Frog Legs
An outing in Stanley Park never ceases to amaze me because I so often come across something odd and wonderful, and always when I least expect it. I met this fellow near the entrance to the park. His name is Kermit of course. What else would it be?!
Canuck Craziness
If this is what the street is like after the Vancouver Canucks win the Western Conference and advance to the Final, I can't wait to see what it'll be like when they win the Stanley Cup! I'd better go find an air horn now. Store shelves throughout the city will probably be empty of any sort of noise makers pretty soon.
Sweet Gluten-Freedom: French Meringue Macarons
Murchie's Tea & Coffee is locally owned and operated with two commercial kitchens in BC. I'm not sure why I'd never heard of French Meringue Macarons before, but it's at this store that I was introduced to them. Supply isn't consistent so you have to hit it right to catch them. There's also a variety of flavours (vanilla, lemon, raspberry), so there's always some element of surprise as to what you'll find if you're on a mission for these! The macarons are made of sugar, egg whites and ground almonds then baked. Sandwich two together with a cream filling, and voilà! They're such a foreign treat, still being such a new discovery to me. Here's the raspberry version:
Donburi-Ya on Robson
A new neighbourhood comes with so many things to discover. Part of the fun is making food an adventure, so we stopped into a place we've never been with the idea that we wanted a lunch snack. The sign outside Donburi-Ya advertising rice bowls drew us in.
In nothing less than typical Japanese fashion, the food was prepared efficiently, tasted fresh to order and the rice bowls somehow made me feel bright and complete (although that might be due to the swizzle hits of mayo distributed within the layers of the bowl - c'mon now, how does mayo ever not make you feel good).
I tried a Spicy Mabo Tofu Don (although it wasn't all that spicy, but I'm used to "spicy" meaning the equivalent of my lips are burning and steam rising off my scalp). Gosh, it was good. Too bad the computer screen isn't at least scratch and sniff for you to get a sense: 
We also tried a beef bowl that was equally pleasantly, surprisingly fantastic: 
A clean and airy but very 'intimate' eating area (i.e. small) means it's probably packed to the gills during busy times. We hit it for a late lunch and I already have a hankering to go back, especially given the really reasonable price tag. This one's been added to the regular hit list.
Trout Lake Farmers’ Market
Kickoff to the market season was marked by the first Trout Lake Farmers' Market of the year held this past weekend.
There was the usual assortment of goodies you'd expect from a farmers' market along with a few things I haven't seen nor tried before.
"Food trucks" shown here are a popular thing in Vancouver, and this one was selling Lychee Basil Lemonade alongside breakfast burritos. I've had lychee before, and basil, but never in combination. Made fresh to order, it was foreign and tasty.
I have to throw in a sample of someone carrying an awkward thing at the market. I wonder what the shrub is thinking?
What on earth is this? It's an army kitchen that was actually used during the 1940s by the Czech army, then was bought a few years ago in Germany and brought back here to be repurposed by Chili Tank. Do you see the bicycle pump and fire extinguisher in the background? I'm sure this contraption needs a bicycle pump for something (although I'm not up on my army kitchen knowledge), and further below you'll see why a fire extinguisher should be at hand - that chili is piping hot!
Who's this? Vancouver locals will recognize Mike Killeen from CTV News.
The Chili Tank proprietor got lots of attention from the media, and look at the excitement and anticipation on this kid's face as he retreats from the Chili Tank with his purchase! ... or maybe he was just reacting to his hands burning from holding the piping hot chili. Either way, I can attest that the chili was very good, especially on the chilly (no pun intended) and dreary day.
A fun time. Support local food!
What a Treat! Gluten-Free Cupcakes
It was a rainy day (this is often the case in Vancouver) and I was out on Commercial Drive going to a deli. I passed by a "gluten-free cupcakes" sign posted outside a shop, and of course couldn't pass by without giving one a try. It was first thing in the day when they opened, so the cupcakes were fresh from the oven and I had the option to choose any icing flavour. With cupcake in hand, I scurried back to the car to get out of the rain and discovered delicious [albeit expensive] lemon-topped goodness. It was a chewy and moist cupcake! That's the texture of baked goods we gluten-free folk dream of. The only gripe I have is that it came in a holly christmas-themed cupcake liner. That's fine during the season, but it's May. I have no complaints about the quality of the cupcakes from Cassia Cupcakery unlike some other visitors. Perhaps the key is getting there first thing when everything's fresh. P.S. there's vegan too.
Go to the Corner!
I'm glad there's a letter 'h' on the end of Pooh otherwise being sent to the corner when you've been bad could have a whole other connotation.
Gaggle of Gooslings
Why is it that anything in miniature is so adorable? Here's a gaggle of gooslings on a weekend outing with a parent.
Thugs
These two look like they're up to no good and on the prowl to rustle up some trouble. I'm not sure if I'd think the same thing if they didn't have the masked bandit look going on, but I was a bit put off with them coming towards me. They turned out to be rather friendly and seemed to simply be looking for a handout. We all walked a bit through Stanley Park together.
Tags
Where My Camera Has Been
- Abbotsford (2)
- Chilliwack (3)
- Cloverdale (2)
- Coquitlam (4)
- Fort Langley (6)
- Hope (3)
- Kelowna (36)
- Kitsilano (4)
- Langley (72)
- Maple Ridge (5)
- Merritt (1)
- Mexico (1)
- Mission (5)
- New Westminster (2)
- North Vancouver (7)
- Okanagan Falls (2)
- Penticton (4)
- Pitt Meadows (7)
- Port Coquitlam (5)
- Richmond (2)
- Seattle (3)
- Surrey (33)
- Vancouver (103)
- Washington (6)
- Whistler (5)
- White Rock (3)
Archives
- April 2012 (2)
- March 2012 (3)
- February 2012 (1)
- January 2012 (1)
- November 2011 (5)
- October 2011 (1)
- September 2011 (4)
- August 2011 (8)
- July 2011 (10)
- June 2011 (15)
- May 2011 (9)
- March 2011 (3)
- February 2011 (9)
- January 2011 (11)
- December 2010 (7)
- November 2010 (11)
- October 2010 (10)
- September 2010 (13)
- August 2010 (18)
- July 2010 (14)
- June 2010 (28)
- May 2010 (31)
- April 2010 (30)
- March 2010 (31)
- February 2010 (27)
- January 2010 (22)
