Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

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...

Happy Wednesday! As you know if you have been following along, I went to the Emergency Room at St. Paul's Hospital back in April (see my after-midnight meal at Denny's ). That wound unfortunately didn't heal properly, so around June I visited urgent care (and grabbed lunch while waiting at Pane E Formaggio ), where they referred me to Access Health Surgery Clinic. Dr. Andrew is a wound surgeon, and after following his prescription for two months, today was my outpatient surgery to have the cyst removed. Before heading in, I walked around Vancouver General Hospital to work on our VGH campus food guide . Naturally, we also stopped for lunch inside the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre. 📍 Restaurant At-A-Glance: Express Singapore Location: Main Concourse, Gordon & Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre (VGH Campus) Cuisine: Singaporean / Taiwanese Express (operated by Bubble Waffle Café) Price Range: $12 – $18 CAD per person M...

Whether you are sitting through a multi-hour wait during a loved one’s surgery, starving after an early morning fasting requirement for day surgery, or trying to grab a quick coffee between outpatient clinic appointments, navigating the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) campus can be daunting. The hospital complex spans multiple city blocks, and when you are tired, anxious, or recovering, the last thing you want to do is trek blocks away down West Broadway in search of something to eat. To make things as effortless as possible, this Smooch Food guide skips the off-campus search and breaks down every food, café, and grab-and-go option strictly inside the VGH campus footprint . Organized cleanly by building zone, here is your complete visual map of where to eat without leaving the property. ⚡ Quick Guide: Where Should You Go? 🏃 Best for Quick Coffee & Pastry: Bean Around The World (Blusson At...