Bella Gelateria: Hot Chocolate Festival 2014

Hot Chocolate Festival 2014

"Hot chocolate festival? There's such a thing?" 

That's the reaction I get from many of my friends when I am trying to find someone to go with me. It's fourth year running, Vancouver's Hot Chocolate Festival is steadily growing in participants. With an extra hour to kill between watching Frozen and dining at Mosaic Bar and Grill, we took the opportunity to take part in the festival. Bella Gelateria is only two blocks away from Mosaic, so we decided to pay a visit.

Hot Chocolate Festival 2014 menu

The Three Nutty Crumpets came to Bella Gelateria for during the Hot Chocolate Festival last year and since then, the menu of hot chocolate has incredibly expanded. I remember having about three or so choices, and it costing a lot more. I'm extremely impressed with the creative flavours Bella Gelateria has to offer this year; if my stomach was bigger, I would've loved to try more! A gelato bar in hot chocolate? My love for hot and cold food together is calling...

Black Sesame Hot Chocolate ($5.50)

Since dinner was around the corner, I limited myself to having just a cup of hot chocolate. My heart was set on the Black Sesame Hot Chocolate the moment I saw it on the menu. Knowing how ah-may-zing their black sesame gelato is, I was really excited for this drink. For $5.50 (tax included), this generous cup of hot chocolate is creamy and packed full of the flavours advertised. It wasn't overly sweet, as the base of this drink was half white chocolate and half 85% dark chocolate. I drank about half of this and packed the rest to go. As I was pouring it into my paper cup, I saw how much black sesame paste went into this drink. A thick layer of black sesame paste lined the bottom of the cup; remember to stir while drinking. No wonder it tasted so good! 

All Hot Chocolate Festival drinks at Bella Gelateria come with half a slice of Erin Ireland's To Die For Banana Bread. I was pleasantly surprised that this year, the slice of banana bread was of normal thickness. Not exaggerating but last year we got half a slice that was only one centimetre in thickness. That's half of what is seen in the photo! Like seriously, you must be kidding me... -shakes head- However, the banana bread isn't as good as I remember it to be. It was missing the crunchy bits of salt that contrasts the sweetness of the loaf. There was even less macadamia nuts than before (it didn't start off with much in the first place) and it just tasted sugary. Nevertheless, the side of banana bread is a nice treat that, with the drink, will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Italian Honey Moon Hot Chocolate ($5.50)

My other two friends both ordered the Italian Honey Moon Hot Chocolate. "Hazelnut" totally caught their attention. I saw little chunks of honey nougat and hazelnuts floating on the surface. This one should be a little sweeter than the black sesame since it is made with 65% cocoa chocolate. The Clumsy One said that there was a generous amount of hazelnuts in the drink. Our other friend commented that she had to open her mouth a little wider to get the bits in as she drank. The serving size of the hot chocolate here is very large, be prepared to feel very full after gulping down the whole cup! (And a experience a bit of a sugar rush as well) Both drinks are well worth the very reasonable price. A specialty drink at Starbucks costs just as much, if not more, and they just use flavoured syrups and blech.

I'm very glad we decided to make a stop here, as it is probably one of the best places to join in on the Hot Chocolate Festival. Bella Gelateria's menu contains more flavours than most of the other participating cafes, making it a good choice for larger groups that may have different preferences. And ice cream bars in hot chocolate sounds insanely cool. If I get the chance to come back to try more of their Hot Chocolate Festival offerings, I have my eye on the London Foggy, Black Magic, and Extra Dark Chocolate drinks. Peanut Crumpet had the extra dark chocolate last year and it's not sweet at all. Those that love a true dark and bitter chocolate should definitely try Bella Gelateria out!


 
Love from Coconut Crumpet & Co.

Creekside Coffee Factory

Needing some catch-up time with two childhood church friends, we met up at Creekside Coffee Factory for a cup of early morning caffeine.

I've been aware of this cafe's existence for a very long time; the cafe with the giant Costco stuffed bear that is usually filled with Korean people (many of my Korean friends mention that their mom's chat with other ahjummas here, totally something my mother would do too). Oh, and its directly across from Sushi Town. If my friend hadn't suggested Creekside Coffee, it may have been a much longer time before I discovered its awesome-ness. (Oh no, here comes Peanut-Crumpet-influenced vocabulary..)

