Faubourg

I remember before all my finals and leaving Vancouver for Christmas, I spent my last "free time" in Kerrisdale and randomly saw a cute, little cafe along 41st Ave., next to Asa Sushi. Maybe because it was new, this small cafe was packed with people eating, drinking, chatting, and, standing waiting for tables.

During one weekend, when I was (always) having a hard time deciding where to go for lunch, my friend, EU, brought "Faubourg" back to my mind.

Faubourg ("fo-boor")?.....What is it?

Buzz Cafe and Espresso Bar-Art + Cofee

I know there are quite a number of cafe posts going on in my blog, especially during the early summer. The reason is simple. It's because I was bored. As a result, I decided to visit the cafes that I have always wanted to visit: Arbutus Coffee, Bojangles Cafe, and Elysian Coffee.
I would go to Urbanspoon and see which cafes I was interested in :P There's one that caught my sight right away due to it's location and name. I know there is a gallery there in the corner but I never noticed there's also a cafe!

So, curious enough, I decided to go there and see what's actually inside this gallery...

Japan trip-Coffee Negishi

Underground restaurants are very common in Japan, almost every department store has a basement where you can find small shops, restaurants, bakeries, etc.

Since we lived near Shinjuku, the basement of Odakyu (one of the big department stores in Tokyo Japan) was the most familier to us. Most restaurants there are cafes. So when we decided to have breakfast one morning, the first coffee shop that appeared to us immediately became our first choice.

Arbutus Coffee-Cafe + House?

There's one small cafe caught my sight every time when I was going to W 4th Ave/Kitsilano. Its old, cottage-like outlook always seems fascinating to me. Then I told myself, I must come someday, not necessarily for their food and coffee...but definitely for their setting ;P

I woke up early one day (as usual) and felt like going for breakfast. Since I also planned to spend my day at Kitsilano that day, I decided to find a relaxing cafe there and grab a quick breakfast. Wait...Kitsilano? Isn't there a coffee shop I've always wanted to try?

So, here I came, the long-waiting Arbutus Coffee.

New Town Bakery & Restaurant-Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #6

Finally. I've finally finished taking all the photos I need for this post. The first time when I decided to take some final shots of their steamed buns, I couldn't wait after I got the buns and started to put them into my mouth. The second time, I successfully took the photos, but deleted them by accident. Now, these photos are here. I can finally review on one of the best and one of my favourite bakeries in town :)

To read my previous reviews on other Red Bean Buns I've tried, click here (it also has all the links to other reviews).

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #5

It's gettin' there, it's gettin' there. I think this Red Bean Bun Battle is going to an end soon. I want to try as many bakeries as possible before I (officially) start my summer vacation: a trip to Hong Kong.

These are the previous reviews of all the Red Bean Bun I have tried:
Maxim's at Richmond Centre-Red Bean Bun Battle #1
Red Bean Bun Battle #2 (La Patisserie, Michele Cake Shop, Wheat Garden Bakery, Langley Farm Market Bakery)
Red Bean Bun Battle #3 (Castle Cake Shop, Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery, Pine House Bakery at Parket Place, Regent Bakery)
Red Bean Bun Battle #4 (De Fresh Bakery at Empire Supermarket, Saint Germain Bakery at Aberdeen Centre)

So, here we go again! :) The first stop is the well-known Yaohan Centre.

Cafe In at Kerrisdale

Sometimes I will like to spend the entire day sitting in a cafe and relax. Or I will finish running errands in the morning, then spend the rest of the day in a cafe. I've tried once last week at Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar (To see my previous visit, please click here), and this time, I decided to go to Kerrisdale, where has always been one of favourite places.

Instead of just walking along W 41st Ave, I went further this time. Until I saw Pastry Club Dessert Cafe and a hidden cafe, I stopped.

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #4

The Red Bean Bun Battle is back! Actually I tried all these buns on the same day, but I just tried to post them separately :P To read my first three posts, pleases click here, here, and here.

