Hagensborg Chocolates

You’ve probably seen Hagensborg Chocolates sold at select department stores or specialty grocery stores (like Whole Foods) but what you may not be aware of is that they recently opened up a retail location tucked in a cul-de-sac off of Government Street in Burnaby.  If you didn’t know where you were going, it would be easy to miss this nifty chocolate shop (we actually drove by it and didn’t see it on our first go around).

Rodney’s Oyster House – Slapjack Chowder

On our first visit to Rodney’s Oyster House, we missed out on trying their chowders and we knew that we definitely wanted to try them out on our next outing. 

Fortune City Seafood Restaurant

Fortune City Seafood Restaurant is a relatively new (7-8 months) restaurant located on the third floor of the complex located at 1st and Renfrew.  The restaurant is pretty large and, on the night that we went, it was packed with tons of large families… as a matter of fact, I’m not sure if I even saw any small tables in the restaurant.

Mistral French Bistro – Giant Vanilla Macaron Dessert

Mistral French Bistro is a friendly little restaurant located on West Broadway on the same block as Thomas Haas.  We dropped by for a xmas lunch with friends recently and were treated with some very friendly service  For some reason, I always expect French restaurants to be a bit rude… I must be projecting some unfounded stereotype.

Donair Land – Donair or Shawarma?

Whether you call them “donairs” or “shawarma”, I like to call them tasty pockets of goodness.  Donair Land is conveniently located across from the Joyce Street Skytrain Station but slightly tucked away from the main intersection at Joyce and Vanness.  The last time I was here, I remember this being a busy little grocery store so I was surprised at how good the donairs tasted.

Maenam – A Modern Take on Thai Cuisine

As I’ve probably mentioned on another post, xmas shopping in malls is crazy in December – too many people, too many screaming kids.  Plus, all of the malls seem to have the same stores.  Fortunately, there are plenty of places around Vancouver that have interesting shopping like on Granville or West 4th.  We found ourselves braving the recent sunny but chilly weather a few weeks ago and decided to try out Maenam on West 4th for some lunch before we began our trek.

Insadong Korean BBQ and Seafood Restaurant

Insadong is a pretty popular Korean restaurant along the Burnaby/Coquitlam border but it was very quiet when we visited for lunch during the weekday… which suits me just fine because I’ve been getting tired of fighting through all of the masses of people at the mall during xmas shopping.

Romer’s Burger Bar (River District) – Ho Ho Ho… The Holiday Burger

What could be better on a cold autumn day than a big bowl of Tomato and Basil Soup?

Au Petit Chavignol – In Search of Mac ‘n Cheese and Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Part 2)

As soon as I picked up my order from The Mac Shack, I headed down to East Van to go to Au Petit Chavignol to see how they compare.  You might be wondering what would possess me to have mac ‘n cheese at two different restaurants within the same day… alas, such is my devotion to the one true culinary wonder of the world… that, and I’ve way too much time on my hand.

The Mac Shack – In Search of Mac ‘n Cheese and Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Part 1)

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but I really like mac ‘n cheese.  The problem with comfort food like mac ‘n cheese is that everyone’s idea of the perfect mac ‘n cheese is a little different and unless you share the same childhood memories associated with it, you might be disappointed by other people’s interpretation of the dish.

There have been two places that I’ve had on my wishlist to try for a while for their mac ‘n cheese: Au Petit Chavignol and The Mac Shack.  So, I decided to go on a Mac ‘n Cheese Expedition and try them both out on the same day.

Saint Germain Bakery (Oakridge) – Macaroons or Macarons?

Did you know that you can get French-style macarons at Saint Germain Bakery?  Is it “macaron” or “macaroon”?   I always think of a macaroon as those small little coconut cookies you get at Safeway.

Au Petit Cafe – Banh Mi Pilgrimage (4th Stop)

After my previous bánh mì pilgrimage visits to Kim Chau Deli, Tung Hing Bakery and Ba Le Deli & Bakery on Kingsway, I ended my trip at Au Petit Café located on Main Street.  While a little further away, it was well worth the trip.  Now, unlike the other 3 bánh mì spots, Au Petit is an actual full-fledged restaurant (albeit small) and serves a number of other dishes other than bánh mì.  I think Eating in Vancouver put it best by describing this place as a “hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese joint” but that didn’t seem to dissuade the number of diners that were already there (most of which were of a more advanced age).