FoodScenes: Photography X Food=The Perfect Combo

Don't worry, this blog is for all ages :) For those of you who don't live in Vancouver, LIK N2 is a very popular liquid nitrogen ice cream store right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. Although a relatively new establishment in the neighbourhood, this unique store offers a very casual atmosphere that allows you to enjoy a fun dessert with a buddy or two while watching the smoke spill all over their ice cream "lab" from the liquid nitrogen. For those of you who don't know, liquid nitrogen ice cream is, well, made using liquid nitrogen to immediately freeze the ice cream while making it! Don't worry, it is safe for consumption :) What makes LIK N2's liquid nitrogen ice cream different from other places I've been to is that each of their signature creations include a syringe where you can "shoot" some icing or chocolate into your dessert. With this amazing idea, you can control exactly how much icing or chocolate fudge you want o

Sorry for being very MIA recently! With the new school year underway and ample of midterms and exams, I have been fairly occupied with lots of deadlines Starting off a new school year, this dish is a little more technical than my previous dishes. Although the process as a whole is quite easy, this week's dish does require a good level of knife skills. The Tasty Salmon Combo is inspired by a combination of Tasty tutorials on Facebook with slight modifications. I know their recipes often receive criticism about their nutritional value, but with a slight modification, these recipes can be both healthy and tasty. Again, healthy food does not mean no fats whatsoever; a little bit of oil here and there is totally fine! Just remember to have it in moderation :) Have a taste of this lovely salmon dish tonight! Hassle-back Potato (Inspired by Tasty's  Easy Baked Potato Chips (Hasselback Potato ) Ingredients: 2 Russet Potatoes 2 Teaspoon of Canola Oil Salt and Pepper Instruct

Can't believe it's already the end of summer! Before heading back to school, I have to make the most of my time trying some of the local favourites here in Vancouver.  One of my favourite summertime local destinations is the Steveston Village. I grew up within a few minutes away from this historical neighbourhood, so I did come here very often. As a child, I would go to their huge playground and climb all day with my friends. As I grew up, I began to volunteer at some of their community events in the summer. Now, I visit the village to grab some fresh fish from the fisherman's market near the docks and enjoy fish and chips by the seaside. Pajo's Fish and Chips Steveston is best known for their fish and chips. In fact, most of their family owned restaurants serve fish and chips in some way or form. For myself, I always love to have fish and chips in one of the restaurants on the docks. Over the years, I've found myself deeply in love with Pajo's Fish an

Vancouver has experienced quite a weather contrast from last year. Instead of having hot summer weather, we've been experiencing relatively cool, almost Autumn like weather, with heat flashes once in a while. This week, I decided to enjoy a Hong-Kong inspired breakfast that embraces our variable weather. As a Chinese Canadian, shredded ham and macaroni has been part of my diet at some point or another. This week, I made a very simple macaroni and egg with chicken soup for breakfast, with a simple blueberry shake on the side. This breakfast is a healthy alternative to traditional bacon and eggs, consisting of a balance between grains, fruits, dairy, and protein. This provides athletic students like me enough energy to power me through the day without excess fat. Best part about this breakfast? It can be made in less than 10 minutes with very little prep work needed. Try it out today! Macaroni and Egg Soup Ingredients: 3-5 Handfuls of Macaroni 1 Handful of frozen

So, continuing on my Whistler journey. One of the most important things when it comes to dining during an adventure packed trip is proximity. As an adventurous tourist with some dining expectations, I want to eat lunch at a place that a) is close to all the fun activities b) has fast and good service c) is reasonably priced d) has delicious food We decided to head to Longhorn Saloon and Grill just before our ATV tour in the afternoon. The Longhorn Saloon and Grill has a western vibe to it. Even though the restaurant is situated in the north away from civilization, this restaurant makes you feel like a cowboy from a dusty town. The best part about Longhorn Saloon and Grill is its proximity to the gondola, where many fun activities, such as mountain biking, sightseeing, and zip-line adventures, start. Since we were sitting outside on their patio, we had the opportunity to watch mountain bikers pull of difficult stunts while we chatted away. A heater also kept us comfortably warm