Some of the items for sale

The cafe is fairly busy on a Saturday morning at 10am. And to my surprise, filled with mostly Caucasian folks; I guess they know where to find quality coffee~ There are a handful of small tables and most of the customers were sipping on a hot beverage while splitting a giant scone with someone. Those massive scones are very reminiscent of the well-loved scones from Purebread, which I raaaaaaved about. At Creekside, one scone costs only $2.35! I must try one for myself next time. There are also seasonal(ish) baked goodies to pair with your drink or some simple sandwiches for a heftier meal.

Green Tea Latte, (unknown coffee dirnk), Coconut Chai London Fog

The Coconut Chai London Fog ($3.89) written on the 'special drinks' chalkboard caught my eye; I've been really into chai lately and adding coconut to it can only get better. A London fog drink is half a cup of strongly brewed tea plus half a cup of frothy milk. The coconut chai teabag is used in this particular one. I was lucky enough to score the last one they had! 

This drink did not disappoint; warm spices and a hint of sweetness from the coconut, in addition to the creamy milk was very enjoyable on a chilly November morning. This tea-based drink is a nice alternative for those that don't really like coffee. The serving is large and the mug keeps the drink hot for quite a long period of time. Even an hour later, my drink was still warm.

Sorry I can't comment on the other two drinks, but they were both presented beautifully!

Quoting my friend, "Starbucks is too mainstream". With prices that are essentially the same as Starbucks, I would recommend Creekside Coffee Factory over Starbucks any day. Yes, they don't have them red Christmas cups (which I admittedly will purchase from Starbucks each year to hold one), but their drinks are definitely of a higher quality and not laden with sugary flavoured syrups. I should try their Pumpkin Spice Latte next time to make a comparison to Starbucks, as I was quite disappointed by the 10 year-old famous PSL. Why no pumpkin flavour? D: 

Creekside Coffee Factory is a fantastic place to grab a hot drink to-go or sit down for long periods of time for chatting. The atmosphere is very cozy and warm, and the drinks are delicious. I can definitely see myself meeting up with friends here in the colder months (and Ninja Bubble Tea in the summer...?).



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Ninja Bubble Tea

After a trying out the new Vietnamese restaurant, Delicious Pho, my best friend's family and I wandered around the corner to see what other new businesses have popped up in the new building. There is a new Brown's Socialhouse, a dried fruit & nut store, a little Chinese cafe that serves bubble tea and some random Northern Chinese dishes, a pet boutique, and the trending Ninja Bubble Tea. 

For the last few weeks, I've seen several status posts on Facebook checking in at this new bubble tea joint. This Filipino-run bubble tea joint is known for their candy bar bubble teas, reminiscent of Bubble Queen in Richmond. Some of them have strange names like "Yeahhh Nutella"... someone was running out of creative juices... At first glance, it seems like their prices are ridiculously high. I mean, bubble tea is already expensive; for some reason we are willing to pay $4 for sugar + milk. At Ninja Bubble Tea, be prepared to pay $5 for a single drink, and that is excluding pearls/jelly. 

Ninja Bubble Tea Menu & Prices

BUT, I did not feel like the five dollars went to waste. I've visited Pearl Fever before and was severely disappointed with how watered down my coconut milk tea was. At Ninja, the drinks have a thick texture, like a smoothie or milkshake, and the cups are massive. I repeat, MASSIVE.

Varieties of candy bars used in their 'Famous Smoothies'

I decided to give the Taro Ice Cream Smoothie a try. It had a little 'Best Seller' banner next to the name and it was a flavour I had never tried before. They have a stamp card system where every 10th drink is free. If you check into Ninja Bubble Tea on Facebook and show the cashier, there is an instant 10% discount too. I just didn't bother asking them for their Wifi password, but I probably should have.

Be prepared to wait a while for your drink. There is only one person making the drinks, one individual serving at a time. Watching my drink being made, I could tell the mixer wasn't strong enough to process the thick slush (they should've invested in a Vitamix!) so that doesn't really help with speeding up production.

