Tag Archives: artisan

Quick Noms-Cartems Donuterie

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Recently I’ve had the pleasure of getting to try some of the other Cartems Donuterie flavors that weren’t in my earlier post either because they were sold out or their brand new creations to the Cartems donuts family.

First up is the Carrot Cake donut. With the oats on top to provide a nice texture, the inside of this donut is soft and delish. Grated carrots and spices make up the inside of this unique creation. This is one of the original flavors that I was wanting and waiting to try.

Sea Salted Caramel Chocolate Donut. A match made in heaven is what this is. The chocolate donut was moist and rich while the caramel had a depth of flavor (like when comparing milk and dark chocolate in flavor) and a grittiness from the addition of the sea salt. This is an adult treat and isn’t a caramel donut that a kid would like.

A citrus dust donut. The only way I can describe this is fresh and bright. The flavors are ones that any citrus lover would like and the sweet glaze compliments that tang from the citrus dust.

The mole 2.0 flavor donut. This is another new creation, flavored with 3 different chili’s, cardamom, cinnamon and other spices make this a complex flavor treat. After takin my 1st bite I could taste the spices but the heat from the chili’s was a creeper and hit my palette about 10 minutes later-a totally different experience from their Sweet Heat donut.

I enjoyed all the flavors I’ve had so far and with the creations that there dreaming up Vancouver’s donut obsession will continue without a doubt.

Cartems Donuterie (Pop-up Shop) on Urbanspoon

Cartems Donuterie

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With the addition of social media to the world specifically Facebook and Twitter a new offspring has been born from the two~the “pop-up shop” and now we have a new kid on the block and there feeding the masses artisan style donuts!

With inspiration from such greats as the Pacific Northwest’s Voodoo Donuts and the awesome Seattle classic Top Pot Donuts, the guy’s at Cartem are putting their own unique twist with flavors like Earl Grey Tea, Carrot Cake and Bacon Bourbon as well as a killer vegan chocolate donut that would win over anybody~and judging from public reaction it certainly has!

The donuts are made fresh everyday and because of the insane demand for these treats the store has had to be restocked several times a day with sell outs happening within an hour of opening sometimes, I talked to the friendly guy behind the counter and he let me know that there trying to work out supply issues and deal with demand so everyone gets donuts. They were also offering ordering online but that has been put on hold to prevent being over whelmed and not being able to provide to the public in the store front operation so let’s just say it’s a work in progress but I think well worth the wait.

This is the sight that greeted me when I arrived~some might say bleak but seeing every time I’ve shown up they have been totally sold out.

Pricing is $3 each or $15 for a half-dozen so I grabbed the half-dozen deal and hit the road to chow down on these sweet treats. I did go back the next day and picked up some of the other flavors and there pictured below but weren’t pictured in the box.

The classic cinnamon and sugar~a classic yeast donut sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar~just like those mini ones at the Fair but bigger! This was a classic taste that reminded me totally of the mini donuts at the PNE just a bit heavier than the mini version.

The Triple Chocolate Threat~Chocolate cake, topped with chocolate ganache, and finished with crispy callebaut chocolate pearls. This was a great chocolate donut, the inside was moist and the chocolate flavor is definitely rich and the chocolate pearls added a nice crunch or “pop”.

The Sweet Heat~Chocolate cake dough marries up with organic cinnamon, sugar and spicy chilies to tingle your taste buds. Classic chocolate with the heat in the sugar, it’s not over powering and the chili tickles your lips.

The Classic~Nothing here but the straight goods. It’s a yeast donut glazed with organic vanilla bean. I liked the denseness of the yeast donut with the vanilla bean glaze~I’m a sucker for the classics.

No Animals? No Problem~this baked chocolate vegan delight, topped with a vegan chocolate ganache and callebaut sprinkles. This baby won me over totally and has to be one of the best chocolate donuts I’ve ever had. It was moist and the chocolate flavor was really deep, one draw back is that it’s a fragile donut and mine broke apart on the way home because it was in a bag.

The Bacon Maple Bourbon is a special flavor that they have recently come up with and isn’t listed on the website, it’s been a huge hit and I enjoyed mine~it’s that perfect sweet/salty flavor combo, the bourbon flavor wasn’t so strong on this and the maple was subtle but still enjoyable.

