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Sunday 18 August 2013

Coffee Shops of Vancouver

So I've already written about Blenz in my Food (and Drink) for Thought, and recently covered Beaucoup Bakery in the Review: Beacoup Bakery and Cafe post but since we've been here we have covered a lot of coffee shops. We simply love coffee. We're a coffee kind of couple.

So here's my take on a few of the places we've visited recently and why you should or shouldn't visit.

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Trees Organic Coffee 

Trees Organic Coffee was an early discovery. We stumbled upon the branch on Granville Street and decided we had to give the place which lays claim to the 'Best Cheesecake in Vancouver' a go. Between us we shared a piece of chocolate cheesecake and it was simply delicious, at the time we thought it was a tad pricey hence why we only got one slice, but the serving was large even for the 2 of us, and came on a neatly presented plate with cream and 2 forks, so in the end I think it was pretty reasonable for what we got. In the first few crazy days of being in Vancouver I don't think I really took in how good this place was and it's taken us this long to realise we actually love it.

We recently went again, this time to the one on Richards and I tried the mocha, which was lovely, though I would say very sweet and chocolatey and not particularly coffeeish, it was more hot chocolate than a mocha. (Not necessarily a complaint if like me, you love chocolate!)


Then this morning we returned for another coffee hit. Ian got an espresso, which he says is probably the best he's had in Vancouver. I myself sampled the espresso machiatto, which was perfect, hitting that perfect balance between the intenseness of coffee with the milder, calming milk. I also attempted (Ian talked me into it I swear) a slice of cheesecake, and I somehow managed to eat the whole damn thing. Seriously check these guys out, we haven't had one thing we disliked and we'll be making it a  regular haunt.

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Revolver

After some considerable research we decided to visit Revolver as it is supposedly one of the best in Vancouver. We heard it had a yuppie sort of hippster vibe which some didn't like, but due to the incredible reviews on the actual coffee we were eager to try it out. On entering you're met with quite a stylized interior, with warm woods and contrasting cold metallic decor such as nails in the wall which are shaped like the continents of the world. On the shelves they sell coffee beans, and various coffee utensils for brewing at home, which are a tad pricey but pretty to look at. It feels a lot less stuck up than I'd anticipated and I was quite comfortable in my jeans and t-shirt.



Revolver has a limited menu with just a few basic coffees (see above!), along with taster flights and a few snacky type foods available. I wonder if having such a small menu means that they are able to perfect each one because I can honestly say their's is the best latte I have ever had. And I've been back 3 times to make sure. It's so drinkable I could drink about 5 in one sitting. One criticism some have mentioned is that drinks are served in glasses. I actually like this touch, it feels different and quirky, and I didn't find the heat of the drink affected my ability to hold the glass, as some people claim.

Ian's drink of choice here has been the macciato, and he say's Revolver's is really, really good. Not the best he's had but high up there. He also says the espresso's are great, and that if you were an espresso fan they'd be your idea of heaven.

Amongst the food we tried, the chocolate cake is delicious, its sweet, sweet, sweet and the most delightful consistency, quite thick but not too stodgy. Ian has tried one of their power cookies, which he enjoyed immensely, and we've also sampled the pecan pies slices, which are very tasty but a little on the small side in my opinion.

All round a great place to hang out, the staff really know their stuff and the latte's are INCREDIBLE.

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AGRO Cafe, Yaletown

So we tried out AGRO as it's flagship shop is pretty close to our apartment and it was well reviewed, but honestly this has probably been my least favourite so far. The coffee was nice, but it was just that nice. It wasn't horrible but also not much to write home about. The shop was pretty quiet, with just us and one other patron there, and the setting/decor lets it down. While the coffee is nice, and it's situated in the hip Yaletown area, the shop itself is just a bit...blah. It's kind of dull looking, compared to the others which have so much personality and life! In other coffee shops you can tell they have put effort and serious thought to how they want to be presented, this place seems pretty lacklustre. That being said the lady that served us was lovely and chatty, and we had nice art on our drinks, but really you can get a much better experience elsewhere.

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The Buzz Cafe

The Buzz Cafe is one of my favourite places. On our first visit I went for a Hedgehog Mocha (which I believed involves chocolate and hazelnut) and was delighted to be met with these beauties (see right!), before I promptly dived into mocha heaven. It was creamy, chocolatey and sweet and just yum.

