Masala Boyz Indian Lounge and Bar

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I had come across Masala Boys Instagram account and they piqued my interest.  Once the indoor dining opened up again I brought my mom and sister here on a Sunday evening as a belated Mother’s Day celebration.

It’s a spacious, medium sized restaurant.  The decor is quite modern and simple.  It is divided into two sections.  Pretty cute place.

We came here ready to eat.  For our appetizers we tried:

  • Gol Gappe – this was my first time trying Gol Gappe.  My sister had had it before and recommended that we order two.  The presentation was pretty awesome.  They are crispy fried puff balls that are filled with potato and chickpeas.  They were served on top of shot glasses that were filled with tamarind water.  This wasn’t my favorite dish.  It wasn’t bad, but it was just fine.  My sister said that she’s tried it before where it’s been filled with more potatoes and she prefers that.  I didn’t care much for the flavored water.
  • Channa Bhatura – Perhaps my favorite dish of the evening.  This was my first time trying this and I devoured it.  This was so delicious.  The deep fried bread was quite large and the chickpeas were extremely flavorful.  They served it with a side of raita and pickled achar.  I have thought of this dish several times since my visit – sooo good.
  • Fish Pakora – Another winner!  Yum.  Every bite was perfection.
  • Butter Chicken – Of course we ordered butter chicken, a fan favorite.  My sister found this to be too sweet.  Personally, I enjoyed it.
  • Lamb Vindaloo – My mom didn’t like that it was tomato based, but I really enjoyed this dish.  The gravy was deliciously spiced with tender pieces of lamb and large pieces of potatoes.
  • Coconut Prawn – All of us enjoyed this dish.  Jumbo prawns in a delicious coconut sauce.
  • Assorted Bread Basket – Each of us wanted a different type of bread so we went for the assorted bread basket.  It has garlic naan, plain naan, lachha paratha.  There was a very large quantity in the bread basket.  I ended up bringing tons home and popping them in my freezer.
  • Raita – this is an essential add on for me when eating Indian food.  Yogurt with cucumber and carrots, coriander, cumin and spices.  Masala Boys does it well.

The entire menu is halal and all the mains come with a side of rice.

I was quite impressed with this spot.  I thought the food was great, portion sizes were large and service was awesome.  I would happily return to eat here again.

http://www.masalaboyz.ca/

Robba Da Matti – West End

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A couple weekends ago my husband and I hit 5 years of marriage.  Our original idea was to be in Europe to celebrate. Since covid put a wrench in our plans, we made reservations at Robba Da Matti instead.

We had walked by several times and their quaint little garden patio always looked so enticing.  We decided it would be the perfect spot to commemorate the day.

When we arrived, pretty much every table was full.  The patio gives off European vibes to me which made me feel a teensy bit better about not being overseas.  For their version of plexi-glass dividers, they have old window panes between their seating.  There are heat lamps outside and foliage everywhere.  It’s so romantic.

Let’s get into the food – they start you off with some marinated olives instead of bread which I thought was cool.

For our dinner we opted to go with three dishes and share.  We went with:

  • Lobster and Crab Ravioli – I love, love, loved this dish – my favorite of the evening.  Each ravioli was filled with lobster and crab, and then topped with fresh tomatoes, arugula and prawns.  So delicious.
  • Parpadelle Rosche Rosche – parpadelle with short ribs.  The dish comes with italian sausages as well, but for people like me who don’t eat pork, they offered to remove or put the italian sausage on the side.  The parpadelle was perfectly al dente and the ragu had a bit of a kick.  This was my husband’s favorite dish of the night.
  • Risotto Alla Pescatora – I love seafood and risotto so I was super excited to try this dish.  It had calamari, tiger prawns, mussels and clams.  It was good, but I feel like there was just so much seafood in it that we didn’t get enough of the rice/risotto part.  It also had a lot of the seafood liquid in it.  I know that’s an odd complaint, but I felt it wasn’t as balanced as I would have liked.  It was still good, but I think next time we will opt for the mushroom risotto instead.

In our online reservation I noted that it was our anniversary.  After we had been seated a while, a couple came in and they were seated next to us.  We overheard them telling the server that it was their one year anniversary.  The staff brought out some champagne for them.  I found myself a bit bummed for a second, but when our server brought out our food my hubby mentioned that it was our anniversary too.  I also piped in that we included it in our reservation so they didn’t think we were just making it up.  Our server brought some champagne out for us too and that made me happy.

