Canada Day lunch from Salmon n' Bannock

Happy Canada Day! How we usually celebrate Canada Day?

• 2016: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with sisters
• 2017: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with parents, sister, and brother
• 2018: Steveston Richmond, BC Salmon Festival and Canada Day Parade with hubby
• 2019: We were not in the country to celebrate. :(
• 2020: There's a pandemic.

Since there's still a pandemic, we decided to order lunch from Salmon n' Bannock. They are the only year-round Indigenous restaurant in Vancouver. They serve wild fish, free-range, grass-fed organic meat, Bannock made fresh daily and other culinary delights inspired by a variety of First Nations traditions. It seems fitting to support a First Nations business today.

How to order?

They are not open for dine-in service, but they're on Uber Eats, and I originally planned to order that way. However, I called yesterday to check if they are open today, and they said yes with a caveat that they're serving a July 1 BBQ special, and that's the only thing on the menu. I ordered two for pick-up at 1 PM, which is the time they open.

July 1 BBQ from Salmon n' Bannock

We walked there in the rain and picked up our food. It costs $21.00 each. What's included in the meal? Wild sockeye salmon, maple coleslaw, vegetables, signature bannock, and a baked potato.

Wild sockeye salmon, maple coleslaw, vegetables (steamed broccoli and buttered sweet potato), baked potato, and signature Bannock. Butter and sour cream on the side

Wild sockeye salmon, maple coleslaw, vegetables (steamed broccoli and buttered sweet potato), baked potato, and signature Bannock. Butter and sour cream on the side

My hubby and I are stuffed! Everything was so delicious. I love salmon, and it's cooked perfectly. The Bannock is good with the butter they provided. I can't wait to go back, hopefully, when they're ready for dine-in service.

Where is Salmon n' Bannock located? It's the same block as Toys R Us along West Broadway.

My only request, please serve salmon chowder. It's something I fell in love with last year when we had lunch at Thunderbird Cafe in Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler.

Dinner at Suika (dine in during COVID-19)

Phase 2 in BC has started mid-May, and since then, restaurants have slowly been opening up for dining service with limited seating. We decided to wait until today before risking going out to enjoy a delicious meal at Suika.

Read my post on things I'd do first when things get better in BC. Check out what's second on the list.

First Time to Dine In

How's the experience? I want to say the same, but not really. Suika is a popular Japanese restaurant along West Broadway near Fir Street. They're usually jam-packed with people for both their lunch and dinner service.

Today, only a maximum of 40 people is allowed in the restaurant. The layout can be divided into three sections, and based on my observation, only 2-3 tables per section has a customer. Specifically, in the location we're in where there are four tables, only two are being used. 

There's sanitizer by the entrance which we used, and we maintained a reasonable distance to the host who walked us to our table. He gave us the menu that is printed on paper, which he didn't take back after we placed our order.

The only time someone came in less than 6 feet is when a server wearing a mask would place our food in the table.

The Food

Suika has the best katsu curry in Metro Vancouver. If you love Japanese curry, please give the one at Suika a try.

Signature Beef Curry (Suika's original stewed beef tendon curry) topped with Tonkatsu (pork loin cutlet)

The food is still fantastic. I thought it's even better than I remember, but it could just be the anticipation and excitement of eating here again after a long time. We had it delivered in April, but it's just not the same as eating here fresh from the kitchen.

Hubby had his usual double tonkatsu. We also had an appetizer for sharing and desserts.

Yuzu Tuna Tataki (lightly seared albacore tuna seasoned with Yuzu, topped with ponzu jelly and crispy garlic chips)

I think this is the first dish from Suika that I didn't enjoy. 

Double Tonkatsu Set (2 pieces of fried pork loin cutlet using special fresh panko served with two kinds of dipping sauce, rice, and miso soup)

Frozen Matcha Brulee (Frozen matcha creme brulee served with whipped cream and red bean sauce)

Is it worth it?

Yes. Everyone is observing physical distancing, which helped put my mind at ease. More importantly, I get to eat the great food Suika serves again and then can continue to provide employment.

Dinner from Royal Seoul House

I love slow Saturdays like today. We went to Staples to send off a package to Nova Scotia. Then, we decided to order take out dinner from our favourite Korean restaurant, Royal Seoul House.

We're still not brave enough to eat in a restaurant. I'm willing to go in, pick up food, then go out, but outside our house and my parent's place, we haven't spent more than 30 minutes in other establishments. Oh, that's not entirely true, we attended Mass twice now.

Anyway, before heading to the restaurant, I called in with my selection. We walked around the neighbourhood and went in 20 minutes later. My order is ready, and I can't wait.

Royal Seoul House was empty. Although, patrons may be eating in the private space for physical distancing.

Favourite Korean Dishes

Unlike in the Philippines, Korean dishes are not as popular here in Canada. They're also not that many Korean restaurants, unlike Japanese cuisine, which is nearly everywhere. I ordered our favourite Korean dishes.

Banchan
I didn't expect our take out to come with banchan.

Goon Mandu

Mandu is a Korean dumpling. I love dumplings from all countries, and Mandu is definitely second on the list (right after Xiao Long Bao).

Goon Mandu (deep-fried beef dumplings)

Japchae

This is my mom's favourite, and we have learned to love.

