Lunch from Vera's Burger Shack

After picking a spot and settling down at Kits Beach, my youngest sister, hubby, and I walked to look for a food source. We walked along Cornwall Avenue to see what's open. We decided to buy lunch from Vera's Burger Shack.

What to get from Vera' Burger Shack?

I got Vera's Burger. I didn't understand what the cashier was saying so I just asked him to put Vera's sauce in it, instead of everything (tomato, lettuce, etc.). #facepalm

Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings, French Fries, and Chicken Strips

I love Romer's Burger, but the meat in Vera's Burger is so much better.

Hubby got the grilled chicken. I made a terrible choice of not putting anything in it. It's probably good for our "diet", but of course, without any sauce, it's dry. The chicken and bun are still delicious, but it could have been better if only I asked them to put everything in it.

Vera Burger

Vera Burger

My youngest sister picked chicken strips. It was surprisingly good. It's well-seasoned with great flavour.

We enjoyed our lunch near Kits Beach under a tree on a blanket. It was great!

Breakfast from COBS Bread Bakery

Sunday! I woke up to my mom's message that they'll pick us up so we can go to Kitsilano Beach. An hour later, we're heading to McDonald's along 4th Avenue (at Balsam Street). We really don't want to buy from McD's, instead, we saw the COBS Bread Bakery across the street and decided to quickly buy croissants from there.

I love this paper bag!

I got a couple Plain Croissants for my youngest sister, a Ham & Cheese Croissant and a Spinach & Feta Croissant for hubby and myself.

Ham and Cheese Croissant

Happy Sunday!

Dinner from Express Pho

Update: Express Pho and all the restaurants between West Broadway and Hemlock (west bound) are closed permanently, because that area will be the future location of the Granville Station.

Takeout Day is all about supporting restaurants as they try to survive and cope with the challenges of a pandemic.

I have ordered from most of my favourite neighbourhood joints, and Express Pho is the last one. I felt sad seeing how they're down to two people in the restaurant (I could be wrong, but they look like a mom and son duo).

If you have the means and if you live near West Broadway and Granville, please order from Express Pho. They're right across Jordan, the furniture store.

Support and Order from Express Pho

We ordered new dishes this time (this blog is useful in recalling what we had the last time we were here).

Dinner Tonight

Vietnamese Spring Roll (2 Rolls)

Curry Beef with Steamed Rice

I love the way Vietnamese cuisine cook their beef. They're always so tender.

Beef Balls, Chicken Balls in Soup (Rice Noodle is in a separate container)

Bean Sprouts and Rice Noodles

I hope this post gets more people ordering from Express Pho and that they don't close (like the Greek restaurant beside them, Bawan Greek). We took a peek in their window, and it's empty. Hopefully, it's just a temporary closure, but it doesn't look like it.

Guest Post: Brunch at The Breakfast Table

This food experience is shared by my only brother. Yay! :) I love The Breakfast Table, too, and I'm glad to see him enjoy their food as well.

It was my first time going out since the COVID-19 pandemic has begun. I met up with a friend for brunch at the Breakfast Table.

I decided to get the Beef Bulgogi Hash with poached eggs.

(two poached eggs, kimchi, sauteed mushroom, spinach, green onion, sweet chilli sauce)

While my friend wanted to have the Coffee Crusted Pork Belly Benedict, but it was not available at the time, and so he decided to have the Hipster Benedict instead.

(two poached eggs, housemade peppered bacon, tomato, avocado, English muffin, bearnaise)

Lunch Delivery from Ramen Gojiro

We haven't had ramen in such a long time, and one of our favourite spots to get the delicious Japanese cuisine favourite is Ramen Gojiro. We love their spicy soup and crispy chicken karaage. I think they have one of the best (if not the best) chicken karaage in Vancouver (if you know of a better place, please let me know so we could try it).

Best Chicken Karaage in Vancouver

I ordered Original Chicken Karaage and Spicy Ramen with Chicken Karaage as the topping. I couldn't get enough of the crunchy and juicy boneless fried chicken.

Original Karaage (house-made crispy deep-fried chicken)

Spicy Ramen

Below is my spicy, creamy, ramen (without the soup yet) topped with karaage. I added extra Ajitama (medium-boiled marinated egg).

Spicy, rich, spicy ramen (without the soup) topped with karaage.

This is the photo with the spicy, rich broth added in.

Spicy Ramen topped with karaage, spicy, and with rich broth.
Ramen Gojiro's signature broth with the perfect balance of pork and chicken. The spicy sauce with a hint of sweetness.

I enjoyed the ramen very much. The heat was perfect, while the noodles were chewy. The perfect crunch was provided by the fried chicken.

Enjoying my Spicy Ramen

Delicious Gatsuri-Style Ramen

Hubby ordered the Yokohama Iekei Ramen. The broth was delicious, but since I like my ramen with a bit of heat, I prefer my Spicy Ramen. I tried a portion of the pork from his ramen, and it was tender.

Yokohama Iekei Ramen
"Homestyle" pork and chicken broth with shoyu flavour based from Yokohama. Thick noodles with very flavourful broth with depth and complexity.

Gyoza on the Side

My ramen lunch won't be complete without our favourite side gyoza. It's not the best gyoza, but really, I order and eat at Ramen Gojiro for the fried chicken.

Gyoza

It's a happy Saturday!

Lunch from Newly Renovated Beautiful PICA Blue Hat Bakery-Cafe

We had to run an errand around the area and thought it would be a great idea to visit the newly renovated and stunningly beautiful PICA Blue Hat Bakery-Cafe.

Blue Hat Bakery

Once I feel comfortable eating in a restaurant again, I want this spot right here! Look at the view from the window, it looks like a beautiful picture.

View from PICA Blue Hat Bakery-Cafe

Beautiful new counters from PICA Blue Hat Bakery-Cafe

Tuna Mediterranean Sandwich from PICA Blue Hat Bakery-Cafe

The food is still delicious. It's nice to see the faces of Christine and Lily and I'm glad they're back at work. Be sure to visit PICA and grab things to go or if you're feeling brave enjoy it either inside the cafe or outside in their elevated patio.

Dinner at Bridges Restaurant

We're celebrating our first Catholic wedding anniversary on Monday. Today, we decided to attend Mass then we made a reservation for dinner at Bridges Restaurant.

Beautiful Weather for Patio by the Water

I prayed last night to have a beautiful, sunny weather today which would make seating outside the Bridges by the water more enjoyable. I'm so glad God answered my prayer.

Our view during dinner

What to get from the Bridges Restaurant?

Being near the water, we decided to order seafood items from the menu.

For the appetizer, we had calamari. For our main course, I had the seafood penne while hubby had the grilled salmon. To end the lovely meal, we had chocolate cake.

We stayed there for 1.5 hours.

Calamari (lemon pepper, fresh dill, tzatziki)

Seafood Penne with prawns, salmon, and halibut in lemon basil cream sauce

Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon with saffron cream, citrus-tahini charred broccolini, and mashed potatoes

Chocolate Cake

What I like about the Bridges Restaurant?

I like love the view. It's really the best reason to come and eat here. Enjoy the view, breathe the fresh air, and melt all your worries away (at least for 2 hours). I like the service. The waitress and hostess are super friendly and they don't hurry you into leaving which gives you enough time to enjoy your meal and relax. The food is good, not the best in Granville Island by any means, but it's the best one by the water.