As oppose to last week, I dine out pretty much 70% in this week.. Literally pulled out the list of “best vegan restaurants in Vancouver” and visited them one by one..

Before jumping into the FREE FOOD part, I want to state that I am not sponsored in any way for my “life” category post. Although my car related commodity received a lot of help from sponsor, this section thought, is purely from me myself as what I want to recommend.

So, I am still going to blog is a order that align with my memory.

First Things First, Breakfast.

This vegan protein powder was recommended by my friend who is a natural bodybuilder. As non-vegan people, plant-based protein powder can be hard to get used to. Surprisingly, VegEssential doesn’t disappoint. And the nutrition label is overwhelmingly satisfying.

Since the shake comes out green, I decide it could be a good idea to mix with matcha.

So here: 1 cup of almond milk, 1 tbsp of matcha powder, 1 scoop of VegEssential Vanilla, you got a Matcha Protein Shake. If you want some sweetness, add 4-5 pitted medijon date.

A problem for me is that I tend to overeat once I start. Sometimes I find myself arriving at the gym with full stomach for morning workout. The whole hour can be as uncomfortable as it gets. So this week, I tried fasted cardio on treadmill and stairs steppers instead of doing weights.

Just learnt that “Breakfast”means “Break Fast”. As you eat, the consumption breaks the fasting period. Thought there are different opinions of fasted cardio, I think it can beneficial to someone with their specific goals. There’s no one single program that fits everybody.

ZEND Conscious Lounge

First destination of my dining out this week is in Yaletown.

Words can’t describe how delicious they are. I can see myself coming back even after my 4-week experience.

Eternal Abundance – FREE FOOD?

I want to give some props to the folks here. This place is a boutique grocery store and a cafe in one. By first sight, it seems like one of the last places I would go just randomly, if not found online. I got my juice shortly after ordering, then waited and waited… an hour had passed but still didn’t see the food…

It turns out the ordering system had some error and the list didn’t print through. The lady apologized very sincerely, refund us money but the crew STILL MADE OUR MEAL! She also offered us free cookie and anything else we need as showing her deep apology. So here I’m stating it once again. My title may make you think that I’m about to brag some sponsored food experience, in fact is totally not the case. Her sincere and genuine attitude became one of the bonus of my experience here.

The food was actually very quick to make. These pretty dishes hit our table almost instantly after she realize the mistake.

Yes, it was their mistake and it should be their responsibility to take care of customers’ order. However, I’d like to think of it from a more understanding view point. We are all human and it may have been a long day for her already.

On the other hand, if we were not too hesitant to ask sooner, we could’ve avoid the one-hour wait much earlier!

MeeT on Main

The Wiskey BBQ Things totally tricked me. I legit thought I bite into a strip of chicken tender… The burger though was as little dry and disappointing.

This salad was bigger than my expectation, a “IN-YOUR-FACE” type of feeling. Very well balanced and tasty. This place is very busy. As we were eating, there were always a few people waiting for table. I guess for normal meat eaters, it might be a bit surprising to know that vegan restaurant can be so popular.

Indigo Age Cafe

This is a total hidden gem!! Half underground in Gastown with very interesting retro decor.

The server asked me whether I want acai bowl before or after the pizza because “acai bowl is sweet and pesto pizza is salty, you can’t eat them together.” I insisted to get both of them in front of me, thinking “I eat whatever the way I like”….. But she was right. It was very, very sweet…..

Nuba

Nuba as shown from You Gotta Eat Here!

I never knew what Lebanese food was all about until this day… Falafel totally got my interest as it’s crunchy outside and soft on the inside.

Crispy cauliflower seems like one of their must-try dishes according to social media, and yep, it doesn’t disappoint.

Tractor

The inside decor at False Creek location is a nice blend of simplicity and elegance which always give me a clean and calm feeling. The ordering process is cafeteria style where I get to mix and match items. I had Roasted brussels sprouts, Smoked p1aprika chickpeas, and half grilled avocado. Ended up being create and made an avocado toast with the bread from lentil soup…

Other Food

Last week I had avocado at home but didn’t have toast. This week I made a block of bread from scratch but ran out of ripe avocado…… So I grilled some tofu using the same way I used to make bacon. And of course, sriracha.

I went through many recipes from Pinterest and came out with my own mix of bread. One problem is that they don’t “stick together” like the store-bought ones that appear to be a little stretchy. I wonder what that gluing agent is from those mass-produced bread…….

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Oh, one more before I finish up this long entry. I attended a networking event hosted by my school marketing association. Boston Pizza was one of the guest and they provided free pizza of course. I carefully picked one slice that seems to be vegetarian and later noticed that the cheese on top. I didn’t end up eating the samosa either. Although it is fully vegan, it appears to me as just a deep-dried pocket of potato….

Again, my thesis. Vegan is not about eating everything but meat. It’s about getting the right nutrition with plant-based source.