I love this place for so many reasons, the staff are chatty and informative, the menu is extensive and caters to pretty much anybody, all the products we've tried have gone down a storm, and the places location and feel is amazing. I just love it. The place is situtated within an art gallery so not only do you get great coffee you get to look at beautiful art while you drink. The art makes for great conversation, and makes the place feel very relaxed, open and chilled out. It's easy to spend lots of time here.

On a hot day we popped in for cold drinks, and I tried a fruity shake named something along the lines of a Pamela Ander'Sun' which involved peaches, ice and I can't remember what else. But it was refreshing, cooling and ticked every box for what I wanted. On the same occasion Ian had the David 'Hazel'hoff, which I think was a hazel/coffee shake and which he immensily enjoyed too. We've also checked out the macciato's (yes, amazing!) and I've had the Rolo Mocha (nice, very sweet, but I didn't really get Rolo coming through as a flavour.) This place just keeps on giving, there are so many things to try, so much variety and is such a great place to just sit and chill out, we can and have whiled away many an hour here. Love it.

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So that's a wrap for now, though I'm sure we'll try new places soon! If anyone can recommend any new places they think we should try out, drop me a line!

Monday 5 August 2013

Review: Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe, Vancouver, BC

Today is BC day, a public holiday that means most Vancouverites get a three day weekend.

But not for me!

I started my work on Friday and worked all weekend, with today being my first day off, and it felt like a well earned one I must say. This mornings lie in was heavenly! And then for breakfast Ian organised a trip out, as he'd heard great things about a bakery just south of Downtown, so we made it a thing for us to do.

We decided to walk as Google maps told us it would only take 30 minutes, and so far we haven't attempted walking across Granville bridge, due to my slight reservations about it. It's an intimidating looking bridge! But when you actually get on it, it feels really safe, and the distance is really reasonable, it turned out to be a short walk to the other side and the views of Granville Island and the harbour are beautiful.





We found our way to the bakery pretty easily, its nestled on Fir Street, about a 2 minute walk away from Granville, so really easy and a very doable distance for us from home. We wandered up to the cafe to find all the tables outside where filled, and once through the door we found the place was packed! It's a reasonable size shop, however the queue at the counter was impressive. We'd read that it gets busy, the place is so popular they regular run out of stock early in the day, so if you decide to check it out I'd suggest going in the morning. The business is young at only 8 months old, but apparently they are doing really well and continually growing and gaining customers, and I can see why. I did manage to grab a seat while Ian ordered and paid.

This is what we choose:



On the left, my plate with a Salted Caramel Eclair and a Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie, and Ian's on the right, with 2 Cheese Scones.

First of all the Cheese Scones. These were incredible, and an item that was suggested as a must have! We got 2, as they were the last 2 in the basket and wanted to snap them up before anyone else did! They were delicious, with just the right amount of cheesey flavour, and a light texture which avoided the stodginess you sometimes get with scones. Simply divine! I had a taste but left the majority to Ian. Him being more of a savoury man means I got the sweets instead :D

The first item I tasted was the Salted Caramel Eclair. I don't even know where to begin with this. The pastry was light and crisp, and the Eclair was filled with cream and the caramel topping was crunchy, giving it a varied texture. The cream and topping hit my sweet tooth to the max, and the caramel flavour was exquisite. The salt on the top rounded the flavours off beautifully, I could have wolfed down another one immediately!

Secondly the Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie, which was again, amazing. The cookie components where so beautifully soft, that when you bit into it, it almost melted in your mouth, while the rest of cookie still held together in your hand (just!). The crumbles of peanut butter and sugar granules added variety, the filling was smooth and sweet, and just the right amount to moisten up the cookie but not overpower it. The peanut butter flavour that came through was extraordinary, but without the sticking in your mouth sensation you can sometimes get with peanut butter, and it also provided a slightly salty taste to compensate for the sweetness. Such a lovely combination, I wish I could have eaten all of it! But alas, both the eclair and cookie together where quite filling, even for me, so I had to share, though I'm pretty sure I could have polished one of these off if I'd only had one item.



To end, we wrapped up our visit with an espresso for Ian and a cappuccino for myself. Both delicious and very well made (also quite speedily!) We would buy again.

Having read reviews and recommendations for this place, it really didn't disappoint, and we left with massive grins on our faces and a croissant to take home for later! (Which we later sampled and Ian said, and I quote 'Was the best croissant he'd ever had.')

All round, an amazing bakery, and we will definitely be returning to try other goodies out soon. I'm already eying up the menu!