The service here was pretty great.  We were greeted so warmly when we arrived and our server was very personable and attentive.

I will absolutely be coming back here.  The food was delicious and I want to explore the menu further.  The patio was just gorgeous. I highly, highly recommend Robba Da Matti.

https://robbadamatti.com/

 

ChiMec

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I love me some fried chicken and was happy to discover ChiMec had opened so close to home.

The hubby and I decided to call in an order for take out.  We both went with the chicken burger – Chris with the original and I went with the spicy.  I also ordered one side of fries for us to share.

The order was ready in just 15 minutes.  Unfortunately, in error they accidentally put through two orders of fries for us.  We didn’t notice until we got home.

These burgers have a full fried chicken breast on a brioche bun with creamy coleslaw, pickled onions, sweet pickles and a mayo based sauce.  The chicken breast included in the sandwich is huge!  The fried chicken is perfectly crisp and full of flavor.  I can usually really handle (and love) heat, but I found my spicy burger to be a touch too spicy.  Although I loved every bite, my mouth was on fire so I think next time I’m going to go with the medium instead.  The french fries were yummy also!

I’m so, so, so happy this place is so close to home!  I absolutely will be back again (and again and again).  Can’t wait until my next visit.

https://chimec.ca/

 

Mr. Shawarma – Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

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Mr. Shawarma has three food trucks in the downtown area and they’ve been around for quite some time.  Recently, my hubby and I were perusing Uber Eats on the hunt for something new to try.  We came across a new menu item from Mr. Shawarma – the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich.

They have several different kinds.  My hubby opted for the Swiss Mushroom Philly Cheese Steak, while I went for the Havarti Jalapeno Philly Cheese Steak.  They are pretty inexpensive at $7 a sandwich.

These are so delicious!  They arrived hot and smelled so spectacular.  They don’t skimp on the filling – there’s so much savory goodness in there!  The buns are really soft and delicate.  My only complaint was that it did get messy while I was eating it because of the softness, but it was honestly so worth the messiness!  There were also a couple delicious sauces on my buns that complimented everything so well.

I can’t say whether or not this is an authentic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich as I’ve not yet been to Philadelphia, but I can confirm that these are amazing!  Since that day, I ended up going by the food truck to order this again.  As I was handed my food, another patron said “wow, what’s that?” while I was ordering and quickly changed his order to match mine.  Sir, wherever you are, you’re welcome.

I see many more of these sandwiches in my future.

 

Craffles

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I really badly wanted to love this place.  I had seen their account on Instagram and all of their items looked so decadent and appealing.

On one of my days off, my hubby and I headed over to Lonsdale Quay.  We ended our visit at Craffles.  It’s a cute little kiosk in the market.  They have a small seating area.  They offer crepes, waffles and various desserts.

After looking at their menu, I decided on one of their monster shakes and my husband Chris decided to get one of their waffles.

Fun Boozy Cotton Candy Party – at first the name of this shake was confusing to me.  It made me think there was alcohol in it.  I asked the woman behind the counter if there was because I imagine they would need a liquor license to serve an alcoholic beverage and I didn’t see anything else boozy on the menu.  She initially misunderstood me and said yes.  I asked her what type of alcohol it was and once she realized what I was asking, she said no there wasn’t any in there.  I’m not sure why it’s called boozy?

It’s definitely over the top and Instagrammable which is exactly what I signed up for, but I felt some of the choices for additions didn’t make sense to me.  There’s a giant lollipop in it (which is great), but then the lollipop was almost completely covered in whipped cream so you couldn’t really see it.  Then the whipped cream had patches of cotton candy all over it.  I think they were maybe going for a rainbow through the clouds look, but it was hard to put that together without the rainbow lollipop peeking through much.  There are cute colorful marshmallows sticking out of it.  The glass had sprinkles everywhere and looked awesome.  There was randomly (and oddly) a nutri-grain bar sticking out of it too.  That seemed to be a puzzling addition to something that was meant to be so decadent.  The taste of the strawberry shake itself was fine.

Cookies and Cream Waffle – this was what my husband ordered.  He felt it didn’t taste “fresh”.  They have a case in the front, so perhaps they made it earlier in the morning?  He also used the word “fine” to describe it.

