Bella Gelateria

1001 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B7
Tel: 604-569-1010

www.bellagelateria.com

My better half heard about this place on the news a few weeks back. We went to check it out the next day. OMG! This is the BEST gelato place EVER!

They use only the freshest ingredients. James, the owner, is one of the top gelato maker masters in the world. We are very lucky to have him in Vancouver.

Our favorite is Sicilian Pistachio. He roasted the nuts at home, none of that fake paste some gelato shops have reduce into using. This is even better then Mum’s gelato of the 90′s! Heck! It’s even better then the one I had when I was in Florence!

Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to get their latest flavor.

YOU MUST GO! Who cares it’s raining outside. When did that ever stop people from enjoying a good ice cream cone in Vancouver?!

Coffee Bun Bakery & Cafe (North Vancouver)

This place is located just outside the seabus at Lonsdale Quay. It’s got great identity, cute little sign with a cute golden brown bun attached to it. It intrigued me. Super fresh baked, hot bun. Crunchy warm topping and oh-so-soft inside bun. Who could resist a fresh out of the oven bun?

It was so fresh and hot that I kinda burned myself trying to take it out of the paper bag to share with Geoff… Did I say “share”?!!

Costco Pasta

Been getting tired of “emergency food” frozen pizza and found this pasta at Costco by Valley Fine Foods – Ravioli Gourmet for about $8. It cooks super quick because it’s fresh pasta but can be frozen if I can’t eat before suggested date. I’ve also found the perfect solution to hubby’s problems with pasta (tomato sauce gives him cankors and cream or pesto based ones make him nauseous) – I just roast bell peppers, remove seeds and puree, then toss with pasta. Easy and sweet!

Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine

Like a pilgrimage, we sought the source of reputed dumplings in Crystal Mall, Bby. It’s on the upper floor, last stall, surrounded by clients willing to wait for freshly made dumplings. The filling exploded with juices and the taste was so home-made! The dumpling photo is short 2 because it was all we could do to restrain ourselves from eating it all before a photo could be taken.

Costco: Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds

Sold in US for $9.71 (38 oz / 2.4 lb / 1 kg). So addicting and haven’t gotten tired of them yet.

Pomelos

Every person I’ve asked “How do you choose?” has responded “Choose the heaviest”, but my wise mom-in-law clued me in that the Thailand ones are sweetest. It was described as “Red Pomelo” at T&T, sold for $3, and has a label stating “HK”. It’s a little smaller than the ones from China and the sections are distinctly pink at the outer edges – sweet, not a hint of tang, mildly floral, and very easy to peel.

Came across another called “Honey Pomelo” in a Vietnamese store in Surrey (same price), but didn’t know where it was grown. Not as sweet as HK, but very flavorful nonetheless.

Thick & Creamy Yogurt

If you like super thick yogurt (almost sour cream consistency), this one is awesome. I first tried the Black Cherry flavour and it reminded me of ice cream. It’s not super sweet, but super creamy.

Liberte Mediterranee (greek style thick yogurt)

Available at Whole Foods and IGA. I recently discovered coconut flavour (has bits of shredded coconut in it) as well as hazelnut (which I haven’t tried yet). Aprox $4.50 at Whole Foods (sometimes on sale for $3.69) (Cdn) 500 g.