The Sweet Snow~This cake dough welcomes a callebaut white chocolate glaze and says a friendly hello to some deliciously large organic coconut shavings. This tasted like a sweet vanilla donut and the coconut was not super intense~the whole thing reminded me of eating something delicate in flavor.

The Earl Grey~this tasty cake donut is infused with an organic earl grey tea, topped with earl grey glaze and a sprinkling of mallow flowers (the purple flowers in earl grey tea!). So I’m not a huge black tea drinker but I wanted to give this donut a try seeing that it has been so popular with a lot of other friends, the earl grey tea flavor comes in after a minute or so and has a tang to it, I found it interesting and I can see any tea drinker loving this.

This popped out at me both days getting my donuts when I was leaving and I must say that YES it was totally worth it and I’m proud to have a donut shop in town now where I’d actually want to buy their donuts and not feel guilty about eating them!

You can check out the Cartems website by clicking here.

Cartems Donuterie (Pop-up Shop) on Urbanspoon

Footo Delights

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A new bakery has opened in downtown Vancouver and it specializes in handmade croissants, Footo Delights (Fresh Out Of The Oven) is owned and operated by Brenda Yip, a graduate from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver and SFU Alumni, she has a huge passion for what she does, she puts her heart and soul into the products she creates and it really shows in the final product.

Footo Delight’s  is located on Homer St right near Robson St neat the Vancouver Public Library so it’s super easy to get to and there open early if you’re in the mood to have fresh-baked croissants in the morning.

On a recent stay close by at a local hotel for the Grey Cup I stopped by Footo Delight’s for a bite to eat and to pick up some croissants for breakfast in the morning before the big game.

The croissants I picked up to take back to the hotel were the following:

The classic Cheese Croissant, delicious and flakey, buttery and cheesy!, this was a great croissant and the cheese flavor really came through.

The Spinach and Feta croissant is always a favorite of mine and this one was one of the biggest I have ever had!, it was filled with nice big chunks of salty feta and cooked spinach, again no complaints here.

For a sweet treat I grabbed an Almond Croissant, this one was coated with an apricot glaze that made it a sticky mess to eat but the flavors were great and it would be better enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

For the 3 filled croissants I paid just about $10, it might seem like a much but it’s a hand-made from scratch product with only the finest, freshest ingredients and I think there worth every penny.

The items I had when I was in the bakery were the following:

They offer a selection of croissant sandwiches, I’ve heard great things from @foodologyca about the Turkey Pesto sandwich so I went with that.  For $5.95 it’s a great value and is equally delicious, I had them warm mine in the oven so the croissant was extra flakey and the cheese and tomato were nicely warmed and melted.  The pesto was definitely their flavor wise~it’s straight up pesto and not mixed with mayo like most other places do but all the ingredients worked well together.

Lastly to wrap up a good meal I had one of Brenda’s delsih handmade desserts, I went with the tiramisu, It has whipped mascarpone cheese with lady fingers dipped in a rum/espresso blend and dusted with cacao powder.  This was one damn fine tiramisu!, the mascarpone cheese was super rich and creamy yet really light, the lady fingers were nicely soaked and not complete mush so there was nice texture there.

If you find yourself in the area around the Vancouver Public Library be sure to check out this wonderful small business and show your support.  Right now Footo Delight’s is running a contest via there Twitter account~think of your ideal croissant flavor and submit your idea, if it’s chosen you get a dozen of your flavor to enjoy!, check out there Twitter account here .

Footo Delights on Urbanspoon

Cento Notti

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Cento Notti is the new restaurant in the Opus Hotel in Yaletown, it replaces the vivid and bold 100 Nights space and the decor is equally eye catching and appropriate for the modern Italian menu.

Executive Chef Paul Marshall is really making magic in the kitchen, pretty much everything is made in house including the burrata cheese in my salad I had and sourcing form local farms your getting the freshest ingredients turned into spectacular dishes.

I stopped in at lunch time and what caught my eye outside was the $35 three course dinner menu, I asked the server if I could possible get that menu for lunch and it wasn’t a problem at all.

