Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

The best feature of La Petite Cuillère  ("the small spoon") is the space. It is decorated with beautiful tea sets in cabinets, and atop those if you cast your gaze up, is a flotilla of model ships. Convenient coat hangars sport cameos of might-be-famous persons. Unlike afternoon tea houses that aim for "elegant" or "refined", the furniture here feels more cozy and "at home". When you're at the table, it feels like you're at your old-fashioned grandma's dining room for Thanksgiving. Overall, the ambiance feels closer to "adorable Alice in Wonderland", minus any tacky wackiness. A big plus for La Petite Cuillère is its location compared to what it offers. At that busy intersection of Kingsway and Broadway, to duck in here for an hour or so is to escape into a quiet, tranquil oasis. Service is friendly and enthusiastic, although our server had a creepy talent for putting on the most disconcerting agonized look that is sure ...

Living Cafe in Steveston (in Richmond) is a quaint little place this is deli on one side, dining room on another. The dining space is simple, sunny, and spacious and displays local artwork on the walls. The menu is an interesting one that supports not-easily-found diets, such as raw, paleo , superfoods , and funny good-for-you ingredients like chlorophyll and red reishi mushroom . For sugar, they use the 1:1 sugar substitute xylitol . Vegetarian and vegan diets are of course supported. They also carry a selection of Anderssen's Life Flaxrolls . The online menu is missing at least one page. Black Coffee ($3) Enriched coffee grown and cultivated by experienced artisans and mixed with their proprietary, pesticide-free, USDA certified organic Ganoderma Lucidium ("red reishi mushroom"). Tastes like coffee, but seemed a bit on the weak side. Presumably the $3 is for the mushroom content. Red reishi mushroom is supposed to be on the bitter side, so it blends nicel...

I had previously blogged about free Chinese New Year afternoon tea for persons born in the Year of the Horse  at Xi Shi Lounge in the Shangri-La Hotel , and on Thursday I finally got around to going with a few friends. The small but beautiful lounge looks a bit cramped, but there is actually a decent amount of room to move between tables. The overall ambiance, especially if you can go on a quieter weekday afternoon, is peaceful and easily adds value to the mere $38 for their luxurious high tea set. The courteous and soft-spoken female hostesses wear sleek cheongsam s, adding to the lovely ambiance. This special uniform, however, has a zipper end ends right under their right upper arm. I suspect it chafes, actually. The afternoon tea is served from 11.30am to 5pm, and if you can manage a later seating, there is live entertainment on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Their special Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea combines western afternoon tea with eastern/fusion elements. It is ...

I wandered into African Breese Imports this past Saturday and on a whim picked up the "HOT" version of Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce . My mom likes some heat to just about everything she eats, so I thought she might be curious to try some African-style chili sauce. Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce (the "hot version") is quite spicy, and generally a good deal spicier than most chili sauces you can buy in a popular supermarket. You'd probably have to go to a speciality store like South China Seas or The Gourmet Warehouse  to get something comparable or stronger. Be sure to shake very well. Before you pour, check for large lumps. Break them up and then shake again. What's interesting to me about Ebesse Zozo is that the sauce doesn't have much flavour on its own. It's mostly just heat. So, you can throw it in anything or dip anything with it, and expect that the sauce won't overwhelm the taste of the food. It'll just add heat. Depending on what you have...

Ethical Kitchen is a smallish diner that looks a bit shabby on the outside, but is cozy-looking on the inside. There's not a lot of seating because they haven't tried to cram as many chairs as possible into the dining area, and about half the floor space is the kitchen area. There are tables for two and four, as well as larger communal tables with benches that could probably seat 8-10. If you're going during the winter, you might want to sit away from the doors: There is the main entrance, as well as a side door near the counter where you pay. Brunch-time on Saturday didn't see the place so packed that there was a lineup, but it was steady -- which means the doors can be counted on to be opened and closed frequently. Reservations are not accepted for weekend brunch, but our small party of three had no trouble dropping in for an almost-Noon brunch last Saturday. It's run diner style: You order and pay at the counter, and the food is brought to your table. On S...

I'm all for trying strange foods, so for the Hot Chocolate Festival 2014 , I was keen on trying the one with potato chips and this one from CocoaNymph , with mango. #15 - "APHRODITE'S DELIGHT" Made from 72% dark chocolate, with mango rosemary puree and almond milk (vegan and dairy free). Served with a side of rosemary anise fudge. Available: January 18 - February 14 Luckily I'd gone with someone because I found it kind of gross. She didn't, though, so she helped me finish it. There had been reports of weak mango flavour , but when I got mine on Friday night, it had a sour mango flavour that turned me off it right away. I had expected a sweet mango flavour, but mangos can certainly be sour. That really threw me off. I bravely gave it a good go and had half my cup, but I could give it away, so I did. I don't want to say it's "bad", but I do feel it could be an acquired taste, so go with a friend if you can. The square of fudge was...

Graze is where the sadly short-lived Fray used to be. Although Dine Out Vancouver 2014 officially ended on Sunday, February 2nd, Graze is extending it till February 13th. During this time, all items are also individually available on their menu. On the 14th, they have a Valentine's Day special. Their regular menu Small Plates are about $11, their Large Plates are about $17, and their Desserts are about $7. So the Dine Out menu basically saves you about $7 by giving you dessert with your meal. Dine Out Vancouver 2014 menu ($28) SMALL PLATES Salad of persimmon, pistachio and pomegranate with arugula & almond chevre  (gluten free) or Fig & cashew pate filled chard rolls with a light cumin orange dressing  (gluten free) Winter Salad of lacinato kale with roasted golden & red beets, pear & fig with toasted hazelnuts  (gluten free) or Organic yam & red pepper chowder, local corn, cracked black pepper, ...