Wildside Grill

By in Eateries, Local Getaways, Tofino, Travel No Comments Tags: , , ,

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This was one of the first spots that we hit when we arrived in Tofino.  The truck is located in a gravel field along with a few other little shops, along with the infamous Tacofino food truck.  It’s previously been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and we knew we had to try it for ourselves when we arrived.

There was a bit of a line-up when we got there.  It did move a bit slow on this day, but Tofino has such a chill and relaxed vibe.  We were on vacation and it seems everything in Tofino is a bit slower paced than here in Vancouver.  We were soaking in the island life.

I had a few questions about the menu and the staff was friendly and helpful.  Their menu is quite diverse.  We went with the fish and chips.  We sat at the picnic tables out in front and waited as our food was being made.

Once we got our food, we were impressed.  Tasty fries, good portion sizes of fish with crisp panko outer layer and house made tartar sauce and a side of green apple coleslaw.  The food here is absolutely delicious.  The only downside for me was that the seagulls seemed to know how good it was tou and they kept coming around.

I’m looking forward to going back to try other items off their menu next time I’m in Tofino.

http://www.wildsidegrill.com/

Craft Beer English Bay

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Earlier this year Craft opened up a new location in a prime spot across from Cactus Club at English Bay.

During the summer, I came by a few times trying to get in and on to the patio, but the wait times were an hour, sometimes two.  I was always way to hungry to wait.  Finally, I actually went and put my name down an hour prior to the time that I wanted and that worked out great.  Figured out that this is the way to go when the weather is nice.

The first time I went, it was my hubby, my cousin and I.  We started on the “beer garden” patio.  This is actually just a back parking lot that is no longer in use that was converted into an outdoor patio during B.C’s covid circuit breaker.  It gives me hipster vibes with picnic tables and a funky mural.

We got started with some drinks.  They, of course, have a vast selection of beer.  Lots of great options and my husband and cousin tried a few different kinds.  I also tried their lime margarita which they have on tap.  They apparently have 8 “day of the dead” style glasses and if you’re lucky you’ll get your margarita served to you in one – super cute.   We also ordered some food.  We went with the crispy chicken sliders, the Hawaiian ahi poke and the fried pickles.  All great pub style food.  We enjoyed everything – pretty good.

When we were seated, we also put our names down for the upstairs patio.  Once we were done eating, we settled our bills and moved up to the top.  This patio is a completely different vibe.  I’ve been here a lot when this was the boathouse and I just love what Craft has done with the space.  They have a funky VW van bar in the corner that I love. With that decor and the beautiful view, it feels like you’re on vacation.  It definitely transports you away.

We ordered more food and drinks.  This time going with the kale margherita pizza and the house made ice cream sandwiches for dessert.  The food is pretty good here.

We loved the wait staff.  They are friendly and witty with great banter.  The service is terrific.

A few weeks later, the same group of us went back.  We brought an additional friend with us, eager to show her how great this spot is.  This time we started at the upstairs patio.  We ordered a lot of the same food as we were pretty happy before.  We also ordered burgers from Pigot’s Burger Bar which is a pop up take out restaurant that works out of Craft’s kitchen.  Although it’s not on the menu, you can order these burgers while you’re visiting Craft also.  I’ve previously done a review on them, which can be found here:  Pigot’s Burger Bar

We were having such a blast here, but they limit the amount of time you can stay as they turn around the tables in two hours.  So again, we put our name down for another table, this time inside, and once we were done we moved.

The inside part is yet another vibe.  Neon lights, sexy bar vibes.  We were all quite tipsy and having a blast here.  The bartender ended up stopping by our table with some free shots saying that it looked like we were having the most fun in the place and he loved to see it.  The staff here is amazing!

I love this place so much and I’m so happy that they’ve opened up so close to home.  Three different vibes to fit any mood you’re in!  It’s one of my new favorite spots for sure.

https://www.craftbeermarket.ca/english-bay

 

 

YVR Cookie – Fall launch

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YVR Cookie’s new fall flavors are pure fire!  These flavors are so incredibly creative.  They are just wizards with their baking.  The new flavors are:

