Lunch at Vina Vietnamese in Richmond Center

I love the beef stew from Vietnamese restaurants which I have discovered thanks to Vina. It's so tender and flavourful.

Beef Stew

I also love the Chinese Donut from Kam Do Bakery. It's not too sweet and extremely soft. Be sure to warm it up in the oven for the perfect bite. Yum!

Kam Do Bakery

Lunch at Triple O (inside River Rock Casino)

It's my first time in a casino! Not entirely true. It's my first time in a casino that I'm of age to gamble. However, I didn't go inside the River Rock Casino for games and a chance to get rich quickly. I went here for the food, specifically the Triple O branch inside.

I just came from an emotionally draining interview and am hoping that Triple O can make things feel better.

Bacon Cheddar Burger

Bacon Cheddar Burger Meal

Happy Thursday!

Searching for Churros in Vancouver

My sisters have been craving for churros for a while now. In the Philippines, Taco Bell offers Churros with a chocolate dip that they love. Thus, my hunt for Churros in Metro Vancouver begins.

I was in Downtown Vancouver yesterday and decided I could spend the afternoon searching for Churros. According to Foursquare (my trusted and fave application), I could go to Tacofino Cantina, a food truck along Howe Street since it's the closest to my location yesterday. I walked for 10 minutes and asked if they have Churros available. It was out of stock! The guy suggested I go to their main restaurant at Gastown, but I am too lazy to walk all the way there.

Last week, I also went to Cambie Village to search for churros. The only restaurant there that offers churros is Las Tortas, and it's also out of stock.

Going back to yesterday, I remember Therese saying that Cineplex sells churros so I searched for the nearest Cineplex and the Scotiabank Theatre is a 6-minute walk. I also did a quick Google search for the food stalls to make sure that they sell churros.

I searched the menu of OutTakes Backstage Bistro, and yes, they sell churros! I started my walk going to the Theatre in high spirit, excited that at last, I will be able to bring churros to my sisters. Alas, upon arriving at the Theatre, I won't be able to buy snacks because you have to have a movie ticket to access the snacks area. Ugh.

Screenshot of the Mini Churros from the OutTakes menu online

Lunch at Pak Tak Chiu Chow Restaurant, Yaohan Centre Food Court

T&T is our fave grocery chain in Vancouver because they have Filipino products that we grew up with. After doing our grocery run, we decided to grab a quick lunch at the food court. I got food from Pak Tak Chiu Chow Restaurant - Hainanese Chicken and Sweet & Sour Pork.

Meetup at Sweetery Cafe + Dessert

As part of my goal to network in Vancouver and learn something new, I attended a meetup, "Donuts and Coffee and Pics, oh my!". The meetup is basically on how to be better at taking food photos. I shot hundreds of food photos over the years, and I thought that I could learn more about angles and lighting.

Sweetery Cafe offers excellent pastries and coffee. Of all the sweets and bread we've had, my personal fave is the chicken strips and waffles. Amazing! Below are some of the pictures I took applying what I have learned today.

Midnight snack at Burger King

My sister and I just came from our shift at BC Place. It's Vancouver Whitecaps FC VS LA Galaxy. Anyway, before heading home we decided to have late dinner (midnight snack) at Burger King. It's unfortunate that this branch is cash only.

BK

Lunch at White Spot

Burgers and shakes for my first time at White Spot!

Legendary Burger and Poutine

Bacon Cheddar Bigger Burger with Onion Rings

Chocolate Milkshakes

Dinner at Cactus Club

Happy birthday, Sister! =)

We had dinner earlier today to celebrate the birthday of one of my dearest sister. She chose the Cactus Club Cafe to celebrate her birthday because we haven't tried eating there yet. She made the 6 PM reservation and thanked God, she did! For a Wednesday evening, the place was packed. We all ordered what we wanted and had dinner.

Appetizer for Everyone: Beef Carpaccio

I had Pesto Chicken Quesadilla.

Dinner at Menya Japanese Noodle

It was a rainy early evening as I walk towards the Hootsuite office for a meetup. I was searching online Foursquare for food places to have dinner after the event is over. The app showed all restaurants within my vicinity, and one of the suggestions is Menya Japanese Noodle. Since it was raining, it only made sense for me to have a bowl of ramen and gyoza.

8-pc Gyoza

Tantanmen Ramen

I entered the restaurant. It is full of Japanese men, women, and children eating what they had to serve. I thought to myself they must have good (authentic even) food to attract this crowd. I ordered Tantanmen Ramen and Gyoza for my dinner.

