Brunch at White Spot Restaurant

White Spot is a family restaurant that serves brunch until 3pm.  So if you skipped breakfast or woke up late or just prefer brunch type foods, White Spot is a good place to go.  Brunch menu options are affordable and under $15.  Our favorite is the Steelhead Eggs Benedict with salmon and a poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce.  It is served with has browns and a salsa.  The Steelhead Benedict above was from when we visited Squamish, BC and I have to admit that the taste is very consistent across the restaurants.  

If you're intrigued, you can check out the Brunch menu at the following link:  http://whitespot.ca/menu/bc/brunch

White Spot is one of our regular breakfast joints (other than eating at home).  They are open in the morning and have good customer service for those everyday kinda days.  

Want to see more food pics of White Spot?  Take a look at how I celebrated my birthday at White Spot with a birthday brownie.  All you have to do is ask. http://vancitygirlfriends.blogspot.ca/2017/01/thrifty-tuesday-white-spot-restaurant.html

Vancouver Restaurant: Medina Cafe

The best part about having visitors and family come visit, is being able to explore the city and spend time trying new places.  When my "sister" from London came for the new year, I took a day off work so I could spend time with her.  She wanted to go downtown Vancouver and suggested we try Medina Cafe.

I vaguely had heard of the name of the restaurant in passing but not much else.  Perhaps it was one of those brunch restaurants that would normally have a line up out the door.  Luckily for us since everyone was back to work, our wait was not very long, maybe 20 minutes instead of an hour.  That is the trick for those restaurants who do not take reservations and have a first come first serve policy.  Just go to them on your day off!  

The Medina Cafe Menu had such unique items with a Mediterrean or Middle Eastern flair.  It was a difficult decision as to what to try.  Everything on the menu looked tasty and I would definitely return.  I ended up going for the Harissa Burger with two fried eggs on top of a pita with beef, hummous, baba ganoush.  It was a gourmet breakfast and soo super flavorful!  

If you come to Vancouver and are staying downtown and want a unique brunch, check out Medina Cafe.  If you are in a rush, they also have waffles to order on the go.  #Yummy

Sunday Funday: Meal Prep Sunday

Meal Prep Sunday is my day to prepare for the week ahead and it can be lots of fun to feel like I'm cooking for a crowd instead of for two.  I love variety in meals and tastes so this is one way to cook a lot because I'm cooking not just for one night but for lunches and the weekday dinners.  Here's what I did last week so you have the menu for when you do #mealprepsunday today!

1.  Broccoli Pesto Pasta - Inspired by this recipe on BBC Good Food.  I omitted pine nuts (since they are too expensive) and added a few tablespoons of pesto with 1/2 lemon squeezed, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

2.  Easy Oven Roasted Baby Red Potatoes  - I love the boiling of the baby potatoes first which shortens the oven roasting time.  Unfortunately my garlic had mold growing on it so I omitted the garlic.  I cut up some baby carrots and threw those in to roast with the baby red potatoes with half a bag of frozen green beans.  

3.  Easy Honey Garlic Chicken - I was inspired by this recipe but my chicken thighs didn't look like the recipe because I didn't follow the recipe.  I seared the chicken in the pan, added 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey and ketchup and cooked that with the chicken before baking it with the oven roasted potatoes.

4.  Breakfast Burrito - Scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage with chopped onion, shredded red potato (from easy oven potatoes), wrap it all in a tortilla and voila it's a breakfast burrito.  

What did I learn from Meal Prep Sunday?

Variety is the key to the meal and makes dinner delicious.  This was enough for dinner for two in addition to 4 lunches, and 4 breakfasts.  I also did two small containers of sliced cucumbers with dip as a healthy snack and to make that four different servings of vegetables.  My goal will be to increase my servings of vegetables and fruit for #mealprepsunday.  

Throwback Thursday: The Breakfast Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort

This week I'm going to share the good breakfast deal at The River Rock Casino Resort and that would be the breakfast buffet at The Buffet.  

Even if you are not a gambler it is a good idea to still get an Encore card because it can save you a few dollars at The Buffet.  Encore cards are free and you just need a piece of ID to register usually at the casino customer service.  I already had my Encore card and was ready to save.

The breakfast buffet is from 6:30am - 10:30am so it is a morning buffet.  It is also cheaper because of this and is only $19.95 or $17.96 with an Encore card.  At the breakfast buffet they have coffee or tea and the assortment of juices.  They had an omlette station and fresh egg station, sausages, bacon, hash browns and your traditional Canadian breakfast.  They also had the Asian style breakfast with dim sum, rice rolls, and congee.  That is truly what I liked best.  The variety of the breakfast food.  Normally you have to choose between one or the other.  In this case there was no fighting over what type of breakfast joint to go to.  Everyone wins.  Being Chinese Canadian I had two plates and ate the best of both worlds.  I had my Asian style breakfast and then the Canadian breakfast for dessert!  It is perfect for getting together with picky eaters because everyone can go back and have whatever they want and it spend time together.  