Left: My friend's Oreo Ice Cream Crumble Famous Smoothie and Right: My Taro Ice Cream Smoothie

Just to clarify, in the Taro Ice Cream smoothie, the taro and ice cream are separate ingredients. And to be more specific, the taro is taro powder. My jaw was close to dropping when I saw half a cup of purple powder being dunk into the blender, and a teeny tiny bit concerned about the No-Name brand ice cream... or 'frozen dessert'. I'm sorry, it's just my health-conscious side kicking in. Thankfully, this didn't taste half-bad. It was thick and slushy so I know they weren't cheap and watering it down with..water. The taro flavour was somewhat faint but I suppose that can be expected. I'm really glad that the drink wasn't overly sweet, just sweet enough for a bubble tea and enough to satisfy a sweet-tooth craving.

This bubble tea joint is getting busier and more popular by the day; eventually they'll have to figure out a way to add more seating! At the moment, there are three tiny tables plus one mini counter, each seating around four people. For the large servings and above-average quality, I would definitely recommend Ninja Bubble Tea as one of the best bubble tea places in the Tri-Cities, with Bon Vivant Fashion Cafe following very closely. I'll be back when I'm feeling like splurging on my calorie intake. Next on my to-try list is the Reece's peanut butter one!



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

Needing to find a place to charge up our midday glucose levels and hide from the summer sun, my family found shelter and snacks at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe on Main Street USA in Disneyland.

Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

We picked up two sweet treats to share amongst the four of us. The display case had everything from Mickey-themed cookies, to cinnamon buns, to muffins and scones. There are coffees, specialty drinks, simple sandwiches and salads for sale too. I would say this cafe resembles the Starbucks inside the California Adventure park.
 

Matterhorn Macaroon ($1.99) and Raspberry Almond Twist ($3.49)

I was really excited about the Matterhorn Macaroon. Not only because I love coconut macaroons (duhh, I am Coconut Crumpet for a reason), but the concept of using Matterhorn and it actually looking like the mountain is adorable! However, I was originally skeptical about the taste; poorly made macaroons (please do not confuse with the macarons) can end up extremely chewy and overly sweet. To my pleasant surprise, this was neither! It was a beautifully crafted macaroon with tender, fine flakes of coconut with the perfect level of sweetness. A very well executed traditional coconut macaroon. The massive size also contributes to it being such a great deal for two dollars. No joke, this is a mountain of coconut.

The pastry of the Raspberry Almond Twist was like a danish, flaky and a bit chewy. The filling consisted of a thin layer of raspberry jam which provides all the sweetness this items needs. Sliced almonds were generously sprinkled on one side but were not toasted, therefore lacking the aromatic flavour of almonds. I would have preferred that there was no icing sugar dusted on top. Although this twist was okay, I wouldn't purposely recommend it.

Helpful Tip: Cups of ice water are provided for free when asked for! Really appreciated on a hot summer day and when you don't feel like hunting down a water fountain to fill up your water bottle.

Outdoor Seating at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

The outdoor patio seating is beautiful, and the building blocks the afternoon sun rays, making it a great place to cool down. There is ample outdoor seating (with umbrellas!) and no indoor seating. All of Disneyland is built with the most exquisite and well-designed themes. Everything is kept sparkling clean as well. We were here just as the Soundsational Parade was taking place. Although we were still a distance away from the parade route, I would much rather have a glimpse of the floats and performers from the shady patio than have to be sandwiched between a bunch of other people out in the blazing sun. Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is well worth a visit and makes a great place for a relaxing afternoon nibble.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Refreshment Corner: Stuffed Pretzels!

Refreshment Corner in Disneyland

Getting a cream cheese-filled pretzel was on my list of things-to-do inside Disneyland.

Cream Cheese Pretzel ($3.69)

Even though we just had a snack at the Jolly Holiday Bakery & Cafe, I still wanted to try a pretzel. The pretzel was soft and chewy, yay! The cream cheese filling was slightly sweet and was more like a melted milk-y layer in the middle of the pretzel. I liked how it was nice and hot when eaten. Other than the cream cheese filled variety, there is a savoury jalepeno pretzel and a Mickey pretzel, which I believe is just plain. I wouldn't say this was the most amazing thing I ate at the park, but it wasn't bad. Refreshment Corner is a good place to pick up something to munch on during the parade or fireworks.

Reviews on Yelp

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe: Starbucks in California Adventure

Being my dad, he had to get his Starbucks fix even in California Adventure. I didn't oppose to this at all because I wanted to see the cup design exclusive to Disneyland. I know, it's a weird reason but doesn't everyone want their own 'instagram-worthy' photo of Starbucks in Disneyland?

