3066 West Broadway, Vancouver (Kitsilano)
This was my very fist time having high tea, and I went to Neverland Tea Salon with my friend Emma to give it a try. The short verdict? I love high tea. Located on West Broadway, stepping into Neverland Tea Salon is like walking into neverland itself. The interior decor is very magical, with fine bone china hanging from delicate branches on the ceiling. There were soft plush couches, long white tables and cabinets with gorgeous patterned china that looks better than your grandmother's. High tea usually is a very pricey affair, and Neverland makes it more accessible than other places in the city. We had the Neverland Grande High Tea, which definitely gives you the best bang for your buck. For $32 a person, you get unlimited pots of tea, a choice of a sweet or savoury scone, 5 savoury courses and 4 sweet courses. Each of the courses are delicate miniatures, but don't be fooled: $32 leaves you incredibly satisfied and full. Let's start with the tea: David's Tea is no match for the wide variety of teas that are offered at Neverland. The greatest thing about the grande tea beyond the unlimited pots of tea is the fact that you aren't restricted to one tea: you get to try as many different types of teas as you'd like. I got to try three different kinds of black tea: lavender earl grey, Mumbai chai, and the vanilla ice cream. By far my favourite tea was the lavender earl grey - two of my favourite flavour profiles all brought together in a full and flavourful tea. While I loved all the teas that I tried (the Mumbai chai was also flavourful and full of spice, and the vanilla ice cream is like an ice cream cone), the lavender earl grey went really well with all of the courses. The sweet scone was a lemon and sugar flavour served with Devonshire cream and a raspberry jam. I personally have never been a fan of scones, but this changed my mind forever. Scones are usually very dry and crumbly, but this scone was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the Devonshire cream and raspberry jam went beautifully with this lemon zest scone. The savoury courses were upscale versions of every day sandwiches in miniature form. In no particular order:
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3278 W Broadway, Vancouver (Kitsilano)
Soft serve is taking over the ice cream scene, and here is yet another new place coming onto the scene and just taking it by storm. 720 Sweets, which just opened about a month ago, is reinventing the look of soft serve ice cream with their eclectic mixes and toppings. But the even cooler part is the showy nitrogen smoke that comes with it. According to my sister, who watched the ice cream being made, the nitrogen cubes go into the main cup while the ice cream goes in a separate cup. Then hot water goes into the cubes to create a cloudy smoke that surrounds the ice cream once the second cup goes on top. The results last for about 3-5 minutes and it is quite mesmerizing. I have never seen anything quite like it. The homemade soft serve is not too milky or icy. I personally prefer this soft serve over the soft serve offered at Soft Peaks, flavour wise. The toppings that went on our ice creams - Milky Way for Eleanor and S'mores for me - added to the aesthetic appeal and the taste of the ice cream. The Milky Way had a milk tea soft serve base with caramel drizzle, espresso jelly, crushed walnuts and salted caramel Biscotti. The S'mores had a chocolate soft serve base with dark chocolate drizzle, with a toasted marshmallow on a Pocky like chocolate almond stick. Both were delicious. 720 Sweets is off to an incredible start, with people lining up before it's opening at 3 every day. Again, it is a small place with minimalistic decor. The wait is a little long, depending on when you go. But it's super delicious. As the wall decal says, "my mind says to go to the gym, but my heart says ice cream". I agree! 433 Abbott Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Soft serve: soft serve everywhere. And Uyu is definitely a unique and strong soft serve place that is making a name for itself in the world of soft serve ice cream. "Uyu" is the Korean word for milk, and Uyu Ice Cream officially opened it's door almost a month ago. Leading up to it's opening, Uyu offered tastings of their original flavour as well as their unique flavours such as green tea, black sesame, salted caramel and Vietnamese coffee. After their success, the storefront opened on Abbott Street in Gastown, making it walking distance away from False Creek and Yaletown. With rotating flavours every week, patrons have the choice of having their soft serve in original form or in ice cream bar form. After choosing their flavour, there is an array of toppings from freeze dried fruit, different kinds of nuts and almond bark, plus various complimentary syrups. Whoever thought that black sesame soft serve topped with condensed milk, freeze dried strawberries and milk chocolate almond bark would be a good combination? (hint: I didn't. But it definitely was delicious!) I personally prefer Uyu over Soft Peaks, and the prices at Uyu are definitely a better deal for more soft serve! This super young company is just starting up but has serious potential and a great niche. I highly recommend it - go check them out! 245 Union St. Vancouver (Chinatown)
Creme brulee has always been one of my favourite desserts, and when I heard about this creme brulee place on Union Street close by another foodie adventure place, I knew that it was a sign to take advantage of it. Crackle Creme is a quaint place with that is filled with character, sweet smells and a lot of passion. The creator and owner of Crackle Creme, Daniel Wong, opened the store just over a year ago, specializing in flavoured creme brulee but also serving Liege waffles, affogato and other secret menu items that can be found on Instagram. Naturally, I had to try the creme brulee - earl grey for myself and salted caramel for Marinelle. There were a host of other flavours including butterscotch bourbon to Tahitian vanilla to mango passion fruit. Watching the creme brulee being torched before my eyes was definitely an experience - and hearing my spoon crack through into the cream was something else entirely, hence the name "crackle creme". I think that i will definitely try out the Liege waffles next time, but the creme brulee was a great treat! Follow Crackle Creme on Instagram for secret menu items, and pick up a punch card on your way out!
3992 Fraser Street (Vancouver East) -OR- 1829 Quebec Street (Vancouver Olympic Village)
I scream, you scream, we all scream for (Earnest) Ice Cream! Opened in 2012, Earnest Ice Cream's tagline is "Seriously Good", and I cannot agree more! Being dedicated to keeping their ingredients local and fresh, there are new flavors every day that are unique, making this ice cream shop anything but ordinary. They focus on small batches which gives them the opportunity to explore - and with this exploration comes incredible parties in your mouth like London Fog, Lemon Poppy Seed, Strawberry Basil and Whiskey Hazelnut - just to name a few. Aside from the typical flavors (but ten times better than your average chocolate!), Earnest Ice Cream also has seasonal flavors, special mixes (Spruce Bud? Lavender? Cardamom??) as well as specially prepared vegan ice creams. In short, the ice cream is delicious, one of a kind, and definitely a must try! Especially during the summer when ice cream is a popular treat, the wait is usually really long. However, the wait is worth it! Now with the additional location in the Olympic Village, there is no excuse to not try out Earnest Ice Cream! It is one of my favourite places to go for ice cream, due to its accessibility and seemingly endless array of delicious flavours to try. There is always something new to try for the adventurous ice cream connaisseur, or personal favourites that people have every single time they go. Earnest is indeed "seriously good", and for a good reason! |
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