Canada Day Ice Cream from Purdy's Chocolatier

Happy Canada Day! We spent an hour in a nearby park to play Pokémon GO and about 30 minutes shopping for summer footwear. Then, as we take a stroll along South Granville, we grabbed ice cream from Purdy's Chocolatier.

Almond

Praline

Inside the store, they have special Canadian Collection Gift Tins, which are adorable.

Purdy's Canadian Collection Gift Tins

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day Dinner from Salmon n' Bannock

Happy (almost) Canada Day! This year we have decided to celebrate the non-working day by having dinner from Vancouver's only Indigenous-owned and operated restaurant, Salmon 'n' Bannock.

They have a different menu for dine-in and to-go customers. As such, more delicious-looking items can only be ordered if you're dining in.

Tip 1: Come early

They open daily at 3:00 PM. We went there at around 6:30, and they're busy! All the tables are occupied. Moreover, there are even people outside waiting for their to-go orders.

We wanted many things from their to-go menu, like the Open-Faced Bison Sandwich and Signature Bannock with House Chili. Both are sold out.

Tip 2: Go for Salmon in a Bannock

Dinner from Salmon 'n' Bannock

Since a couple items we want are no longer available, we end up with Urban Smoked Salmon Burger with Coleslaw and Pow Wow Power Salad. Both are delicious, but I'll order the salmon burger again. Because of the excellent experience with bannock as a bun, I can't wait to try their Bannockwiches.

Urban Smoked Salmon Burger with Coleslaw
Menu Description: Our Signature Bannock Burger is made with a 4 oz of Sage Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon. Made with Lemon Aioli and House Made Pickles.

The Bannock is buttery and chewy which is the perfect complement to the sweet and soft salmon. The fresh vegetables add crunch and juiciness. Lastly, it was served with sweet potato fries and the seasoning they used here is delicious - not just salt.

Pow Wow Power Salad
Menu Description: We put the Pow in Power! A sensational blend of delicious grains including Ojibway Wild Rice, Cucumbers, Radishes, Cherry Tomatoes, Organic Greens and Arugula. Served with a rotating dressing and topped with 4 oz of Wild Sockeye Salmon

If you check my blog, I don't generally order a salad, but this is great! There were strawberries that provide tartness, cucumber for freshness, there were beets too. What we couldn't figure out is where the spice is coming from. There's something spicy in this, and we couldn't point our figure which one is it.

Beat the Heat at Fifth Avenue Cinemas

We have no plans to go to the cinema as soon as we are doing even though we used to see at least one movie a month. However, the heatwave is getting ridiculous. Hubby and I grew up in the Philippines, where this weather is expected and quite usual during the summer. But there, if you're middle class or higher, you have air conditioning in your homes - here we don't. Since the heatwave will end tomorrow, investing in an AC seems unreasonable because we live in a 500 sq feet apartment with minimal storage.

To manage the heat, we end up watching F9 The Fast Saga (I have not seen ANY of the Fast and the Furious movies) just for the AC (and for the popcorn). It's the longest movie showing at Cineplex - 2 hours and 23 minutes.

From 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the temperature was more than 36℃! So, after work (we work from home), we took an Uber to Fifth Avenue Cinemas. Thankfully, they allowed us to enter 30 minutes before our film.

I miss the Cineplex popcorn!

I got popcorn and drinks, and we're off. I know the risk, and a portion of my brain is feeling paranoid about sitting with around 10 people in a theatre, but I'd take this risk than die of heat in our apartment. After the movie, the temperature outside is much more tolerable since the sun is already down and only 30℃.

Other than going to the movies, I took a cold shower 4 times: as soon as I woke up, at around noon, before leaving for the movies, and before going to bed. It helped! I also drank more water than I usually do to make sure I am hydrated.

I hope you're doing your best to stay cool during the heatwave.

4-Course Summer Gourmet Picnic at VanDusen Botanical Gardens REVIEW

Happy Sunday! We're in the middle of the heatwave in British Columbia. Still, when we booked the 4-Course Summer Gourmet Picnic at VanDusen Botanical Gardens organized by Truffle Fine Foods, we didn't know there's going to be a heatwave.

4-Course Summer Gourmet Picnic at VanDusen Botanical Gardens organized by Truffle Fine Foods

The Experience

Our reservation for two is at ten in the morning. We arrived just in time at Gate 3 (37th Avenue and Hudson), the designated entrance. There's a person who will ask for your name, ask you to register and point you in the general direction on where to go.

Gate 3

Truffles Find Foods Summer Gourmet Picnic at VanDusen Botanical Gardens sign.

We walked where the signs lead us and end up at this picnic area. It was hot. Thankfully, there are umbrellas on top of each picnic table, and there is some breeze.

