Bittersweetlife Food

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope it was all safely celebrated by everyone I had a little friendsgiving celebration with delicious steak (one grass fed, the other grain fed with a grass finish) It came with a little education session about how flavor profiles and texture of beef differ based on their diet! Amidst the craziness happening in the world, and the rollercoaster ride of a year it's been, I've still found many things to be grateful for. Stay safe, social distance, and wash those hands!

Shamelessly delightful. Recently discovered these wonderful folks @shamelessbuns thanks to @sheshenee and now I'm addicted to this Filipino food truck! They serve up fresh buns, fries, and other goodies as they roam around the city.

Who else missed DineOut earlier in the year? Well, fear not, there's DineOutside happening from Aug 21-Sept 21! Although staying at home is the best course of action, this is a good method for people to learn social distancing and adapt to a new "normal" while staying safe and supporting local businesses. I went to Honey Salt at Parq Vancouver for their $25 3-course lunch. I chose the HS Mini-Market, featuring fresh and pickled heirloom vegetables, sweet potato chips, tabbo...uleh, and a cauliflower dip...or so the description stated. No sweet potato chips on my plate, but it was a nice light selection of veggies, which went well with the smooth creamy cauliflower dip. Tabbouleh was on the bland side, nice presentation on the lettuce bowl though! For my main I had the Poke Bowl (albacore tuna, avocado, orange, and cucumber on a bed of black rice topped with cilantro-miso dressing). Portion-wise this looked pretty small, probably not enough food for most people. The tuna was fresh and I quite liked the popped rice sprinkled throughout, added a nice crunch and depth of texture to the bowl. My friend got the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich (durkee slaw on a brioche bun with side salad) and truffle fries ($5 addition). I tried a little piece of the chicken and goodness, it was so juicy yet crispy! Wonderful dish! The truffle fries were fragrant and fluffy, quite enjoyable as well. To finish the meal we enjoyed their Key Lime Pie (italian meringue topped with candied lime peel). Definitely saved the best for last; the tart was flakey and mildly sweet, contrasting well with the tart key lime. The candied lime peel added a nice "crunch" and beautiful citrus to the dessert. Overall a well-rounded dessert of perfect size to satisfy taste buds, but still long for just a little more! Wonderfully attentive and friendly staff, I noticed that they were all practicing proper hand hygiene and covid precautions. That little attention to detail and having proper training for staff just gives me confidence in dining at this establishment. Stay safe and enjoy everyone! #bittersweetlifefood #BSLfood #igeats #foodie #foodporn #dineoutside2020 #dineoutside #honeysalt #foodporn

Been pretty busy lately so here's a short and sweet post of my recent visit to Tour de Feast in North Van! We came here for brunch and ordered two of their skillet dishes. I got their Black Bar ($21) which was a braised beef skillet in a creamy curry-like sauce with beautifully soft poached eggs. A well balanced dish of flavors and the beef was well marinated and tender. Quite delightful of a dish, wish there was more bread to dip in the sauce! My friend got the Lyon ($16). T...he couple nibbles I had gave me the impression that this was a bit too salty for my liking, but the bacon flavor did come through nicely. A little storefront with decent social distancing, friendly staff, good food--would definitely come by again if I'm in the area! #BSLfood #bittersweetlifefood #igfood #foodie #yummy #brunch #eggs #northvancouver #northshore #foodporn #yvreats #french #tourdefeast #cafe #covideats #staysafe #socialdistancing #eggporn #eatfortheinsta #foodbloggers @ Tour de feast