  • Cinnamon Bun -their signature cookie dough with cinnamon, white chocolate and salted caramel chipit, and- get this – actually cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting!  It’s topped with cinnamon sugar swirl.  This was the one I was most excited to try and it was just as amazing as it sounds.  I could eat it every day.  I loved that sugar topping.  My mouth is watering thinking of it.
  • Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake – pumpkin cookie dough flavored with real pumpkin and loaded with salted caramel chipits and filled with cheesecake frosting.  Okay so full disclosure, I don’t like pumpkin spice Starbucks drinks or pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.  It’s just not my thing.  I did not think I would like this flavor, but I wanted to give it a try to give you guys a proper review.  It was really good.  I surprised myself by being a fan of it.  The cheesecake filling was to die for!
  • Pecan Butter Tart – the signature cookie dough, loaded with pecans, mini butterscotch chipits and filled with pecan butter tarts.  It’s also topped with candied pecans.  I love me some pecan butter tarts and stuffing them inside my other favorite treat (cookies) just makes for a very happy Romaana.  These were incredible.

There is no better way to bring in fall than with these new flavors.

Thank you YVR Cookie and Monique for letting me try out these cookies!

Grey Goose Smooth Putt

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Grey Goose Smooth Putt is an event that’s on in Vancouver from August 28 to September 6.  It’s a 9 hole mini golf course.  Tickets are $21 each and include a Grey Goose beverage.

My husband and I met up with a couple friends for a double date on opening night.

The mini golf is set up in the east parking lot of Waterfront station.  As odd as that may sound, I think they did an amazing job of transforming the parking lot into something really special.

At check in, we did a little covid questionnaire on our phones and our temperatures were checked.  We waited in line for about ten to fifteen minutes before we got in.

Once we got in, we were presented with the golf balls and clubs and our score cards and were seated at a table while our drink orders were taken.  We got some free kettle chips as well.  We sat and chatted and took some pics while we waited for the first hole to open up.

The course was really fun with each hole getting a bit more difficult the higher we went.  If you’re done with your hole and the next one is still being used, you do have to wait around until it’s done, but to be honest we were having so much fun that we didn’t really mind.  However, most of the groups were in couples while we were a group of 4.  We each took our turns individually which took a bit longer than the couples and felt at times that we were holding people up.  If you’re someone that may feel pressured to rush through, then I would recommend going in a duo rather than a larger group.  For me, I absolutely love that we did a group of 4.  It was a really fun double date idea.  We were told we could order more drinks at hole 4 which we did.  The drinks were delicious.  The service was great.  Staff even came around to take polaroids of us that we got to take home.  There are port-a-potties there if you need to use the restroom.  Our whole experience lasted about an hour and twenty minutes.  We had such a blast.

https://greygoosesmoothputt.ca/product/vancouver-ticket/

 

Haven Kitchen and Bar

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I met one of my girlfriends for lunch at Haven Kitchen and Bar on a Sunday.  I was blown away by how gorgeous it is.  I may go as far as to say that Haven is one of the most beautiful restaurants that I’ve been to in B.C.

I was greeted by a host at the door and taken in to meet my friend who was already seated.  I was in awe as I walked through.  It just gives off good vibes from the fun Instagrammable bar to the beautiful light fixtures to the funky bathroom.  The upstairs area has some gorgeous wallpaper and artwork on the walls.

The cocktails were amazing.  My friend had the Haven Caesar which she enjoyed.  I had the Black and Blanco which has tequila blanco, grand marnier, black currant liqueur, fresh lime juice and a pink salted rim.  A pretty in pink cocktail – so girlie!  It was delicious.

The food was just okay for me.  They got points for offering tons of gluten free and vegan options.  I love when restaurants are inclusive to people with dietary restrictions.

We had the following:

  • Haven’s Famous Corkscrew Fried Pickle – my friend had this with her caesar.  She heard that this was one of the items that they are known for and she wanted to try it out.  When I asked her what she thought, she said it was good, with a shrug.  She didn’t seem overly impressed with it, but sounds like it was fine.
  • Vegan Coconut Curry with a lemongrass chicken skewer – this was my friend’s main.  It looked great and she seemed to really enjoy it.  She’d had it during a previous visit and came back for more.
  • Saunder’s Fried Chicken Sandwich – I’m a bit of a fried chicken snob, so maybe my expectations are overly high, but this was mediocre and did not stand out in anyway.  In fact, I might even consider the meal forgettable.

I would come back here just for the ambience.  It’s a sexy restaurant and would be perfect for a date or meeting the girls for drinks.  I want to give some of the other items on the menu a try to see if I have a better experience with the food.

https://havenlangley.com/

The Lobster Man

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The Lobster Man is a small seafood shop on Granville Island.  The hubby and I decided to go check it out on a sunny Saturday while we were exploring the area.