An added bonus is that the daytime view of The Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort is quite beautiful even on a cloudy day it is possible to see the boats moored on the water.    

Thrifty Tuesday: McKenzie Cafe at Simon Fraser University

Happy New Year!  University students are preparing to return for another semester of studies.  At Simon Fraser University (SFU), McKenzie Cafe at the AQ is a great place to go when there is not have time for breakfast at home.  McKenzie Cafe opens at 7:30am before the classes start.  TheClassic Breakfast is a filling breakfast for a reasonable cost.  It consists of eggs of your choice (the chefs crack the eggs and cook it in front of you), choice of sausage or bacon, hash browns, and toast (your choice of white or whole wheat).  All of this is under $6.  Universities often have good deals and cheap eats because they are serving the students.  Poor students who have student loans and won't eat unless it's for cheap.  The rest of us can take advantage of that.  

  

Throwback Thursday: River Rock Casino Resort Room Service

As I reminisce of the staycation at the River Rock Casino Resort I wanted to share that it was also a first for room service.  Yes, that's right!  We ordered room service for breakfast just so we could stay in our pajamas and be lazy.  Normally I would want to save money but we were on vacation!  Getting room service was a luxury!  

The River Rock Casino Resort room service is not like what you see in the movies where there is a cart that they roll in that you get to keep.  Instead they bring it into the room and luckily we had a suite so there was a nice coffee table for the room service server to spread everything out on.  There was breakfast for three people which included eggs benedict, canadian breakfast with a poached egg and a continental breakfast.  This was all served with orange juice for the continental and tea or coffee.  

It was nice with the sunlight from the window to eat our breakfast in the comfort of our hotel room.  Room service is definitely more of an experience and memory instead of for a deal.  Come back next Thursday to see what the real breakfast deal was at the River Rock Casino Resort!

Vancouver Restaurant: The Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging Almost Everyday in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 28 - The Buffet at the River Rock Casino

When we first planned the River Rock Casino Resort staycation, i did not have The Buffet on my list even though I had a casino card which means a small discount.  Instead I was thinking of fancy dinners at restaurants and it was Carolyn who said "I want to go eat at the buffet one night."  Of course I wasn't going to stop that idea because I do love all you can eat buffets.  

The best part was our timing for eating at The Buffet on a Saturday night.  We shopped at Richmond Centre all afternoon to work up an appetite.  I specifically starved myself knowing that the Surf and Turf at the Buffet was coming up!  Surf and Turf of sea and land and that is definitely what the Buffet had.  We returned to the hotel at 4:30pm, dropped off our packages and then went downstairs to the Buffet even though it didn't open until 5pm. 

Boy that was the best decision ever.  There was already a line up and large groups ahead of us.  We made it through the line and were brought into the dining area.  The Surf and Turf weekend buffet had such an assortment of food.  Now the maximum dining time is 90 minutes and believe me, you'll need it.  By the way when we were all done and left the Buffet the line up was even longer and along the hallway so who knows how long those folks had to wait.  

There was the Turf part with prime rib, turkey, chicken with roasted potatoes (I wouldn't dare try the mashed), gravy, toppings, and perogies.  There was an unexciting salad bar.  The Surf part had prawns withe seafood sauce, and the big ticket item were the crab legs!  They had a table filled with sushi rolls and sashimi and another area with hot items such as rice, vegetables, asian noodles.  If you prefer dessert, there was an entire dessert table and a freezer full of ice cream.  So many options, it was hard to choose and eat it all.  

Feel free to check out their prices at The Buffet at the River Rock website here:  http://www.riverrock.com/dining/buffet/  

Breakfast or Brunch in Burnaby #AtoZChallenge

Breakfast or Brunch

Breakfast is as many say the most important part of the day and it is the work day that we mostly refer to.  It is also the meal that can easily get skipped.  

I've made yogurt parfaits at home the night before to have a quick breakfast in the morning when I wake up at 6am.  As you can imagine on those busy weekday mornings, the last thing I want to do is make breakfast.  If I don't have breakfast at home, I eat breakfast at the cafeteria at work.  So I can literally get up and go.  Breakfast is rushed but fast and easy. 

Brunch is usually on the weekends and is a combination of breakfast and lunch.  It is the best of both worlds depending on your taste buds.  On the weekends, we sleep in and we don't need to have a quick breakfast on the go.  Instead we can take our time and luxuriate with coffee (for those who drink it) and enjoy brunch over a few hours.  There is no work week rush.  

Burnaby Trattoria opens at 11am for their weekend brunch.  Most of the time when we go, we are greeted at our table with a complimentary bread pudding with chantilly whipped cream.  Such a nice appetizer to start off the day before we order our meal.  They have a small select number of brunch items which I am slowing tasting through the menu with each visit.  