San Pellegrino $7.95

Burrata Salad-vine-ripened tomato, basil, olive oil.  I’m a sucker for burrata and when I see it on a menu I have to try it, usually burrata comes from Italy and it’s highly perishable so freshness is key, at Cento Notti they make theirs from scratch everyday and one of the few to do so in Vancouver.  The cheese was creamy and sweet combined with the balsamic and tomatoes it was a match made in heaven.

Porcini Risoto-fresh thyme,Grana Padano Parmesian and a balsamic port reduction.  Who can so no to risotto with porcini!, it’s traditional Italian with a modern twist with the reduction.  My bowl of risotto was rich and creamy like a great risotto should be, the mushroom flavor was earthy and meaty and the cheese melted into my dish.

Chocolate Panna Cotta-Roasted strawberry’s and a kalamata olive infused fig jam.  I was curious about how roasted strawberry’s would taste but what blew me away was the olive jam~olives with the chocolate was totally weird and at first I thought it was balsamic in the jam~I never would have thought olive, it was totally delicious, the panna cotta was rich and creamy and the strawberry’s were still firm~I thought they would turn to mush from the roasting.

I’m already looking forward to my next meal at Cento Notti and with the Taste Of Yaletown coming up I think it’s going to be on my list.

Cento Notti on Urbanspoon

Moms Grilled Cheese Truck

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The newest addition to the Vancouver food truck/cart scene is Moms Grilled Cheese Truck and it’s a match made in heaven like grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Owner Cindy Hamilton is the lady behind this fine food truck, hailing from London Ontario, she’s a 20 year veteran of the food industry including restaurant, catering and movie/TV craft services on films including Kill Bill, The Great Raid, Ultra Violet, The Painted Veil, Mission Impossible 3, The Kite Runner, The Mummy 3 and Ramona and Beezus.

It’s safe to say she knows her food and to keep true to great ingredients, all the cheese for the sandwiches come from La Grotta Del Formaggio and she features old school Pop Shoppe beverages.

All the orders are prepared fresh and the service is great and everyone is super friendly.  Mom’s is planning on being open 11:00am-3PM Mon-Fri and be prepared for a bit of a wait around the lunch hour rush.  Ordering is simple, you get your choice of bread-classic white, sourdough, marble rye or multigrain, choose your cheese-Cheddar, Havarti, Pepper jack, Provolone (lactose free) and decide if you want any add one-they feature 2 different categories here-deluxe and super deluxe for .50 and $1.50 respectively.  Gluten free bread and vegan cheese is available as well for .75 each extra.  Besides the grilled cheese sandwich Mom’s also offers a selection of specialty grilled cheeses that include a meatloaf grilled cheese and a big boy called the Jackson 3-a sammy that three pieces of sourdough surrounded by melted, Brie, Boursin and Gruyere.  Dessert isn’t forgotten well, they have a desert grilled cheese called the sweet thangs-Caramelized apples, candied pecans, and cinnamon mascarpone cheese on Brioche that I want to try.  Roasted tomato soup and Karen’s killer chilli as also on the menu here.

Seeing it was late in the day a lot of items were sold out so I went with a basic sandwich and an orange Pop Shoppe drink.

The Swiss Cheese on Marble Rye with Sliced Tomato $6.  All sandwiches come with a slice of dill pickle and chips in the bottom of your sandwich cone

They get great marks for packaging quality, the wrapper that your grilled cheese goodness is packed in is nice and thick so it wont rip.

My Swiss cheese was great and you could taste the nuttiness in the cheese and the marble rye was rich and hearty like a great rye bread.  The sandwich wasn’t overly greasy like some grilled cheese can be mad the selection of cheese offered makes Mom’s grilled Cheese a total winner in my books and I can’t wait to try the roasted tomato soup and the Jackson 3 sandwich, Mom’s if defiantly on my favorite street food list for comfort food like my mom couldn’t make!

