Great deals at Costco

They were at the Costco on Willingdon.

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Great deals at Costco

Terra sweet potato chips - the BEST chips ever - just sweet potato, salt and oil.

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Great deals at Costco

When I'm there I always get the Liberte 0% greek yoghurt and the sliced crimini mushrooms in the refrigerator section. They're presliced and ready to use! I also pick up the organic spinach. I love costco!

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Where would a "gotta try place in Vancouver" be?

Ice cream/gelato: Bella Gelateria downtown on Cordova. Best gelato I've had in Vancouver with really intense flavours, blows everything else out of the water.

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Bella Gelateria
1001 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2G6, CA

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Fage Yogurt

Ah Fage, how I love thee. I was one of those who would go down to the States and buy five or six containers of it at a time to get my fix. I've actually found a pretty good substitute for it at Costco - Liberte 0% plain greek yogurt. It's not as tangy as fage but since one can't go to the States every two months all the time, it's a decent sub because it's thick, unlike a lot of yoghurts found here.

I've seen it at Whole Foods/Capers but it's a lot cheaper at Costco - $7.79 for two 500 ml containers. Now if only Costco would carry the fig type I saw at Capers...

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Opinion: Best Sushi In Vancouver List..

I went to Sushi Kimura for lunch and didn't get a chance to try the sushi (I had grilled saba and my husband had curry) but I agree, things are very slow there. I think it's a combination of too few waitstaff and the fact that the food itself takes awhile to make. However the waitress we had seemed to really care about the food and the place itself, which was nice to see.

I'd like to go back and try the sushi - and adjust my expectations about the speed!

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Corner Suite Bistro closed

From their facebook page: The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe is closed. I am unable to secure a new lease. Thank you, everyone, for your support, your birthdays & anniversaries, and our community. Most of all, thank you Jason Leizert and my entire staff. I have never been so graced but for the gift of time with you all. I did my best. Thank you kindly.

They had a groupon deal not too long ago...

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

the elusive pearl onion....

I've seen it at Whole Foods in Park Royal, so I'm sure they would have them at Capers (now Whole Foods owned) on Robson. Check in the frozen section, they're usually in a plastic container.

Funny coincidence I was in the States last weekend and picked up a bag of pearl onions at Trader Joe's as well. I wouldn't want to peel them either!

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Food find: Liberte low fat greek yogurt at Costco

The carton looks the same, yes. When you take the top off it does seem runny at first but that's just the liquid that collects on top. Just stir it in and it's fine. It's not as thick as fage but it's a lot thicker than any 0% greek yogurt I've found so far. Give it a try! for $7.79 you get two of those 500ml cartons.

I personally prefer the plain type anyway, since I don't like the added sugar from flavoured yogurts. I wonder if the flavouring makes it runnier as well.

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Food find: Liberte low fat greek yogurt at Costco

I've been longing for a yogurt that's similar to Fage greek yogurt that's sold in the US and Europe: thick and low fat. Most of the yogurt here is either thin, watery and sweetened, or thick but with a high milkfat that makes it unrealistic for daily eating.

Well, I was in Costco last week and happened upon the best find ever in the refrigerated section! I just turned around and there it was. Not sure why I've never seen it in regular stores, maybe I just gave up hoping. It's Liberte 0% greek yogurt, sold in 2x500ml packages for $7.79. Plain (unflavoured).

It's the best substitute I've found yet for fage that's sold in Canada. I love it for breakfast with cut up peaches (going out of season too soon!) and granola. MMM. It's not quite as tangy or thick as fage, but it'll do, especially since my husband always gives me death stares when I suggest driving to Bellingham for cartons of fage.

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Portland this weekend - itinerary critique!

Oh good, I would've been sad if I had missed them and they were in fact there. I walked around a couple of times and then got really hungry so I gave up and got the next best thing! Lots of people were eating the breakfast burritos, which also looked yummy.

dimples_323 in Pacific Northwest

Portland this weekend - itinerary critique!

We're back and had a wonderful trip! The food... oh the food.

Saturday:

Portland Farmer's Market - Such bounty! Beautiful strawberries everywhere. Bought two pints from different vendors, made sure they were hoods. We ate them with fage yogurt the next two mornings. Unfortunately Pine State biscuits weren't there so we had a great yucatan chicken tamale instead. Fresh salsa with sour cream over big chunks of chicken, yum! I was really tempted to buy veggies but unfortunately we probably wouldn't be able to bring them across the border.