In order to find the bakeries in Richmond, I, of course, rely on Urbanspoon. However, sometimes I discovered some unfamiliar bakeries that I have not heard of or seen before; De Fresh Bakery is one of the examples.

Bonchaz Bakery Cafe-Small buns? Yum.

I am no strange to Bonchaz and have always wanted to give it a try. Since I woke up a bit earlier this morning and felt like trying something new, I decided to take the skytrain to Waterfront and gave their little buns a try.

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #3

After visiting the bakeries around Richmond Centre and Lansdowne (posts here and here), I moved forward to Alexandra Road, of course.

The first bakery I saw is Castle Cake Shop. My impression to it was from my sister's piano teacher, who once recommended my sister to try their buns. It was still early in the morning when I still arrived, so the shelves were reasonably empty. Just when I planned to leave, the owner said all the buns were ready in the kitchen; they just didn't have enough time to pack them individually. Yum, sounds fresh to me. So there I got my red bean bun (again)! ;)

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #2

Right after I finished the buns from Maxim's, I went to the small mall next to the Brighouse Station (where Shanghai House Restaurant and New Town Bakery are), and got another red bean bun from La Patisserie.

Maxim's at Richmond Centre-Red Bean Bun Battle #1

I know this may sound silly because this "challenge" is all about red bean, a.k.a. the insignificant food you see after having dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Yes I used hate red bean, but it has literally become one of favourite foods! Meanwhile, I have always wanted to try all (or most) bakeries in Richmond.

For that reason, I decide to merge these two things together, and turn it into a Red Bean Bun Challenge.

Maple Castella Bakery #3-Finally a savoury bread!

Okay, I admit I have cravings sometimes. I mean I have cravings for other food apart from Japanese food. Last week, when I was checking the Bakery List in Richmond from Urbanspoon, the pictures of Maple Castella came to my sight. Ohhhh, I was craving for its Pumpkin Bread for the whole night!

For my last two visits to Maple Castella, please visit the following links:
Maple Castella #1
Maple Castella #2

After having lunch today at about 2:10pm, EU and I decided to visit Maple Castella. Also given the fact that it's about 2pm, which is the time for the fresh bread loaves to come out from the ovens, we could not give ourselves a reason for not giving them a visit!

We only had a light lunch, so EU suggested to give their Pork Floss Bread a try. Since we've already tried the other two sweet bread loaves, so yea, why not?

Maple Castella Bakery
#1068-8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6
Price: 5
Service: 6
Ambiance: n/a (It's a bakery)
Overall: 6

• Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm (Except Thursdays) Sun 9:30am-6pm
  Closed on Thursdays
• Chinese/Taiwanese bakery
• Baked fresh daily
• Popular to Chinese
• Hole-in-the-wall; location is pretty hard to find.
• Except the flavoured bread loaves, other plain white bread loaves avialable as well.
• Other Taiwanese buns available
• Parking available
• If you want to dig in right after you buy the bread, there's a food court upstairs ;)

Pork Floss Bread-5/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• Other flavours: Taro, Pumpkin
• According to EU, their flavoured bread loaves are a bit more expensive than other bakeries.

• The loaf above was the middle section of the bread. Before I tore the bread into pieces, it looked simple to me. I was thinking: where's the pork floss?
• After I gently tore a pieces of bread, I started to see some brown pork floss coming out.
• The pork floss here wasn't the one I have had before. The typical ones are dry, but this is kind of moist and crumbly.
• Judging by the photo above, some of you may think there's not much filling. However, the pork floss is layered between each piece of bread! Yes, I mean layers. You see some pork floss, then a thin layer of super-soft bread, and then pork floss again. I love how they put the ingredients like that :)

• The bread was topped with some cheese which gave the bread an extra savoury taste.
• The bread itself was as fluffy and as soft as usual.

