Diner en Blanc 2016

#DEBVAN

Another successful year with Diner en Blanc Vancouver. 

Until next year girls ♥

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Carly Simon

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again

I believe in love

And who knows where or when

Bit it's comin' around again

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again

I know nothin' stays the same

But if you're willing to play the game

It's comin' around again

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again

♥♥♥

The Ramenman

The Ramenman 
Address: 841 Bidwell St. Vancouver, BC V6G 2J7

The Team behind The Ramenman

There's a new ramen house in town and the team behind The Ramenman is a force to be reckoned with. They're tucked away in the west end in a little corner between Robson and Bidwell and possibly the smallest ramen shop in town.

But size doesn't really matter because The Ramenman serves up bold and delicious bowls of chicken broth ramen with house made noodles and other modern techniques in their kitchen. 

They also don't mess around when it comes to serving their customers with a perfectly cooked 63 Degree Egg - where the egg whites is set but the yolk is still runny. 

The edge behind The Ramenman is that they specialize in chicken broth ramen and their chicken and pork is cooked sous vide, which is a method of cooking where food is cooked in a temperature controlled environment either through steaming or in a water bath. The reason behind cooking via sous vide is the meat retains its moisture and also less oily.

The team at The Ramenman maintains a minimalist menu which consists of three different chicken broth ramen varieties - Chicken and Clams with Truffle Oil, Chicken Stew with Burdock and Oil, and Regular Chicken Broth, but don't worry they also have a very delicious Vegetarian Miso Broth made with Shiitake Mushrooms and Smoked Kombu.

Their menu also has a few other items to fill you up if you aren't already full from drinking all the chicken broth. You could snack on a plate of Gyozas or munch on an Appetizer Plate which has - Char-siu, Ramen Egg, Bamboo Shoot, Japanese Leek and Spinach. My personal favourite is the crispy Chicken Karaage - juicy on the inside and super crispy on the outside.

If you're really not full yet and still have more room in your belly than another must-try is their Staff Meal Curry with the 63 Degree Egg. The curry they serve is not your typical "Japanese curry" which tends to be on the sweeter side. Their curry is much more bold with savoury flavours and has a bit of a kick to it which I really enjoyed.

The Ramenman might be the new kid on the block, but they definitely do not disappoint when it comes to cooking techniques and flavour profiles.

So if you're in the area and it happens to be raining (which happens often enough in Vancouver) then make a pit stop at The Ramenman say hello to the team and enjoy a delicious bowl of chicken broth ramen!

@the.ramenman

Sweet Tea

T & L

Tangram Creamery

There's always room for ice cream.

What is a Tangram?

It's a geometric puzzle consisting of a square cut into seven pieces that can be arranged to make various shapes.

What is Tangram Creamery? 

Well, it's a gourmet creamery that pieces together fresh and unique ingredients and arranges it into delicious gourmet ice creams.

The tastefully decorated Tangram Creamery opened its doors just after the holidays in the Arbutus Ridge neighbourhood serving gourmet ice creams and coffees. The owners of this quaint little creamery has an eye for detail. Their beautifully decorated interior contains elements of wood and metal craftsmanship pieces created from scratch by the two owners making it one of the coolest must-visit ice cream parlours in Vancouver! 

Their ice creams and sorbets are made fresh daily and they usually feature some unique flavours such as their Hoji Cha, Very Earl Grey London Fog and Black Sesame all served in a cup or their famous "cookie" cone - all made and baked in house!

My personal favourite is their Matcha and Lychee Sorbet. The Matcha had a wonderful texture and a very aromatic flavour. Their Lychee Sorbet was tangy and very refreshing - a great choice after a heavy meal. I also had a taste of their Hoji Cha, and for those of you who don't know what that is - it's a roasted Japanese Green Tea and definitely a must-try!  

For their flavour profiles and updates check out their Instagram @tangramcreamery

So remember, if you need to satisfy a sweet tooth craving visit Tangram Creamery and say hello to these two passionate owners. They will tell you how to best pair your ice creams and other delicious treats with their artisan coffees! 

#MayTheCreamBeWithYou

Commodity Juicery

Juice Tasting 

Commodity Juicery 

There's been an explosion of juice bars in downtown Vancouver and a huge movement towards healthy living with restaurants being more mindful of where they're sourcing their meats and produce, and lot of people are more aware of what they are putting into their bodies.

E and I have had our fair share of fresh pressed juices over the summer - we mostly drank them because they were delicious but never really thought much about the "healthy" aspect behind it - until we met Carissa at Commodity Juicery.

We joined Carissa and her team for a mini tasting session at their store located in the Mount Pleasant area. She laid out a colourful pallet of juices for us to try and my first thought was hmm Vegetables in my juice? - personally I shy away from juices that contain vegetables. As a kid I grew up drinking sweet juices from those tetra paks (most of those juice boxes have a ton of sugar in them and probably not very good for me). 

It was only recently that I started drinking cold pressed juices - but even then I don't order anything that contains veggies - which means I don't know what they taste like in juice form. Well that all changed at Commodity Juicery. To start the tasting off, our first shot of juice was called All Greens, which had Kale, Cucumber, Romaine, Celery, Parsley, Lime, Lemon and Ginger. Even before tasting it I was already preparing myself for it to taste bitter - BUT I was completely wrong! The All Greens tasted like a glass of refreshing cucumber water with a hint of lemon - no bitterness at all. 

After the first shot of All Greens we were ready to take on the other shots. I love how Commodity Juicery have a "Sweetness Scale" on their menu - this is great for new juicers (like us) to have an idea of  how sweet each blend is. My absolute favourite is the Matcha Mylk and Orange Roots ♥

Commodity Juicery also serve delicious vegan bowls, and other healthy foods and snacks. We tried their Kale Caesar and the Sesame Donburi bowl - which was my personal favourite. The dressing in the Donburi bowl was aromatic and savoury - I absolutely loved the Raw Ryce, (a new spin on "rice") made with cauliflower! I now have a new appreciation for all things vegan - it absolutely takes a lot of creativity and science to create a healthy and delicious dish. 

I think what we got out of Commodity Juicery wasn't just a delicious afternoon of sipping on juices - We really got a chance to chat with Carissa and her team and understand why certain ingredients in their juices are good for your body. 

E and I love to eat (hence our food blog) but we also know that we're probably not the healthiest people out there - our excuse is always "too busy" or "too tired," and typically because of our busy schedule we always end up skipping meals. It wasn't until recently that both of us became a little bit more health conscious (issues with our thyroid seems to run in the family).

E was recently diagnosed with early stages of Hyperthyroidism and one of the concerns about Hyperthyroidism is the fluctuation in weight loss/gain. One of Carissa's team mate is a certified holistic nutritionist, and she had a lot of recommendations and alternatives to help E with her weight management. Besides their cold pressed juices and nutrient dense smoothies they are working on a Meal Plan Program which is a great way for people who want to eat healthy but not quite sure where to start (kind of like us).

What I really liked about Carissa and her team was how engaging they were with everyone that stepped through their door! We really did enjoy our tasting with Commodity Juicery ♥ and we will definitely be back to check out their new menu items!

If you are new to juicing or just want to sit down and have a chat I highly recommend
visiting Carissa and her team!

If you're curious about how to make Mylk click on the link below and find out!

Saturday Sips: Making Vanilla and Almond Mylk