Since OEB is known for their high quality eggs, I decided to order 2 Cracked Egg Breakfast with sausage and rye bread. While the eggs, fries, and toast were all genuinely delicious, it was the sausages that made this meal for me. These sausages were juicy, very flavourful, and served just at the right temperature. They’re not very greasy either, which I much appreciated. The combination of all these items made this breakfast nothing less than superb – and priced at just $8.50 too!

2 Cracked Egg Breakfast ($8.50)

My mom opted for a sweeter plate, the No-so-Boring French Toast with strawberries. Appearance-wise, this French toast looked amazing with the berries, cinnamon, and icing sugar. It tasted fairly good too and it was evident that fresh ingredients were used in it. However, the toast itself didn’t have too much exciting flavour, which makes it fall short compared to my favourite French Toast at Zen Cafe in Kitsilano.

No-so-Boring French Toast ($12.95)

Overall, breakfast at OEB was impressive and I certainly understand why it’s so highly rated. Everything served at this restaurant was fresh and tasty, and I give two thumbs up to their classic breakfast dish. If time permits, I’d consider returning here for another meal before I head home!

• Classic breakfast with eggs is amazing
• Reasonable prices

• Long lines during peak hours

As I do at all other bakeries, I decided to try out Sweet E’s Macarons. I got the lemon, coffee, pistachio, and raspberry flavours. These macarons were decently-sized and were very delicious! They had a good chewy texture to them and had an appropriate amount of sweetness – so much better than Faubourg down the block.

Macarons ($1.95)

Other than the macarons I also got some Mini Cupcakes. These cupcakes had a fluffy texture and were nicely decorated, but they were a tad bit too sweet for my liking. My friend liked them a lot though, so perhaps it was just me!

Mini Cupcakes ($1-2)

I would definitely consider coming back to Sweet E’s again because I like how it’s a small and homey bakery that isn’t overly commercialized. The pricing for their pastries is reasonable and overall I was happy with all that I tried. They also do custom and personalized birthday cakes (see gallery here), so this is an awesome place to get a special cake that can’t be found anywhere else. All in all, this is probably the best bakery in Kerrisdale!

• Overall delicious pastries (especially the macrons)
• Fair prices
• They do custom orders

• No seating area, just grab-and-go

This massive sandwich contains tons of roast meat sandwiched between two slices of breads. It is covered with melted cheese and drenched in a tasty tomato and beer sauce. The Francesinha serves as a hearty meal that I can never finish on my own.

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Le Parisien offered a 3-course meal for $28. There is also the option to get a 4-course meal for $38. For legitimate French food in West End, I found that these prices were very reasonable.

For the appetizer, I ordered the Potato and Leek Soup. This soup was fairly decent in taste, as I liked its potato flavour with hints of bacon. Personally I would have preferred the soup to be a bit thicker and creamier, but otherwise I have no complaints.

Potato and Leek Soup

With fast food being all around us, it’s very easy to forget that French Fries are French. Le Parisien’s Grilled Steak Frites definitely reminded me that this was the case. The fries here were crispy, warm, and just overall very enjoyable. They were not too greasy either, and dipped into some homemade ketchup these fries were certainly above and beyond fast food. The medium-rare steak that I got was also fairly juicy and delicious. The portion was smaller than expected though, but that’s not too surprising for French food.

Grilled Steak Frites

And for dessert, I opted for the Crepe Normande. This crepe is stuffed with caramelized apples and vanilla sauce, making it quite  a sweet sensation. At first I was concerned that this would be too sweet for my, but it turned out to be just fine. The vanilla and the caramel didn’t overpower the freshness of the apples, which I quite liked. The crepe itself had a fluffy and light texture that I rather enjoyed.

For a $29 meal, Le Parisien certainly met my expectations. The service, food, and ambiance of this bistro are all impressive; I am considering to come here for brunch next time. The only downside is that French food isn’t super filling, but for light eaters who enjoy conversations and company as much as their food, this is perfect.

• Dine out menu had good value
• Food was overall impressive
• Excellent service from French waiters

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The Cristo-Rei is a giant statue of Christ that stands at the peak of Almada. This statue was erected during 1959 to represent the gratitude of the Portuguese from being spared the effects of World War II. Ever since, this statue of Christ overlooks Lisbon and the Tagos River with its open arms.

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First things first, I ordered a bottle of Super Bock, a Portuguese pale lager beer. It’s my new favourite beer because I find it to be very smooth and easy to take in. I find that this beer goes very well with Portuguese food in general, particularly their cheeses.