Even though the Pork Floss Bread tasted well in general, EU and I still prefer the sweet ones, especially the Pumpkin Bread! We like the chunkier filling and the stronger taste in the Pumpkin Bread.

Seriously, I always see their bread as "unbeatable" bread; they are really good. Make sure you give them a visit when you visit Richmond. They will never disappoint you ;)
(FYI: If you're aiming for their bread loaves, make sure you arrive there at about 2pm or give them a call to reserve a loaf!)

Kolachy Co-Stuffed full of GOODNESS

EU has been praising how great Kolachy is after trying it two weeks ago. "OMG, their bread is simply awesomeeee! It's super soft! I'm not joking, you should definitely give it a try!"
Originally, we planned to go last Sunday; however, we phoned them and they said it's closed on sundays! Disappointed enough since I was pretty desperate to try their buns (but I try not to keep my hope too high after hearing EU's glorifying their bun), we ended up having Maple Castella,which is a wonderful choice, of course.

So finally, despite today's rainy day, we decided to go Kolachy Co and gave those lil' buns a bite!

Maple Castella Bakery #2- The King of Bakery!

I always see there's a special connection between Maple Castella and me, maybe because my last visit was the beginning of my blog. And for some reason, EU was craving their bread recently because she always reminded me of their awesome Pumpkin Bread we had last time.

Originally, I planned to visit Kolachy Co. at downtown (because EU kept on praising how good their bun was). Unfortunately, right before we left home, EU found out that they don't open on Sundays. Disappointed enough, we decided to go to Maple Castella. We decided to call them to order half loaf of Taro Bread. It was 10:50am when we called, and they said all bread loaves would not be ready untill 2pm! AHA! Since EU was too desperate to try their bread again, we decided to have our lunch at 2pm today.

I was not really excited about Maple Castella's bread loaf, mainly because I've forgotten the goodness of their bread. But when I entered the store with that fresh bakery smell......"OH MY GOODNESS" again. We ordered half loaf of Taro Bread but decided to change it into Pumpkin Bread; however, we were told that the Pumpkin Bread would not be ready until 2:30pm. So since we have never tried their Taro Bread, let's give it a try!

Maple Castella Bakery
#1068-8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6
Price: 5
Services: 6
Ambiance: n/a (it's a bakery)
Overall: 6

• Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm (Except Thursdays) Sun 9:30am-6pm
  Closed on Thursdays
• Chinese/Taiwanese bakery
• Baked fresh daily
• Popular to Chinese
• Hole-in-the-wall; location is pretty hard to find
• Except the flavoured bread loaves, other plain white bread loaves avialable as well
• Other Taiwanese buns available
• Parking available

Taro Bread-5.5/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• Other flavours: Pork floss, pumpkin
• According to EU, their flavoured bread loaves are a bit more expensive than other bakeries.

• Unlike the Pumpkin Bread we had last time, this Taro Bread did not have much filling.

• The taro was not too sweet, but I didn't pay much attention to the filling (especially I didn't find out whether there were any taro chunks in it!) because I was TOO overwhelmed by the texture of the bread!

• Looking at the photos above, can you see how fluffy the bread is? It was super fluffy and soft!!
• Special texture, unlike the typical Chinese/Asian/Japanese/European/Western bread.
• A bread that doesn't taste like a bread, it's waaayyy fluffier than a bread.
• I think they are only available at about 2pm, so remember to make reservation.

• You can easily tear them apart, like a marshmellow!
• It was so soft that it couldn't even stand when I tore the bread in pieces.

• Despite the less filling, the bread was baked in layers (as shown in the picture above).

After finishing half loaf of Taro Bread, we were too desperate to want more! When I returned, it was already fully packed with people. I told the nice and always-smiling old man that I would like to order half loaf of Pumpkin Bread. Though the other young lady said it was not readied yet, he repeated my order and told the kitchen to have it ready...NOW.

