Mini Munchie: Soirette Macarons & Tea

After a hearty breakfast with MS at Marulilu Cafe, we headed off to find macarons! I did some research, but when we got to our first location, they didn't look good at all. So we decided to go to Soirette's =)

Restaurant: Soirette Macarons & Tea (visit their website here)
Location: 1433 West Pender Street
Cuisine: French, Desserts, Tea
Price range: $10+ (depending what you get)







Date of visit: February 24, 2013
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 2/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

When we walked in, all the seats were taken already, luckily we were just going to buy and leave anyways. I got a dozen macarons ($22), and most of what I saw at the store was macarons and a few desserts  (hence why the food variety is a 2/5). I wanted to be adventurous and try out as many flavors as I could =P

 I'm procrastinating, so I'm gonna note things about every macaron I had~~ I didn't get a pic of lavender though =( It was pretty good, not too strong of a lavender "flavor" though, just sweet.

White Truffle. The server recommended I eat this one last due to the stronger flavors, and she was good in letting me know, those grains of salt were indeed strong! Liked this a lot cuz it was well-balanced.

 Mango Black Pepper. Very strong mango flavor and definitely could taste that black pepper. Thought the pepper was a bit strong.

Matcha. Honestly, I don't know the different tastes between match and other green teas, this tasted just like a green tea one... =/

Black Rose. Even my mom said she tasted the rose flavor, and this was quite well done. A little over-baked in my opinion because it was a bit browned, but other than that, the rose was strong and the cream filling went well with it.

Chestnut. Couldn't figure out the flavor at first (yes, I started forgetting what each one was haha), because it wasn't a very strong flavor. All I tasted was sweet =/

 Creme Brulee. Not sure if this was supposed to have any eggy flavor to it or not, because all I could taste was sweet. =(

 Passion fruit. This flavor was the most distinct since it was the only one that had a tangy taste. It was sweet, but carried a very fruity flavor which I quite enjoyed =)

Chocolate Mint. Minty chocolate pretty much describes this macaron xD

Jasmine. Tasted just like the matcha, just a different color ^^"

Raspberry. Could definitely taste the raspberry, but I was expecting a bit of a tartiness to it, which was absent. Just had the raspberry flavor, almost like a Maynards raspberry candy xD

Rocher. It's like. Nutella in a macaron form! More Nutella than Ferrero Rocher, but then again, they're the same company aren't they? One of my classic favorites =)








Annnnd being the poor student I am, I doubt I'll be back any time soon. You might see me try to make them though xD I'd like to mention, the server who served me was very well-informed and helpful when I asked her what each macaron contained ;D

Munchie Adventure: Marulilu Cafe, Vancouver

Meeting up with my gah zeh (god sister), MS today!! =D I was looking for a place that opened early, and stumbled upon this cute store! It's located right across from Broadway station of the Canada Line, very convenient! =)

Restaurant: Marulilu Cafe
Location: 451 W. Broadway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Breakfast/ Brunch, Tea
Price range: <$10







Date of visit: February 24, 2013
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

I really couldn't decide what to order, since I wanted to try a few things, but the Japanese style breakfast ($6.99) was always something I've wanted to try. Plus, I'm a sucker for "organized" trays of food with lots of variety, so this suited me. I felt everything was quite bland though, they did have soy sauce, but I ended up just dipping everything into my miso soup =P I feel I can make this at home, but not worth my effort sometimes haha! Food was very simple, but filling.

MS ordered their Breakfast Plate A ($5.99) which was packed full of food. They use whole wheat bread, which I thought was good-- one step closer to a healthier lifestyle! =P Everything else looked pretty good, nice layout and that plate was HUGE!

MS also ordered a Matcha Latte ($3.80/$4.55 reg/med) and it was so pretty! Almost didn't want to stir it haha! In my excitement, I forgot to ask her how it was, but at least it has looks haha!







Overall, I enjoyed my experience, and it's a great location for talking and catching up. A small store, but no rush at all for us to leave, so we sat there talking for quite some time! Lovely atmosphere, very homey, and food... bland but healthy! I'll definitely be back to try their okonomiyaki that was "sold out" today! Toodles~

Munchie Adventure: Cafe Medina, Vancouver

Happy first-ever BC Family Day!!! Also a bonus that it's so close to Chinese New Year hehe =D Wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year of the Snake~ Best of luck for the new year! So, today I met up with a few friends from high school whom I haven't seen in forever! Can't believe its been 5 years, so this was like a little 5-year reunion =)

Restaurant: Cafe Medina (visit their website here)
Location: 555 Beatty Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: European, Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee/Tea
Price range: $15-20 per person







Date of visit: February 11, 2013
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 2/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

Now, honestly speaking, I really don't understand the line-up outside, nor the rave about this place. We waited in line for about 30 minutes (not quite sure, time flies when you're catching up with lovely people =P) but it was quite a wait. From the outside, it looks tiny, but there turns out to be another back section *very surprised* =O

Couldn't decide what to get, cuz I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish, I *had* to try the waffles, since CC recommended it =) Ohhh decisions decisions!

Finally, we all ordered, and les waffles arrived first. VC ordered a waffle ($3.15) with a white chocolate pistachio rosewater dip ($1.00), and it looked like a lot of sauce for one waffle. JS got the waffle with milk chocolate lavender dip, and said that the lavender was very strong, but good =)

She seemed to enjoy it, but I was busy stuffing my face with my waffle, which CC noted also tastes like bubble waffles (and it started to after she mentioned it =P). They were crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The icing sugar added a nice subtle touch. GOOD-- but not sure if it's worth $3.15 xD

Next, our food! It took quite a while for it to arrive, but I guess anticipation makes things even better? =) CC and VC ordered the Fritatta du Matin ($12.00), which contained potatoes, squash, peppers, parsley, onions, and some other veggies-- it came in a nice pan, which was also a main selling point ^-^ It looked really good, but CC did mention that it was a bit oily. They agreed flavors were well balanced, just need to take it easy on the oil. It also came with a piece of Focaccia bread =)

JS and I ordered their Paella ($13.00), and I really loved the display. This contained one egg on a bed of curried orzo topped with Hungarian chorizo, zucchini (didn't taste much of that), red peppers, roasted tomatoes, and avocado. I was taken aback by the seasoned avocado. Personally, I like my avocados as is, and not pickled avocados like these. Wayyy too sour for my liking. The flavors were too overwhelming, it was very sour, salty, a bit spicy, and just . . . too much =( Mixing in the egg yolk made it a bit better, but there was only so much egg yolk ><" Sadly, I didn't enjoy this, but I did enjoy my company!

All in all, maybe I should've stuck with trying their waffle and having a mocha instead of the Paella (I was truly disappointed >n<). Not worth the price I paid, so you won't see me returning here. I need to learn not to fall for these "raved" restaurants again, just try any one-- maybe I'll be surprised =) Who knows? New year for new outlook! Cheer's y'all <3

Turns out there's another extra room besides ours! Surprise again! xD