The many Perks of Deep Cove

If you're looking for a day of relaxing there are few places in Vancouver better than Deep Cove. If you visit the cottage like town you'll have the opportunity to relax by the marina, have lunch in town or even try kayaking, paddle boarding, canoeing and hiking. Besides being one of the most beautiful parts of Vancouver, Deep Cove is home to Honey Doughnuts & Goodies. My boyfriend and I shared one of the famous Honey Doughnuts and they were delicious! If doughnuts aren't your thing there were a lot of cute gelato shops a long with a little stationary shop that I had to pry myself out of.  If you haven't checked Deep Cove out yet make sure you do!

Bella Gelateria

Bella Gelateria

1001 W Cordova St,

Vancouver, B.C.

 bellagelateria.com

Who doesn't like gelato? No one! If you like gelato and you haven't been to Bella Gelateria in Vancouver then you haven't lived. After visiting Italy I was positive I would never taste another ice cream that would make my knees buckle but lucky for me, Bella Gelateria actually won an international competiton in Italy for the best gelato out there and let me tell you when I had my first bite I nearly collapsed right there on the pavement. It's just that good.

BORGO TRATTORIA

BORGO TRATTORIA

818 16th AVE SW

Calgary Alberta

Italien

Borgo Trattoria was amazing! The interior decor reminded me a lot of the restos and café's often featured in KINFOLK. The decor consisted of pendant lamps, filament bulbs and stools from RESTORATION HARDWARE one of my favourite decor stores. While decorating my new condo we spent so much time in the store that I find myself recognizing their pieces in restaurants all over the place. There were also two faded print images of Venice, Italy hung on the walls which we had seen at an art gallery along Granville street in Vancouver. I had been considering them for my condo and it was funny to see them at Borgo in Calgary. The dishes aren't huge and designed for sharing. My parents and I split the order of ciabatta bread with olive oil and balsamic as well as three appetizers

1. TRIFOLATI

Sauteed mushrooms, olive oil crostini

2. CROSTINO

Toasted Ciabatta, pecan-maple spread, smoked chicken & apple.

3. MELAZANE

Eggplant "fries", fennel seed-lemon yoghurt dip

The TRIFOLATI was to die for! The mushrooms were absolutely amazing. The CROSTINO was delicious too but my least favourite of the three appetizers. The MELAZANE was incredible too. The eggplant "fries" had a very unique taste and  were very crisp.

One of my favourite things about BORGO was that we could eat our appetizers before ordering our mains which allowed you to gauge how hungry you were and what you wanted to order afterward.  Seeing as we shared a good deal of food before our entrée we decided to split two rather than ordering a full one to ourselves. We decided on the:

1. Grilled pork/rosemary sausages (2), "fagioli" bean "uccelletto" with tomato & ricotta salata

2. Char-broiled beef sirloin "taglista" lemon-arugula & truffle "patatine" (potato fries)

Both entrees were delectable. Sharing the two mains was a great decision and allowed us to try out the dessert sampler platter which consisted of:

1. Milk chocolate & hazelnut semi-freddo orange marshmallow center & Hazelnut dacquoise

2. Lemon cake, pistachio-cream layers and toasted meringue

3. "Mottino" of caramel, apricot-taleggio cream, chocolate butter cookie & almond cake

4. White chocolate mousse, black forest cake layers & dark chocolate-amarena mousse filling

The desserts were all delicious but my favourite had to be the MOTTINO. It was rich but not as rich as the other selections. 

I would definitely check out BORGO trattoria the next time you are in Calgary! Next on my list are the Coup and UNA both of which are located on 17th ave. 

Le Couteau

Thanks to kinfolk I have a new café to try out in Montreal before departing. The café is located at 4627 Rue St. Denis and is called Le Couteau (The knife). According to Kinfolk the café just opened and brews 49th Parallel out of Vancouver ( More about them here). So stop by or join me tomorrow to check out this beautiful new café to pick up some fresh brew and a house-made pastry.

SIGNATURE 2012

SIGNATURE 2012

Fashion Show

LaSalle College, Fashion Design

As the sun set on Montreal thousands of the cities most stylish inhabitants filed into Olympic Stadium to take part in the largest fashion show currently taking place in Canada. LaSalle College international school of Fashion Arts and Design's annual fashion show 'Signature' showcases the Fashion Design graduates newest designs. 'Signature' held two fashion shows at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday May 6th, one at 4 pm and the other at 7:30 pm. 138 graduating students originating from over ten different countries showcased 350 outfits to make up 24 different collections shown throughout the evening. LaSalle's Fashion Design program is an intense program that produces some of Canada's best designers. Students work their fingers to the bone for three years to produce this show and it's safe to say it was a great success.

The crowd was alive with excitement as we took in the lightshow preceding the fashion show. The student's creations were spectacular and received a standing ovation from their audience. The section entitled '3:33' showcased a colorful collection which featured a stunning orange trench coat, one of my favorite pieces of the evening. 'Génese' however was my favorite collection by far. The section featured headdress constructed out of white yarn that really gave a creative edge to the look. 

I tried to shazam as much music as possible:

Two Dots- Lusine

Genesis- Grimes

Come On- Electrelane

Remember Me? – Saltillo

Elephants- Warpaint

Crave You- (Adventure Club Dupstep remix) Flight Facilities 

THE DRINKING HOLE

MONTREAL DRINKING SPOTS

SAINT SULPICE

1680 rue St. Denis

The largest drinking patio in Montreal with the best Sangria. This is the best place to go on a hot summer evening. You're likely to bump into every student attending one of the many universities in the city.

