Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

  Here's an easy method for making simple, convenient, low-to-no mess handheld tortilla "pouches" with very few resources. I like it because I'm lazy. Here are the advantages: No oil needed in the pan to brown the tortilla. If you don't let the fillings touch the pan either and carefully keep them all on the tortilla, your frying pan doesn't need to be cleaned at all. If you are careful folding and eating it, you won't make a mess (so don't over-fill this pouch). What's needed: You just need one or two tortilla shells, such as the cheap 10-packs from Superstore that sometimes go on sale for $5 for two packs. And you need some fillings. I used cheap marble cheese and some cherry sauce but you can put pretty much whatever you like. Be careful not to get all excited and overfill, or it will definitely spill and ooze out, and probably scald you because it'll retain heat very well. Notice I left the center empty as a reservoir space (slide 2). This...

For budget eats, I have found that the baked-in-store bagels from Superstore are the biggest compared to other supermarkets. The prepackaged 6-packs are basically always $3.50 IF you buy TWO at a time. The other types of bagels at Superstore -- also priced the same -- seem a bit smaller or less dense. So if you are squeezing the maximum bang for your buck in terms of a quick, filling, meal I recommend the Always Everything Bagels. Superstore versus Walmart This works out to 60 cents per bagel, and you can certainly get even cheaper bagels at Walmart, coming in at 50 cents per bagel. However, I found Superstore bagels to be fresher and look bigger -- and the biggest-of-the-big seem to be their "Always Everything" bagels topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and roasted onion. That said, we actually weighed a 6-pack of bagels from SuperStore versus a 4-pack of bagels from Walmart and the average weight per "Always Everything" bagel was basically the same. It's no...

I was initially going for a Dine Out Vancouver 2019 brunch on Sunday, but my friend and I instead detoured to Breakfast Table. A smallish but apparently popular place, it still had a line-up at almost 2 PM, but it was quite short and the wait time was maybe around 15 minutes. You can leave your name and number with them and get notified by a text message when your table is ready -- Handy! Apple Cinnamon Roti - $6 feature of the day Roti wrapping cinnamon-dusted apples. While the roti is nicely done as roti go, it is not special or flavoured so this is actually a very boring dish and not especially tasty. What you see is what you get and adding maple syrup still won't elevate it into anything special. Nothing really wrong or bad here except that there are more interesting things to order at the Breakfast Table. Recommend you pass. NEXT JEN gluten free vanilla bean waffle - $9.75; organic ground millet, brown rice, coconut milk, house made coconut yogurt whip, mapl...

Dropped in today and found the usual friendly staff here. Sometimes Starbucks locations seem to have new staff all the time, but there are familiar faces here and I've been going maybe once a month for over a year. Watch out for the 8 AM coffee line-up that often goes out the door. Come maybe 10 minutes earlier to escape that madness that can continue past 8:30 AM. If you are looking for a place to sit, don't let that line-up scare you off because most people are getting their coffees to go. Today I had a coupon to try their sandwiches ($4 for sandwich plus Grande coffee), which I wouldn't have normally done. On a whim, I asked for their "least ordered" sandwich, and they were honestly at a loss about what to suggests since apparently everything gets ordered. In the end, I was suggested the Sausage and Cheddar. Sausage and Cheddar savory breakfast sandwich. Southern-style sausage patty and egg topped with melted aged Cheddar cheese on a perfectly toasted ...

If you are at San Francisco Airport (SFO) in the early morning, there aren't that many breakfast options to choose from unless you run around before going through the security check in. And once you are through the security checkpoint, there's even less. Andalé Mexican Restaurant is one of those restaurants. I was at SFO For a before-8 AM international flight, and based on the menu pictures, I gave them a go for breakfast. Mistake. But beggars can't be choosers. Morning really is only "breakfast menu only", which is a rather small menu. The ad copy for their Huevos Rancheros  ( Two soft corn tortillas topped with two eggs over-easy, refried house Mayocoba beans, queso fresco, and serrano salsa ranchera. Served with potatoes and fresh fruit on the side. ) looks colourful and awesome and a nice full plate. What you get is a sad wannabe of that ad copy. It is also $10.75. Which, to be honest, is not uncommon for a similarly sad-looking breakfast in Berkele...

Contrary to a lot of sleepy-till-11:30 breakfast places, Tartine (French for "slice of bread"?) was already by 8 AM when I got there, though much of the line-up appeared to be take-out orders. (On Tuesdays to Fridays they are open as early as 7.30 AM if you want to try to early-bird it.) There were still lots of seats, though some at increasingly popular "communal tables". One of the first things that jumped out at me was signs that read, "Kindly bus your dishes behind the register". I hope this trend doesn't catch on. On the other hand, it could mean diner dollars saved from having to tip. The next thing: They serve wine and beer! Finally: Still no signs on the building. I guess everyone just knows where they are. Is this some sort of hipster move? My first time here during my 2015-April trip to San Francisco , and possibly my last time here ever since it was on my very last day of my trip. So I asked the person at the counter what made this ...

