furry friends

This is Sputnik. He's my buddy. We head bonk.

Morgan is a retired store cat and enjoys taking cat naps. A lot.

I think her name is Isabella? She lurks around a pasta store on Commercial Drive and you can see her scouting around the aisles between the jars of canned food and pasta sauces. 

This is Colonel Barnabas Snarffington the Third. He's special in his own little way.

the illuminati have taken over downtown

I just randomly came across this event while I was making my shopping rounds downtown and lucky for me, I happened to have my camera with me (for once!) and took some pictures of Yaletown being taken over by lights. It was a fun event that showcased a lot of cars (?!) and light technology. 

Light show using blocks of ice and each sculpture changed into a rainbow of colours and it slowly melted. 

The side of the building was used as a platform for a light video game, where the objects fell from the corner and made their way down, around the windows, like watching a pinball machine. 

Adding another dimension to Illuminate Yaletown event was a fire dance show where participants displayed their talent for not being burned alive using hula hoops lit up in flames and other props. 

Random decked out bus that kids used as a playground.  

Disco lights on the street made for a trippy walk.

The side of the building used as a backdrop for light graffiti. I thought this was brilliant and a lot of fun. 

Mini coopers lit up and on display.

I came across this while waiting at the bus stop. Sponsored by MADD. Don't lose your head people. 

a taste of France

Love the beginning of a new year, because it means Vancouver dine out is just around the corner! This event is greatly anticipated in my household as it gives us a chance to try something new and different without having to pay an arm and a leg for dinner.

My sister has never had French cuisine and me being a lover of all things French, felt the need to rectify the situation immediately and made dinner reservations at Bistro Pastis. I've been here several times, outside of the Vancouver dine out event, and found the food to be quite delicious. Unfortunately, due the late arrival of my dining partner, I didn't take a lot of photos of my meal as I was too busy chowing down.

Beets, pear, goat cheese salad was so good and light and I'm not usually a fan of beets, but I really liked how they were used in this salad. 

Herb stuffed chicken breast, with roasted brussel sprouts on a bed of polenta. If you can believe it, this is my first time eating brussel sprouts. I thought they were quite tasty. 

For dessert, I ordered the crepe suzette with orange Grand Marnier sauce. Delicious!

comfort food

After a couple of hours of overtime on Saturday, me and my coworker were mentally exhausted and just wanted to sit and have some comfort food. So, off to Denny's we go! Nothing like having breakfast for lunch to make the overtime fatigue more bearable.

Berry smoothie to start off my meal.

I ordered the Southwestern Chicken and Egg burrito with avocado and salsa and a side of red potato smashbrowns (baked red potatoes, smashed flat). So good and SO filling. It was a huge burrito.

My friend had the Classic Eggs Benedict with extra hollandaise sauce and smashbrowns.

whet your appetite

Another dine-out experience, this time with my co-workers and we tried out a new restaurant on Granville Island, whet kitchen bar and patio. Loved the view from the restaurant as it's right by the water. We ordered a bunch of different plates and the overall consensus from everyone was that the food was absolutely delicious. Most likely, we'll come back and try some dishes from their regular menu, maybe in the summer time when we can have a better view of the water.

Oyama sausage plate with roasted peppers, dijon mustard and a balsamic apricot reduction drizzled over the plate.

Ceviche: sea scallops, mahi mahi mixed with lime, garlic and served on corn tortillas with wasabi aioli. Tart, sweet and a bit of a kick with the wasabi, which I really liked.

Crab cakes rolled in a panko batter and served with mango aioli, spinach and avocado ranch sauce.

Merlot braised short ribs: boneless short rib served with merlot gravy and a dollop of ricotta cheese with a side of mushroom linguini. It kinda tasted like a suped up version of beef stroganoff.

Shrimp and scallop vermicelli: served with shallots, chardonnay, bechamel, scallions and fresh mango. I really liked this dish, it was nice and light, but still flavourful and filling.

Red velvet cake served with raspberry coulis and whipped cream. A classic.

Dark chocolate espresso cheesecake. This was surprisingly very rich and you can taste a hint of espresso in the chocolate.

Apple strudel with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce. Love apple strudel and this was the perfect dessert for me after eating the shrimp pasta, as I was about 3/4 already and didn't want to over-stuff myself.