In the midst of exam season, we all want to save ourselves time when it comes to making our lunch. However, if you are like me who wants to eat healthy, save money, and make something that is delicious, yet simple enough to make in less than 30 minutes (depending on how fast you can chop your veggies), this is the perfect dish for you! This week's feature is the insanely satisfying salmon fillet with saute veggies and linguine in tomato sauce. This dish requires a little more technique than my previous dishes, however, it is still easy enough to make for any beginner cook regardless of age. The best part about this dish is that you can make a whole week's worth of lunch! Simply reheat it in the microwave and you'll have yourself a delicious and healthy lunch ready for you to eat. It'll save you from the temptations of buying fast food for lunch and about $100 worth of buying pre-made meals from your local grocery store, which can be filled with lots of unwanted fat. T

This is an extended dish building on from Quick and Easy Breakfast As busy University students, we often miss out time for breakfast, the most important meal of the day. With late nights, early classes, and long travelling times to and from campus, we usually have under an hour to wake up, get ready, and grab a bite to eat as we rush out the door to start our day. This means that many of us either spend money at McDonald's for breakfast every morning or skip breakfast altogether. Neither options are healthy for our hardworking student bodies. This week, I am featuring a quick and easy breakfast inspired by traditional English Full Breakfast. Even though this dish does require at least a fork to eat, it can be easily transported en route to campus and eaten on the bus as needed. Or, if you have a little bit more time since you decided to wake up early for once, set it out on a plate and indulge every bite of this amazing breakfast as if you are at a high end restaurant. Eith

On a hot sunny day next to mother nature, one can only imagine relaxing under the trees...eating ice cream! ...At least that was me. While on my trip in Whistler, I had a chance to stop by their specialty ice cream store: Cows. Cows is nothing like your ordinary ice cream shop. It has a central utter theme to it. Nearly EVERYTHING in the shop is Cow related. Take this "Moovenger" shirt for example. I killed myself laughing with all the Cow puns in the store. Since Cows is famous for their ice cream, I decided to try their Oreo Cookie Ice Cream and Cookie Dough Ice Cream. I finally understood why there are always long line ups for ice cream out the door. The ice cream was DELICIOUS! It was soft enough to eat, yet hard enough to retain its perfect spherical shape. I also loved how their ice cream contains just the right amount of Oreo cookies and cookie dough. Many ice cream shops often serve ice cream with too little toppings mixed in. Another great perk of Cows is that

Hi Everyone! Sorry about not posting as frequently lately. With the new semester underway, I had to start getting into the rhythm of things again! During my time away from the screen, I had the chance to visit Whistler, one of BC's  most frequently visited vacation paradise. Even though the purpose of my trip was to go for hikes, zip-lining, and ride ATVs, I had the chance to dine at one of their finest restaurants: Trattoria di Umberto. For those of you who have not visited this unique restaurant, Trattoria di Umberto features fine Italian cuisine. Not only do you have a wonderful selection of pasta, pizza, and antipasto, you also have the ability to experience truly unique dishes, only available at Trattoria di Umberto. Since I was dining with a group of friends, I decided to go for all three courses. We started off our experience with 2 appetizers: Tuna Tartare and Smoked Salmon Classico. The Tuna Tartare reminded me of a deconstructed sushi. In fact, it even had Tobiko and

With hot weather arriving again, desserts become an essential part of life. This week I am featuring a favourite dessert place of mine: Nero Belgian Waffle Bar. Nero has been one of my all time favourite places to go with friends after shopping for hours at the mall nearby. Even though I am broke by dessert time, I will always make an extra exception to my wallet to accommodate this truly amazing waffle. Located on the busy Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver, this cozy waffle bar offers a simplistic but highly creative menu of different types of Belgium waffles. With whichever type of waffle you choose, you can always choose to have a liege waffle or a brussels waffle as its base. Liege waffle, as explained in their menu, is soft and sweet, whereas the Brussels waffle is light and crispy. My favourite waffle has always been The Biscuit on top of a brussels waffle. The Biscuit is a belgium waffle served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, cookie crumble, and a drizzle of melte

