534 W Pender Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
I finally got to try Cartem's Donuts for real this time. Not as a passer by or as a guest in a donut tasting event - I got to sit down and try their donuts, have their coffee, and enjoy the atmosphere. I had been in this Cartem's previously for a donut tasting event, but today I had wandered in with Mateo so that we could enjoy some warm coffee and a sweet donut along with it, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Cartem's is a very popular place that has a wide selection of donut offerings, and I was really glad that the store wasn't super busy and that we got a table to chill out at. I love the vibe of the store and everything about it. I had gotten a mocha along with a Earl Grey donut, which was a yeast donut that was glazed in this Earl Grey glaze and sprinkled what looked to be rose petal bits on them. It was a delicious donut, although cakier than those at 49th Parallel & Lucky's. However, it wasn't super sweet and it was amazing, and the mocha complimented it quite nicely. Mateo had a Strawberry Daiquiri donut with a London Fog. While we enjoyed our hot drinks and donuts, there was also a Scrabble board for us to play. I genuinely love the idea of having board games in restaurants, as it offers a different way of socializing and kind of forces you to put your phone aside and focus on not just the game, but the company and friends that you are with. It was a great game (that I ended up winning), and my victory was extra sweet with the donut! Cartem's also has another location on Main Street (2190 Main St.), and both offer lots of great activities from arts and crafts to open mics, which adds another layer of cool to it's already cool vibe. I'm a fan!
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907 Denman Street, Vancouver (West End)
Styo [stahy-oh] - "frozen yogurt in style" This petite ice cream shop on Denman Street is part of a growing trend of ice cream places cropping up all over the city. Specializing in soft serve, the homemade original flavour and green tea flavour are used as bases for what is now known as "parfaits". Similar in idea to your typical parfait, these parfaits start with the soft serve and alternates with fruit or cornflakes, topped with syrups, more fruit, more cornflakes, and many other things. Styo offers a wide variety of parfait combinations such as "Chocolate Devil" (Original froyo+chocolate pearls+brownie+wafer stick+banana), "Green Tea Harmony" (green tea froyo+red bean+cereal+coffee jelly+cream puff) and "Fruity Rainbow" (original froyo+pineapple+mango+blueberry), just to name a few. Aside from the parfaits, they also offer various sweet waffles and smoothies. Eugenia and I tried their special, Twisted Pop (original and green tea froyo twist+strawberries+blueberries+cereal, topped with caramel corn and a wafer stick). Despite the fact that I got a small size, there was still a lot of frozen yogurt and despite the seemingly strange combination of toppings, it tasted really good! The larger size is a dollar more, so if you are really into frozen yogurt and weird toppings, I say go for it! The "make your own" combination, I was told, is not worth it, so go for something that is already set up. Overall the place is really cute and the novelty of the parfait was nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 1703 Robson St, Vancouver
Waffles are now more than breakfast foods and can be eaten with more than just syrup. Nero Belgian Waffle Bar on Robson Street is a petite little stand with a cozy interior and delicious smells of Belgian and Liege waffles made fresh to order. The waffles from Nero are definitely good ways to treat yourself. With different options and combinations and the choice of toppings either on Belgian or Liege waffles, Warm and fresh waffles with fruit and cool cream and ice cream on top made for a very delicious dessert. Despite it's popularity, Nero only has one waffle bar on Robson, making it very crowded during peak hours. The other little problem with Nero's location is how far away it is from the skytrain, so it's a bit of a walk if you don't want to get on the bus. When Eleanor and I went, we definitely lucked out and got a place to sit down and thoroughly enjoy our waffles. Even with the long waits, I have been told many times before that Nero Belgian Waffle Bar is definitely worth it, and I'm here to affirm that and definitely encourage other people to go check it 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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