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Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill

So, my first trip to Vancouver – and on the first day right after I got checked into my hotel, I found myself wanting seafood! Calgary doesn’t offer anything great since we’re not near the ocean, and the front desk agent recommended us to Steveston which really wasn’t far away at all! We parked our car and took a walk towards the wharf and saw a restaurant called Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill. How bad can it be? There was guests in the restaurant constantly at the odd hour we were there… so, we walked in for a try! Right at the door, it advertised Award Winning Seafood Chowder, so I knew I was going to get a bowl of soup!

This wasn’t really a meal and more like a huge sampling snack! So, the first thing we ordered was Mama’s Seafood Chowder which was really delicious actually! It was creamy with quite a few chunks of seafood in the chowder!

Then, we also had some BC Crab Happy Cakes which was a plate of crab cakes with a roasted red pepper aioli and tartar sauce to dip in. The crab cakes weren’t the best I have ever had, nor were they the worst. They were decent, but they were filled with lots of crab meat inside – without too much binding agent.

Our main was the Seafood Melt which was a patty made with baby shrimp & crab with mayo on foccacia – then topped with mozzarella and probably put in the broiler to melt the cheese. It came with a huge bed of fries on the side – which we never finished. Out of the entire meal, and if I had to pick something I didn’t like the most – it would probably be this main. It didn’t taste like there was enough taste to it and it was rather dry.

To our main dish, we shared a side dish, the Lobster Morsels which was lobsters and scallops on a cast iron plate – so it was sizzling! This dish had more of an Asian flair to it as it was seasoned with basically ginger and soy sauce.

My overall experience was decent. The place was a little dark, but it was a gloomy day. The bathrooms were on the upstairs, and it was a tad creepy. The food was quite good, so we left quite satisfied! We definitely can’t get anything like this back home, so we got nothing to complain about!

Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill

#112 – 3800 Bayview Street
Richmond, BC V7E5W3
(604) 275-6587
Steveston

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Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport

We were invited to a very special wedding that took place in Richmond, British Columbia, and we wanted to find a hotel that was close to famiily, food, and other amenities. We found the Radission Hotel that was located at a perfect location – right at the intersection of No. 3 and Cambie Road. Right beside the hotel is the T&T Supermarket and behind that supermarket was another plaza Yaohan Centre.

We arrived into Vancouver quite early – around 10am, and got our rental car and decided to go and try to check-in before we go find some food. The front desk staff was extremely friendly and she made our check-in experience very memorable. She was also very knowledgeable and helpful when we asked her a few questions and recommendations regarding the local area!

We arrived into our room and we thought the room and hotel was beautiful! We had a room with a King Bed, with the sleep number system – which is something I really enjoy! There was a huge desk and lots of space in the room – complete with a small coffee maker and a mini fridge in the room, and a in-room safe in the closet.

The bathroom was large with again, tons of counter space! The bathroom amenities were quite nice as well – which is their line of products they use from other Radisson hotels. the bar bath soap is a massaging bar soap with a hint of almond scent. Their line of products was at a nice quality – even though I dug out my own products the second day – as my skin is more sensitive. My husband continued to use the Radisson products though – so you know he liked it! He did comment on the nice bath soap too! The shower doesn’t have a lot of pressure – so it’s a light shower. The water does get really hot, so that’s a nice treat! You don’t even need to wait a few minutes for the hot water either! The sink does drain quite slowly – so it’s important to turn the water off!

Parking at the hotel was complimentary to guests! We registered the car at the front desk during check in and there was no problem. There wasn’t a lot of parking in the front parking lot – but apparently there is an overflow lot which we didn’t have to use! Our car was left in the lot for the entire day for one of the days as we got picked up from another family member, and there was no problem with our car at all! Overall, the stay was really nice! The service was great, and the location was wonderful and convenient! We will probably be staying at this hotel when we visit again!