The ramen was delicious! I enjoyed my warm and spicy Ramen bowl while it's raining outside. I am happy.

2019 Update: They changed management, and the quality and recipe of the ramen changed. It's not as good as it used to. :(

Dinner at Five Guys

Oh, how I wish I am better at taking food photos! The only picture I took of the food from Five Guys did not give justice to the delicious, juicy burger I had.

We were coming from our six-hour shift were exhausted, and I was planning to have dinner at a nearby Japanese Curry restaurant that Foursquare keeps suggesting (yes, I allow Foursquare to be my food guide). Sadly, we didn't find the restaurant early enough that it was already closed for the day.

Now, we looked around and saw Five Guys open just across the street from where we were standing. Awesome! Time to eat.

Bacon Cheeseburger!

This definitely goes to the top of the best burgers I have tried in a long time!

Dinner at Waffle Bant

If you love crispy, sweet, and delicious waffles, this is the place to go. My siblings and I had a discussion if we're waffles or pancakes (siblings food war). My younger sister and I were Team Waffles because we enjoy the crunchy exterior of waffles. In contrast, our only brother and youngest sister were Team Pancakes because they love how soft pancakes are (I guess another factor here is brother works part-time at IHOP.).

Anyway, younger sister and I were in one of our after-work dates had dinner at Waffle Bant. She saw it while we were walking to the SkyTrain. She had a full-on dessert while I had a sandwich.

Bacon and Egg Medium Sandwich (4 Waffles) 

Darkest Desire Waffle

I love how crunchy the exterior of the waffles in my sandwich was. I also enjoyed how the flavours of my lunch tasted together in every bite. The sweet waffle buns, salty bacon and egg, crunchy apples, and fresh tomatoes tasted really great together. Though I think I should have ordered the small one because with the medium-sized sandwich, come the second one, I was already full and can't eat any more sweets. Be sure to check out this little cafe if you're in the area, and you love waffles. =)

2019 Update: I think they are closed already.

Lunch at Saboten in Aberdeen Center

I love Japanese Curry! If you need a fix of Japanese (or any Asian) cuisine, you should definitely go to Richmond.

The curry from Saboten tasted like what you would expect from Japan. The meat was tender (though a bit too oily), and the sauce was at the right consistency. Overall, I am happy and satisfied with my Japanese Curry.

Lunch at Cucina Manila

There's an area in Joyce-Collingwood neighbourhood (near St. Mary's Catholic Church), which felt like home. There are a few Filipino restaurants, there's a lot of Filipino, and there's even a Filipino Mass.

Having lunch here feels like being home.

Lunch at IHOP

International House of Pancakes.

My dad is flying back to the Philippines, and our family had lunch together at IHOP as my youngest sister suggested. It was awesome!

For youngest sister, Crispy Chicken Strips and Fries

For only brother, Classic Breakfast Crepe

For younger sister, Banana Crepes with Nutella

For mother, Southwestern Club

For father, Strawberry Banana Pancakes

We had so much fun eating and bonding over lunch.

Friday Night Out at Pumphouse Taproom

My sister wanted to go out last night because it was Friday. Again, ever since we attended the travel meetup, she wanted to try something new every Friday after her classes. Since I can't accompany her yesterday to the Vancouver Lookout Tower, She suggested we go to a restaurant or bar in Richmond. After researching, she decided we should try Pumphouse Taproom because she wanted some alcoholic drinks.

I, on the other hand, am a foodie, so I was after trying out their food. I had their Prosciutto Chicken Burger while sister had a Calamari.

Prosciutto Chicken Burger

Calamari

The Calamari was superb. It was crispy and wasn't chewy or oily at all. I wish I could say the same for the Chicken burger. Sadly, the burger I ordered was dry, and the whole thing was just tasteless. I was telling my sister that I should have probably ordered their other burger.

Ambiance and service were also excellent. It was a pub/bar because of the full range of beer and alcoholic drinks that they serve. There was a lot of TV screen, a fireplace outside, a billiard table, and some board games. It was a place where friends and colleagues would spend after office on a Friday night.

Dinner at Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant

My sister and I went to a Travel Meetup at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Since we arrived a bit early for the event, we decided to have dinner at Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant.

The ambiance is like a setting from a Mexican movie. My sister loved it! Now, let's go to our food. Sister ordered Beef Quesadilla while I had Nachos. The serving was good for three people. We had some leftovers.

Quesadilla

Nachos

The Quesadilla was salty. Meanwhile, Nachos needs more cheese. It was not the best quesadilla and nachos we've had.