That being said, I have not written this place off.  I think that maybe for us personally we just didn’t make the right menu selections.  I saw them making fresh crepes and they looked amazing and smelled delicious.  Both my husband and I agreed that we would have to come back and order the crepes next time.

I also think that if you have children with you they would be absolutely jumping off the walls happy to get one of those monster shakes.  I see the draw and the excitement it would bring for kids.  It would make their day.   I mean if I had children with me, I would bring them here for a monster shake.  It’s targeted to them for sure.

Hoping next time I go, I will love it.  I’ll keep you all posted.

https://www.craffles.ca/

 

 

 

Tokyo Katsu-Sand Food Truck

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Picnic season is upon us!  Tokyo Katsu-Sand makes the most perfect picnic food!

My friend and I were getting together for a socially distanced get together at the park.  Tokyo Katsu made picnic prep so easy for us.  I just went and picked up the sandwiches and we were ready to go.

Located outside Vancouver City Centre skytrain station, Tokyo Katsu-Sand is the first food truck of it’s kind in Vancouver offering Japanese style Katsu sandwiches.

They offer a variety of menu options such as:

  • Gyu-Katsu – deep-fried AAA strip loin beef cutlet with gyu-katsu sauce and a wasabi-mixed mayonnaise
  • Ton-Katsu – deep-fried pork cutlet with shredded cabbage. homemade ton-katsu sauce and mustard-mixed mayonnaise
  • Ebi-Katsu – deep-fried shrimp cutlet with shredded cabbage, homemade ebi-katsu sauce, homemade tartar sauce and paprika
  • Chicken-Katsu – deep-fried chicken cutlet with homemade chicken-katsu sauce and mustard mixed mayonnaise
  • Fish-Katsu – deep fried halibut cutlet with shredded cabbage, homemade tartar sauce, homemade fish-katsu sauce and paprika

Love that this place has so many protein options! We had a chance to try all of the above and they were delicious.

My favorite sandwich was the Fish-Katsu.  They serve it with their homemade tartar sauce which I believe is an egg salad variation.  The fish chunk is quite generous and coated well with the sauces.  Yum!  This was my number one.

I also enjoyed the Gyu-Katsu.  The beef cutlet in the Gyu-Katsu sandwich just melts in your mouth.  It’s obviously a tender quality of meat (star of the show) so they keep this sandwich really simple and don’t include many extra ingredients.

I actually do not eat pork so I can’t vouch for that sandwich, but this was my friends favorite sandwich of the bunch.  She said the cutlet was really thick and juicy and the combination of the shredded cabbage, sauces and pork complimented each other quite well.  She was also a fan of the Gyu-katsu sandwich.

I just wanted to make note that we ate these over a period of time while we sat and chatted.  The ones we ate while they were fresh definitely tasted best.  Overall, we had a good experience.

https://tokyokatsusand.ca/

Thank you Tokyo-Katsu Sand for inviting me to try out your sandwiches.

The Praguery

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I had been drooling over pictures I’d seen online of The Praguery for way too long.  I finally decided I needed to make my way down to their store in Guildford and try it out.

My mom and I went over on a quiet Wednesday evening.  The store is located inside Guildford Mall on the ground level, very close to H&M.  It’s nice and new, having opened just last fall.

Their menu has quite a few options and they all sound amazing.  I decided on the chocolate and my mom decided she wanted to try the mango.

OMG so delicious!  I devoured it!

The ice cream reminds me of an elevated version of McDonald’s soft serve (which I love).  The chimney cake is amazing!  Swirls of a cake dough covered in cinnamon and sugar.  There was some solid chocolate at the bottom of my cone, nutella spread on the inside and a generous amount of ice cream.  They drizzled the top with chocolate.  Great presentation.  In my opinion, the combination of the chimney cake and soft serve is pretty unique to Vancouver’s dessert scene.  It’s equal parts adorable and delicious.  I loved every bite.

My mom was equally in love with her mango flavored dessert and she’s a tough one to impress.