Picnic Area

Our server walked to our table and asked us if we had any drink orders or wanted to get started. We told him that we already ordered our drinks online. He came with a crate with our 4-course meal labelled and packed in compostable containers (at least most of it). He asked if we want him to bring out the food and put it on the table or if we want to do it ourselves. To minimize contact and to phase our meal better, we did it ourselves. Plus, it was fun to open each box to see the food inside.

Plate and Plant on each table

Crate with your meal

The Food

As the name implies, you get to enjoy four courses (meals) inside VanDusen Botanical Gardens.

Compostable Boxes

1st Course: Canapes

We both ordered Regular Canapes. They're all delicious, but I would like more of the Tuna Crudo Cucumber Cup. Oh, and the grilled sourdough on the miniature BLT was tough. I didn't enjoy that bite.

Regular Canapes from left to right: Prosciutto melon bite, miniature BLT on grilled sourdough, and tuna crudo cucumber cup

2nd Course: Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

It's a delicious salad. Although, I wouldn't recommend putting a lot of the vinaigrette. It made the whole thing oily.

Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad
Organic local greens, fresh basil, and white balsamic vinaigrette

3rd Course: Entree

Both entrees were served with grilled vegetables. It seems like their vinaigrette recipe has a lot of oil. It was very oily.

Porchetta Sandwich and Tuscan Grilled Chicken Breast with Caper & Parsley Salsa Verde

Porchetta Sandwich

This is the best part of our meal. The sandwich on a ciabatta bun was delicious. I love the lemon-caper mayonnaise.

Porchetta Sandwich
Slow roasted pork with fennel and herbs, lemon caper mayonnaise and arugula

Tuscan Grilled Chicken Breast with Caper & Parsely Salsa Verde

I enjoyed the grilled chicken breast and would have preferred it over the porchetta sandwich, but the middle of the chicken was kind of cold which is unfortunate.

Tuscan Grilled Chicken Breast with Caper & Parsley Salsa Verde
Free-range chicken breast marinated in lemon & fresh rosemary

4th Course: Dessert

They only have two dessert options, and we got both. It comes inside a mason jar which you can take home if you're full. We took ours home, and it melted on the way because of the heatwave. So I hurriedly put it on the fridge as soon as we got home. I'll update this post if the desserts are any good.

Left: Vegan Chocolate Mousse swirled with Okanagan cherry compote.
Right: Peach & Almond Tiramisu (layers of mascarpone, fresh peaches and amaretti

Drinks

When we were placing our order, the only non-alcoholic beverage available is orange juice and apple juice which is what we got.

Walk around VanDusen

After the meal, you are free to walk around VanDusen Botanical Garden for as long as you like. Because of the heatwave and when our desserts melted, we only took a 30-minute walk around the park.

Is it worth it?

The whole meal plus drinks, entrance, taxes, and 15% service charge is $211.58 for two people. The food was good, and it was an experience having a picnic inside VanDusen with all the food prepared and served, but I don't think it's worth it. If the food was spectacular, then maybe I'll have a different recommendation.

Will I come back for the experience? Most likely not.

REEL Mac and Cheese at Thank Granville It's Food trucks (TGIF)

The South Granville Business Improvement Association (SGBIA) organized Thank Granville It's Food Trucks (TGIF). Every Friday and Saturday from 11 in the morning until 8 in the evening from June through Labour Day, there will be a rotating lineup of food trucks located along West 10th Avenue at Fir Street in front of the Vancouver School Board building.

For dinner today, we grabbed a couple mac and cheese from REEL Mac and Cheese to eat while watching the Vancouver Whitecaps FC game.

With today's meal, we have tried most of the items on their menu. We had The Main Event and Godzilla at The Columbia Streat Food Truck Festival three years ago. Then, we had The Green Mile at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Today, I ordered Some Like It Hot while hubby tried Kevin Bacon.

Note for future us to try the Snoop Dogg and Meat The Parent next time.

It was a wrong move to order mac and cheese today during the heatwave. I was so food coma and felt hotter than I would have been.

I didn't grow up with mac and cheese the way kids in the US and maybe Canada did, so I don't have any strong opinions of what's a good mac and cheese. However, I enjoyed the Kevin Bacon more than the Some Like It Hot. I guess the heatwave weather is a big factor in that.

Some Like It Hot
Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese that packs a lot of heat (Banana peppers & cayenne, chili flakes and a dash of Frank's red hot sauce topped with crispy onions)

Kevin Bacon
Gourmet macaroni & cheese topped with crumbled bacon and a panko parmesan crunch

Stay safe and cool.

Taro Cheesecake from Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee

Happy Saturday! I am unsure how often Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee has a special cheesecake, but it sure is worth trying.

I love the Matcha Cheesecake we tried earlier this month, and since my parents want organic coffee, hubby and I ordered the special cheesecake this time - Taro Cheesecake. The taro flavour is not as pronounced as the Matcha Cheesecake. Moreover, the taro latte was unavailable, which is unfortunate since I want to try it too.

Taro Cheesecake

I wonder what cheesecake they'll have next!

Taro Cheesecake