Among my friends, I am pretty much known for enjoying anything ginger flavoured. This is probably because my stomache is as soft as tofu so I am sensitive to many foods, and anything ginger will calm me down immensely. I even have a ginger candle at home, thank goodness my boyfriend is ok with it! When I was in Amsterdam, I probably spent a good chunk of money on their ginger tea alone. So when The Body Shop came out with the Ginger collection, I knew I had to try everything. [Read more…]
Food Review: Toast Box at Flo Tea Room
I finally went to Flo Tea Room to try their version of the Honey Toast Box. I got mine drenched in Strawberry sauce. This toast box costs $7.50, which is $0.49 cheaper than Whatever Cafe. Also, making this was faster.
For all of you who don’t know what a toast box is, it’s essentially a block of toast, and inside are cubes of honey- sugar glazed toast. There were ice cream scoops on top, with pocky sticks, and an oreo, and some strawberry slices with strawberry sauce. I only enjoyed dipping the toast pieces within the ice cream, the strawberry, and the strawberry sauce.
The sauce tasted a bit like jam to me, so it was mediocre, but it tasted okay with the toast and ice cream. The toppings were definitely underwhelming compare to the Honey Toast Box at Whatever Cafe (see last review here,) but the toast of the Flo’s toast box was softer and easier to cut into, while the crust of the Whatever Cafe’s toast box was tougher. This dessert isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it fairly decent. However, I got full really fast from all the carbs.
I also ordered a ginger tea on the side for $5.50. I love drinking tea, especially ginger tea, with heavy food like this. It aids in digestion and gives you a zingy kick. It tasted fairly delicious and spicy, but it got too sweet in the end. But, I would order it again, and also the toast box. They have different kinds of sauces to go with the honey toast box.
I wish I lived closer to this location, since the one in Richmond doesn’t have stuff like Honey Toast Box yet. People might find this dessert unique and innovative, so you should try it! It’s great to share with people!
Tea of the Day: Lemon Ginger Yerba Mate (+ cinnamon bun indulgence) at Blenz
Another delicious tea found! I’m a huge fan of ginger tea, 90% of the reason is because I suffer 493848594553454580459 digestive problems and ginger is a great ailment.
I was at Blenz today, feeling a tad under the weather, and chose to order a cup of herbal tea- the Lemon Ginger Yerba Mate ($2.35). If I was stranded on this island, I would call someone to bring me a thermos of this stuff to survive.
SO DELICIOUS! I love the combination of lemon + ginger- it’s zesty with a bit of a spicy kick. And it certainly made me feel a lot better. I had no idea what “yerba mate” was so I did a bit of research is a type of tree. Despite not knowing what it was, I liked the taste, the aroma, and the flavour! Going to grab myself another cup of this tomorrow morning before work!
Also decided to get a cinnamon bun because I love these! For $3.25, you get a pretty giant “gooey cinnamon bun.” The outer layer is a bit tough, but the inner is definitely gooey and tastes gooier and more delicious after heating it up! Love the frosting for this!
My journey for finding delicious cinnamon buns and trying herbal teas continue!
Macaron Adventures Part VI: Bel Cafe
Yes! Another macaron spot in Vancouver, and I enjoyed it with lovely weather and a lovely friend. Today’s choice of macaron eats is Bel Cafe, located in Downtown on West Georgia.
You can take out macarons and pastries, or wait to be seated. We decided to sit down. Bel Cafe have savoury and sweet selections of food- such as soup and sandwiches, or pastries, desserts, and macarons!
I ordered a “Dawn” Tisane Tea ($2.50 + tax) – which is organic ginger fresh tea, and 2 macarons ($2 each ($1.79 + tax))- Rose & Raspberry flavour, and Black Sesame & Yuzu flavour. My friend ordered a Femtimans Soda in Curiosity Cola ($3.57 + tax) and 2 macarons as well – Vanilla Bean & Cookies and Cream.
I love the simplicity of two pretty, colourful food items sitting on a plain, white dish. The rose and raspberry macaron was divine! It wasn’t sugary sweet, it had raspberries in the ganache, I didn’t feel like I was biting into butter-the ganache was creamy and melty. The macaron had the slight hint of a rose taste, and it smelt more like a rose than tasted like one. The raspberry flavour was fresh. I love it!
The other one- black sesame and yuzu was more peculiar, but I liked it too! I had no idea what yuzu was until I googled it twenty minutes ago, but apparently is some sort of Asian citrus fruit. The ganache was a bit tart, but it complemented with the black sesame flavour well! I didn’t know what to expect, so I liked the macaron Hellespont!
I love a good cup of hot tea, and I love anything that has ginger, so this tea was the best of both worlds. It didn’t have a strong raw gingery taste, but it had a good zingy flavour which I enjoyed. The tea leaves are organic too!
Unlike I who like to eat different macaron flavours, my friend opted the more conventional sweet confectioneries- vanilla bean and cookies n’ cream. She had her pupils dilated and a look of delight while chewing on these- which means that these macarons hit the home run as well! I love the look of the cookies n ‘ cream macaron!
This is the Curiosity Cola. The bottle looks like a vintage Harry Potter potions bottle! It tastes similar to coke, but a bit sweeter, and a bit like Asian coke candy. It was a boost of sweet energy.
I enjoyed this mini-less expensive afternoon tea in downtown. This is a great location to grab a bite during the busy rush or a warm summer day while shopping amidst in Downtown Vancouver.
Tea Time: Organic Pu’erh Ginger
I have decided to add another section under my food category- tea. I love drinking tea and I buy so many flavours my parents complain I have enough to open my own tea store. I drink tea every single day, approximately 5-8 cups depending whether I’m at home or at work. Tea is extremely healthy- it can be a thirst quencher or act as a medicine!
One of my recent purchases is David’s Tea – Organic Pu’erh Ginger. I bought 100g, which comes with a free tin and when I bring the free tin for refill, I can get $0.50 off my purchase.
Name of Tea: Organic Pu’erh Ginger
Where to Buy: David’s Tea- Oakridge Centre
Cost: 50g for $7.50
Description: Combining pu’erh and ginger is like creating an arsenal. These are two of Chinese medicine’s best weapons, each with their own long history of legends and traditional uses. They also happen to be delicious. Especially when blended with a hint of orange, for a hint of citrus to complement the zesty earthiness.
Ingredients: Organic: pu’erh tea from Yunnan Province in China, ginger and orange peel.
I am prone to digestion problems, and the sales associate at David’s Tea recommended this to try. Either it’s a placebo effect or it works, but drinking this after a full meal feels wonderful and exhilarating. It looks like a cup of caffeine minus milk, or black tea. However, it is dark due to aging and fermentation. There is a bit of caffeine content in this, and I found that drinking this keeps me energized when I was staying up late to work on an essay.
I’ve only had just plain pu ‘erh tea in Chinese restaurants, so I knew I would like this tea. The extra addition of ginger gives a great kick of flavour. When I steep the tea leaves in my cup, I love inhaling the aroma of zesty, gingery tea.
I tweeted my love for this tea earlier to David’s Tea, and they suggested to try this iced. I decided to steep a bit in my cup and stuck it in the fridge for a couple hours, and I found it delicious! However, I still like my tea hot.
What’s in your cup of tea? More tea varieties on my blog to come!