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

By in Beauty and Pampering, Eateries No Comments Tags: , , , , ,

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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.

Provence Marinaside

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I went to Provence Marinaside for my birthday dinner this year and boy was I ever impressed.

I had made reservations and upon arrival my party was taken in right away.

I love the ambience in here – sexy vibes.  The lighting is great and the tables are further illuminated with candle light.

There are great covid precautions being taken – staff is masked, hand sanitizer by the door and plexi-glass between tables.

For my cocktail, I went with the Chartreuse Swizzle because of course the R-Dizzle needed to order the Chartreuse Swizzle.  It was sweet, with some spice and tang.  I loved it and ordered it again and again before the night was through.

We got the truffled mushroom risotto croquette (which is listed as a side) for our appetizer.  We were expecting little round risotto balls.  It was actually more like a risotto cake cut into two half moons and served on a bed of arugula with fresh parmesan cheese.  These were absolutely delicious.

My friends got the crab and lobster bamboo rice for their main and they loved it.  They both had clean plates by the end of the evening.

I opted for the Seafood Platter Provencal.  This platter wowed me.  So much seafood – mussels, two kinds of fish, scallops, prawns.  There is also a side of vegetables and rice and the most flavorful butter sauce.  It was so much food!  Every single bite was absolutely delectable.

For all my low carb readers, it would be fairly easy to pick a low carb meal here.  Swap out your starch for some truffled mushrooms or extra seasoned vegetables.  Your dinner would still wow you.

Lastly, I wanted to mention the fantastic service we received.  Our server was extremely attentive without intruding on our evening.  She was personable and knew her stuff with the menu.

We had a quality experience in every way.

https://www.provencemarinaside.ca/

Disclaimer:  My visit to Provence Marinaside was prior to the dining in restrictions.  Provence Marinaside does have a patio and offers take-away.

Pacific Spirit Regional Park

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We have been extremely blessed this last week with day after day of sun!  My hubby and I decided to explore a bit so we made our way down to Pacific Regional Park.

The Park is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, pretty close to UBC.  It’s covered in forest and offers a series of trails.

We arrived at the entrance (I think there may be more than one) at Chancellor Boulevard.  There’s a restroom there and an information center with brochures. trail info and maps.

We decided to follow some of the trails.  We started at the East Canyon trail.  It eventually connected to the Admiralty trail.  The whole journey was flat with the exception of a small section that had wide steps.  It was mostly through forestry.  We eventually came across an area where there were pretty views of Acadia Beach.  We were done in under an hour and walked over to the Beach to hang out there for a bit.

I love exploring locally and this was no different.  It is beautiful, but I think living near the Stanley Park trails spoiled me a bit because I was a bit underwhelmed by the trail route we did.

The Peri Peri Shack

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I decided to order dinner from The Peri Peri Shack on Uber Eats.

I’m a huge fan of peri-peri chicken and this place does it right!  I tried:

  • Leg and Thigh Peri Peri Chicken in hot – I was a bit confused when I opened the take-out box and received one piece of chicken.  I was under the impression this was going to be two pieces.  I did end up calling them and they clarified that the leg and thigh are connected.  The seasoning is on the money, the chicken is perfectly cooked – moist (sorry, I know, I hate that word too) and tender.  Really yummy.  Next time I will get more because I definitely wanted more than the one piece.  I got extra hot sauce because I love spicy.  Their sauce is delicious.
  • Caesar Salad – Pretty straight forward, basic, caesar salad.  It’s good.
  • Peri Corn Ribs – Brushed with butter, seasoned with peri peri spices, then grilled.  So good!

I really like the items that they’ve included in their menu.  A mixture of healthy and fresh with some indulgent items such as fries and mac and cheese.  They also have a list of decadent desserts!

I enjoyed my dinner.  I will order dinner from here again for sure.  I’m looking forward to trying more items from their menu.

https://theperiperishack.com/

 

 

Tacomio – Spring Menu

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By now you all know how much I love Tacomio.  Since my last post on this restaurant, I’ve been actively eating my way through their menu.  They get it right every single time….EVERY SINGLE TIME!

I was lucky enough to be invited to try their newest menu item, the crispy chicken taco, as well as their diablito hot wings.  Of course, because I can’t get enough of this place I added a few things to my order.

  • Crispy Chicken Taco – crispy is right!  The fried chicken portion in this taco is huge and it is so perfectly crisp.  There’s a spicy mayo, cucumbers, pico de gallo, cabbage and jalapenos in the taco.  I’ve never  had tacos with cucumber slices in them.  The combination of ingredients work so well together.  This taco is a such a winner!
  • Wild Pacific Cod Baja Taco – each taco had a large beer battered piece of cod in it.  It had shaved cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle mayo.  I love fish tacos, but I sometimes find that the fried fish can be greasy.  This was not greasy at all!  This was my husband’s favorite taco of the night.
  • Diablito Hot Wings – I love spicy food, so if you’re into spicy like me – these will hit the spot.  These wings are grilled.  The hot sauce is served on the side so you can control how spicy you like it.  A side of sour cream also comes with it to add a bit of coolness.  The hot sauce was a bit too spicy for my hubby, but he said that the wings were really delicious even without the sauce.  I really enjoyed the extra heat.