THE DISTILLERY

300 rue Ontario

You must be ready to wait a very long wait to try one of their delicious mixed drinks served in a mason jar. I'll warn you now for anyone who may be as light of a weight as I am, only have one drink! They are very delicious but very strong and one will keep you going all night long. This small and stylish drinking hole has some of the best drinks in town. I recommend the blue drink. 

ELSE'S

156 rue Roy Est

This has to be one of my favourite spots in Montreal. It's hidden away in one of the backstreets of the plateau. You are sure to have a great time at this little place. It's best for a date ;)

RESERVOIR

9 Ave Duluth Est

Duluth houses some of the best restaurants in Montreal as well as some of the neatest drinking spots. Reservoir is a popular spot amongst the locals as it provides its own beer brewed in house as well as delicious and unexpected meal options to enjoy as you sit back and relax with friends and new faces. 

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

It's nearly a month until I make the big move from Montreal to Vancouver and shake up my entire life. It's going to be a very sudden change as I will only have a few days to get from Montreal to Calgary and eventually Vancouver. I am crazy excited about the change and have been researching what to do in the new city. I want to be as prepared as possible and start exploring as soon I get into town. This is what I have so far:

ACTIVE LIVING

I am determined to discover all that Vancouver has to offer this summer. I've been locked inside Montreal's downtown for far too long and am ready to make use of my new car and the beautiful outdoors. I am plannning on doing the two hour hike to Quarry rock followed by a series of other hikes on which I will bring my new DSLR camera to document the beautiful scenery. I hear the views offered at Quarry Rock are spectacular. A daily run along the sea wall wouldn't be a bad addition to my morning routine either. Let me know if you know of any good Yoga and dance studios around town as well!!

Photos: Emily Carr Recruit

ALL IN A DAYS WORK

This summer I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work as a Style Guru for College Fashionista and therefore will be spending my work week on UBC campus and around Vancouver capturing the local student style. So be on your best dressed behaviour !

Photos: College Fashionista Tumblr

DECORATING

Seeing as I will be moving into a new condo a lot of my spare time is going to be devoted to searching out cool antique stores and unique pieces to decorate my new space. I am hoping to make some trips to Emily Carr to get some painting inspiration. It's been a few years since the last time I picked up a paint brush but I am eager to get back at it. I want to create a few unique pieces that really make my new place reflect who I am and what I love. I have always loved rocks and have recently found some inspiring photos on blogs showing you how to incorporate them into your living space by making them functional and decorative. I love the use of apothecary lids being placed over gems to decorate an end table. I also want to use apothecary jars to store apples and the like (the usual grocery staples)

Photos:

Design Sponge

THE PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT LATTE

I will be submitting 250-word articles on a weekly basis for College Fashionista as well as continuing to blog for Talent Management Agency; Oleta Jé as well as my own blog: Butter so I will be spending a great deal of time in Café's around the city. I have become somewhat of a coffee addict. I have devoted a great deal of my free time to locating the best places in Montreal to refuel with a daily dose of caffeine and am determined to do the same in Vancouver. Two of my absolute favourite café's in Montreal hold ties to the Vancouver café scene. The first: Café Pikolo's owners come from Vancouver and wanted to bring the Vancouver Café scene to Montreal and have done so with much success (Props) I recently discovered Revolver café in Vancouver's gas town which seems to have a similar vibe decor wise and by the way prepare their coffee. Revolver uses the same beans as Pikolo and Myriade (my second favorite café in Montreal)So far I have heard wonderful things about Nelson the Seagull which even makes their own almond milk! I have been given a rough time from friends in the past about my love for ordering grapefruits for breakfast and Nelson the Seagull actually offers them on the menu along with just about every other type of food I consume on a daily basis.  I am also anxious to try 49 parallel on Granville Island as they supply my second favourite café in Montreal (Myraide) with their beans. 

The Montreal Café scene

Pikolo Espresso Bar - Café Myraide - Café Santropol - Olive + Gourmando

Pikolo Espresso Bar 

3418 B Ave. du Parc - The McGill Ghetto

They drip the tea and must use real vanilla. Best tea latté I've ever had. 

Drink of Choice: Low fat London Fog

Café Myriade 

1432 Rue Mckay - Ste. Catherine

Hands down the most delicious café latté I've ever had the pleasure of drinking

Drink of Choice: Soya Café Latté

Café Santropol 

3990 St. Urbain - The Plateau, mile end

The best healthy packed sandwich I've had in Montreal with a beautiful backyard terrace

Routine Meal: The Sweet Root Sandwich (vegan option) with added cucumbers. 

Drink of Choice: Black current tea (they always have a little strawberry or fruit goody in your tea cup)

Olive + Gourmando 

351 St. Paul West - The Old Port

This famous café is always booming and their sandwiches should be enjoyed on numerous occasions

The sandwiches change here so I would recommend always going for a hot sandwich. In my opinion they are even better than the cold sandwiches. They have soup de jour as well. 

Le Couteau/ The Knife

4627 Rue Saint-Denis

Montreal, QC, H2J 2L4, Canada

After coming across a post on Kinfolk about Le Couteau I journeyed over to discover for myself if the café lived up to it's review.  I was a little worried that I would have to order in french seeing it was past mile end but fortunately after I attempted to order a "Café latté avec soy" the cashier laughed and conversed with me in english as though it were easier for him too (phewf) I waited for my soy latté while chatting with the lovely employees and nearly fell over when I took the first sip. The latté was by far the best one I had ever had and I highly encourage you to devote an afternoon to taking a stroll through the plateau and ending up at the fantastic new café. 

Drink of Choice: soy latté