Which characters can you spot?

Perhaps the only unfamiliarity for Starbucks regulars is the name of the cafe. It isn't given the name 'Starbucks' and you'd only know it serves the usual frappuccinos and goodies if you read the description on the map.


We'd been at the park since 7am and needed to hide away from the blazing California sun at around 2pm. With some Ghiradelli ice cream in hand, we ran from Paradise Pier into this cafe to cool off and maybe even take a nap. My dad claims that spending 14 hours in Disneyland is more tiring than a 7 hour drive from Fresno to Anaheim, hence needing a caffeine charge up. I strongly disagree.

Dad got an iced coffee for the family. And this is no regular iced coffee, it's a mega sized iced coffee. Thought venti was big? At California Adventure, there's an even larger size! I'm not sure what it's called but when my dad made his order, he told the cashier "I want the largest size!" and the cashier told him they had a size larger than venti. It's also very cheap too, I believe until $5 for a towering cup larger than my face (and I don't have a small face). Perfect afternoon refresher.

My parents also got a scone and croissant for dinner before going to see the World Of Colour show. The pastries are exactly the same as any other Starbucks location.

Reviews on Yelp

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Little Next Door

Besides The Griddle Cafe and Cafe Gratitude, I had a few other bucket list restaurants in Los Angeles I just had to eat at. Little Next Door is one of them.

Little Next Door

Little Next Door is a French restaurant, with some of the best food (and macarons!) in Los Angeles. What drew my attention to this restaurant was 1) all the positive reviews, 2) the menu items, 3) the location and setting, and finally 4) the prices. Sounding like an all-around awesome deal? It was!

This little restaurant facing West 3rd Street (a very busy street) is smack in the middle of the hip and trendy city of Mid Wilshire. I just kind of think of it as between Beverly Hills and Hollywood; sounds expensive, no? After a morning of shopping at the Outlets at Orange, we took an hour drive to get to this area. With loudly growling stomachs, we headed to Little Next Door for a very late brunch on a Saturday afternoon. Since it was like 2pm, we were seated immediately. I was very content with our table as it was next to the fence, facing the sidewalk, no direct sunlight, and would give beautiful lighting for photos. So far, Coconut Crumpet was very happy.

Our waitress spoke bits and pieces of French to us, greeting us with a warming 'bonjour!', calling us 'madame et monsieur', and thanking us in French too. It created this unique environment in which my family has never been in before. She was very attentive and came back frequently to refill our water, bring us more bread, or just ask how we were doing.

Complimentary bread and balsamic olive oil

We quickly ordered and another waiter brought us some complimentary bread. My family of four devoured two bowls of bread, happily dipping it in the luxurious spiced balsamic olive oil. The oil had fennel seeds and a multitude of other spices and herbs, very fragrant and a pleasure to eat, especially when you're almost dying of starvation. (We had breakfast at 7am..and brunch at 2pm..) The baguette had a crunchy shell and an extremely pillow-y interior, also served warm. Love.

Quiche Lorraine ($9)

Shoop's Delicatessen

Our lunch in Santa Monica was an unplanned one. My parents didn't feel like having Sunday brunch at a fancier restaurant by the pier, we just missed the farmer's market on main street, and the popular Urth Cafe was 1) too expensive and 2) had a long line up. As everyone began to get a bit moody, we stumbled into Shoop's on Main Street to just get some food into our systems before anyone started arguing.

Shoop's Deli in Santa Monica

Half deli and half cafe, Shoop's serves burgers, sandwiches, and wraps with German influences. There are vegan and vegetarian options, as well as flavour inspirations from around the world. Select breakfast fare such as eggs and pancakes are also available all day. 
Seating is limited and we had to wait a few minutes for a table that could accommodate my family of four, even at 2pm.

The Clevelander ($10.50)

My brother ordered The Clevelander hot sandwich, which resembles a burger more to me. It had corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and an array of dressings. He gobbled this tall sandwich up in a jiffy, and still complained he wasn't full yet. Unless you're a growing teenage boy that had been starved since 8am that morning, this big sandwich should be filling enough. A small side of fruit came with all our orders, an appreciated side dish for a health conscious Crumpet. 