Updated Oct 14,2011

I went back and had myself this:

The Jackson 3 $8.50.  Three pieces of sourdough surrounded by melted, Brie, Boursin and Gruyere, this took the disappointment away from me getting a iPhone 4s!, it was full of cheese and the sourdough was great-word of caution the brie is the molten lava so use caution!

momsgrilledcheesetruck.com

Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck on Urbanspoon

Back To Thierry-This Time With Mary

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I hit up Thierry again this week for some deserts and this time I took Maryinvancity along with me to try some treats after a Canuck’s preseason home game~what better way to drowned one’s sorrows than with fine deserts!.

When we got there around 9:30 the place was packed but we were lucky and scored a table on the patio, we grabbed a selection of deserts so on to the food!

Chocolate Opera Cake $6.95, a layer of chocolate ganache and chocolate butter cream with coffee type liquor and topped off with a  think hard layer of chocolate, for being so small this bad boy packs a punch and is quite rich, I really enjoyed it but Mary found it a bit to rich.

Blueberry Tart $6.55, like the exotic fruit tart I’ve had before but with just blueberry’s and vanilla pastry cream, I like the fruit tarts here and Mary also really enjoyed it, we both commented on how rich the pastry cream is without being heavy.  This dish is a total winner.

Chocolate Trio $6.95, layers of white chocolate mousse, milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate mouse with 2 thin layers of chocolate cake, the mousse’s are really rich and creamy yet are light and airy so it’s actually pretty easy to eat one of these yourself.

Assorted Macaroons $11.95 for 7, by the time we got here a lot of the popular flavors were sold out, in this selection we got a couple of chocolate with hazelnut butter cream, a lemon, a key lime, a cappuccino and a chocolate with pistachio butter cream.  A couple of the bigger macaroons were kind of hard to eat but most were soft and tender and the butter cream fillings were really nice, some of the  macaroons have a little surprise in the form of a jam or real fruit drop in the butter cream middle~really nice.

Thierry Patisserie on Urbanspoon

Thierry Patisserie

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Vancouver for the longest time has not had a selection of fine places for dessert and chocolates with the exception of Thomas Haas on W.Broadway the selection has been slim pickings till now.

Vancouver pastry chef extraordinaire Thierry Busset, former pastry chef at Cin Cin and West and Internationally with friend and fellow chef Gordon Ramsey at London’s La Gravoché spent years developing the concept for his new chocolaterie/patisserie. Now open, it’s appropriately named Thierry, part of the Top Table family of restaurants. Thierry is the perfect place to sit down for a coffee or espresso (made with the exclusive Thierry Espresso Blend), beer, cold house-pressed juice, or a glass of wine. Sandwiches are available at lunchtime and dinner as well as out of this world gazpacho and quiche but you’ll probably be ready for something sweet like I was, making the decision of what to have is the hard part, every product was so deliciously presented and is a real feast for the eyes.

With Thierry in the kitchen himself with staff at 5am every morning helping make the daily greatness including the puff pastry used in his delicious pastries, croissants and making the fresh bread for sandwiches really shows his commitment to quality. One thing that should be noted~prices here are on the high end~$6.95 on average for most deserts, Thomas Haas on average is $5-$6 each so don’t get sticker shock when you come in for a bite.

Here are a selection of items I’ve had so far:

The Lemon Tart $6.95, the lemon tart here is divine, the filling is tart and rich and the pastry is flaky and not soggy from the filling, if you’re looking for a great lemon tart this would be a definite recommendation. The Americano’s here are really good and the espresso used is nice and full-bodied.

Chocolate Succe Cake $6.95, hazelnut meringue, chocolate mousse and 70% chocolate ganache. The description I just gave is what is on the card at the bakery, this actually to me wasn’t a cake, the meringue was like layers in a coffee crisp texture wise so you don’t get any cake in this one and the mouse is pretty dense inside, it was really hard to eat and my first bite was like this:

the thing practically went flying off the plate because the chocolate was fully hard, it was more like a big candy bar and could be eaten with your hands. I noticed a girl who got this thinking like me it would be cake and she ran into the same issues like I did and looked pretty disappointed. At the end if the day the flavors were great but if I had to do it over again I would have chosen something else.

I grabbed a few items to go for later and here’s the selection I got:

Exotic Fruit Tart $6.95, selection of papaya, lychee, kiwi, strawberries, goose berrys, pineapple and blackberry with pastry cream filling.