Japchae (stir-fried potato noodle with assorted vegetables and beef)

Seafood Pancake

This is a recent (when we moved to Canada) discovery for me. Growing up in the Philippines means an abundance of seafood, and this dish perfectly encapsulated all the fantastic seafood.

Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Pancake) (Flour pancake with green onion and assorted seafood)

I'm happy to buy from the Royal Seoul House and support local businesses in our neighbourhood. I can't wait to have the courage to dine in again and enjoy their BBQ.

Lunch from Shameless Buns

Today, hubby had a dentist appointment, and because the weather is beautiful, he decided to walk to the dental office (1.6 km). On the way there, he spotted the Shameless Buns food truck! He sent me a text message right away.

After waiting for 1.5 hours for his appointment and walk back home, I enjoyed Shameless Buns.

Shameless Buns favourite

My favourite from Shameless Buns is the Signature Sinigang Fries. If you're going to pick a side, choose this one. It's a Canadian-favourite flavour of salty and sour, just like your salt and vinegar chips, but instead of processed chips, it's freshly fried french fries.

Signature Sinigang Fries

Something New

Hubby called me because he couldn't decide what else to get. I asked him to read the menu while I look it up on their website as well. We agreed on Jacked Up Coconut Fries because I love anything with coconut (gata). I enjoyed it. Though I'm a rice girl and I could eat up the jackfruit coconut adobo (ginataang langka) any given day. Yum!

Jacked Up Coconut Fries
Crispy Sinigang Fries, Jackfruit Coconut Adobo, Coconut Adobo Jus, Garlic Calamansi Aioli, Tomato, Green Onion, and Garlic Chips

  

Happy Ending

To end our carbo-loaded meal, we ordered Pandesal French Toast. I love the mango sauce it went with and it's so soft. I think I need to buy a dozen pandesal and just munch on it.

Pandesal French Toast

Filipino Heritage Month

I'm so happy that we get to support another Filipino business this month. We're on a "diet," and we weren't supposed to buy outside food (i.e. food from restaurants). But, we wouldn't pass up the opportunity to support Shameless Buns.

Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes

I continue my support of Filipino businesses and entrepreneurs by ordering Ube (purple yam) cake from Kaye Bakes.

Kaye Bakes for Celebration

Today we're celebrating three things: my mom's birthday, my youngest sister's high school graduation, and father's day. It only fits to order some cake, and I thought a cake we can't buy from Costco would be fitting.

How I ordered from Kaye Bakes?

I reached out on their Facebook page Tuesday to ask if they can do a Saturday delivery or if it's too late. I also asked for prices and if they can deliver.

They were able to deliver on a Saturday at Richmond. I paid via Interac-E Transfer.

Ube Cake

Purple yam is famous in the Philippines. The colour is unique, and it's delicious! We love Ube cake in the Philippines, and I didn't think we would be able to enjoy some here in Canada.

Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes

Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes

You should hear the glee from my younger sister. She loves Ube cake the most among all of us and I'm glad she enjoyed what I ordered. 

Contact Kaye Bakes

Do you want Filipino cakes delivered in Metro Vancouver? Contact Kaye Bakes on Facebook or call them at 778-697-8143.

Contact Kaye Bakes

I'll definitely order again for my birthday - mocha cake!

Coconut Jam from Bukobaba

I wrote a blog post about ten Filipino businesses in Metro Vancouver to support this month (Filipino Heritage Month).

Where to get Coconut Jam in Metro Vancouver?

One of the businesses on the list is Bukobaba. They sell premium coconut food and wellness products. Browsing through their website and store and learning about their business, I discovered that their products are available in Meinhardt Fine Foods. We do our grocery shopping in Meinhardt, and I decided to look for Bukobaba, and I found it! Woot!

Bukobaba Products at Meinhardt Fine Foods

I purchased one bottle of the Coco Jam + Cacao, and we're hoping to use it as a spread to our sandwich, instead of Nutella. We can't wait to try it.

Coco Jam + Cacao from Bukobaba purchased from Meinhardt Fine Foods.

I can't wait to support more Filipino businesses, not just this Filipino Heritage Month, but for the rest of the year and beyond.

June 18 update

We finally opened our jar of Coco Jam + Cacao. It was difficult to open so we put the jar under hot running water for a minute. Then, I mixed the contents of the jar with a teaspoon. The coconut part is solid because of the cold weather here. 

After mixing and the consistency looked right, we put some on toasted whole wheat bread and it was delicious! I think I need more bread. I'll probably order some pandesal to enjoy it with.

Breakfast at Tim Hortons

Before the pandemic, hubby and I used to have breakfast every Sunday at Tim Hortons before going to Mass. Today, we decided to do that again. We grabbed our usual Tim Hortons favourite.

We had two Farmers Breakfast Wrap (sausage for me and bacon for him), a small single single for hubby and a small hot chocolate for me. It was drizzling this morning, and we decided not to eat in the store, so we found a spot under a building awning, and we enjoyed our food there.

Look! Balancing a small cup of hot chocolate and Farmers Breakfast Wrap from Tim Hortons in one hand as I try to take a photo.

Hubby's Farmers Breakfast Wrap

I'm hoping we can go back to doing this consistently.