Haxen Haus. The rotating pork hock is an excellent marketing tool, and the food is worth the hype.

Pork Hock from Haxen Haus at Vancouver Christmas Market

We ordered a half serving with lots of sauerkraut and a piece of bread. It reminds me of Lechon.

My Filipino-ness came out when I told my hubby that I wanted a bowl of rice and Mang Tomas (a savoury Lechon sauce).

I am not a fan of Lechon. I am that one Filipino who will not eat pork Lechon when available. I feel the same about the pork hock. It has a strong pork flavour, and I feel like I'll have a heart attack.

Half pork hock with sauerkraut and rye bread from Haxen Haus at Vancouver Christmas Market

The pork hock was seasoned with salt and pepper. At least, that's what I can taste. Other than that, it's all pork flavour which is perfect with the sauerkraut and maybe beer.

The Haxen Haus food hut has a "Facts about the Pork Hock" tarp. Below is the content.

Facts about the Pork Hock

What is a pork hock and which part of the pig is it?

The pork hock is the part of the pig where the foot was attached to the leg. It's not part of the ham, but also not quite the foot yet; it's the very end of the leg bone.

What is the difference between the half pork hock and the pork hock meat on a bun?

The half pork hock will be sliced up and served with Sauerkraut and a piece of Rye bread on a tray.

The pork hock meat on a bun is a smaller portion of meat put into a bun and topped with Sauerkraut (like a sandwich)

What is a half pork hock?

On the rotisserie you see the whole pork hock. Half of that would be a half pork hock.

Can I buy a whole pork hock?

Yes. One whole pork hock is an order of 2 half portions.

How am supposed to eat the pork hock?

We slice the pork hock fresh from the bone and serve it to you.

Do I get the bone?

Yes, if you order a half pork hock the bone is included in the order.

Is the pork hock gluten free?

Yes, it is. It's marinated with regular spices and herbs like salt, pepper, etc. No wheat.

Is the pork hock a vegetarian dish?

No. The pork hock is part of the pig so it is meat and thus not vegetarian.

Is the pork hock spicy?

Not the pork hock is not spicy but you can add mustard or sauce for different flavours.

Is the pork hock pickled?

No, our pork hocks are not pickeled. In different parts of Germany there are different ways to prepare the pork hock

Below is a list of food vendors inside the Vancouver Christmas Market we have tried so far, and we're almost done trying all of them.

#40 Bratwurst Haus #41 Haxen Haus #42 Das Gulasch Haus #43 Kartouffel Haus #43 Hurricane Potato

#44 Chimney Cake #46 Cheese Me Raclette #45 Das Langos Haus #47 Perogies #48 Das Smoked Haus

#53 Mr. Hotcakes #55 I Love Chocolate #60 Das Apfel Haus #61 Those Pretzels

Cheese Me Raclette in Vancouver Christmas Market

Happy Saturday! We planned to watch the drone show scheduled near Canada Place this evening, but it has been cancelled. So we changed our weekend plans because of the cancellation.

We still grabbed lunch from Vancouver Christmas Market, and our first bite of food for the day was from Cheese Me Raclette.

It's so fun to see cheese bubble and melt and then be scraped off over boiled potatoes and ham.

Classic Raclette inside the Vancouver Christmas Market
Swiss Raclette cheese, melted over mashed potatoes over herbed smoked ham, potatoes, baby dill pickles, and pearl onions.

Classic Raclette

The Classic Raclette is delicious but not flavourful enough to order it a second time. On the other hand, their Cheese Me Chowder is where all the flavour is. Yum! Order it with their grilled cheese and dip it in the delicious soup.

Grilled Cheese & Soup from Cheese Me Raclette in Vancouver Christmas Market

Cheese Me Chowder
Creamy potato soup topped with cheddar flakes and croutons.

Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese sandwich with gouda & Havarti.

The Cheese Me Chowder is creamy and comforting, perfect for cold winter days. Meanwhile, the Grilled Cheese is one note in flavour but dip it into the chowder, and it becomes a vessel of deliciousness.

This description is in front of the Cheese Me Raclette hut.

What is Raclette?

Dating from the year 1291 in the Alpine Regions of Switzerland and France, raclette (derived from the French word Racler meaning "to scrape" is food theater that roasts a vareity of fatty Raclette Cheese and scrapes them over the vessel of your choice.

Below is a list of food vendors inside the Vancouver Christmas Market we have tried so far, and we're almost done trying all of them.

#40 Bratwurst Haus #42 Das Gulasch Haus #43 Kartouffel Haus #43 Hurricane Potato #44 Chimney Cake

#46 Cheese Me Raclette #45 Das Langos Haus #47 Perogies #48 Das Smoked Haus

#53 Mr. Hotcakes #55 I Love Chocolate #60 Das Apfel Haus #61 Those Pretzels

Trying McDonald's Bacon Deluxe McCrispy

Our second burger for dinner from McDonald's tonight is the Bacon Deluxe McCrispy.

Bacon Deluxe McCrispy from McDonald's Canada
Bacon and a slice of fresh tomato take the McCrispy to the next level. Made with crispy, tender and juicy 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken, then topped with shredded lettuce, creamy mayo-style sauce and served on a soft potato bun for a taste that’s so McDonald’s.

Bacon Deluxe McCrispy from McDonald's Canada

Unfortunately, there's not enough sauce in it and it was dry. The good thing is there's a generous amount of bacon.