Friday 2 August 2013

Ian's Birthday Cruise

Last Tuesday was my lovely other halves 24th birthday and as a surprise I'd organized a lunch cruise up the Indian Arm, a coastal mountain fjord, courtesy of Harbour Cruises down on Denman Street. The way I figure it, the best gift I can give right now is a piece of Canada and a great day out rather than something physical that takes up loads of space that we don't have and baggage space when we eventually go home! (I did also get him a mug (romantic eh?) with a Canadian maple leaf on it, so he had something to unwrap!)

So Tuesday morning rolled around and at 9:45 we shot out of our apartment and powerwalked down Howe and Georgia till we hit the harbour. Boarding was at 10:30am sharp, so we waited around for awhile, taking in the harbour views and people watched. As we sat there it dawned on us we were among the youngest visitors waiting to board, and were slightly apprehensive it would make for a slightly awkward trip. But upon boarding our fears were allayed! We were ushered on board, and our tickets indicated we were on the upper deck, where we discovered they had divided up the group with the younger ones on the upper deck and some of the older visitors below. We felt this was very well done and showed great consideration for all parties. We were shown to a table, which had a name card for the booking and very thoughtfully, a birthday card for Ian. (When I went to pick up the tickets earlier in the week they asked if it was for a special occasion, I should have twigged!) We did wonder if they'd do something further like announce it on the loudspeaker as there was a gentleman doing some chatter as we left the harbour, but thank goodness we weren't picked on!

Then we were off! The boat started moving, and we left the harbour and followed the Inlet east. After we's started moving we were allowed to move around the vessel, so after a quick cup of coffee Ian and I darted up to the next deck which was outdside so we could take in all the views in the fresh air. I swear I saw some jellyfish in the water too! The picture right features the Trans Canada Highway on one side and the railway line on the other. (On our return journey a monstrously huge train passed over us just as we went under it, pretty cool to see!) As we traveled we were provided with information about the sights we passed, such as parks, the McBarge (yes someone unfathomably built an McDonald's on a barge) and an oil station and I took a million photos. About an hour into the cruise and we turned left into the Indian Arm, a glacial fjord which basically consists of stunning cliffs covered in trees and scattered with waterfalls.

At this point we were asked to take our seats for lunch so we had to go below deck again. The food on offer was delicious. The buffet style of serving meant that you could have as much or as little as you liked and go back for seconds, and things on offer included a garden salad, a Greek style salad, BC salmon filets, roast chicken with garlic, and a lovely pilaf. It was all very fresh, tasty and pretty healthy. I must say I was so eager to get stuck in I forgot to take pictures, but imagine a plate piled as high as humanely possible and you get the gist of how good it was. For desert there was some sort of fruit tart thing, but honestly my concentration zoomed in on a piece of chocolate cake and I was done for. Following a very fulfilling meal, Ian and I dashed back outside to take in the gorgeous views. Below are two of my favourite shots from that day, it was so photogenic I couldn't stop snapping.





From there we followed the Indian Arm further north, and we stayed outside for the duration, enjoying the sunshine, the breeze and the views. Eventually we reached the northernmost point of our journey, Silver Falls. Here the captain produced a very impressive maneuver where he sailed the vessel very close to the falls for photographs. Mine didn't come out fantastically as we stood on the highest point of the boat and were looking down at the falls and the prow of the boat which reflected the sunlight and made an awkward white glare, so I had to dash to the front of the boat for a better view, this was the best I could do, as at the time we were reversing back out of the gap in the rock where the waterfall resides.


From that point onwards we were on the return journey, taking a similar route but following the opposite shore so we did get new views. We passed close to Deep Cove, a lovely area we had recently visited with friends, and we spotted lots of kayakers and rowers. Then it was back into Burrard Inlet and towards the harbour again. This last leg was very informative with lots of commentary, it started to get quite windy but we persevered and stayed outside to listen. We passed an array of vessels as we headed along North Vancouver, including a Russian millionaire's yacht worth $30 million, barges carrying cargo and 2 which were partially submerged after an accident. We passed massive cargo ships and tug boats waiting to be loaded, some with grain, others with products such as sulphur. We even passed a group of seals basking in the warm afternoon sunshine. and then alas it was back into the harbour and time to disembark.

Considering the journey was 4 hours long (almost to the minute), Ian and I agreed it went by so quickly, we didn't want it to end! We both loved the trip (at least I think he did!) and would absolutely do it again. Overall it was a great experience, a very relaxing and chilled out day that made you feel very taken care of throughout. The staff are very friendly and attentive, the food great, the coffee and tea free-flowing, the commentary is entertaining and informative but not too overbearing, and the natural beauty of the places you get to see and truly breathtaking.