The Ranger ($9.95)

Sorry for the out of focus photo, growling stomach was calling. My parents shared The Ranger hot sandwich. How were they not still hungry afterwards? It was very similar to The Clevelander except with roast beef, grilled onion, and coleslaw. 

Aaron's breakfast wrap ($9.25)

I was craving a wrap and had a bit of difficulty choosing one. The Aaron's breakfast wrap was the perfect pick. It was a unique and unsual combination of barbeque chicken, egg whites, and yam wrapped in a large spinach tortilla. The chicken can be substituted with tofu for vegetarians and vegans. I really loved how the entire wrap was placed on the grill and charred; it heated the wrap thoroughly and was served extremely hot, so much so that my hands couldn't hold it for long. This wrap was of a very generous portion and the flavours were clean and worked well together. I was so full after scarfing down my wrap that even eating the fruit was a bit of a pain. I really liked this! Simple and satisfying, I want to recreate this at home!

Shoop's would have never made it on my researched restaurant lists but I am very glad we discovered this little establishment. The staff where patient and friendly and our orders arrived very quickly. The cafe was full the whole time we were there, even in the afternoon! People were eating salads, pancakes, German breakfasts, while reading the newspaper or chatting with a friend. A very local place with reasonable prices for the portion size. Their breakfast menu was very appealing to me, but for once it wasn't the pancakes! The array of wraps and savoury items sounded exciting and new. If there is ever a time you're strolling down Main Street in Santa Monica and pass by Shoop's, hopefully you'll remember this post and give Shoop's a bit of consideration.

Reviews on Yelp

Santa Monica on Dwellable

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Porto's Bakery & Cafe

Porto's Bakery & Cafe in Burbank, California

Between every two or so hours of driving from Fresno to Los Angeles, my dad would need to take a break. We happened to be in Burbank at the end of our second last leg (before we got stuck in the horrendous Los Angeles rush hour traffic for two hours). Porto's is very highly ranked on Urbanspoon under the 'cheap eats' category as most of their pastries cost anywhere between $0.50 to $5. My mom was attracted my the mass amount of people hustling in and out of the bakery and my praise of how cheap it was.

I was astonished at the large display of desserts and the array of bread loaves for sale. My eyes shone while my the nerves in my brain zipped back and forth trying to make decisions. A dozen or so employees went to and fro from the cashier and filling customer's boxes with sweets. This large bakery is a busy and evidently popular place, but service is quick and friendly. Got time to kill? Grab a drink to pair with your meal or afternoon snack and enjoy some chatting time at one of the tables inside or do some people watching outdoors (if it isn't blazing hot).

Desserts from Porto's Bakery & Cafe

It would be unlike myself if I didn't leave the bakery with a box of sweets. This time, it was also because we were getting hungry and our eyes began to get bigger than our stomachs. My mom allowed me to pick four things, one dessert per person. We actually took like three days to finish these because we kept over stuffing ourselves during meals and had no appetite for dessert when returning to the hotel. Due to my lack of research and reading of reviews on this particular bakery, I wasn't sure what to purchase. My mom and I chose according to what looked appealing and what sounded special. Here is what we tried and our thoughts:

Pina Colada Mousse ($2.95) - The mousse had bits of crushed pineapple and was topped with shredded coconut, which delivered the a heavy pina colada flavour. It was one of the less-sweet desserts of the bunch and Dad liked this best out of the four we bought. The fresh orchid flower was a pretty decoration.

Parisian ($2.75) - This was a very dark chocolate cake. I, like Peanut Crumpet, prefer dark chocolate and really liked this dense and mildly sweet devil's food chocolate cake. The chocolate whipped cream was a lighter option than using buttercream icing (which I don't really like anyways). My only suggestion is that this cake could be more moist.
 
Cappuccino Mousse ($3.50) - Compared to the Pina Colada mousse, this mousse was much thicker and very sweet. The texture was almost cake-like. Due to the sugary-ness of the dessert, this individual cup could be easily shared between three people. Although it was just decoration, the chocolate coffee bean was the highlight for me.

Mango Cheesecake ($2.95) - Cheap cheesecakes usually don't do justice to the cheese part of the name but this one was pretty well made and a good amount of cream cheese could be tasted. The mango flavour is also strong enough, though a bit artificial.

