They actually didn’t have a ton of selection. And I’m not paying $40 for a pie. $40? Are you kidding me? Never gonna happen!

They did have a sampler box of their icebox pies for $25. Guess that will have to do. Even though I’ve never heard of an icebox pie.

So I found out that an icebox pie is basically a cheesecake without any cream cheese. At least that’s the impression they gave me.

The sampler box includes four varieties: Key lime, Lemon Creamsicle, Fudgesicle, and Blueberry Earl Grey. We found all four flavours to be pretty tasty.

At more than $6 each, though, I never need to have them again.

I do have an unwritten rule (most of the time) to try a place more than once so I will pop in again one day for a croissant.

As long as it’s not $40.

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There’s a new Tiramisu shop near Metrotown that’s blowing up on Instagram. Having recently been to Italy and had some fantastic tiramisu, I feel like I’m in a good position to judge the quality of the dessert here.

However, the last time I visited a restaurant that was blowing up on Instagram it was a bit of a failure. I did not “love” Spaghetti Love Bakehouse at Lougheed Mall, but I had higher hopes today.

You’ll find Tiramisu Republic on the north side of Kingsway, a couple blocks west of Willingdon. It’s small, with just a few seats to sit at. That’s okay, I’m getting them to go.

If I understand it right, they will have six options at any given time. A couple of flavors may rotate seasonally.

I’m going with the classic and mango.

From what I’ve read online, everything is made in-house. I was surprised to see five or six people running around in the very small kitchen assembling the tiramisu upon ordering. That’s usually a good sign. Too often today, desserts just come out of a box.

They also offer two packaging options: a box or a jar. They tell me it’s the same amount of product but the jar is a dollar cheaper. They say the box is easier for sharing, and as I was taking these home to sample with Merilynn later, I decided to spend the extra two bucks. The box is a nicer presentation regardless.

If you’re keeping score, it cost me $23 for two tiramisu.

Honestly, both were great. However, I’m not sure one can call the mango one a Tiramisu. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. Look at all that fresh mango. But I found the mango flavour so strong it overpowered any mascarpone flavour.

The classic version was right up there with some of the best Tiramisu I’ve had. A perfect balance of textures and flavors that was both rich yet light.

Both versions were absolutely delicious. This time, Instagram came through — I highly recommend it.

9/10

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Popping up on Instagram lately has been Spaghetti Love Bakehouse, a new pasta shop at Lougheed Mall. It’s all the rage apparently.

A friend of mine who is much more online savvy saw it first and suggested we meet after work to check it out.

Well, after my meal I’m guessing all that hype is manufactured.

Spoiler alert; it wasn’t great.

The first warning sign – it’s in the food court. In my personal experience, food court food, more often than not, is about as tasty as the cardboard container it’s served in. I ended up deciding on the lasagne.

While I wouldn’t call it particularly terrible, it would not qualify as good either. Edible? Sure. Once.

The noodles? Fine. The meat? A mystery. Beef, I suppose. The sauce? It’s what ruined it for me. It was a really funny texture. It was hard to put my finger on what that texture was. Something close to the texture of Palak Paneer is the closest I can get to describing it. That’s the one Indian dish I don’t like.

The value? That’s the best part. It was a pretty large portion for $20. Way more than I needed to eat. If you want a big meal and you’re not a picky this might just be the place for you.

But for me, Pasta Polo just isn’t that far away. And for a few bucks more you will get a much better meal.

I suppose if you’re not as much a food snob as me you might find this really good.

If you are a food snob like me, you shouldn’t be in a food court in the first place.

3/10

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I am out for a bit of a walk this morning with my destination being a new tiramisu shop on Kingsway that’s blowing up on Instagram. My plan was to grab a coffee at a Starbucks along the way, there were at least two I knew of, but I passed by Coffizen Coffee Roasters and decided to skip the mediocre brew for something better. (I hope)

It’s a rather pleasant atmosphere. There’s some greenery around the room and plenty of seating. Even a nice wooden bench with cushions in the corner. It feels like somewhere I could spend some time.

I’m only getting a cappuccino today. Hopefully it’s somewhat like all that great coffee we had in Italy.

The balance of milk to foam was a little off, too much milk,not enough foam. The flavour of the coffee was great though — not bitter, just that smooth, rich taste you expect from a great cup of coffee.

