September 2023 Eats: A mix of life
This September I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but as always I didn’t remember to take any photos. This monthly review will be a little shorter than usual but definitely filled with some delicious finds.
Ever since I moved to Canada I still have some trouble with the year swap. Here September is the start of the year, the trees start turning, it becomes cooler, school is back and everything is pumpkin-flavoured. In Chile, September meant something different. It was still a little cool but the sun was coming back, in a few weeks we would see the trees springing at full blast and summer was on the horizon. September meant Spring break and the celebration of our national holiday. I still crave Chile in September. It mostly has to do with me loving the spring-to-summer turn and not loving the start of the winter months.
With that said, this month had a little of everything. It was a scrambled busy month with new tastes and recipes. Let’s dig into what September 2023 brought us:
Dip Co. Sandwich
Rating: 3
People will tell you that if you go to Deep Cove you need to try Honey Doughnuts. I will save you from that and tell you to go next door and grab a sandwich. It's way better and I promise it will be a tastier experience. I got a Caprese sandwich (of course) and it was absolutely amazing!
Thierry Chocolates
Rating: 4
Only in Vancouver do chocolate shops stay open as late as some restaurants and bars. After dinner on a Friday, we decided to adventure out and try this chocolate shop in West Vancouver. Showing up at 8:30pm to have some dessert felt weird, the people there also felt out of place. I guess this is just a feeling you have when you do things out of your routine. This chocolate cake was amazing, very airy and creamy. You know how much I love trying new places and chocolate so this was right up my alley.
OEB
Rating: 3
A brunch classic for us. During this visit, I realized that I don't love the taste of truffles. It's too overpowering. A good meal should be a combination of flavours, just having one is basically cheating. The fries were delicious as always! Unfortunately, the ranting keeps going down.
Affogato - at work
Rating: 3
Last summer we were a little studio, we only had a few people at the time and for some reason, we got ice cream every Thursday. They would give us just the best store-bought sandwiches and lolly pops. Nobody ever expected or craved them but It was so much fun to have a pick-me-up those days! This year we have grown exponentially so the budget allowed them to offer affogato for 2 days. Amazing and delicious idea for the middle of the day when you need something to wake you up. This photo is just proof that my studio still has creative ways to keep things fun and on budget.
Sopaipillas con Pebre
Rating: 4
As I mentioned before Chile celebrates a national holiday during the week of September 18. I still insist on celebrating that holiday in any way I can each year. Many Latin countries have a similar holiday during this time of the year so my work decided to put together a Latin party. As the only Chilean in my studio, I had to make sure Chile was represented with the best (and only good food Chile has), Sopaipillas con pebre. A fried pumpkin bread topped with Chile’s version of salsa. Delicious and a crowd-pleaser.
Streetcar Brewing
Rating: 4
North Vancouver has many little breweries by the water. My favourite one is the peach radler from Streetcar. Last week they were celebrating Oktoberfest with personalized steins and pretzels. I love this brewery and can’t wait to take more of my friends and family.
The Parlour
Rating: 3
Not bad pizza but I ordered the wrong one for my taste. A tomato base is my go-to but so many people recommended I try the mushroom potato one. I must say that if your pizza needs a dip, it's not doing it right. I did appreciate that the to-go box had a sign inside that said “NOT FROM NAPLES” which emphasized that they are doing their own thing and experimenting. I do want to go again because their dough was really good. My main takeback from it all was a chance to catch up with one of my friends from work before she leaves for 3 weeks on an amazing adventure! Food and chats are the best way to do that.
Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie
Rating: 5
WOAH! It was hard to walk around and fully take in all the amazing chocolate art they had around because it was so busy. What an impressive place! We had a delicious hot chocolate and a croissant I couldn’t finish. This place is a nice walk from ours so I am already planning to take my parents when they come to visit. My mom will absolutely love it!
That is it for this month. Work has gotten busier so I haven’t had much time to do many things. My brain gets really tired after work. I’m excited to share what we are cooking in the studio.
Next month will be filled with many more food adventures. I am in charge of the Thanksgiving cheesecake (what an honour!). A trip to Punta Cana is in the books, my birthday and I want to throw a fun Halloween party. We shall see!
Hope you had a fun September and if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy the Spring!
I am still jealous of the afogatto, most of all! ❤️😂