Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Four days after my outpatient surgery, it was finally time to remove the gauze and dressing covering the area. It was my first time seeing my stitches, and when it started bleeding slightly, I panicked a little! Thankfully, I had extra gauze on hand, applied light pressure until it stopped, and replaced the dressing. I spent the whole morning resting since I felt quite wiped out, even more so than the day right after surgery. By 2:00 PM, I started feeling much better. Hubby and I took a slow walk to St. Patrick's for 5:00 PM Mass, stopping to grab a sweet turon along the way. Afterwards, we walked over to Shoppers to restock on dressing, but they were out of the specific size I needed. We then walked to the London Drugs in Olympic Village and managed to snag the exact brand and size. To reward ourselves after all that walking, we stopped for dinner at Pho Quynh Express along 2nd Avenue. 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Pho Quynh Express Location: 91 W 2nd Ave,...

It was a beautiful Saturday, and we spent most of the day at Spanish Banks Beach with the family. Papa wanted to grill meat, which I happily enjoyed: rice, adobo, and plenty of liempo (grilled pork belly), with one batch covered in a soy sauce marinade and another seasoned with salt and pepper. Everything was so delicious! My sister brought a kite from Dollarama and a frisbee, which we all had fun using. Of course, as much as I wanted to run around, I am still recovering from my outpatient surgery last Wednesday, so I took things a bit easy. Around 3:00 PM, hubby and I took the bus back home and decided that for dinner, we would grab ice cream from Earnest Ice Cream , which is conveniently located just a block away from our building. 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Earnest Ice Cream Location: 1829 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC V5T 2Z3 Cuisine: Artisan Small-Batch Ice Cream Flavours Tried: Baklava & Toasted Marshmallow Vibe: Local Neighbourhood Go-To ...

After an overwhelming day at work, Hubby picked me up to ensure I did not have to carry my heavy backpack home while recovering from my outpatient surgery. Before heading back, we decided to grab a quick dinner at Wren Café in Yaletown. We were not entirely sure what to expect, but the display case immediately caught our eye, packed with adorable fruit-shaped pastries and cakes! 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Wren Location: 280 Nelson Street, Vancouver Cuisine: Cozy cafe and bistro, comfort food with a bakery case Price Range: $$ (mains around $16 to $19, desserts around $8.50) Must-Order: Tiramisu Good For: A relaxed weeknight dinner, with breakfast and pastries also worth checking out Supreme Pulled Pork Sandwich We started with the Supreme Pulled Pork Sandwich ($18.95 CAD) with Truffle Fries as our side. It is fair to call this an open-faced sandwich since it is served on a single piece of bread. The crusty slice comes topped with creamy,...

Happy Thursday! I'm back at work today after my outpatient surgery yesterday. Our weekly paid team lunch theme was pizza, so we walked over to Ignite Pizzeria , our team's go-to spot. This week I went with the Parma Prosciutto pizza, and I loved it. It's my second favourite Ignite pizza, and it came super close to knocking my top pick out of first place! 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Ignite Pizzeria Location: 987 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1T2 Cuisine: Artisan Wood-Fired & Stone-Baked Pizza Price Range: $15 CAD (Happy Hour Special at 2:00 PM) Must-Order: Mediterranean Prawn Pesto & Parma Prosciutto Crust Type: Signature Chewy Thin Crust The topping combo on this one is so good: salty prosciutto shavings, fresh arugula, and creamy Grana Padano, all piled on that chewy thin Ignite crust. Parma Prosciutto Pizza, topped with prosciutto, fr...

If you read my previous post , you know I survived my outpatient surgery! It took around 40 minutes and came with a fair amount of pain, but we were finally on our way home. On the walk back, we could not decide where to grab a quick early dinner. At the last minute, we decided to head to Laura's Coffee Shop , a spot we first visited just nine days ago. Laura's is a small local business that truly deserves the community's support. If you want to learn more about its unique history, this Scout Magazine article on Vancouver's last industrial coffee shops is well worth a read. Since Laura's is only open on weekdays, this was another rare opportunity for us to stop in. 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Laura's Coffee Shop Location: 1945 Manitoba St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 3A1 Hours: Weekdays Only (10:00 AM to 4:00 PM) Cuisine: Classic Diner Favorites, Western & Chinese Comfort Dishes Price Ran...