The service was very good. The staff were very friendly and brought my coffee to the table. That’s not something you get at the other place.

You’ll find Coffizen Coffee Roasters on Edmonds between Kingsway and Canada Way. If you’re in the area and in dire need of some caffeine, it would be worth your while to check them out.

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So I’m killing some time at Metrotown while waiting for my phone to be repaired today and I need something quick to eat.

Scanning the food court I see no viable options. Eating in a sit down restaurant isn’t really an option today, Amanda doesn’t want to eat.

We run across Hellcrust pizza as we are strolling around.

The first thought that came to mind was the memory of my last pizza from Hellcrust. If I recall Hell no! was my reaction after tasting it.

If only I had taken my own recommendation and kept walking.

What an offence to every pizza lover on the planet.

The ONLY flavour on this slice was the pineapple. Cardboard would even have more flavour than this. I couldn’t even taste tomatoes. It must take some actual effort to make pizza this bland. Don’t think I could fail this bad if I tried.

Does anyone out there think Hellcrust Pizza is good?

Seven dollars well wasted.

The first time should have been the last time.

One bite, everyone knows the rules…

2.5

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Over the last few decades grocery stores have moved farther and farther away from in-store produced baked goods to premixes and mass produced products from centralized factories. There’s certainly been some health and safety concerns driving that decision. Donut fryers being a perfect example. Nasty business getting burned frying doughnuts. But have you tried a grocery store donut lately? It’s fu**ing terrible.Economics play a role in this move as well. It’s expensive to have a bunch of journeyman Baker’s working in your store. And certainly there are efficiencies from mass producing product in one location for many retailers.Technology is improving and there are some products that are actually quite good. There are some fine all butter croissants and Danish to be had from your local grocer. But the fast majority still are not professional baker quality products.This has opened the door though for the small bakery to make a comeback and we’re seeing more and more of them pop up around the Greater Vancouver area, much to my applause. I wish I was a bit younger with more energy and could open my own Bakery. Far too old for that now though. But I can use my knowledge and expertise from 36 years in the industry to figure out some of the better options for higher-end baked goods in the city.

Chez Christophe is a professional bakers wet dream.

These delicacies were tried over a few visits, and there will be more. This bakery is that good.

Fruit topped Financier.

Most often found as a small, gold bar shaped cake, a Financier is make from butter and almond flour. Its usually very moist, allowing even a two day old cake still moist enough to be enjoyed.

This fantastic version is covered with fruit and nuts, similar to how a fruit tart would be presented.

10/10

Pain au Chocolate

Just look at all those layers of flakey, buttery goodness. Of course the true appreciation is the skill and technique that goes into making croissants.

10/10

Trio de Chocolat

Three different chocolate mouses, white, dark and milk. All excellent. Though what elevated this was the chocolate crumb on top. It made some excellent chocolate moves into a fantastic eating experience.

Tart au Citron

A light, tangy lemon curd on delicious wafer. The lemon curd struck the perfect balance between sweet and sour, and was light enough not to feel like it was too much.

10/10

Tiramisu

A lovely modern take on the Italian classic. Rich and creamy with the chocolate layer giving a nice textural component.

9/10

Mabgo Chocolate

A chocolate mouse done with a mango mousse inside, the nango flavour was surprisingly intense. And a beautiful complement to the dark chocolate.

8/10

Homemade chocolates. Ok this is where I can really get into trouble.

At about $2.50 each you can’t exactly be gorging yourself on these.

But what a delight. I’m not going to list all the flavors but here’s a photo of the chocolate legend.

The 9 piece box

While all were delicious, the Tom Collins and the Champagne Grapefruit stood out to me. High quality chocolate with extraordinary fillings, ones you won’t find elsewhere. I mean come on, a Gin chocolate? Fantastic!

10/10

Its been four visits so far, every one an great experience.

Next time your in North Burnaby it’s definitely worth your time for a stop in. There’s nothing here to disappoint.

Oh ya, they do coffee really well too.

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Youll find it tucked away on Sperling just off Hastings.

Vanila Latté

Youll get a proper latté, made by someone who cares about the final product, with coffee roasted in house.

Ya that’s an excellent coffee. A good balance of coffee to milk to syrup. Not burned like the other place.