They offer a selection of fresh items that include crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp, etc.

We chose the crab and the lobster that we wanted and they cooked it for us on site (although you can also just take it home and cook it on your own).  We wandered around the market and came back about half an hour later to pick it up.  We opted to take it to go, but they do have a few seats out front if you’d like to eat it there.  If you’re going to eat it there, they charge 25 cents per small packet of butter.

We took it home and I whipped up some melted garlic butter to go with it.  It was absolutely divine!  Fresh and meaty.

An important thing to keep in mind is the last cook time is 4:45 p.m. so if you want to go with the option for them to cook it for you make sure to get there before then.

Not too long after our first experience with The Lobster Man, I was searching Uber Eats for a lunch option and I noticed that they were listed!  On their Uber Eats menu they offer Lobster and Crab rolls.  The hubby and I decided to order a couple of the lobster rolls.  I went with the Connecticut style lobster roll with chunky lobster meat poached in warm butter and served on a toasted brioche bun.  Christopher ordered the Maine style lobster roll with chunky lobster meat, miso mayonnaise, celery and fresh dill also on a toasted brioche bun.  Both options were served with chips.  Both of them were absolutely delicious.  They really made the lobster the star without overpowering it in an excessive amount of sauces or seasonings.  The brioche bun was large, toasted, sweet, delicious.  The chips were just fine.  Not bad, but nothing to jump up and down about.  For take out, the presentation was pretty good.

Overall, this place is great for amazing seafood!

https://lobsterman.com/

YVR Cookie – Raspberry Lemonade and Cookies and Cream

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YVR Cookie brought it with their brand new cookie drop.

  • Raspberry Lemonade – lemon vanilla cookie dough, made with lemon zest and loaded with white chocolate.  It’s filled with raspberry jelly and topped with sour lemon glaze and real freeze dried raspberries.
  • Cookies N’ Cream – vanilla cookie dough, loaded with Oreo cookies and white chocolate.  Filled with white chocolate and topped with more Oreo cookies and chocolate cookie crunch.  This cookie was on the menu previously and has been brought back.

This was my second time trying the Cookies N’ Cream cookie.  A fan favorite, you just can’t go wrong.  They have perfected this recipe.

The Raspberry Lemonade Cookie was a bit of a surprise to me.  I honestly didn’t expect to like it that much.  I’ll be frank with you all, I am not a fan of jelly filled things.  Like I never really like jelly donuts for example.  I was more excited for the Cookies N’ Cream and cut about a quarter of the Raspberry Lemonade cookie.  It is sooo incredibly delicious!  That jelly is sooo good!  I ended up eating the whole cookie and as I’m typing this my mouth is watering so I’m going to heat up the other.  It blew me away!  I think it may even be my new favorite.

YVR Cookie is seriously the best cookie company in Vancouver.  They use the best quality ingredients.  I highly recommend!

https://yvrcookie.com

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

Wild Pods Tofino

By in Local Getaways, Tofino No Comments

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I booked a surprise glamping getaway in Tofino at the Wild Pods for my husband’s 40th birthday.

This place is just breathtakingly beautiful!  I can confidently say that this was my favorite local getaway of all time.  It’s a must for your bucketlist.

When we pulled up to the gated area with six green pods, my husband’s first reaction was a bit of uncertainty.  He actually told me later that he wondered if I signed us up for something culty lol.  He said it looked a bit like a religious community.

We were greeted by the owner Pete.  He gave us a walk through of our pod, Wave.

There are several different themed pods – Rock, Sand, Wood, Nest, Leaf and Wave.  Three of them have unobstructed views of the water (including the one we stayed in, Wave), while the rest are partially unobstructed.

Our dome was so beautifully decorated.  Gorgeous ocean art, beautiful light fixture made by a local artist, a big huge comfy bed with lovely sheets and a fluffy duvet.  They use a lot of locally sourced items from their coffee to their soap.  There’s a small kitchenette in the room, a propane fireplace, a sound machine.  There’s an en suite bathroom with a shower.

The best part is the panoramic window – these views are just so stunning.  I mean there are no words!  Lying in bed just staring out the window at the water and wildlife is just so serene.

In the evening, the pods are lit up with fairy lights.  You can relax and take in the absolutely gorgeous sunsets.  Incredibly romantic.

There is an ocean facing cedar deck with two chairs.  We spent a lot of time out there just reading and talking.  We left the pods for meals and to do some exploring, but both of us always could not wait to come back to hang out on the deck.  It was so quiet and relaxing.

