My hubby and I went to the first night of the PNE Winter Fair to see the beautiful lights display and check out the food scene.
For details about the event, check out this post. If you need the PNE Winter Fair food menus and prices, this is where you need to be.
We left our home later than I would like, but it's a weekday, so it is what it is. We arrived at the Pacific Coliseum entrance a couple minutes before 6:00 PM.
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| Winter Lights inside the PNE Winter Fair powered by BC Hydro |
We first walked around to see all the lights displayed and checked all the sections of the whole fair. Then, I took photos of the menu to write my post.
Beef Chili from Chili Hut
If you need something to keep you warm, Mr. Arancino sells onion soup, while Mom's Grilled Cheese offers tomato soup. However, the Chili Hut near the Duelling Pianos is the primary food vendor focusing on chili and soup.
We ordered the Beef Chili, which was served on sourdough bread. It was $14.00. It was decent chili but needed a bit more salt and pepper.
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Beef Chili Bowl House-made beef chili with kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, and mixed vegetables. Served in a sourdough bread bowl with all the toppings. |
After eating our Beef Chili, we admired the lights in the Winter Creatures display. Then, dessert!
Mehple from BeaverTail
I let hubby choose our dessert, and he went for the BeaverTail because, as he pointed out, we rarely see them.
The line wasn't too bad, but the wait was close to 10 minutes. It was freshly made and still perfectly warm, even on a cold evening.
We ordered the Mehple, which is all about the Canadian maple flavour on top of their signature fried dough.
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Mehple from BeaverTails Maple-flavoured spread & maple sugar crunch |
We ate while walking back to the next food stall we wanted to try.
Chicken & Holiday Waffle from Hot & Crispy Chicken
Hot & Crispy Chicken is a permanent fixture in PNE Fair, and I am happy to see them during the Winter Fair offering the same stuff with the addition of two-holiday menu items.
We ordered the Chicken & Holiday Waffle. It tastes like a turkey dinner in chicken and waffle format. All the stuffing flavour is stuffed in the waffle, while the perfectly juicy and crispy chicken serves as the vehicle for the warm gravy as it gets transported to my mouth.
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Chicken & Holiday Waffle 2 pieces of chicken, sage & chicken stuffing waffle, cranberry glaze, and gravy |
It's my favourite thing we tried this evening.
Cinnamon Sugar Chimney Cake Praguery
After the delicious meal, I had my eye on the Praguery. I am on a Chimney Cake hunt since enjoying one at Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Much to the surprise of the lady selling the Praguery, I ordered the Chimney Cake covered in just Cinnamon Sugar - no ice cream or spread inside. It's similar to what I tried at the Vancouver Christmas Market (VCM).
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| Cinnamon Sugar Chimney Cake from The Praguery |
Focusing on just the chimney, Praguery cooked it better than what's in the VCM. At least I now have a source of delicious chimney cake in Vancouver that's available year-round. I just need to keep an eye out for their food truck.
We ate our cake while walking towards the Cocoa Hut.
Hot Chocolate from Cocoa Hut
It seemed silly to enjoy the PNE Winter Fair without a hot drink, so we ordered Hot Chocolate from Cocoa Hut.
It was decent hot chocolate, but not worth $4.00.
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Hot Chocolate from Cocoa Hut With a choice of whipping cream and topped with sprinkles |
Before ordering our last meal, we checked out the Winter Live Shows and surprisingly enjoyed it.
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| The Magic of Santa Holiday Musical in Holiday Theatre |
Christmas Poutine from UnRoutine Poutine
For our last meal at the PNE Winter Fair, we went to UnRoutine Poutine which is also a staple of the PNE Summer Fair, but this time they're offering a Christmastime Poutine.
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Christmas Dinner Poutine from UnRoutine Poutine Vegetarian gravy, diced turkey, sage & thyme stuffing, cranberry, and cheese curds. |
It has everything you like about a turkey dinner, but fries replace mashed potatoes. All the flavour of stuffing and thyme is there. The turkey was decided and easy to eat, covered in a delicious gravy. The only letdown is the fries. They're not crispy. It couldn't maintain whatever crispiness was originally there because of all the sauce.
We ate our poutine inside the Dueling Piano hut, which I think is the best area for adults to enjoy their meal with live music in the background.
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| Duelling Pianos inside the PNE Winter Fair |
We finished shortly after 9:00 PM, and the fair was nearly empty. So we were able to take more pictures without the crowd.