Just a little more expensive. But worth it.

10)10

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If you find yourself in Texas, Memphis, Kansas City or St Louis you will have no issues. I’m sure there are lots of other US cities that boast some fine BBQ as well.

I’ve personally experienced good BBQ in many cities across the south. Texas style being my favourite.

In Canada though, it’s a different story.

Not that you can’t find BBQ. It’s around. It’s finding good BBQ that can be tricky.

So when I stumbled upon Butcher’s Block a few years ago in North Burnaby I was more than a little thrilled.

It’s perhaps not quite up to the level of the best BBQ in Texas. But it ain’t far off.

So today we are gonna order up a big pile of protein.

If you’re vegan you probably want to skip the rest of this post. It’s going to be meat, meat and more meat from here on out.

That’s a good looking plate of dead animals right there.

There’s some pulled pork buried under all that sauce, a delicious Italian sausage and some of the most delicious brisket I’ve had, Texas included.

It’s real easy for pulled pork to get dried out but this batch was very moist. A beautifully crafted, in house I’m sure, BBQ sauce smothering it.

The Italian sausage was smoked to perfection.

But that brisket. Oh that brisket. Tender and melt in your mouth. The fat rendered down so it just melts in your mouth. Exquisite.

As for sides, we got some great macaroni salad and baked beans that will spoil you for anything that comes out of a can. A little white bread to soak up the sauces and juices finishes off everything nicely.

There is an art and tons of skill and experience that goes into great BBQ. Whomever is on the smoker at Butcher’s Block has his trade down pat.

9/10

Check out their website here

Patina Brewing in PoCo is also some good local BBQ. Check out my review of Patina here

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Even with the $13 fee Mello donuts are worth forking out for delivery once in a while.

But wouldn’t you know it, the strawberry cream version wasn’t on the menu today. Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t go all the way there.

The donut craving still called though.

Unfortunately Gourmet Donuts isn’t on Uber Eats.

But then I noticed La Miel Bakery and Cafe under the “donut” query, and wouldn’t you know it they also have a strawberry cream donut that looks very similar to the Mello offering.

That got my interest piqued. So like a kid in a candy store (that may be a more literal analogy than I care to admit) I ordered up a few treats.

And they all sucked in one way or another

Strawberry cream donut

The whole reason I ordered from La Miel Bakery and Cafe was this donut.

What a disappointment.

First the exterior.

I can’t quite figure out what coating the donut is dipped in. But whatever, it is is terrible

Sugar, Cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar:these are acceptable coatings.

Whatever it is imparted a soggy feeling to the donut overall. The cream filling was decent enough. But doesn’t make for the rest of it.

As I was expecting better, I had also ordered the mango version to try.

It wasn’t any better. Same terrible coating, same soggy feeling. The mango cream I scooped out had a nice flavour, but that didn’t make up for the overall unpleasantness of the donut.

There is no picture for it but I also got the Pistachio cream donut. Not gooing to bother trying it due to the last two varieties.

A Blueberry Buttercream Bun.

While it is a fresh, soft brioche style bun, I found the flavour of the fillings off-putting.

The blueberry filling they used is a commercial filling I know well from my years in the industry. Too artificial for my liking. Thats a Venetian creme decor on top, which isn’t the worst of the commercial fillings, but doesn’t compare to real custard at all. Best thing I can say about it – it was fresh. One in my life will do.

Then I had a chocolate covered Madeline.

I had high hopes for this. I love Madelines.

A Madeline is a small lemon flavored cake, light and airy.

Well it supposed to be anyways.

This was dry and crumbly with no lemon flavour at all. Clearly stale. I don’t know, maybe I’m just too picky after 36 years in bakeries. I wouldn’t send that out myself. But the chocolate was good.

So that was $36 dollars well wasted.

And one bakery I know I don’t need to visit again

1/10

Shoukd you want to try some of their products yourself you can find their website here:

https://le-miel-bakery-cafe-mr-paris-fresh-bakery.menu-world.com/

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At the Brentwood location for the first time this afternoon.

Before the drinking starts going to have to get some food in me.

My first impressions weren’t great.

but they exceeded those expectations.

A tender pork filled dumpling served with a soy sauce. Perhaps a bit too much of that sauce but it didn’t affect he quality of the dumpling.

8/10

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