This Saturday I had made plans to meet up with friends to try a bakery in East Van called Swiss Bakery. It's been around for a while but lately it's been getting quite popular because of a new pastry they have. This pastry is called a Frissant. It's a cross between a fritter and a croissant. We also tried a real pretzel and a bear claw from this bakery.
The top right is the bear claw and the bottom right is the Frissant.
Frissant: looks like a donut and tastes like a donut. The only difference is that the outside of the Frissant is quite crispy like a croissant but not flakey. Inside this Frissant is a vanilla lemon custard. The custard is not too sweet and it just has a hint of lemon. It's quite a nice custard. I liked it quite a lot. I liked the crispy texture of the Frissant too.
Bear claw: basically like a croissant. Very buttery and rich but filled with some almond paste.
Pretzel: very dense and tasteless. I did not like this. I'm pretty sure this what a real pretzel is supposed to taste like but it tastes really bland and not worth the calories.
Next we went to Granville Island. We headed to Bridges for some patio time and a light lunch.
I got their tomato based chowder. Lots of seafood and it didn't taste heavy at all because it was a broth based chowder. I liked it but I think you could make vegetable soup and throw some seafood in it and it would be the same. At least I have a new soup to make at home.
We then walked up the street from Granville Island to Beaucoup Bakery and to check out the Khasalano Festival. It was packed with people. Summer time fun!!
I scored me a pair of heels from Miz Mooz for $20 bucks!!! They were originally $129!!! w00t!!!
Beacoup Bakery: It's a French Bakery and it was my first time there. All the food there looked so tempting. There were 3 of us and we ordered a bit too much. Ooopsies. But... Momma said never to waste food heehee.
Top right: apple tart.
Bottom left: blackberry and cassis cake, chocolate croissant, lemon tart and rosemary chocolate cookie.
Bottom right: Bastock.
Apple tart: I like the concept of this apple tart and it's variation on layering. The top brown cube is a cube of thinly sliced and cooked apples. The bottom is a vanilla custard very similar to a creme Brule encased in a very nice crunchy and flakey crust. It has a flake of gold and a cinnamon stick for decoration. It tastes delicious and is so very rich.
See that custard? A+
Blackberry Cassis Cake: This cake is a mousse and cake layered cake. This mousse filling is not too sweet and even a little tart.
Lemon Tart: I am a big lemon tart fan. The crust of this Lemon tart is similar to that of the apple tart. It is flakey and crunchy at the same time. It's super tart but in a good way. I really enjoyed it. It gives just enough tartness in your cheeks that makes you want to take another bite.
Rosemary Chocolate cookie: this is a super moist and fudgy cookie. It has a very unique flavour due to the Rosemary. It also tastes a bit minty. If you like something a little different you should try this. It's not your typical chocolate cookie.
Chocolate croissant: loved this. Super flakey and buttery. The croissant itself was savoury and when you get a bite of chocolate it gets deep and rich.
Last but not least is the Bastock. A Bastock is a baked slice of brioche that has been soaked on orange flower syrup. It has a topping of almond paste. It's good but since all the pastries at this place were so good this did not stand out too much.
Guu Kobachi: this is the newest Guu restaurant but it has been around for about 2 years. It is on Denmen St near Robson.
Most Guu restaurants have similar items on the menu. What's interesting is that the very same item is made a little different and has a bit of a twist.
We ordered these things:
Ebi Mayo (3rd down on the right hand side): this is basically deep fried prawns and mayo. This dish is definately on every menu at Guu restauarants. The difference with this one is that each prawn is wrapped around with a nest of thinly stringed potatoes then deep fried. It lends to a very crispy texture. It's fun that you are eating string potatoes at the same time. It's very good. I like this variation. The mayo is also a touch spicy.
Creamy Potato Croquets (2nd picture on the left) : this potato croquet is like a fried seafood chowder. It's so good but it's very rich so you should only have a bite or two. There is a prawn in the middle.
Seared Ray Fins (3rd on the left): this is a delicious snack. Every have dried cuttlefish or squid from the Chinese supermarket snack section? It's very similar. I like that it tastes more tender and is slightly warm. It is sweet and salty. Parts of it is seared more so it's crispy. Really enjoyed this appetizer.
Spicey chicken wings (first on the right): I'm the only one that liked these but that's because it reminded me of my grandpa's chicken wings. He had lost the ability to taste salt so his good was always overly salty. It was very nostalgic for me. Everyone else stayed away from it.
Squid tempera (2nd on the right): I think it's probably very hard to deep fry squid and have it not fall apart. Basically I thought the batter wasnt crispy enough and the squid was difficult to chew. I didn't really like it.
3 sashimi plate: we got red snapper, wild salmon bad amberjack. The fish was super fresh. I particularly liked the amberjack which is a more solid fish with a fatty finish.
Lastly, Cold Ramen: last photo.
This sauce was sweet and it was garnished with strips of egg and pork. I have had better cold ramen from Guu before. I think I prefer it when they use jellyfish or turkey.
That's all for Saturday!
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