Our total came to roughly $12 for four items, which is a good value in my opinion. My mom expected it to be cheaper, but since I'm used to paying almost $10 for a single serving cake at some fancy patisserie in Downtown Vancouver, Porto's is very cheap. There is such a vast variety of pastries and goods to choose from; everyone will be able to find something that is of interest. The serving sizes are generous for the prices and quality is acceptable. According to what I tried, many of the desserts are too sweet for my Asian family's sweet tooth, although some better than others. Porto's Bakery is not a must-do in greater Los Angeles but it's definitely a popular spot amongst locals and is worth dropping by if in the vicinity. 

Reviews on Yelp



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Cafe by Tao

Walking around Vegfest Vancouver, we walked by Tao Organic's booth and decided to give it a try. I've always wanted to try something there, but its location in North Vancouver is somewhere my family rarely venture out to.
I really expected more of VegFest and I was kind of disappointed with the lack of actual booths that actually served vegan food... there were about three. All the other booths were information booths about animals and humane societies, etc, which was great but many non-vegetarian/vegan Vancouerites probably would not stop by those booths.
Cafe by Tao had a few of their menu items displayed for people to order at their booth. The items included Rawkin Pizza, The Real Lasagna, Gaia Burger, and the Falafel Wrap. Keep in mind that these items are all vegan, raw, and wheat-free. Love!
I ordered the Rawkin Pizza and the Falafel Wrap. If you want to try a raw vegan lasagna, I have a recipe for you!

Rawkin Pizza

The Rawkin Pizza is a wheat-free sprouted buckwheat crust topped with dill nut cheese, sweet chili sauce, chiffonade kale, julienne carrots, cauliflower florets, and marinated mushrooms. Let me just say, that crust is really good. It's not your usual raw vegan cardboard pizza crust. It is a thin crust, seasoned well with indian spices like cumin. The marinated mushrooms were fantastic too, as they had a salty flavour with some tanginess. I will have to try to make a marinate like this and share it with you guys in the future. Because we were at the festival at a later time, they reduced the menu prices slightly, so this slice was around $2 (i don't quite remember).I know gourmet raw foods take at least one day advanced to prepare as the dehydration process can take any time from 24-48 hours. Therefore, I think this was worth the price I paid.

Falafel Wrap

The falafel wrap is actually much more flavourful than it seems. Its "wrap" is the lettuce which consists of tomato, alfafa, cucumber, nut cheese and their famous falafel all wrapped inside. I really appreciate how the wrap didn't come apart because of the lettuce's delicate nature. The toothpick with the dried olive and cucumber really helped stabalize the burger from falling apart in your hands.

I would make a trip to their actual cafe in North Vancouver one day, perhaps after skiing up on Grouse Mountain in the area? I'd like to try more items, like their soups and mesquite cakes! 

Lots of Nuts,

Peanut Crumpet xo

Cafe Medina

Cafe Medina, probably the most popular and well known brunch restaurant in Greater Vancouver. I've been wanting to try their food for the longest time and finally had the chance to this summer. All the hype and praise for Cafe Medina energized me to get up early on a summer weekday and ride the Skytrain with my brother to get a hefty breakfast. But where my expectations too high? Let me expand...

The line up at Cafe Medina

To begin, Cafe Medina is extremely accessible by public transit. It is around the corner from the Stadium-Chinatown skytrain station, no exaggeration used. Just follow the signs and exit to Beatty Street and turn right. I'm very glad we had no troubles trying to locate the restaurant because that area can be kind of sketchy.

Another indicator that assured us we were at the right place was the mass of people standing around on the sidewalk. Cafe Medina is known for long line ups. Just earlier that Sunday, my best friend's mom was going to take us there for brunch but we were told over the phone that there was a 1 hour and 45 minute wait... So we went to Phnom Penh instead, you should check that uber popular restaurant out too! 

The first thing to do when arriving at a busy restaurant is to put yourself on the waitlist as soon as possible. Those one or two tables that wrote their names down two seconds before you did will make a big difference when growling stomach syndrome begins. The waitlist is on a very narrow clipboard that is hung on the doorframe inside the restaurant. There should be a pencil on the counter next to it.

We arrived at 10am on a Friday and waited 45 minutes. It was a very long 45 minutes as I got hangry beginning at 10 minutes into my wait time. I understand that the restaurant is small, very small. There were many groups of two (like us) waiting so I suppose that was part of the reason for the long wait. A lot of people bought a latte to drink while waiting and some people come just to get a latte to-go. Many tourists also visit Cafe Medina, that's how famous it is.