CrepeVine was another "curious cuisine" recommendation by my local friend while I was in Berkeley in 2015-April . It's a fairly large place but pretty much dead quiet in the morning. According to the server, they are typically not busy till the 11:30 AM+ lunch rush, except Fri-Sun mornings. Gluten free option. Tons of crepe and sandwich options, but it looked like the same core ingredients organized in different combinations. They also have salads and pasta. So many choices, so little time, and so little space in my stomach for food. Alas. Nobody lives forever so I went with a dessert crepe for breakfast, plus chai. Chai ($3.25) Sort of weak but ok. Santorini Sweet Crepe ($7.95) walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon, and mascarpone; served with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream Nothing weird about the crepe despite having asked for the gluten free option. Honestly I didn't think they used mascarpone here (isn't it supposed to be cr...

One day per week only (Saturday 8am-2pm) at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which I visited during my 2015-April trip to San Francisco . Of course I asked what their most unusual pie was and was suggested their signature Salty Honey Walnut. $6 for what looked like 1/6 of a deep dish pie. Salty Honey Walnut ($6 slice) There is a slight eggy (?) flavour amid the caramel flavour. Salted candied walnuts on top, giving an interesting taste combination of sweet and salty masking any bitterness from the walnuts. Not overly sweet, but enough to give you a slight sugar burn at the back of the throat. Amid the caramel flavour there is a slight eggy (?) flavour that sort of ruined this pie for me. Otherwise this is a tasty and interesting pie! They really need to be positioned right next to some kind of juice stand for sheer convenience because after that much pie, you'll probably want a drink. $6 is pretty daunting to pay for a slab of pie, but all their pies are made fro...

Prices in this open-early closed-early cafe in the suburbs are rather nice! Reasonably sized sandwiches and everything under $9 (some under $6) on the menu. Plus, a lot of vegetarian choices. Not a lot of seats here, but in the 'burbs you probably don't need that many anyway. Three tables are in the room off to the right. Nice and clean space and they don't mind kids. During my 2015-April trip to Berkeley , I got to try the Grilled Turkey Pesto Panini and the vegetarian Humboldt sandwich. Both pretty good and you get a good sized sandwich for your money, especially if you are comparing to what you can get at some breakfast places for $10. A light breakfast and lunch can come in at under $10 without drinks. They also have soda and a wide variety of flavour shots to choose from. On the menu there's a "50/50 Bar" soda using mandarin orange flavour and whipped cream (i.e., referencing an orange flavoured  creamsicle ); but depending on who you get at the...

Bette's Oceanview Diner  is a bright, clean, retro-looking diner with retro fixtures. While waiting for your food, things to look for include "Bette's First Dollar", a Seeburg Wall-O-Matic , and free postcards. It's a very popular place -- I was there 7:30 AM on a Friday morning and it was already almost at capacity. They are also dangerously close to smelling like a tourist trap with their cookbooks and souvenir mugs . Even so, prices are not bad. Special breakfasts come in at more than $10, but there's lots under $10. House blend coffee $2.75 in a rather thick mug (so there's less than you think) but it's apparently endless so the possibly long wait for your breakfast isn't completely boring. Bring a newspaper or something and sip on your coffee. I had been recommended their Tuna Melt by friends who used to live in San Francisco, but my schedule on my 2015-April trip to San Francisco / Berkeley didn't let me linger till 11 AM to order ...

In search of interesting eats, while I was in Berkeley in early 2015-April , my friend in Berkeley directed me to Café Leila for breakfast because of their signature "spicy chai". Chai ($?) It's just listed as chai on the menu, and you can have it hot or cold. I recommend hot. The cold one isn't (fluke mistake?) mixed for you and obviously comes with ice. The hot one tastes better -- you get more of the experience of flavours including chai spices, hot-spiciness, and sweetness. You can also apparently have varying degrees of "spicy", which may be independent of the 11 secret spices used. The hot-spiciness of the chai is not a burning on the tongue, but a peppery bite at the back of the throat. If you like ginger beer, you'll probably like this a lot. There is also quite a sweet aftertaste (from honey as a sweetener, I think). Date Omelette ($10.95) fancy medjool dates, feta cheese, toast, fries It came with what appeared to be squashed a...

I had had a good experience with Breka on Fraser before they branched out into Downtown Vancouver. Huge selection, great prices. Breka on Davie is still cheaper than having cake in a restaurant, but the selection is small compared to their Fraser Street location. Selection size isn't necessarily a deal-breaker so long as you have great goods. Sadly I tried four of their items on Monday morning and only one was decently done. Which isn't to say the others were terrible, but rather they were in the limbo zone of disappointing to passable, either in taste, price, or both. Banana Colada Latte ($4.55 for large) Did not taste like banana or banana colada or anything really special. Don't buy this hoping for a banana colada experience. Buy this hoping for a slightly different latte experience. Price is okay unless you were hoping for banana colada. Veggie Roll Looked like unidentified dark veggies (some leafy stuff and olives?) in puff pastry. Tasted mostly like puff ...

