Crispy Kale Chips recipe and my favourite Vancouver sandwich shops

New: Crispy Kale Chips recipe and my favourite Vancouver sandwich shops

What's up: Restaurant review - Little Nest, Acme Cafe, Homemade Tiramisu recipe

Continuing on with things I think are (mostly) healthy (yet still tasty), today I have a recipe for one of my new favourite snacks: kale chips and a list of a few of my favourite places to get gourmet sandwiches in Vancouver.

Fresh kale, destemmed

Normally I am not a fan of kale. I’ve tried it stewed, stir-fried, baked in a casserole and as a salad and nothing—it has this terrible chewy texture when cooked and it’s almost rubbery when raw. However, baked as chips, kale has a wonderful flavour and the crisp, light texture is perfect. There’s also an infinite number of different flavourings you can add in from plain old sea salt, to garlic salt, lemon pepper, parmesan cheese or even nutritional yeast if you’re really going for really good nutrition.

Kale chips are extremely easy to make. At the very least you only need 2 ingredients: kale and olive oil. 

Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich

Restaurant Review -- Little Nest, organic, local, kid-friendly eats

New: Restaurant Review -  Little Nest, organic, local, kid-friendly eats

What's up: Restaurant review: Acme Cafe and where to eat brunch in Vancouver, Eggless Tiramisu

Happy New Year! So after all that holiday bingeing and the terrible sense of guilt that goes with it, I thought I’d lighten up my meals a bit and try some lighter, healthier foods. Luckily, lightening up still leaves room for my new found love—brunch. After walking past it dozens of times to get to my favourite deli, Santa Barbara on Commercial drive, I finally made some time to visit Little Nest. 

Arborio rice pudding with a seasonal fruit compote at Little Nest

I visited Little Nest on a weekday morning so the cafe wasn’t too busy, but there was a consistent flow of customers dropping in to pick up breakfast. Little Nest touts itself as being a very “kid-friendly” establishment and it certainly lives up to its name. Everything from the play area in the middle of the restaurant equipped with a mini kitchen and an abundance of toys, to the little wooden blocks on your tables just screams family. And speaking of screaming, we were quite lucky that morning, the only kid there was just quietly playing by himself in the play area, but I have heard the play area can get quite busy and I’d imagine the noise level in the restaurant could increase exponentially. 

Little Nest on Commercial Drive

Restaurant Review -- Acme Cafe and Where to get brunch in Vancouver

New: Restaurant Review -- Acme Cafe and Where to get brunch in Vancouver

What's up: Eggless Tiramisu, Chocolate Fruit and Nut thins, Homemade Marshmallows

So during my last few weeks in Vancouver, I decided to pound down my list of brunch/breakfast places that I just had to try. My list included Red Wagon, Flying Pig, Little Nest, Acme Cafe and Two Chefs (Read more to see my top 10 Vancouver Brunch Places list below).

So far, one of my favourites has been Acme Cafe. Although I did really enjoy it, I do have my reservations about it because my dining companion unfortunately got food poisoning from her breakfast. 

Breakfast at Acme Cafe on West Hastings

Acme Cafe is located just around the corner from the Woodwards building. There is plenty of street parking, but like everywhere in Downtown Vancouver, you have to pay for it. We got a wonderful window seat and the restaurant was relatively empty with only a few other tables occupied (this was on a weekday morning). 

Restaurant Review - Dark Table Restaurant: Dining in the Dark

New: Restaurant Review - Dark Table Restaurant: Dining in the Dark
What's up: The Perfect Thanksgiving gravy and Thanksgiving Desserts

Dark Table has finally made its way down to Vancouver and of course I had to go check out what this was all about. Dining in complete darkness was definitely a nerve racking experience. I couldn’t check out my surroundings, I didn’t know where other tables were, and I couldn’t see what I was eating at all. The servers, who are all visually impaired to a certain degree, were trained for just two months before they were put into action.

Dark Table Restaurant, Vancouver's newest dining experience

The dining experience begins outside where you’re taken to a bench where you select what menu you’d like and your main course. You have the choice between a surprise appetizer or dessert and meal ($33) or both plus the meal ($39).