Portuguese Dry Cheese is a common appetizer that’s served before meals. It’s thicker in texture and has a intense cheesy flavour to it. Although some may find this cheese too strong, I was a big fan of it and I even asked for refills.

Before the seafood dishes, I got a Portuguese Seafood Soup to ease me into the meal. This soup is a fish broth and has various pieces of seafood inside it. I’m normally not too big a fan of fish broths because they’re often too fishy for my liking, so I was surprised with how I found this one to be rather acceptable. It still has a fishy flavour, but it is toned down to a level that can be appreciated by all.

The first seafood dish we got were clams. This dish turned out to be much bigger than we expected! The small clams were all very juicy and fresh, but the down side was that they were all seasoned to be very salty. My family and I eventually noticed that Portuguese food in general is often too salty for us, so we learned to ask for less salt (“menos sal”) in our dishes.

The shrimps we ordered were very delicious. These guys were all supersized and had plenty of meat. This dish was also massive and it took us a while to get through them all.

I wanted to be a little adventurous with the meal, so I ordered some Squid. This dish consisted mainly of squid tentacles with some small potatoes on the side. The texture of the tentacles is smooth and chewy, which some people may find to be a bit creepy. I, however, quite enjoyed the dish, other than the fact that it was again too salty.

Sardines are a very popular dish in Portugal, so my Dad insisted that we order some to try. These small fish all had very soft and tender meat, but they had an intensely salty flavour that I could barely handle! I practically had to take a sip of water after each bite.

My absolute favourite dish of this meal was the Portuguese Seafood Rice. It’s served in a soup broth that’s filled with lots of seafood goodies such as crab, shrimp, and scallops. The soft rice absorbs the best of all these flavours and comes off as a very tasty delight. It’s a super filling dish though, so don’t order it if you’re in a small party.

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A couple months back, I was nominated for the first Vancouver Social Media Awards under the Best Student Blog category. I was ecstatic when I heard this news because I never thought that my blog would receive this level of recognition in under a year’s time. The top 3 nominees will be selected based on a public vote on Facebook and it would be the world to me if you can spare a few seconds to vote for me. The voting process ends on Feb 21 2013 and you can vote for each category once per day!

Please click on the banner below to vote for me:

Kind compliments and messages from you, my readers, already have the ability to make my day. Winning this award would perhaps be one of the best moments of my life! The competition is tough though, since Vancouver has tons of other great student bloggers. But whether it’s win or lose, this nomination is already strong encouragement for me to continue my work. I thank you all for your support and viewership for The Walk & Talk!

Sincerely,

Justin

Built from primarily iron, glass, and cement, the Santa Justa Elevator features a neo-gothic style that’s extremely unique. Is it just me, or does it kind of remind you of Lord of the Rings?

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Traditional Hot Chocolate is less sweet and much thicker than American Hot Chocolate. In fact, it’s even served with a spoon so that you can scoop up every bit of the decadent goodness. Because its so thick and creamy, it’s not possible to drink it on-the-go in the morning. This beverage is more of an afternoon pleasure that’s enjoyed alongside some pastries.

New Year’s is tonight, I hope that you all enjoy your countdown with important family and friends. Talk to you all in the New Year!

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This cafetaria was small, cramped, and very busy upon my arrival. I was intrigued by how there were no seats in this restaurant – everyone was just standing along the glass bar while munching on their food. This is grab-and-go at its finest!

For this past month I’ve anticipated sinking my teeth into a legit Portuguese Custard Tart. I got two of them here, and were they ever delicious! These tarts were not too creamy or sweet and had a perfect soft custard texture. The crust was also very yummy and it complemented the custard very well. I would’ve preferred if these tarts were warmed up a bit, but…I didn’t know how to ask that in Portuguese. Shame.

Portuguese Custard Tarts (€1 each)

Every Portugese cafe I stepped in so far had a juicer in it, so I decided to try out Sao Nicolau’s Freshly Pressed Orange Juice. First of all, I appreciated how this juice was all natural and didn’t have any sweeteners in it. It was a little bit sour, but nothing too bad at all. I also liked how this juice wasn’t at a freezing cold temperature, since I tend not to like extreme-temperature beverages.

Freshly Pressed Orange Juice (€1.50)

I shall have plenty more exciting Portuguese food adventures to come – stay tuned and talk to you soon!

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