Birthday Celebration!

On Saturday I treated my friend to dinner, for her 18th birthday. I chose the restaurant Whet at Granville Island because of the waterfront view and the selection of food offered. 
We arrived at around 5:30 and were promptly seated. We requested to sit on the heated patio because of the Waterfront view and fresh air. It took a while for us to make up our minds about what to order but I decided on the Beet Salad. This salad caught my eye because it contained an array of ingredients that I thought would compliment each other perfectly, and they did! My salad contained a mixture of red and golden beets, winter greens, candied almonds, goats cheese, maple balsamic reduction and crispy noodles. It was so delicious and it was presented beautifully! 
                               

The birthday girl ordered the Killer Fish Tacos. The tacos had pan seared fish (cod, I believe), lime, cajun spices, lettuce, valentina crema, cilantro and salsa served on two corn flour tortillas. To be honest I was surprised by the portion (small, only two)for the price and surprised that they were not served in taco shells. Nonetheless, they tasted absolutely incredible!! I may have had a bite or two. Haha 

After we finished our meal I presented my friend with a birthday cupcake from Cupcakes. I got her the matcha green tea cupcake because it is limited addition and it had cream cheese icing (her favorite)! The cupcake was alright. I love anything that is green tea but the cake itself was a bit dry. However, the icing was incredible. Not too sweet but it complimented the cake very well! 
We had a great experience at Whet! The day was beautiful so we had the chance to appreciate the beautiful view from the patio. The service was great and they were very kind to take lots of pictures for us. 

If I were to go back to Whet I would go during their happy hour special (4pm-6pm) and order the fish tacos. During the happy hour special they are sold for $5 per "taco". Which comes out to be a better value for your money. If you ordered this way it will also give you the opportunity to try the steak strip and the chicken taco. 
After we ate we walked around Granville Island for a bit and then came back to my house for a night in. We changed into comfy clothes and snacked on ice cream and fruits while we watched Monsters University. It was a nice night and a great way to end spring break! <3

Have a great week!
xoxo,
Soph

Weekend: Tractor Foods and BBT

On Friday my friend and I decided to try out Tractor Foods for lunch, an everyday health food cafe. This cafeteria-style cafe offers an array of salads, soups, stews and sandwiches. At Tractor Foods healthy means simple and fresh ingredients that are high in nutritional value. Although they do not claim to be solely vegan or vegetarian they are heavily vegetarian based and do have gluten-free menu items. 

We both tried the summer quinoa salad. This contained organic quinoa, fresh blueberries, butternut squash and mint. It was very refreshing although more flavour would have been appreciate(dressing?). I also had half a grilled avocado which was absolutely delicious! My friend also decided to try another salad, the grilled asparagus (which I had a taste of). It was quite good! It contained grilled asparagus, broccoli, butternut squash, pecans and ricotta cheese. 

This small cafe was quite busy for a weekday, I was honestly shocked. At one point there was a lineup going out the door! It is obviously a very popular place and I can understand why.  
From what we ate we could tell that all the ingredients were fresh and seasonal. 
I would highly recommend this cafe for lunch or dinner. The prices are quite good for the quality that is provided. Each salad is $3.25 and there is a wide variety to choose from. 
Next time I would love to try one of their stews or sandwiches which seemed to be quite popular. 

Today my friend and I decided to get some bubble tea (boba) from the Soho Tea Room. When we arrived we were surprised by a special offer. Between 2-5pm with every bubble tea order you get a free toast(something similar to french toast but HK style). 
I ordered a black milk tea slush with tapioca pearls and the condensed milk and peanut butter on thick toast. It looked delicious but I decided to save it for my dad because he loves sweet things and ANYTHING that has to do with peanut butter. The bubble tea was so yummy and the tapioca pearls were fresh and chewy, just the way I like it! I can't wait to go back. 

Fashion posts to come, I promise! 
xoxo,
Soph

Bella Gelateria

On Sunday my friend and I visited the famous Bella Gelateria for some good quality gelato. When we walked in I was a bit shocked by the size. I expected a much bigger and grander space due to all the hype, many awards won and the mass of customers. Nevertheless it was set up as a cute little Italian cafe that provided a cozy atmosphere. 

We set our stuff down and headed to the selection of gelato flavors listed. 
I decided to order and try a scoop of the Organic Green tea Matcha and my friend tried the Lavender Early Grey.
The gelato was delicious-rich and creamy, you could tell the finest ingredients were used. Bella Gelateria is best known for their dedication to preserving the true artisanship of old-world handcrafted gelato.  They choose quality over quantity, with a goal to capture natural flavors in each season and handcraft them to perfection for their customers. The gelato is made fresh daily and the flavors change everyday based on the weather or the season. They are located by the waterfront which is perfect for sunny days. You can enjoy the sunshine, the beautiful view of the city and your delicious gelato. 

A flavor that I am looking forward to trying next time I pay a visit is the black sesame, a unique flavor that most gelato places do not offer. 
xoxo,
Soph

Donuts

On Sunday morning my friend and I went for breakfast at Lucky’s donuts, the best donuts in town. Once we arrived we ordered our donuts. I ordered the lemon poppy seed donut ($3) and my friend ordered the maple apple bacon fritter ($3.50).

We sat down to eat our donuts and the first bite that I took I knew these were the best donuts I have ever had. Lucky’s donuts prides themselves and their donuts as authentic, hand-crafted and genuinely delicious (all true)! They make their donuts fresh throughout the day using high quality natural ingredients. Everything is made from scratch and they strive to source locally and seasonally.

I loved this place! There was a variety of donut flavors and they were fresh and filled with flavour.
xoxo,
Soph