Ice Cream from Baskin-Robbins

Will it be a surprise that this is only my third time trying Baskin-Robbins (BR)? I remember going with my siblings and trying it for the first and only time (so far) back in 2007 when we were in California for a family vacation. The second time was in the Philippines when they opened a location.

We don't see BR as often, so when we did, we decided to grab a scoop of ice cream each.

I ordered the Caramel Macchiato while hubby had difficulty picking a flavour. He ended up choosing the Jamoca Almond Fudge.

Caramel Macchiato
Wake up your taste buds with delicious salted caramel swirled throughout coffee-flavoured ice cream with real espresso flakes for an extra kick.

Caramel Macchiato and Jamoca Almond Fudge (Take our Jamoca ice cream, add roasted almonds and a chocolate-flavoured ribbon. Feel your taste buds buzz!)

It's hard to do ice cream wrong, but I am pleased that hubby and I are consistent with our flavour choices. I always go for coffee ice cream. I don't drink coffee but love it in desserts (cake and ice cream). Meanwhile, hubby likes nuts in his ice cream, whether crushed into the ice cream or as a flavour base.

Lunch at South Street Burger

We are at Tsawwassen Mills today for the Stargazer: An Immersive Experience in Outer Space Vancouver. After our out-of-this-world experience, we grabbed lunch at South Street Burger. This is one of only two locations in British Columbia (the other one is in Kelowna, BC).

The competitive advantage of South Street Burger is their "Build your own custom creation from the 30+ free toppings available." I get unnecessarily stressed by any meal where a restaurant asks me to choose ingredients and flavour combinations. I'm an unusual foodie. I don't add sauces as much as other people because I want to enjoy the food as intended by the chef, then I can decide if I like it or not.

Lunch from South Street Burger

Thankfully, South Street has "Signature Burgers." I chose the Mushroom & Swiss, while my husband picked the True North. Unfortunately, the person preparing our order still asked if we wanted customizations to our burger, and hubby asked to do the standard.

Mushroom & Swiss
Sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese, tomato, garlic mayo, and lettuce

True North
Aged cheddar, maple bacon, onions, and signature sauce

Let's discuss the burgers. They're using Dempster's for buns; you can't go wrong with that. I use it at home too. The burger patty is cooked well-done, so it's not as juicy, which is acceptable because I didn't get a soggy bun. The taste of the patty reminded me of Burger King's flame-grilled burgers. The smokiness is truly there.

All-Cheese Ensaimada Box and Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moment | Magkasama Christmas Market 2021

I have a confession to make. I am not a fan of ensaimada, in general. I remember growing up; I just find it too sweet. So if I am in front of a bakery with lots of Filipino bread options, there are two bread I won't order (sorry, bread!) ensaimada and pan de coco.

With this premise, you might be thinking about why I ordered 8 ensaimada during Magkasama Christmas Market this year. Well, the description said there are savoury ensaimada and cheese ensaimada - who says no to cheese?

I am hoping Ensaimada Moment can change my general aversion to ensaimada.

Let's get started. We had all 8 ensaimada for breakfast today. 

All-Cheese Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moment

I reheated the All-Cheese Ensaimada Box for 30 seconds in the microwave, which melted some cheese on top.

All-Cheese Ensaimada from Ensaimada Moments

Because all the ensaimada looks the same, I couldn't identify which flavour is which (update: I found a flavor guide in Instagram, so I'll do my best to properly caption each ensaimada), but this is the first one I tried, and it's what I think is the Classic Ensaimada. It's the sweet one that made me dislike ensaimada, to begin with, but it's as good as it can go.

I am sure ensaimada lovers will absolutely go crazy with how delicious the ensaimada was.

The one above is the second one I tried. It's not as sweet as the first, but I am unsure of its flavours since the sweetness was still overpowering my tongue.

This is my favourite from the All-Cheese Ensaimada Box. There's still sweetness, but whatever cheese was used above counterbalances the sweetness with a bit of saltness. I surprisingly enjoyed it.

Salted Egg Ensaimada

The salted egg was shockingly my least favourite of the four. Because ensaimada is generally sweet, the salted egg became overpoweringly salty. I love it in bibingka, but not ensaimada.

Our breakfast would have ended here, but I felt hungry, so we decided to eat the remaining four ensaimada.

Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box from Ensaimada Moments

I enjoyed the four ensaimada in this box more than the All-Cheese one, which is surprising. I reheated this one for 20 seconds to avoid the melted mess of the first one.

Sweet & Savoury Sampler Ensaimada Box

Pork Floss Ensaimada

I think this is pork floss, and I absolutely love it. It works well on top of the fluffy pastry.

Ube Halaya Ensaimada

I think this is ube, but I base it on the colour. It's a bit sweet but not overpowering, and I surprisingly enjoyed it.

I thought the ensaimada below and above would be as sweet as the one in the All-Cheese Box, but unexpectedly not. It's possible that the flavours just work better together, and one is not overpowering the other.

Overall, I'll order the Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada Box again.

My Birthday Celebration: Ube and Mocha Cake from Arts to Bakes

I'm loyal to restaurants and even dishes that I absolutely love. For example, in my favourite restaurant, I have favourite dishes that I always order. For my second birthday in a row, I ordered a cake from Arts to Bakes. 🎂

Last year, I fell in love with her mocha cake, so I had to order it again this year, but I wanted to try a different flavour, so I asked for a half ube and half mocha cake.

Half Ube and Half Mocha from Arts to Bakes

Beautiful Cake

Just like last year, both flavours are excellent! Definitely the highlight of my birthday weekend. My younger sister demolished the ube cake like there's no tomorrow, while I sort of did the same for the mocha cake. To say that it's a hit is an understatement. Even my dad, who doesn't like sweets, ate and enjoyed the ube cake.

Ube with Macapuno side of the cake

Mocha side of the cake

Half Ube and Half Mocha Cake

I'm already planning to order an ube cake for my younger sister's birthday next year based on her reaction to it. 

If you're in Metro Vancouver and sell Filipino food, please send us a message on Facebook with your menu. We would love to try your products (don't worry, I'm not an influencer and would gladly pay and support your business).

One and only Krispy Kreme in Metro Vancouver

My sister wants to try Krispy Kreme today, so after Mass, we drove all the way to the only branch in Metro Vancouver.