Were pretty full after that, so we walked around downtown for awhile, before stopping at Sahagun for the hot chocolate. WOW it was rich and creamy, but not too sweet, definitely a very unique drinking chocolate. We made the smart move of sharing one cup, and it was more than enough, we were saving room for our next eating destination. Got a couple of sun drops and caramels to go. My husband also got a chocolate covered prune (called a Miracle Pill) and I got the Oregon Kiss hazelnut truffle in a chocolate cup. The caramel was amazing, slightly salty and a burst of flavour in your mouth.

Next up (yes this was all in the same day) was Tanuki, right when it opened. We took a seat outside and watched the clouds loom as we ordered the dungeness crab salad with real wasabi (never had it before, it's got way more flavour but less bite than the fake paste kind) with little green roe. Also had a skewer of duck hearts and the scallop salad. The salad had bits of really hot chili that my husband ate as a challenge and quickly regretted... but it was tempered by the mix of cilantro, mint and shiso leaf. Last up was what was basically a seafood fried rice done really well, with crispy bits of rice. This was my favourite dish, haha. I'm a carb maniac. I washed it down with a sake sangria, while my husband had a $2 sapporo.

Finally that night we went to PokPok where the wait was about an hour. We took the opportunity to walk around while waiting and when we were seated inside we ordered the PokPok wings, game hen and papaya salad . I've never had such flavourful wings in my life! I loved how it came with pickled daikon and carrot and lettuce - I made little bundles by picking the chicken off the bone and wrapping it up. The pickled veggies perfectly offset the savoury chicken. Unfortunately I couldn't eat the papaya salad, it was too spicy for me, I'm pretty sensitive to heat. My husband gobbled it up though, and we took most of the game hen home to eat the next morning (yay for fridges in hotel rooms). You guys are right, the food was definitely unique. I wish I could've tried more dishes. I loved the pandan leaf in the water carafes!

Sunday:

Woke up, went to Ken's to pick up a morning bun and an oregon croissant as well as a coffee. Love the blackberries in the oregon croissant, and the morning bun was filled with something (couldn't figure out what it was) but we couldn't get enough.

Did some shopping and walking, then walked to Apizza Scholls when it opened. Ordered the caesar salad with anchovies! Husband raved about this the rest of the trip, he loved it so much. We also had half sausage, half "margo"rita pizza. It was really incredible... we don't have pizza like that up here, thin crust with a great char and a chewy crust. Had to keep it to a slice each in anticipation of the evening feast though!

Finally we went to Toro Bravo around 9, you guys were so right! The waiter let me keep a menu and this is what we ordered:
- A French "Kiss" each: brandy soaked prunes stuffed with foie gras - it was my first time eating foie gras and it was a decadent rich treat, wow
- Porcini and potato salad: with cherries, spring onions and parsley - the sweet cherries went well with the savoury porcinis and the potatoes provided texture
- Basque piperade with duck egg - this came with perfectly toasted bread and we piled the concoction on top. I had no idea what this was when I ordered it but I really enjoyed the mixture of peppers, onions and spices.
- Seared scallops with romesco: I really wanted to try romesco here because I made it at home for the first time a few months ago and fell in love with it. This version was smoky and complex - mine tasted strongly of nuts. I'll have to tweak it to get it more subtle. Scallops were perfectly seared and not overcooked. I hate rubbery scallops. It was served with a shaved fennel salad that added some crunch.
- Squid Ink Pasta: with hazelnuts, anchovy syrup and egg yolk - recommended by our waiter and I'm glad we listened to him. When it came he instructed us to mix in the egg yolk to create a sauce. This dish was great, my favourite of the night.

Monday:

We did the river walk around both east and west while waiting for the lunch sandwiches at Bunk. Got one to share - roast beef with horseradish and caramelized onions. Loved the kick from the horseradish and the sweetness from the caramelized onions.

Great trip, lots of food consumed, many pounds gained, but totally worth it. Thanks chowhounders for all the advice... hope I can go back soon and try the other places I missed!

dimples_323 in Pacific Northwest

Portland this weekend - itinerary critique!

I was thinking about that but then again I do want to try izakaya style food in Portland too, to see how it varies. The sample menu at Tanuki looks great. We'll see how things go, maybe I'll be more in the mood for one thing over another and head over to Ten01 instead.