Pumpkin Bread-6/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• With some pumpkin seeds on top.

• Can you see the steam? It was piping hot when they gave me!
• LOADED with pumpkin chunks! I am very sure that their pumpkin is fresh instead of the ready-made/canned ones.

• Have you ever seen the pumpkin filling in a bread has its skin on? No I have not. It may look weird or gross in the beginning, but it was very good (The one we had last time did not have its skin on, so we were shocked when we saw these.)
• The mashed pumpkin was naturally sweet. EU and I (especially EU) love it! It smelt sooo good when they gave us.
• Again, it was super fluffy and soft!

• The crust was soft and crunchy, but not the crunchiness you find in crackers.

After trying both flavours, EU and I prefer the Pumpkin Bread more than the Taro Bread. We love it so much and will surely come back for more! Hmm...I wish they have red bean flavor as well...

Secret Garden Tea Company #2

ArelyB, one of my best buddies, came to Canada last year and stayed here for about 3 months. As this was only her second time coming to Canada, everything seemed new to her. EU and I wanted to bring her to some unique restaurant that she had never seen before. And the first thing came to our minds......the Secret Garden Tea Company.

Aunt Jemima Pancakes!

Pancakes. Almost a staple to my LIFE. I don't care whether they are hotcakes/pancakes, as long as they are good and fluffy, I'm ready to chow down...maybe 4 pieces at one time? (FYI I just had 4 delicious pancakes for dinner. It's heaven!) Also, who doesn't love pancakes?

My foodie buddy EU has bought a box of Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake Powder recently. So we decided to make some home-made pancakes for dinner.

Before I start to introduce this pancake powder, let me show you the evolution of Aunt Jemima! ;)

-1930-

-1943- -1954-
All images from Found in Mom's Basement

Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix

Price: $3.99

Place to buy: You can find it in most supermarkets

• Convenient; "Just Add Water"
• According to EU, it is comparatively healthier than other pancake powder
• Does not have that "egg" flavour because it's an instand mixture
• Other flavours available

If you want to make some easy, fast, and delicious snacks at home, I recommend you to check this out :) It is really quick and easy to make. Also, if you have kids at home, making pancakes/hotcakes is definitely an easy way to help them learn how to cook ;) ENJOY!

Secret Garden Tea Company #1-T for Two?

Secret Garden Tea Company
#5559 West Blvd, Vancouver BC
(Kerrisdale)

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 5.5
Price: 4.5
Services: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 5.5

• Authentic high-tea place
• Mon-Sat 8am-7pm Sun 9am-6pm
• Traditional high-tea sets (with three-tiered tray) available
• Breakfast and lunch available
• Snacks are also available
• Large variety of teas available
• Super friendly staffs
• Kid-friendly, cozy place
• Suitable for all ages
• Price is a bit higher compare to other cafes or restaurants for a quick snack
• You can purchase their teas if you want
• Popular to locals
• Cute and fancy cups and plates
• Dine in/Take out (48hrs notice is required)
  Occasion to celebrate: tea parties, luncheons, baby showers, family outing, anniversaries, office parties, birthday parties, memorial services, garden parties and picnics. You can call them to help plan a personalized menu.

Premium High Tea Set (for two)-5.5/6

• $25.95 for adults, $16.95 for children (8 years old or below)
• Reservations can be made for: 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm, every day of the week
• Your selected tea + three-tiered tray (including miniature pastries, sweets, sweet scones, Devon cream, raspberry jam, and sandwiches)
• They change the items every month
• They will refill hot water to your teapots
• Since this is my first visit and first time trying a traditional three-tiered tray high-tea set, I find this really special and unique
  
  

Buckingham Palace-5.5/6

• Earl grey and jasmine
• It is one of their bestsellers
• You can add milk if you like but I didn't; I like the bitterness of black teas
• Even though it's more like a decoration to add fanciness to the plates and teapots, I like how they have given each teapot a coat in order to keep it warm