That being said, I feel like a bit better service would have been nice.  It wasn’t like it was dreadful or anything, but the girl greeting me had no enthusiasm and in fact I almost felt that maybe she was a bit annoyed.  I explained that I was a blogger and I asked if I could take a video of her making the ice cream (I said “you won’t be in it, just the ice cream”).  She looked to the guy that was working there and he said yes, but then she proceeded to make the ice cream away from me (so I couldn’t shoot it) and very quickly.  Everything is set up right next to the counter so patrons can see what’s happening so I don’t think it was a big ask.  I mentioned it again before she put together the mango one and she allowed me to shoot, but she looked irritated.  The whole store was empty so it wasn’t like I was holding up a line or keeping her from other customers.  I could have been misreading her expression, but I can just speak to how I felt when I left and that’s how she made me feel – like I was a nuisance.

That being said, the dessert is really delicious!  I would recommend it.

 

Imagine Van Gogh – The Immersive Exhibition

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On Friday the hubby and I had a date night and attended the Van Gogh exhibit at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

All you ‘Emily in Paris’ fans might recall the scene in the series where Emily attends this enchanting exhibit in France.

We’re avid art lovers and had been looking forward to this exhibit for quite some time.  To be honest, I had high expectations and I wasn’t sure if the exhibit would live up to it.

It did.  It felt like I stepped into a dream.  It was absolutely beautiful.

The art pieces are projected onto larger-than-life screens that surround you.  The ambient light from Van Gogh’s art work fills the room and is complimented by classical music.  You get transported into each painting whether it’s the night sky or a room filled with sunflowers.  You feel the emotions and you are quite literally immersed fully into the art.  The timeless paintings with the modern day technology is the perfect marriage and makes the most astonishing gift for your senses.

Covid protocols are strictly followed here.  You are asked to sanitize upon arrival and if you take off your mask you will be asked to leave.

If you have a chance to check this out, I highly, highly recommend that you do.  This exhibit runs until September 29, 2021 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

https://vancouver.imagine-vangogh.com/tickets/

YVR Cookie – Cookie Monster Cookies

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“Me Want Cookie!”

YVR Cookie has a brand new limited flavor – the Cookie Monster Cookie!

Blue cookies and creme dough loaded with Oreo cookies and milk chocolate chunks.  It’s filled with an edible chocolate chip cookie dough (OMG!!) and topped with the best chocolate cookie crunch.  As I’m typing this out my mouth is watering again.

These cookies are so delectable!  I loved every single bite.  Ooh that chocolate chip cookie dough center is something else – so yummy!  I also love the cookie crunch topping (think DQ ice cream cake crust).

Let’s talk about the look of these cookies – they really do look like cookie monster cookies!  Such a vibrant blue!  How fun and creative!

If you haven’t tried YVR Cookie yet, you are missing out!  I highly recommend that you try them asap!  They offer a huge selection of flavors including seasonal flavors that change often.  Their cookies are massive and soooo good!  Pop em’ in the microwave and they taste like they’re straight out of the oven!

I don’t know how YVR Cookie keeps coming up with these amazing flavor combinations, but I’m so thrilled that they do.

https://yvrcookie.com/

Thank you YVR Cookie and Monique for sending me these cookies to try.

15 Local Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

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Mother’s Day is quickly approaching.  I’ve found some awesome gift ideas from some local businesses that would be perfect for your mom.  You can treat your mom to something special and support local at the same time.   Here are my top picks:

La Fraise

Gorgeous floral and chocolate covered strawberry bouquets.  How amazing do these look?  Wow!

*Photograph from La Fraise Instagram account

https://www.lafraiserose.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lafraise.rose/

 

Ess Fleurs

I know from experience that Ess Fleurs has the most stunning rose boxes!  Such a unique way to present flowers to your mom.  Recently, they’ve also added hot air balloon bouquets.

*Photographs from Ess Fleurs’ Instagram account

https://www.instagram.com/essfleurs/

 

You’re Loved

Your mama will definitely feel loved after receiving one of these beautiful chocolate covered strawberry dessert boxes.  I love the extra details like the color co-ordination and butterflies!

*Photograph from You’re Loved Instagram account

https://www.instagram.com/youreloved.yvr/

 

La Vie Est Belle Inc.

In today’s day and age, why not get your mom something to keep her safe and healthy.  La Vie Est Belle makes stylish, comfortable, great quality custom masks that are blinged out.  They’re perfect for adding a little sparkle to mom’s life during these hard covid times.  I own two of these myself.