I'm planning on walking everywhere even though we'll have a car. I think I'll need it!

dimples_323 in Pacific Northwest

Portland this weekend - itinerary critique!

Interesting advice, does anyone else concur with the advice to skip Ten01 and do Tanuki instead? Gotta save room for PokPok later that night! I'm very excited about the strawberries, they must be coming into season now like they are in Vancouver.

Yikes now that I'm looking at it maybe it's a bit ambitious to do four or five eating destinations in one day, lol. But I'll try!

Toro Bravo it is, decision made. I'll definitely report back!

dimples_323 in Pacific Northwest

Portland this weekend - itinerary critique!

My husband and I will be visiting Portland this weekend. It's not our first time in Portland but I only have vague memories of eating here last time, mostly centered on the Portland Farmer's Market, which sadly far exceeds the farmer's markets we have access to here in Vancouver. You guys are so lucky!

So here's my proposed eating itinerary, please give me your input if you can.

Saturday:
Portland Farmer's Markets (Pine State biscuits and gravy!)
Possible Lunch: Chef Naoko Bento Café
Possible snack: Sahagun
Happy hour: Ten01
Late Dinner: Pok Pok

Sunday:
Ken's Artisan Bakery
Late lunch: Apizza Scholls - opens at 4 PM
Dinner: Clyde Common or Toro Bravo

Monday:
Bunk Sandwiches to go

We're leaving fairly early on Monday to make the long drive back to Vancouver. As you can see, we have a heavy day of eating on Saturday, because a lot of restaurants aren't open on Sunday! I'm sad to miss Tanuki, Ken's pizza, the Portland food carts and Biwa. I hope I can fit all of this in my stomach as it is!

What do you think of Clyde Common vs. Toro Bravo? And any recommendations for Sunday lunch? I considered Pambiche but I'm not sure about it, especially if we'll be visiting Toro Bravo later that evening. Thanks in advance!

dimples_323 in Pacific Northwest

Bring back the dacquoise at Capers!

For weeks... no MONTHS I've gone to the bakery section of Capers on Robson hoping that they would have their strawberry dacquoise but alas, no luck. For those who haven't experienced this transcendent dessert imagine this: fluffy whipped cream and juicy strawberries sandwiched between two discs of a chewy, crispy almond meringue coated with dark chocolate (only on the inside, to prevent it from going soggy).

Hmm my description doesn't do it justice. Anyway, everytime I go there, the tell me, sorry, we don't have it right now, not sure when we might bring it back. Argh... how do I get my dacquoise fix? Anyone have a recipe? Bring it back Capers!

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

too full to eat at more than one restaurant a day

When my husband and I travel we usually like to share specialties from vendors or places so that we can get a taste, yet still leave room to try more! For example instead of getting a slice of pizza each, we'll get one slice and share it.

dimples_323 in General Chowhounding Topics

Song Huong bo 7 mon: if this looks like code to you, come to Vancouver

Is the sauce mam nem? I think it's anchovy something but it's not quite like the anchovy sauce I've had at my friend's house before, which is anchovy paste in a bottle done up with crushed pineapple and sauteed lemongrass.

There's a place on Fraser that serves that type of anchovy sauce, the name escapes me right now. I'll try to find it and get back to you guys. They serve something similar but with big chunks of grilled beef wrapped around onions.

grayelf I was reading about Pagolac, I'm so jealous! For those who go down to Seattle often I think a place called Tamarind Tree also serves the 7 course beef.

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Song Huong bo 7 mon: if this looks like code to you, come to Vancouver

Love the 7 course beef here... I find myself craving the sauce constantly. I asked if they were willing to sell it to me (I like to prepare the ingredients at home myself, to my specifications) but unfortunately they declined, haha.

There's also a grilled beef course that comes with all the veggies... it's not the same variety but the thin slices of beef, when grilled, is incredible. Yum!

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Best bread in Vancouver

Where's the best place to buy bread in Vancouver? Or maybe I should modify that and say, what company makes a good, crusty country loaf that isn't a baguette?

I was in Portland last year and picked up a loaf of bread at the farmer's market (unfortunately can't remember the name of the company) that was to die for, and I haven't been able to find anything like that here. It was great eaten with butter, great as toast, and then again as part of a panzanella. Mmm.

Advice please?

dimples_323 in B.C. (including Vancouver)