We also got the Birria Tacos because they are my fave!  I’ve previously written a review on it.  It can be found here:

https://sprinkletherdizzle.com/taco-mio-take-out/

Although I didn’t get it this last time, I also wanted to touch on their Al Pastor chicken wings.  It’s also a newer menu item that I tried not too long ago and it definitely deserve a mention.  They are less spicy that the diablito hot wings.  Grilled wings, fresh pineapple and cilantro.  It tastes like summer.  Soo good.  I would highly recommend.

Tacomio is a family owned business.  I learned that the chef owner used to be the Executive Sous Chef at the Vancouver Club.  A lot of the dishes that Tacomio has on their menu are inspired by the mother’s family recipes.  It shows.  There is so much heart in the cooking.

I’ve noticed that my husband, Chris, goes all quiet when we eat Tacomio with the exception of “sooo good” murmurs every so often.  Between this post and my last, I’ve tried many of their other menu items and they always get it right.  I don’t know how they do it, but I’m happy that they do.  I can confidently say that Tacomio is my favorite take-out spot in Vancouver.  You know what a foodie I am so that’s saying a lot.  If you haven’t tried it yet, you definitely must!

Thank you Cleo for letting me try some of your menu items.

 

 

YVR Cookie – Mother’s Day Launch

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YVR Cookie has dropped two new flavors just in time for Mother’s Day.  Lucky for me I had the opportunity to try them both and oh my are they ever delicious.

Mom’s Apple Pie – spiced cinnamon dough loaded with white chocolate chunks and filled with diced apple pie filling with a crumble topping.  Sooo freakin’ good!  The apple and cinnamon are the perfect combination. The crumble topping is my favorite part – omg yum!

Glazed Lemon Loaf – lemon cookie dough stuffed with lemon loaf, white chocolate and topped with a lemon icing glaze.  This cookie is stuffed with an actual lemon loaf.  How cool is that?  I’ve never had a cookie stuffed with a cake loaf before and it just works!  So incredible!  You can taste the lemon in each bite.

The owner, Monique, based these flavors on her mother’s favorite recipes and it really shows.  I kept saying to my hubby I feel that the cookies are giving me very “homey” vibes.  I feel like these cookies take me back to mom or grandma’s kitchen.  They fill me with a sense of comfort.

Thank you YVR Cookie for sending me these delicious new flavors to try.

Frankie

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Frankie is a new take out/delivery only restaurant in Vancouver.  According to their Instagram account, a frankie is a type of Indian street food – a roti wrap or a Mumbai burrito.   They take this concept and put their own spin on it, elevating it to a whole other level.

This restaurant is owned by Chef Evan Elman and Chef Tushar Tondvalkar.  I’ve previously tried Chef’s Elman’s cooking at Dinner in the Sky and loved everything he prepared for us.  I also follow Chef Tondvalkar on Instagram and all his dishes look gorgeous.  When I saw that they had opened up this new spot I just knew I had to try whatever they came up with.

I tried the:

  • chicken tikka frankie – grilled chicken thighs marinated in garlic, ginger and house-made tikka in a roti wrap
  • lamb kebab frankie – grilled lamb kafta kebab mixed with house-ground spices in a roti wrap
  • piri piri fries – fries tossed in piri piri spices

The hubby and I split each wrap so we could try both kinds.  They were stuffed full of cabbage, garlic sauce, mint chutney, colorful pickled turnips and onions.  Every single bite was a burst of flavor – out of this world good!  I usually like to outline in my reviews what of the options I like best, but I can’t choose.  Both options were equally delicious and the fries were crispy and addictive.  I added on extra hot sauce and garlic sauce as an addition to our meals.

My husband Chris loved everything also.  He also mentioned that he liked how easy it was to eat.  He likes Indian food, but can find it a bit messy at times.  Having everything wrapped up made it easy for him to chow down while he was working on the computer.

I can’t wait to try more of their items in the future as well.  They have a butter chicken poutine that I have my eye on.

I would definitely recommend that you give Frankie a try.  You’ll thank me for it.

Joffre Lake

By in The Great Outdoors No Comments Tags: , ,

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My hubby and I decided to drive up to do this hike.  We drove up pretty early and the parking lots were still almost completely full by the time we got there.

This hike consists of three levels with three beautiful, pristine lakes that sparkle with magic at each stop.  I would say its a pretty easy hike, with the second of the three levels being the most steep with intermediate sections.  The hike is well worth it.  You’ll be in disbelief at how gorgeous the views are.

I was absolutely in awe of the gorgeous turquoise lakes – so stunning!

It’s important to wear proper shoes, bring a snack, mosquito repellent and go to the bathroom before you begin.  The biggest challenge is parking as Joffre Lake draws in big crowds on a clear day.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: my visit to Joffre Lake was prior to the pandemic.  I would recommend reviewing www.alltrails.com for all up to date information on trail closures or restrictions.

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