Low Tier-5.5/6

• Egg salad pinwheels, mini sandwiches (with black forest ham, cheese and honey mustard) and mini croissants (with ham and cheese on top)
• I highly recommend their pinwheels! (especially the egg salad ones) They are so soft. I can't say the egg salad is mushy, but it is as soft as the bread.
• Everything is tiny but I suggest not to eat them in one bite! I like eating the mini sandwiches in layers ;)
• They give us the right amount for two people. This low tier may seem a lot but I'm sure you are still able to move on to the next tier, then to the top lier.

Mid Tier-5/6

• Cranberry petite scones (come with jam and devonshire cream) and banana coconut loaves
• I like the banana coconut loaf more. While it may look like it's overly coated with coconut flakes, the banana flavour is still there.
• The scones are crunchy but not hard. You can add jam or cream if you like.

Top Tier-4/6

• Lemon tarts, fudge cakes and lemon cakes (actually I'm not sure about the name of this one)
• Lemon tart is one of their signature items
• I love the lemon tart! The lemon flavour is strong but it's not that sourness you get from the real lemon.
• The fudge cakes are acceptable. It is actually not as sweet as other typical desserts I had before.
• For the last one, I'm not sure whether the filling is lemon or other type of fruit. I have spent some time figuring out..but well, it still tastes good though.

I like Secret Garden Tea Company. Spending a relaxing afternoon there with my family and friends, sipping a cup of freshly made tea and indulge myself in those pretty bite-sized snacks are definitely a nice way to take a rest from a busy and chaotic week.

Maple Castella Bakery #1-(One of) The BEST bread in my life!

Welcome welcome welcome :) I have been struggling whether to start a blog recently. Thanks to my sister, she has given me the motivation to start one.

This blog is going to include ALL the stuff I see in my daily life, including foods, fashion, interesting experiences etc etc etc. (Well, Vancouver food posts are normally posted on weekends)

So here we go! The FIRST food post on SHiRLEY SEES :)

After having lunch, EU and I spent some time in Richmond because she wanted to find a "recommended bakery" for their pumpkin bread. We spent about an hour searching for this bakery. To be honest, I didn't expect much from the bakery's outlook, the customers inside, and most importantly, the weird-looking shopkeepers. However, I was wrong, so wrong.

Maple Castella Bakery
#1068-8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6
Price: 5
Services: 5
Ambiance: n/a [it's a bakery]
Overall: 6

This is my 1st time there so I've only tried their PUMPKIN BREAD-6/6

• super fluffy and soft bread
• can easily tear apart
• special texture; unlike the typical Chinese/Asian/European/American bread
• "a bread that doesn't taste like a bread", it's waaayyy fluffier than a bread
• baked fresh daily, or even hourly
• popular to Chinese/locals
• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• according to EU, it's a bit more expensive to normal bread but it's definitely worth it!
• other flavours: red bean, taro, pork floss
• Taiwanese bakery
• Hole-in-the-wall; location is pretty hard to find
• pumpkin filling: decent amount, not too sweet, fresh (not the canned ones), mashed rather than puree, include chunks

I've never had such fluffy AND soft bread in my life! It is even better than the ones I had in Hong Kong! When I was in the bakery, the bread's outlook did not look really good. And the way the lady served the bread is a bit weird. But after she said, "Be careful, it's still warm." I could not wait to give this little monster a bite!

After spending some time figuring out how Maple Castella made their awesome bread, EU and I are wondering whether they have used the (Chinese) steaming method to make the bread. If there are any PROs out there know more information about Steaming, I don't mind you leave me a comment :) I really really want to know more about it.

EU and I bought a half loaf pumpkin bread and finished it right away! Hehe..But surprisingly, we did not feel super full (like we want to vomit), maybe because of their not-too-sweet filling.

Dinner post will be posted sooon! ;)