Although it saddens me that the potential of dining in might be off the table again due to the increase in covid cases here, I know we must all do our part in keeping everyone safe! Here's a little post to reminisce the good times, and stay satiated until we can once again emerge safely (and also cuz I have way too much unposted content I probably should get on it xD)! This was when I dined at @waterstcafe through @firsttableca Started our meal off with wine and a little Mi...mosa, which was followed by some crab cakes ($16). The crab cakes had a crunchy exterior and a nicely seasoned crab filling. The saffron aioli contrasted the creamy filling well. I didn't care much for the orange rinds in the accompanying salad though Next up, a beautiful Spaghetti Alle Vongole ($25.50) with plentiful clams. The clams were fresh and a good amount. The pasta was al dente but nothing phenomenonal about it. Overall a good dish. Lastly, we had the Grilled Wild BC Salmon ($29.75). What stood out to me in this dish besides the perfectly cooked salmon were the pickled blueberries. There was a nice tartness to them which contrasted the fatty salmon quite well. Salmon skin was crispy, albeit a bit salty. A solid meal though! Overall I had a pleasant experience here, food is typically good and I love the music. Did you know they have live music in the afternoons? Well, now you do! Hoping everyone stays safe! Don't forget that although restrictions are lifting slowly, we still haven't found a vaccine So... Maintaining social distancing, hand hygiene, wearing masks and healthy habits are some of our best defenses against covid now! #betterdaysahead #BSLfood #bittersweetlifefood #covideats #waterstreetcafe #gastownvancouver #gastowneats #igeats #foodporn #seafood #yvreats #yummyinmytummy #feedme #goodvibes #gastown #vancouver #firsttable #dinner #eeeats #igfood @ Water Street Cafe

Traveled over to Kelowna for a quick trip and delicious eats! Luckily, I was able to secure a table for dinner with short notice at a local favorite, RauDZ Regional Table. The first thing that caught my eye was their Crab cappuccino ($14), which is a roasted Dungeness crab soup with milk broth. I loved the rich crab flavor, complimented by the creaminess but not overwhelming. Isn't the little beet crab the cutest?? On a side note, they missed the chance to call it a crabuccin...o Next, their beautifully plated Beef Carpaccio ($17). The colors are so vibrant and although I felt the pickled mushrooms wasn't my thing, it created a nice contrast with the aioli and beef. We also got BC Mussels ($24) to share. There was plentiful house made chorizo and peas with the broth, however I prefer a creamier broth. Mussels were a bit on the small side, but fresh. Not a memorable dish. Onto the mains! I got the Lamb ($33), which has two cuts: lamb chop and tenderloin. The lamb chop was cooked perfectly, tender and seasoned well. The tenderloin, on the other hand, a bit too much salt that I ended up scraping off the salt and it was much better. I liked the barley risotto, different but pleasantly not as filing as regular risotto. Presentation-wise, this was quite appealing to the eye, loved all that cheese on top with the colorful pop of flowers! The other girls ordered the 7oz Peppercorn Flatiron steak ($33). Steak itself was cooked to desired donenes, duck fat layered potatoes was a bit overwhelming, didn't taste much duck flavor in it. I definitely appreciated their attention to detail for every dish, and plating matched the season well. Overall we really enjoyed ourselves and our server was so friendly and helpful. I love how they had homemade blueberry lollipops that came with our bill, they were fragrant and not overly sweet. Thanks for the recommendation Chris!! #BSLfood #bittersweetlifefood #foodie #foodporn #seafood #steak #beautifulplating #aestheticfood #Raudz #raudzregionaltable #kelownaeats #Kelowna #minivacation #crabcappuccino #lamb #eatlocal #eeeeats #eatfortheinsta #igeats @ RauDZ Regional Table

Cake? I love cake. Especially @butter.mere's delicious new mango lava cake! Got this for my dad's birthday and everyone was very happy with it. I love how light the cream was and not too sweet. The mango lava was smooth and deliciously fruity. It also should come with golden kiwi, but due to allergies we had them omitted. Aside from the cake itself looking gorgeous, the flavors lived up to the hype! #cake #buttermere #buttermerepatisserie #mangolava #goldencake #bslfood #bittersweetlifefood #foodporn #delicious #dessert #mango #light #cream #chocolate #birthdaycakes #diditforthegram #decadent #yvreats #yummyinmytummy #sweettooth @ Butter mere