Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Check out my receipt tonight for yogurt! I typically go to Superstore under the misconception that Shoppers Drug Mart and everywhere else near Metrotown is generally pricier. Daunted by the lineups at Superstore, I nipped in just to check yogurt prices, then swung by the nearby 24-hour Shoppers. Prices were comparable except a few items on sale, and some items on extreme sale! Various yogurts had a special sticker for $1, $2, or $3 off at the till. Apparently, the "catch" is that the yogurt has a best-by date of April 1st. But if you're going to eat it tonight or soon, that's really no problem. Plus, Shoppers always gives you points whereas Superstore only sometimes gives you points -- depending on whether it is an item marked as giving bonus points for the week, or if you are using their MasterCard.

Following a friend's recommendation, we went this morning to Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant to try, among other things, their intriguing siu mai with truffle! Interesting to note: NO SAUCE for anything! Even though you are charged $2 per person for "tea and condiment". TIP: Dim sum order checklist is only in Chinese, but thankfully the numbers correspond to the menu, which has pictures of most (key) items. Shrimp and Matsutake Dumplings ($5.98 for one steamer of five) Winner! Something about simply putting some truffle on it elevates this juicy siu mai. And also urges you to forgive how rather ugly it is. It is of course highly unlikely that you are seeing large chunks of real black truffle here. Probably Chinese fake truffles but using enough potent truffle oil--otherwise you couldn't get it at $5.98 per tray. Shrimp and Matsutake Dumplings ($5.98 for one steamer of five) Simple, tasty. Firm with prawns, very little filler just to hold it toget...

Whoa, Caffe Brixton is vegetarian! This pub-like place isn't in-your-face advertised as vegetarian, but if you look closely at the menu, it is. We dropped in tonight when it wasn't super-busy, but they also didn't have a lot of staff on the floor either, so getting water topped up only when we asked might have been a short-staffing issue more than an oversight. Still, for a place that is "seat yourself", I think staff need to be more alert. TIP: The very-discreetly-tucked-away washrooms are definitely worth a look. If you go into the bigger (handicap stall) one, look closely at the Star Wars wallpaper and you'll notice a misspelling of "Leia". The music is played pretty loud here! Tandoori Tofu Naan ($10) caramelized onions, goat's cheese, tandoori tofu, mango chutney, arugula Totally not what I was expecting as they tofu-topped and toasted the naan into a crunchy-at-the-edges flatbread pizza. There's no point calling this a naa...

Back to Bodega on Main ! Already? I know, right? But I'd been telling my friends about the paella, and someone had a birthday, and it just sort of came together. Online menu looks like it's been updated, with paellas showing at $28. Forgot to bring my usual Yelp pen, so look for clues in the pictures for scale -- sometimes close-up pictures make things look bigger than they are. Sorry everyone. Also, they turned down the lights and suddenly we're practically eating by candlelight only. I used the flash on my smartphone, but that sometimes makes things glisten more than they should, like these beef short ribs that look dusted with gold. Pet Peeve: The room was already loud with conversation, and shortly after 6pm they turned the music up even louder. Like I wasn't already having trouble hearing my dinner companions. Duh. I'm really tempted to dock points for this... Costillas de Res ($18) braised (beef) short ribs At $18 you get a pretty big slab of meat...

I was introduced to Aji Gourmet Products at a YVR Foodies event at Trattoria Burnaby  where they spoke briefly about their sauces. Yesterday I tried their Aji BURN . Today I whipped up some pasta to try their not-yet-in-stores but available online Aji Pasta. It tasted similar to some of that tomato pasta sauce with assorted spices (insert random brand name here), BUT a lot less salty tasting, despite having 770 mg of sodium per half-cup (125 mL) -- which is quite a bit more than some sauces, like the Classico line of Tomato Sauces . In fact the predominant flavour was more sweet, though also not overly sweet. As with all pasta sauces, you really don't need a lot to flavour your pasta (if you wanted soup or stew, then you're not really having a pasta dish anymore). Random Ingredient comparison: Aji Pasta Sauce Classico Di Napoli Tomato & Basil Basil Basil Black Pepper Chili Cilantro Garlic Garlic ...

I was introduced to Aji Gourmet Products at a YVR Foodies event at Trattoria Burnaby  where they spoke briefly about their sauces. Their products are: gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free low in calories fat free free of preservatives and MSG made with fresh and natural ingredients By using natural ingredients, when you use Aji you are "putting real food on your food". Each bottle is around $8-$10, a price that would have basically doubled if they had committed to going certified organic. I got two bottles, including "BURN", rated at 10,000-15,000 Scovilles in spicy heat. It was my choice to go for something on the spicier side since I'm good with spicy foods and sriracha chili sauce is pretty tame for me. BURN smells like salsa and when consumed straight has a sharp sour-salty taste that whets the appetite and is so powerful I really couldn't make out the tomatoes (maybe a little bit), onions, or cilantro. The ingredients are listed as: toma...