Living Large In Small Spaces

Tonight, Rachael and I had tea and dessert at Sweet Revenge Patisserie. It's a dessert spot located on 4160 Main Street. The interior is furnished with antique style furniture, chandeliers, oil lamps and red wallpaper. The servers were all wearing red aprons that almost camouflaged them to the wallpaper. It's a small place that is always packed. Be aware, you may be sitting at a table with strangers. There is a divider though, that is placed on the table. It almost felt like I was in a different world, had to remind myself a few times of where I was.

I ordered the White Chocolate Cheesecake($6.75) and a small Belgium Chocolate Tea ($2.35). I've tried several different types of teas from Sweet Revenge and I've never been disappointed. Always full of great flavour. The Belgium Chocolate Tea was excellent. It's a loose leaf rooibos tea with the scent and flavour of mint chocolate. Very smooth with a mint chocolate finish. It's served in an individual teapot and an antique style cup and saucer set.

Whenever you're ready to experience the lilliputian room, go down and check it out. Some say the place is cheesy, some say it's cute, but an interesting date spot.

Just to let you know, there is a minimum order per person of $6.00.

Long Table Series - Round 2

Tonight was my second visit to the Long Table Series. I started off with a drink at the Shebeen Whiskey House. They have over 200 different whiskeys to choose from and their collection continues to build. It's like a kid in a candy store for whiskey lovers. I was in the mood to try out a beer that I've never had before. I ordered the Mill St. Brewery Tankhouse Ale (5.2% alc./vol.) based out of Toronto, Ontario. It's a deep copper red colour ale that is brewed with 5 different malts and an abundance of Cascade hops. It had a malty texture with a dark chocolate taste and a hint of bitterness. Not only did I enjoy the taste, I really liked the embossed bottle and the non paper label. It was an excellent sipping beer before dinner.

Tonight's dinner was Braised Lamb Shank, Roasted Eggplant, Raisins, Pine Nuts and Mint Gastrique with a pint of Guinness. The dinner was amazing as usual... right now, I am still thinking about the Mint Gastrique. I am not a huge Guinness fan, but the bittersweetness of the Guinness was paired really nicely with the flavour of the Lamb Shank.

Check out my Guinness moustache.

Absolutely Fabulous

A huge Absolut Vodka bottle landed today on Nelson Street and Seymour. It looked very interesting. Inside the bottle there was a monitor and a small camera. There was also some kind of step pad in which you would stand on. On the monitor screen it says - Step Into An Absolut World. I didn't try it out, as I was worried that I may not return from the Absolut world. If anyone gets a chance to try this thing, please let me know what it is.

Tea for 2

Rachael and I spent the afternoon on Main Street. We were window shopping and checked out what was new in stores for fall. What was new to both of us, was we walked by Shaktea several times before and have been meaning to try this place. It's a nice little tea space on Main St. and E.21st Ave. On the menu there is close to 100 teas to choose from - so many that I wanted to try. We chose the Pumpkin Spice Cream for two ($6.95) which is only available during fall and winter. It contains Rooibos, bended with Nettle Leaves, Apple Pieces and Sunflower Petals. Rooibos is from the Cape in South Africa, which is found to be rich in antioxidants and is caffeine free. It came served in a pot that stood on a tea light stand which kept the tea warm. The tea had a nice scent of spices, not too overpowering and a taste of Rooibos with a vanilla aftertaste. It was also served with little cookies that complimented the tea perfectly. The service was excellent and the staff was very knowledgeable. The experience at Shaktea was a relaxing change from a coffee shop. People actually having a conversation (not filled with students and laptops).

It was a nice way to end a Saturday afternoon.

Dank

My friend gave me this Dank Energy Drink (Surrey, BC) to try. The flavour is called Purple Kush. It's new to the market and I've seen it in a few stores on Commercial Drive. Never thought anything of it, as I am not a fan of energy drinks. I guess the selling point is what's stated on their can "Hemp Infused Energy Drink." There are not that many other types of energy drinks out there like this one, that I've seen in Vancouver. I cracked open the can, took a sniff and a sip. My first impression was the scent and taste was almost identical to Red Bull. Not only does it contain Hemp Seed Powder, it's got more Taurine and Caffeine than Red Bull. Is there really a need to have an energy drink that contains Hemp Seed Powder? It definitely gave me a caffeine rush. I know they are trying to aim towards the Cannabis theme, but the name is not so appealing. Imagine walking into a store and asking the store attendant "can I see what your Dank looks like?"

Shiver Me Timbers!

I looked out the window this morning and thought to myself, what a great day for a bike ride. Boy, was I wrong. It was sunny but really windy. Leaves flying everywhere and sand blowing in my face. The sun fooled me and it wasn't smart to wear a t-shirt on a windy day like today. Danny and I decided that we would take a ride to the Pirate Pub on Beach Ave. It was my first time there. I was in the mood for a cocktail, so I looked through the drink menu and came across a cocktail called Dark & Stormy (Gosling's Rum, ginger beer, lime and grated ginger root). It is known as Bermuda's National Drink. I really like ginger beer and I was in the mood to give this one a try. The Dark & Stormy was not what I expected. Maybe it's the type of ginger beer that they use. It did not have any sweet or spicy ginger beer flavour. It tasted more like rum mixed with soda water and grated ginger root. Although all of their Signature Rum Cocktails are 2oz. shots of rum, at $8.49, that's a little pricey for me.

I think the pirates robbed me for my money.

Peachy Keen

If you are ever looking for a one stop shop, Walmart is the place to go. They got everything. They are open late and I love their "Rollback" pricing. I picked up a 960ml Oasis FruitZoo Peach Clementine juice for $1.00. Nothing to interesting, just like any other kind of juice... just peachy. Not only is this fruit juice enriched with vitamins and minerals, it has a free kids movie pass for any participating movie theatre across Canada when you purchase 4 Oasis FruitZoo products. All you have to do is mail in 4 coupons that are affixed to the cartons. I am going to get a case of this juice. Anyone need some kids movie passes?