Cafe Medina Brunch Menu

When we finally got seated, we were given ice water and a menu. Even though it was a Friday, a brunch menu was given to us. Maybe since it's summer, brunch is served on extra days? Twisted Fork Bistro is doing so. I already knew I was going to get the Paella but my brother was rather ambivalent. He said he wanted something 'heavy' so I suggested the Les Boulettes, spicy lamb and beef meatballs with two poached eggs. One thing I didn't expect, was that the prices were more expensive than listed on their website. About a dollar more for each entree item. Not a lot, just something I noticed.

Waffles ready to be served

Their waffles are very famous, but as I was waiting, I noticed they were not made to order and therefore, probably served room temperature. I read on Follow Me Foodie that the waffle batter is from Damien's Belgian Waffles in Richmond. That kind of takes the 'special-ness' out of the waffles. So, I saved my waffle quota for later in the day to spend at Nero Belgian Waffle Bar (posts here and here).

Lavender Latte (8 oz. for $3.85)

I got a Lavender Latte to sip on while our food was being prepared. A little splurge for myself for waiting patiently (psht, what an excuse :P). Lavender is the most popular flavour so I figured I couldn't go wrong choosing that one. The 8 ounce cup looked larger than I expected and was more than enough. The latte was very smooth and had a mild lavender flavour. Not bitter at all (as I'm not a regular caffeine drinker). Although I can't say I'll be dreaming of this latte, it was very good and worth trying. Swirling the foam with the cute tiny spoon is how I passed time. The whole cup was cleared well before the food arrived.

Top: Paella, Bottom: Les Boulettes

Paella - I haven't tried a traditional Spanish paella before, so this fusion one is my first dish labeled with the name paella. I expected the dish to be served baked in a mini cast iron skillet like in other people's photos, but it was in the same dish as my brother's. It was quite a large portion (for one person at least) of curried orzo, mixed with vegetables and chorizo, topped with fresh herbs, avocado, and a single poached egg (our server asked if we wanted fried, but poached is healthier). This dish was very rich and extremely filling since the orzo expands in my stomach with all that latte I just downed. The avocado must have been drizzled with lemon juice because it had that tang to it. The chorizo was sliced very thinly and after being baked, resembled Chinese sausage. Didn't really enjoy the dry sausage, or the saltiness from that. The egg was poached perfectly, but that's probably the only highlight. Overall, it was a good meal but just weighed me down for the following hours. Not a dish I'd be running back for but sparked my interest in trying more paella.

Les Boulettes - Three large meatballs floating on a large serving of thick tomato stew. My brother said it was more like sauce than stew, as it was quite thick. A side of hummus was also included. Whether the grilled foccacia was for dipping into the stew or spreading hummus on, I'm not sure. The potent flavours of every element of the entree kept my brother from finishing it. The stew (or sauce) was so packed with spices it wasn't possible to eat by the spoonful (not that they provided you with a spoon). Nor can you eat hummus by the spoon... The meatballs were juicy and also very flavourful, but after a few bites the inside of our mouths were just lingering with spices so it was rather difficult to pinpoint what the tatse was. My brother said that it this dish was tasty but the spices were so powerful he got tired of it quickly.

Would I recommend this restaurant? Not reeeeally. (gasp!) Majority of people probably would, giving Cafe Medina's food rave reviews, but the it didn't blow me away. There are other restaurants I would recommend before this one. The common con from myself and the brother was that the flavours were too strong, it made our mouths call for water to dilute it a bit. Prices are very reasonable and portions are plenty, but the food was just not worth our nearly one hour wait. I felt like a simple breakfast sandwich from Yolk's a few steps away would have left a better impression.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Soirette Macarons & Tea

My brother always hears about my eating adventures in downtown, about all the yummy food, and everything we can't get our hands on near home. Summer is the perfect time to walk around the streets of downtown, so I agreed to take him on a day trip.

Soirette Macarons & Tea storefront

After a heavy brunch at Cafe Medina, our mouths were all salty and desperately called for something sweet. But our stomachs were waving their hands saying "no more food!". We compromised and by walking around a bit to assist our digestion. I saw the Soirette pop-up store inside Holt Renfrew but none of the macaron flavours appealed to me. After my brother showed interest in trying macarons, we continued our walking to Soirette instead of taking the bus. I couldn't quite recall if Soirette was located on West Pender or West Cordova, resulting in extra walking to be done.