This was a nice light tart and the pastry cream in this is really nice and rich, the fruit is fresh and the pastry is buttery and crisp.

Tiramisu $6.95. This is one to check out, it’s nice and creamy yet really light, the chocolate panels on the side are a nice touch.  It has 2 layers of creamy mousse and a thin layer of cake on the bottom and in the middle to represent the lady fingers.

If you craving some great dessert check out Thierry on Alberni street in downtown Vancouver.

Thierry Patisserie on Urbanspoon

Verace Pizzeria and One Of The Best Things I’ve Ever Ate

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On my way to do the weekly Costco run I stopped into Verace to catch their lunch deal~you can get your choice of a Pizzette (8”) with mixed green or Caesar salad, Calzone with mixed green or Caesar salad or a sandwich with mixed green or Caesar salad for $12.50, I love it when good restaurants come up with equally great specials.

One thing that I didn’t get to try on my first visit was the fresh Burrata cheese appy here served with pizza bread and drizzled in this case with really good lemon infused olive oil and really thick sweet balsamic vinegar, it’s not on the cheap side~$14 but its market priced and worth every penny in my eyes.

I saw in the Twitter feed for the restaurant when I was there that they just got a fresh batch in~it spoils really quickly so once its gone for the week its gone!, the cheese is like fresh mozzarella on the outside and on the inside its creamy and sweet almost. With the olive oil, balsamic and some fresh pepper slathered on the oil drenched bread it made for one happy Sean and has to be some of the best Burrata I’ve ever had in my life.

I went with the Campana~Pomodoro sauce, ricotta, roasted onions, peppers, zucchini and eggplant. topped with grana padano and extra virgin. This pizza sounded better on paper than on the plate, the topping~namely the zucchini was raw, other than that the cheese really stood out on this one and the eggplant was nicely sliced and not bitter.

This was my side for my pizza, I went with the house tossed salad with some marinated peppers and artichoke~kind of like antipasto veggies, the salad is tossed in a house made vinaigrette. Next time I’m going to be sure to try their Cesar salad. This for me was so so, the marinated veggies were out of place in the salad~I’d rather have some fresh tomato and other vegetables in my tossed salad.

Full sized pizza’s from the dinner menu are also available at lunch from my understanding so be sure to try the DOP Margherita.

Verace Pizzeria Napoletana and Enoteca on Urbanspoon

The East Village Bakery

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The area known as Hastings Sunrise has been undergoing some what a revitalization in the last couple years. With additions to the neighborhood like The Red Wagon Cafe,El Barrio and now Campagnolo Roma , The East Village Bakery has found its home in the neighborhood and the residents seem to have fallen in love as well as the rest of Vancouver with the delicious baked goods that Lucia Tam and Bobby Chick make with loving care everyday.

Unable to find quality baked goods in the area they opened the East Village Bakery and quite honestly with all the changes in the area it really is like a little village in the area and the residents are very proud of that.The smell of fresh-baked artisan breads and pastries fill the block so you know you in the right place-also the bakery sign hanging is the other give away!. The shelves here are constantly replenished thru the day with different treats so you always have a great selection to choose from, everything is preservative and additive free,on certain day’s of the week they bake spelt and kamut products and take special and custom orders by email and phone and that’s the beauty of dealing with a local owner operated business like this~some of the best customer service I’ve ever received.

The specialty’s of the house are breads, cookies, pies, bunt cakes and some of the best brioche and challah bread in the city, most items are available in large and small sizes if you give them a call. The kalamata olive and cheddar ciabata is always a winner as well as the cheddar fougasse.

The items that really get me salivating are the deserts!, Callebaut chocolate is used in all of their croissants, bunt cakes and lava cookies resulting in AWESOMENESS!!

I’ll be putting up a gallery below of all the treats that I’ve had and managed to get pictures of. The bottom line is Lucia & Bobby are putting out superior handmade baked goods and I’d recommend taking a trip to visit the East Village bakery yourself so you can also indulge in the delicious treats they make, everything is priced as it should be considering the quality of product your getting and the labor involved in producing these delicious treats.

@eastvillagebake
www.eastvillagebakery.com

East Village Bakery on Urbanspoon