Restaurant Review - Romer's Burger Bar and Where to get the best burgers in Vancouver

New: Restaurant Review - Romer's Burger Bar and where to get the best burgers in Vancouver

What’s up: Cheap meals in Vancouver -- Fill up for under $5,  Travel Dining - Sapphire Princess cruise ship dining, Cheap baking substitutes

It's the last day of September and the warm Vancouver weather seems to be holding up believe it or not (well, except for those chilly mornings). Hang on to the last bit of the warm, extended summer weather and take this opportunity to enjoy a delicious patio meal.

Romer’s Burger Bar opened up in my neighbourhood a short while ago and it finally got warm enough for me to enjoy one of their tasty burgers on their beautiful patio overlooking the Fraser River.

Unlike most burger joints, Romer’s Burger Bar doesn’t include any fries or salad with its burgers. Because I couldn’t enjoy my burger without a side of fries, I ordered a basket of their garlic fries ($5) to supplement my Standard burger ($9). The fries had a very strong raw, garlickly flavour.

Romer’s has a whole page of different fixins for diners to customize their burgers. I chose to add local goat cheese ($1.50). It was a bit of a disappointment because for a whole extra $1.50 on top of what I paid for the burger, all I got was a tiny smear of cheese. Although it added great flavour to the burger, it was certainly not enough for the entire burger.

Romer's Standard Burger with local goat cheese

I also had the opportunity to try out the SoCal burger ($10), a turkey patty with avocado, tomatoes, watercress and few other typical add ons. This was a super flavourful burger, juicy and extremely tasty.

Romer's SoCal Chicken Burger

Cheap meals in Vancouver -- Fill up for under $5

New: Cheap meals in Vancouver -- Fill up for under $5

What’s up: Travel Dining - Sapphire Princess cruise ship dining, Cheap baking substitutes

We’re not always as loaded as we’d like to be, and sometimes we just want a tasty bite that costs next to nothing. Where can we get a cheap meal in Vancouver? Does cheap exist outside of fast food?

Check out my list of the top cheapest meals in Vancouver. That’s right folks, we can be full for under $5 in Vancouver. These may not be the most ideal places to bring a date or bring any guests at all, but when all you’re looking for is some cheap food and a full, satisfied stomach, give these cheap Vancouver restaurants (FYI not all are restaurants) a try.

Bons off Broadway

For just $2.95 you can get their infamous, super filling all day breakfast. You have your choice of a combination of toast, potatoes (or French fries), bacon/ham/sausage and eggs cooked to your preference. You can also substitute any of the above for anything else. For example, I’m not an egg person, so I often switch out my eggs for potatoes or bacon (that’s right you can have more bacon) for no extra cost. There’s also a variety of bread so you can have brown, white or even rye bread.

If the all day breakfast isn’t to your liking you can also get a stack of pancakes, a soup and sandwich combo or an omelette. It’s a fair sized restaurant although a bit dingy, the utensils are clean and you get free coffee refills. Make sure to go early and grab a table. Take out is also a great option.

Starts at: $2.95

Location: 5451 Nanaimo St.

Ikea Restaurant

Ikea's famous Swedish Meatballs covered in gravy and crispy french fries

Yes, it’s a bit strange to think of Ikea as a place to grab some grub, but it’s fantastic. They’ve got great, hearty meals and extremely inexpensive bites. This cafeteria-style restaurant serves up their famous Swedish meatballs and potatoes for $2.99 Monday to Friday and $4.99 Saturday to Sunday.

Craving some pasta? They’ve got organic pasta with marinara sauce for just $1.99 and you can even grab dessert for under $3. Head down to the Ikea Bistro near the exit to grab a bite on your way out. For just $0.75, you can get a hot dog, or for $2 you can get the 2 hotdogs and unlimited soft drink refills deal. No need to skip dessert either because they’ve got some delicious frozen yogurt that tastes just like the McDonald’s ice cream for just $1.

Looking for a super cheap breakfast? For just $1, yes $1! You can get a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatotes and sausages (until 11 a.m.).

Starts at: $0.75