*Photograph from La Vie Est Belle’s Instagram account

https://lavieestbelleinc.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lavieestbelleinc/\

 

Charcuterie Vancouver

Quite possibly the most popular Charcuterie company in Vancouver.  There’s a whole Mother’s Day Collection on their site.  My top pick of their collection is their brunch box – it has waffles, a croissant, fresh fruit and more.  What mom wouldn’t be thrilled to get one of these!  So pretty!

*Photograph from Charcuterie Vancouver’s Instagram account

https://linktr.ee/charcuterievancouver

https://www.instagram.com/charcuterievancouver/

 

The Little Charcuterie

Another company with lovely Charcuterie boxes.  I had the opportunity to try the Valentine’s Day box out and I was impressed.  Definitely makes it feel like a celebration!

*Photograph from Little Charcuterie’s Instagram account

https://www.thelittlecharcuterie.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thelittlecharcuterie/

 

Zeitoon Charcuterie

With Mother’s Day landing over Ramadaan this year, Zeitoon Charcuterie would be a great option for a halal charcuterie board for mom when she breaks her fast.  My pick is their special Iftar box.

*Photograph from Zeitoon Charcuterie’s Instagram account

https://www.instagram.com/zeitooncharcuterie/

 

Trove Desserts

Trove desserts has a mother’s day bundle that includes a large bouquet of flowers, a card, refreshment, the delectable Trove dessert box and free delivery.  Cool thing about this option is that a portion of all proceeds will go to the Mama’s for Mama’s National Charity Organization.  Your mom will feel like the queen that she is when she gets this bundle.

*Photograph from Trove Desserts Instagram account

https://trovedesserts.com/

https://www.instagram.com/trovedesserts/

 

YVR Cookie

YVR Cookie is a well known Vancouver company known for making the best stuffed cookies.  Earlier this month they launched two new flavors in honor of mother’s day – Glazed Lemon Loaf Cookie and Mom’s Apple Pie.  Both of them are so delicious!  Your mom will be absolutely thrilled to receive these yummy cookies to indulge on her day.

https://yvrcookie.com/

https://www.instagram.com/yvrcookie/

 

Get Salty Co.

Get Salty Co. is a company out of White Rock, BC.  They make natural, vegan, hemp soaps.  My pick for Mother’s Day is the Rose Box.  It includes glow bath salt, rose whipped body butter, rose lip balm, rose bath bomb.  Your mom does so much for you all year around, a self care box would make her day.

*Photograph from Get Salty Co. Instagram account

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/GetSaltyCo

https://www.instagram.com/getsaltycoskinproducts/

 

Real Love Creations

Real Love Creations is a local company that customizes t-shirts, wine glasses, mugs, etc.  My Mother’s Day pick is the customized puzzle.  You can choose a family picture or a picture of the two of you and gift her something to keep her busy while we’re all quarantining.

*Photograph from Real Love Creations Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/reallovecreations/

 

Princessscones

Why not set up a high tea for your mom at home?  This company has a Mother’s Day package that includes mini scones in a variety of flavours.  I’ve put on a high tea for my mom before and she loved it.  These would be perfect!

*Photograph from Princess Scones’ Instagram account

https://www.instagram.com/princessscones/

 

West Coast Candle Company

A local candle company that I recently purchased candles from and they smell divine!  My pick for Mother’s Day would be the candles from their crystal collection.  Beautiful candles that smell amazing and have real crystal in them!  She’s will love them.

*Photograph from West Coast Candles’ Instagram account

https://westcoastcandlecompany.com/

https://www.instagram.com/westcoastcandlecompany/

 

Star Choco-Bar

My pick from this local company are the assortment of solid chocolate hearts.  They’re pretty – a variety of colors and flavors and the presentation is fabulous.  This company is donating 10% of sales to the Heart and Stroke foundation also.

*Photograph from Star Choco-Bar’s Instagram account

https://www.instagram.com/starchocobar/

 

Iesha’s Bouqcakes

The prettiest cupcakes I’ve ever seen, this company puts together an edible cupcake bouquet.  I know from experience they are so delicious!  Who wouldn’t be blown away to receive these as a gift?

https://www.instagram.com/ieshasbouqcakes/

 

Hopefully I’ve helped make your search for a Mother’s Day present that much easier!  Drop me a line and let me know if you end up going with one of the above options.

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