The domes are within walking distance of restaurants, coffee shops, trails, etc.

Some other points I want to highlight are that the pods are ecologically sustainable and the structure is 100% recyclable.  Parking is also included.

We were so blown away.  Our time at the Wild Pods was unforgettable.

https://www.wildpod.ca/

Disclaimer: My experience at Wild Pods was in the summer of 2019.

YVR Cookie – Strawberry Cheesecake and S’more

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YVR Cookie is the best cookie company in town.  If you haven’t tried them out yet, what are you waiting for?!  They have the most creative flavors that I have tried for cookies – ever, anywhere.  Just when you think they can’t top what they have already done – they do it all over again.  How do they come up with these ideas?

Their summer launch has delivered once again with their Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies.  They use actual freeze dried strawberries in the cookie and it shows – no artificial strawberry tastes here!  We recently went to a farm and had fresh farm strawberries that were delicious.  My husband’s first comment after trying these cookies was that they tasted like they had the farm strawberries in them.

These cookies are loaded with white chocolate chunks and graham crackers and filled with the most delicious strawberry cheesecake filling.  Soo good!  I”m not even a cheesecake person and this had me oohing and aahing.

They’ve also brought back a classic summer flavor – S’more.  I’ve reviewed this one for you guys before.  If you missed it the first time around, here is the link:  sprinkled.ca/yvr-cookie,  It’s still just as delicious as I remember it being.

YVR Cookie delivers huge, delicious stuffed cookies right to your door.  How cool is that?

https://yvrcookie.com

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

Goat Yoga and Strawberry Cloud Ice Cream at Maan Farms

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For my husband’s birthday this year we went over to Maan Farms in Abbotsford for Goat Yoga.

I pre-purchased tickets on their website.  There were different options such as a wine and goat yoga or full moon goat yoga.  I opted for the goat yoga with strawberry cloud ice cream.

Upon arrival, we walked in to the shop to check in.  We were asked to scan a barcode to fill out a waiver online.  After I scanned it in I was asked (in not a friendly manner) to move.  There was a problem with the waiver so I tried to explain to the two girls manning the register, but they seemed confused as well.  They called to another staff member who came up to me and repeated instructions on how to fill out the form. I explained again that it wasn’t working.  There was no real response, just confusion and blank stares.  My husband suggested maybe we sign a paper waiver and they said they would ask the owners.  They never came back to us and we didn’t end up signing a waiver.

The service here wasn’t the best.  The staff is all quite young. It gives me “teen summer job” vibes.  Nothing wrong with that, but for our first impression, it felt like they weren’t really into helping much. They were just doing the bare minimum.  That being said, it didn’t take away from the rest of the experience for us.

The owner came to greet us and led us to a grassy fenced off area.  Tons of cute little baby goats were waiting in the area for us to join them.  We set up our mats and were told some background on the farm.  The owner explained that they were having a pretty busy day with lots happening including a wedding – that could be another reason why the service upon our arrival was so frazzled.  There was a “goat whisperer” that watched over the goats or came over if someone was struggling with a goat trying to chew through their things, etc.  He put down some food in front of everyone’s mats so the goats would come for a visit.

We were then introduced to Lindsay, our yoga instructor for the class.  Lindsay led us through a great yoga class.  The class was for all levels – suitable for beginners.  It was very relaxing.  The goats came and visited us during the class.  There was one that took a great liking to Chris and I and spent about a full half of the class with us.  They are soooo cute!  You really get to bond with the goats.  They are pretty inquisitive creatures chewing your clothes, your fingers, etc.  We got tons of pictures and videos.

I did have moments where I wondered if we were being annoying or disrespectful to the instructor when your attention is more on the goats than the yoga, but I’m sure they’re used to it.

It was a scorcher of a day while we were out there.  I would highly recommend that you bring lots of water and a towel.  Also, expect to get dirty.

The goats were pretty quiet during the class, but when we were leaving they actually started shouting like they were sad we were leaving.  It was heartbreaking.

Our experience included a free strawberry cloud ice cream – the perfect ending on this super hot day.  It is something else – so Instagrammable!  Strawberry soft serve in a cone with a fresh strawberry served with a cloud of cotton candy illuminating it.

You could tell that the strawberries were fresh!  Sooo good and rich.  Perhaps the best strawberry ice cream I’d ever had.

Overall, we had a wonderful time.  We’re both still talking about our experience.

https://www.maanfarms.com/

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