This isn't my first time visiting Soirette, but it was my first time trying their food. Papaya Crumpet once dragged us here on one of our foodie adventures. The distance in my mind seemed a lot longer than it actually is. Probably because all I remember is Peanut Crumpet barely making it to Soirette because of a full bladder. "It's around here!" "We're close!" said Papaya Crumpet.

It's strange that my brother would be interested in macarons. Macarons are usually a 'girly' thing at tea parties or given as gifts. "I thought your brother was into manly foods like burgers and bacon.", Peanut Crumpet said to me. "He just eats everything.", I replied. If he is willing to pay for these delicate cookies, then I can't complain.

Desserts and Sweets at Soirette

I expected to see fashionably dressed women chatting over high tea when I arrived on a Friday at 3pm. However, there was absolutely no other customer to be seen. My brother and I stared at the colourful assortment of macarons in the display case, tried a few macaron samples, and admired the other beautifully presented pastries and cakes beside. I picked out 6 flavours of macarons to try and we took our little box outside. We selected almost all the summer seasonal flavours. The summer flavours are s'mores, cherry pie, blueberry pie, charred corn, pandan, basil & strawberry, apricot & fennel, and mango.

Plant decoration at the colourful tables

We took a set at one of the three brightly coloured garden tables right outside the entrance. I really loved the colour combination of the tables and chairs, it is adorable! Makes me happy to be sitting at a pretty table eating pretty macarons.

My brother and I had a taste of each macaron; I would take a bite or two and he'd eat the rest. Here are our (mostly mine, because he's not quite the foodie yet) thoughts:

Half a dozen of macarons from Soirette

Oasis Date Gardens

My only goal in Palm Springs was to visit a date garden. Or maybe two.

With only one full day to spend in the Palm Springs-ish area, we wanted to make the most out of it. I knew I wanted to visit Shield's Date Garden, which was pretty much around the corner from our awesome hotel (Homewood Suites in La Quinta!), but my dad found a brochure for Oasis Date Gardens a little further away in Thermal. So we went there first.

Date Shake

I've heard rave reviews about the date shakes at both Oasis Date Gardens and Shields Date Gardens. The name 'date shake' made me think it was a date-flavoured milk shake. But it's not. Soft serve ice cream blended with date crystals. We got this half-cup size for free because we had a coupon for a free date shake with a purchase of like $10. Contrary to all the rave reviews, I didn't find this date shake anything close to amazing. It was good ice cream, but it didn't deliver with the date flavour. Vanilla soft soft ice cream is what I tasted. The full-size version of this is really large, an stuffed cup full of date shake for around $4. However this sample size was more than enough for the four of us because it wasn't that exciting. After trying Oasis' date shake, I was no longer interested in Shield's version as I believe it's the same thing.

Medjool Dates from Oasis Date Gardens

The store portion of Oasis Date Gardens is pretty small. And there were no other customers when we arrived at 10am, which made it rather awkward to browse around. The shelves were a bit empty and the gift sets looked like they had been sitting there for a while. (I'm just guessing by the slightly drier-looking appearance of the medjool dates) We tried a few samples, and bought a pound of medjool dates from the bulk area. We just wanted to buy something, try a date shake, and get out of there. 

I actually didn't have much expectation for these medjools, because who knows how long they've been there? However, I am extremely impressed with these. Perhaps their bulk and wholesale boxes sell a lot quicker than the gift boxes. These medjools are meaty, moist, and super caramel-y. I would describe them as nature's caramels. In fact, these are better than caramels! I crave them every single day.

So, would is it worth going to Oasis Date Gardens? Hmm... Since Shield's is closer and they have medjools just as juicy and caramelly, I'd say it isn't necessary to drive the extra distance. 

And a tip for those that often use a GPS to navigate around, Grapefruit Blvd is actually Highway 111. Our GPS didn't have Grapefruit Blvd as a choice so we looked at a physical map and saw Highway 111 ends and then turns into Grapefruit Blvd. Why don't we get cool street names like that in Vancouver? I wanna live on Blackberry Street or Blueberry Lane...

Oasis Date Garden
59-111 Grapefruit Blvd, Thermal CA 

Reviews on Yelp

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