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Homemade Simple Vanilla Creme Brulee

Home Made Crema Catalana

I’ve always loved Creme Brulee for any part of the day – dessert, snack with coffee/tea, and sometimes, even breakfast! I use to buy the pre-made ones, where you pour some sugar on top and burn the sugar with a torch. Then, recently, I started ordering them for dessert at restaurants, and realized it’s just not the same!! It’s suppose to be creamier and lighter and more “mousse” like than “pudding” like. So, I found a simple recipe which is slightly modified from Anna Olson’s show “Bake With Anna Olson” on Food Network.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
1 cup cream
1 tbsp of vanilla paste
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

First, preheat the oven to 325F, and place some ramekins in a heat safe pan with sides – so we can give the creme brulees a water bath when we’re ready to bake. Also, set a strainer with cheese cloth on stand-by as we will use them!

Then, place the cream in a pot and heat it up really slowly. Add the vanilla paste in to infuse the cream. You can use the actual vanilla seeds if you have the vanilla pods. Stir gently and wait until it’s hot – but not boiling over.

Next, in another bowl, cream the 2 egg yolks together with sugar. Then, slowly combine the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Be sure to go slow so you don’t cook the eggs!

Now, pour the mixture through the strainer with the cheese cloth so it’s strained into the ramekins! Use a spoon to take out all the air bubbles that you see on top! Then, place this in the oven and pour some boiling water into the deep dish that holds the ramekins – making sure you fill up to at least half way up the ramekin dish itself to gently cook the creme brulee.

Now, bake for about 20-25 minutes in the oven. I set my oven too high, and caused the egg to cook on the top – but it still tasted great! 🙂

Let the creme brulee chill completely, and then place into the fridge for at least 3 hours. When you’re ready to enjoy, sprinkle a layer of sugar on top and use a torch to burn the sugar!! It’s done and you’re ready to eat!

Sit down anywhere, anytime to enjoy this delicious and somewhat refreshing dessert as it’s creamy and decadent with a hint of sweetness!

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EOS Lip Balm – Smooth Sphere in Strawberry Sorbet

I recently went into the drug store right by my house and found something really neat looking on sale that I needed. This item would be EOS Lip Balm which is called Smooth Sphere. It really caught my eye as it’s in the shape of an egg!! I love strawberry flavour, whether it’s artificial or not, so I picked the Strawberry Sorbet scent.

Once I’ve opened up the package, I figured out why it’s called a “Smooth Sphere”. The lip balm itself is in the shape of a sphere and the size of it isn’t too big actually! It covers both lips at once which is really different!

I think I would purchase this item again, as long as it’s on sale. It’s a costly little guy, which I think will have a lot of left over product at the end since the base is pretty big. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have sunscreen, but I do put on lip gloss on top of it – so it’s not a deal breaker. I believe only one scent has SPF which is the lemon drop, which I haven’t tried yet. I like that this product is 100% natural, and because of it’s shape and size – it makes it really easy to dig out of the bottom of my purse! The seal is really tight too – so nothing can enter, and the lid won’t pop off. With all that stuff said, my lips feel very moisturized when it’s on. It does wipe off quickly too – so reapply often!

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Homemade Nutella Cookies

Easy Nutella Cookies

So, I guess there’s something called International Chocolate Day, and once I heard that, I went through my pantry to see what I had… so, I found enough ingredients to make a small batch of Nutella Cookies that are quick and simple! I must say, the house smells absolutely amazing right now!

Ingredients: (Makes about 18 cookies)
1 cup Nutella
2/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Wheat Flour
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
splash of milk

First, preheat the oven to about 350F, you have to do this right away, since preparing the batter is quick and easy! Then, just mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix lightly.

Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the egg and nutella into the mixture. This will make a super sticky batter – but try to mix well. If you need the batter to be less thick, add about a tablespoon of milk. If it’s still really sticky, add more until the cookie dough combines into a nice consistency.

Then, I like to line my cookie tray with parchment paper, and I spoon out little cookie dough balls about the size of a ball that fits into a tablespoon. I roll these balls lightly and just place onto the cookie tray. As the cookie bakes, it will flatten itself, so you don’t need to flatten it – unless of course you want to! After all, they are YOUR cookies!

Now, you just place in the oven for about 10 minutes, and they should be a little lighter in colour and should be even colouring. You can always do the toothpick test if you want. But, remember it will continue to cook a little as you’re they’re resting on the cooling rack. So, this means you need to cool your cookies first on the cooling rack!