Waffle and Berries specializes in large waffles that are basically $4 ($3.95), plus simple toppings (around $2). If you are even thinking of going to pricey-store-rent downtown Vancouver for a waffle, then you're probably not balking at the price, which is on par with Cafe Medina and less than Jules Bistro . You get a freshly made waffle, fresh fruit, lots of whipped cream, and pleasant ambiance ( picture by qasic ). This latter is up to you to decide of course, but it's clean, bright, and feels spacious: For a small store, they have rather large tables and comfortable chairs. They aren't sandwiching you in with the seating arrangement, and your table is big enough to not be crowded by your plates and drinks. This may sound like a trivial point, but seriously, just notice how tight things feel next time you're at different diners and restaurants. They use liege waffles . Despite the picture on their sidewalk advertisement, the waffle is slightly long rather than s...

Aphrodite's Organic Café and Pie Shop  does not take reservations for brunch, but if, like us, you drop by on a Saturday morning before noon, chances are a small group of four can be seated quickly if not right away. The brunch menu, including fresh sheets, is pretty extensive. Prices look steep but portions are substantial for their brunch plates. Pie prices are also steep if you're used to picking up whole Farmer's Market pies at Superstore. What gets you a whole pie at Superstore gets you just a slice here. At about $7 per slice, Aphrodite's is more or less on par with other hand-made-pie places such as The Pie Shoppe  (also an organic-conscious, special flour , and small-waste-footprint operation). Pie slices are actually pretty wide, maybe 1/6th of a pie. Vegan and gluten free versions are $2 more per slice (ouch, right?). Plates of pies are decorated with cute cinnamon dust (?) hearts. Aww... Goddess Bowl ($17, gluten free) warm orange scented quinoa t...

A dear friend of mine was having a lavish staycation in downtown Vancouver, and invited me to join her for a posh breakfast at Hawksworth , in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. I normally don't go for breakfasts and brunches because more often than not, restaurants pump out the same boring fare -- pancakes, eggs benny, blah blah blah. But this was Hawksworth. Surely they could jazz things up a bit, right? One hopes so for a place that charges you $3 for toast (your choice of three types of bread, though). Coffee ($5) A carafe of coffee, which works out to maybe 10 cups. Brown sugar at the table. Your choice of cream or milk. If you aim to quaff the full carafe (probably between two persons), you'll probably need extra sugar and cream/milk. For $5, this is probably the cheapest coffee you can get in a posh restaurant anywhere. (At the Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby Lounge, coffee weighs in at $6.50 for a single mug, though it comes with a funny stirring spoon crusted with a fat crys...

There aren't a lot of places open on New Year's Day for breakfast. Not a 10am brunch, but early morning breakfast. Like 8:30 am early. The open-early-close-late Two Parrots Perch & Grill was one of the few places open. It was actually nice to walk down a basically deserted Granville Street, and sit anywhere you like in a large pub. The only other patrons were a couple of people who seemed mostly interested in the soccer game on the televisions in Two Parrots Perch & Grill, and a handful of police officers. Everyone seemed to be regulars and knew the lone morning server by name. Whatever you may think of the seedy side of Granville Street, it's probably a pretty safe place to eat if it's frequented by cops! The decor inside has an understated rainforest theme that you will probably miss if you're not really looking around. What mostly jumps out at you is pub and sports bar. The menu is pretty plain, with lots of basically safe choices. For breakfast, I ...

The Wallflower Modern Diner still makes the best chocolate cake ever -- rich, dense, moist, and you get a large portion for your money. But what happened to the chocolate sauce?! I'd been to the Wallflower a few times over the last couple of years, and even dragged some of my friends there. Good eats other than their wonderful vegan chocolate cake included hummus melt , blackened halibut . Just this Thursday morning I went for a late breakfast with a friend. The Wallflower opens at 9am, and by 9.30 am it was still completely empty when I walked in. Things got busy shortly after that, though, and closer to 10am, the restaurant was at least half full, with the buzz of conversation competing with the loud music. Although it was breakfast, I wanted to save room for the chocolate cake, so I went with just an appy -- $11 Crab and Apple Cakes ( crab, curry, onion, apple, peach, cumin mayo ). This came as three cakes, each about 2/3rds the size of a hockey puck. It was topped with ...

This past weekend was a busy three days of meeting friends -- and eating! Friday's late lunch was at Seb's Market Café because my dining companion was of the opinion that the words "vegan" and "burger" should never go together, so Loving Hut Express was out. At around 2pm when we walked in, things were already winding down. It was two hours to close (they close at the early hour of 4pm) and whatever lunch rush was clearly over and the restaurant was basically deserted. It'd been years since I'd gone to Seb's. Strangely, the menu looks the same -- I could have sworn I had their Cranberry Pecan Sourdough Sandwich way back when. This time around, I tried the [Moroccan] Spiced Buffalo Burger ($12; grilled sweet onion, roasted root vegetables ) and a spinach-honeydew shake--the only one with a vegetable in it. The shake is made with either milk or juice (I opted for juice) and has three choices for optional add-ons (75¢ each): spirulina , pro...