Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Got a chance to discover City Side Winery tonight during a presentation of Curiate for investors. Turns out they are much more than winery -- a beautiful space with communal tables and a few boardgames, plus a small bites menu including flatbreads. Flatbreads are OK in side and maybe a bit more loaded than stricter Neapolitan style ones for a similar price point. I got to try some proscuitto ones and they were of course salty, but otherwise with a spread that includes some edible garnishes like tomatoes or grapes, each plate is quite nice and tasty. Cheese is spread more or less to the very edge but is not oily or wet there. Toppings are pretty generous (for flatbread style pizza) near the centre. Crust is thin yet firm enough to lift each slice easily -- overall construction is good and convenient. Happy Hours available: Tuesday to Thursday 4-6pm $2 off four flights of wine $3 off flatbread (approximately 25% off!) ...

The Olympic Village Terra Breads is notable for being licensed -- they have wine! They also bake 24-hours a day (but the place is not open 24 hours, however), so unlike some other cafes, what you see in the counter might actually still be fresh no matter what time you go, instead of end-of-the-day leftovers if you go late afternoon or evening. Their Hot Chocolate Festival 2016 entries are very strong for being interesting in taste and good price for portion. Drawbacks include being not very hot by the time it got to us; and the underlying hot chocolate seemed a bit thin and mediocre. Honey Buns ($4.95) Venezuelan dark chocolate, house-made chili honey, cinnamon, bourbon vanilla bean. Served with cinnamon sugar brioche. We got a very friendly front counter person who also let me try a spoonful of their chili honey. The chili flavour is there and there's a good burn in the back of your throat but it starts slow. For several seconds all you get is the normal sweetness of ...