As busy University students, we often lack the time to make ourselves nutritious food. In fact, for some of us, we barely have the time to eat at all! Since University started for me last year, my diet has been going MAYHEM. I started eating out a lot, eating lots of preserved and processed foods, and having countless meals at McDonalds and Burger King. Starting this semester, I have began to change my diet by cooking more at home, making healthier food choices, and passionately sharing more of my creations online with all of you!  This week I am sharing with you my latest quick and easy (but healthy) lunch recipe: The Vegetarian Pasta Salad--University Edition. I know many of you are probably thinking...am I turning into a vegetarian? Although I am cutting down on my consumption of meat, I am not planning to turn into a vegetarian :) Living in a meat eating family and having a love for steaks, burgers, and chicken souvlaki, any attempt to become a full vegetarian myself would

Wow! It has been another hectic week. With the start of the new summer semester, I have been slowly adjusting to the regular routine again. However, having only one online course has proven to be a struggle when it comes to getting into the rhythm of things. I go to work more often and study less than usual. I continue to go on weekend adventures and exploring different hiking trails two to three times a week. No matter how my schedule looks like, I am still VERY, very busy! With so many things to do every week and so less time, making breakfast can turn into a war zone in the kitchen. Fortunately, I discovered a fast and easy breakfast that will not only give me the energy I need for the day, but save me time in the process: Scrambled eggs style omelette and homemade hashbrowns. See below for the recipe! Ingredients 2 Eggs 1 Cup of Spinach 1 Large White Potato (Or 2 White nugget potatoes) Salt and Pepper, to taste 1/4 Onion, Sliced 1 Teaspoon of Milk Olive Oil

Sorry for being a little MIA lately! I will get back to posting regularly soon! With my busy schedule aside, this week I am featuring one of my newest discoveries of dessert places in the Lower Mainland: Off the Grid. For those of you who haven't stumbled across this boutique dessert shop yet, Off the Grid specializes in making waffles and delicious milkshakes for young patrons to enjoy on a hot summer day. Their menu is quite unique. Not only do they sell "normal" dessert waffles with ice cream, fruits, or cookies, they also have savoury waffles for people to enjoy a light dinner before they indulge a delicious dessert. Like most people, I came across this cute dessert place after dinner with my family. We sampled a  total of 3 desserts: an Oreo Waffle, Tiramisu Waffle, and an Oreo Shake. Oreo Waffle Oreo Waffle : The oreo waffle was delicious. The waffle base was warm and crispy. On top, the vanilla ice cream and whip cream provided a sweet cooling t

Just a few days ago, my mom and I went to a local place for a quick dinner before heading home. We stopped by Aberdeen Centre and happened to stumble upon a nicely lit and upscale dining area in the first floor of the large mall. It happened to be Sugarholic Cafe, an Asian cafe that looks nothing like your typical Hong Kong Style restaurant. We decided to have their special that night which included a drink, main course, and dessert. We ordered their honey green tea and iced fresh fruits tea for our drinks. To my surprise, both drinks were delicious! Although a little on the sweet side, the honey green tea was so refreshing. The iced fresh fruits tea was also good, however, it was a little disappointing when we found out that the tea was simply fruit infused, not anything special. Next we had our main course: Seafood Miso Cream Udon and Paella Style Seafood Risotto.   The seafood miso cream udon was quite amazing. Although mixing miso and cream sauce was the last thing I expected t

Being a Chinese-Canadian, many people expect me to eat Chinese food regularly at home.  However, I am very different compared to the majority of the Canadian Chinese population. I don't enjoy Chinese food a lot. In fact, contrary to the stereotypical CBC (Canadian Born Chinese), I don't eat rice at all at home. However, what I do like about Chinese food is that it often contains a lot of flavour; some are recognizable, but most are a combination of different spices and sauces mixed together to create a single, delicious sauce, ready to be mixed or poured on top of your favourite grains. Inspired by my culture, this week I decided to make a Chinese style Yaki-Udon that also speaks to my love for Japanese food. Like many Chinese style cooking, I used trial and error to get the right concoction for my sauce to suit my tastes. In this week's recipe, I will only present the ingredients I used for the sauce with their ratios. You, as a home chef, can mix and match the ingredien