Breakfast Pizza

What's on the menu?  

Breakfast pizza as pictured is topped with double smoked bacon, egg, and tomatoes.  WOW!  It comes full size so I could only eat half.  If you want a savory meal and are hungry, order this one.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict or Traditional Eggs Benedict which comes with hashbrowns and a green salad.  Both are what you would expect from a morning brunch.  Eggs benedict as always are topped with hollandaise sauce.  

I'm curious to try their Truffled Mushroom Frittata next.



Trattoria Burnaby Brunch Menu 

Weekend Brunch - Trattoria Burnaby

Trattoria Burnaby may be known for their pasta Tuesdays, wine Wednesdays, or pizza Sundays, but did you know that they are open for brunch on the weekends.

Fennel Sausage Hash

We recently discovered this delight and their amazing brunch menu of eggs benedict, fennel and sausage hash, and when we went their they started us off with a complimentary sample of their bread pudding with chantilly cream.  They have real coffee and an espresso bar so you can have good coffee with your brunch.  

In Burnaby there are not a lot of breakfast joints and especially none that open early.  Trattoria Burnaby opens at 11am on the weekends and holidays for brunch but we hope that with our feedback, they will consider opening earlier on the weekends.  Then they could become out new breakfast joint.

Our first impression was a pretty good one.  I enjoyed my breakfast with my Mighty Leaf tea and since my husband raved about how delicious their coffee is, I may try that next time even though I'm not a regular coffee drinker.  

I'm happy we ventured on a rainy day to Trattoria Burnaby for brunch and here's the menu to check out if you are in the area.  I already know what I'll order the next time I go there, the Truffled Mushroom Frittata.    http://www.glowbalgroup.com/trattoria/trattoria-burnaby.html#menu-section

Vancouver Event: Pan Pacific Wish Breakfast

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Every year I truly do love the Pan Pacific Wish Breakfast.  It is a festive event that supports a great cause and it gets you in the mood of the holiday spirit.  There are Christmas carolers and choirs, lots of people, media and public support who come out to give toys to those in need.  It's a wonderful venue at the Pan Pacific Vancouver and the breakfast is spectacular in my mind.  Best of all is that you are surrounded by people who all have the same motive, to give toys to the kids so everyone gets a Christmas!  (And I don't even celebrate Xmas myself).  I recommend waking up early to go the Pan Pacific Wish Breakfast to avoid the line ups.  It's coming up in a few weeks on Thursday November 26th from 6am - 9am.  See you there!

Here's the information from the Rock 101 website:  http://www.rock101.com/christmas-wish-breakfast/

The Pan Pacific Vancouver, Global BC and Rock 101 are collecting new unwrapped toys and cash donations benefiting the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau on Thursday, November 26th from 6am to 9am. Bring a new unwrapped toy and join the Willy In The Morning show LIVE for a free breakfast in our efforts to make Christmas a little brighter for families across the Lower Mainland.

Last year, Vancouver residents dropped off 40,000 pounds of toys and over $25,000+ in cash donations for the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. We look forward to you joining us this year!

Where: Pan Pacific Vancouver 999 Canada Place
When: Thursday, November 26, 2015
Time: 6am – 9am
What: Bring a new unwrapped toy and enjoy a free (amazing) breakfast!

DIY Breakfast Box: Girlfriend Surprise Subscription Box

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Subscription boxes became a fad for us and even though we still explore them, our latest for this year is to make our our DIY Girlfriend Surprise Subscription Box.

Without a camera, I still couldn't wait and opened up my DIY Breakfast Box.  Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn remembered that every time I opened up the Snack Box I raved about the different breakfast items to try.  Yes, breakfast is my weakness.  So let's see what was inside.

It's a George Foreman Personalized mini grill!  I didn't have to open it up, I know what a grill is for.  I can cook breakfast sausages, burgers, and other meats.  It's a little odd for someone to get me a grill.  So I put it aside in my kitchen.

Then Carolyn writes on a piece of paper "Maria's Box".  Umm, what does this mean?  "It's your suprise box!"  Ohhh...lights go off in my head.  It's not a George Foreman Grill.  

Now really let's take a look inside the box on the outside to see what breakfast themed items are inside.  

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Kind protein bars

Quaker Instant Oatmeal

Quaker Crunchy Granola

Kellogs Morning Protein Shake

Dole Fruit and Crisp Breakfast Cups

These are perfect for my early morning weekday breakfast!  I run out the door everyday but now I can still have breakfast on the go or at my desk.  Lots of variety and it's lasting me all week with more for the weeks to come!  WOW!  I love this breakfast themed DIY Surprise Subscription box.  

Surprise your girlfriend today with a DIY Breakfast Box.