We came to Burgoo on W 4th to celebrate a friend's birthday. We were swiftly seated with our reservation and the few spots left were quickly taken up during the lunch hour. I had heard a lot about Burgoo before coming here and they definitely lived up to expectation.

I got a French Onion Soup for the bubbling cheese but was worried that I wouldn't be full with just soup. It turned out that my worries were absolutely unnecessary! The soup is made with roasted onions in a beef broth with croutons soaked in and gruyere, emmenthal and mozzarella cheese on top. The thick layer of baked cheese with each spoonful of hot, flavourful soup combined with the fluffy bread was decadent. This is definitely the best french onion soup I've had.

Decadent french onion soup ($10)

A friend and I shared the fiesta guacamole which came with crispy white corn tortilla chips. The guacamole had avocado, black bean, pineapple, lime, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro. The pineapple definitely adds a tangy kick that I haven't tasted in other guacamole. Give it a try if you're looking for a starter!

Fiesta guacamole ($7)

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here. The service was great, the atmosphere was relaxing and the food is packed full of ingredients and flavours that will leave you wanting more!

I have a pretty big sweet tooth, especially for pastries and cakes so I was excited to finally try L'Opera after reading so many food blog posts about it!

The ambiance here is quiet and sophisticated. I had my order to go so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the decor but it gave a good first impression. My phone immediately synced to the WiFi there so L'Opera can be an alternative option to coffee shops.

L'Opera from back door of parking area

The packaging was so cute and reminded me of a cross between La Duree and Thierry logo and colour scheme. This is great for gifting this holiday season!

This pretty lavendar macaron is cassis flavoured. The shell wasn't very crunchy and the inside was chewy with a fragrant filling. I would say that macarons here are between the textures of Faubourg and Thierry in terms of chewiness. I liked it.

Cassis macaron, $2

The cake I chose was named Paris and was delicious! There was a strong rum scent and smooth layers of chocolate and cream.

Paris cake, $5.8

Sorry this photo isn't very pretty but I wanted to show you the inside of the cake. The very bottom layer is chocolate sponge cake with a white cream layer on top and then a chocolate mousse layer. The outside is coated in almond flakes. Each bite was creamy, thick and satisfying without clogging your throat. Definitely enjoyed it but for a small piece of cake it sure is filling.

All in all, can't wait to try more of L'Opera goodies. Perhaps a croissant next time?

We had heard that Cafe Medina fills up quickly so we got there by 9:40am, just 10 minutes after it opened but it was already full and we were 5th on the waiting list. Fortunately the tables turnover fairly fast here so we were seated in 20 minutes.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

There aren't many tables inside this small cafe but the ambiance was quite cozy and warm.

Food time! We got waffles with a topping each: white chocolate rosewater and mixed berry compote. Upon first bite of the white chocolate rosewater dipped waffle piece, I immediately thought of Crabtree and Evelyn's Rosewater lotion. They smell exactly the same! The mixed berry compote was made with fresh berries and not overly sweet which I liked.

Belgian Waffles

Fricassé: 2 fried eggs, braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, balsamic onions, watercress, applewood cheddar, grilled foccacia.

This dish is served all day which explains why it is so savoury because I would love to have this for lunch. The short ribs were so tender and juicy, fried eggs were just right and the potato pieces soaked up all the sauce. The foccacia bread was toasted to a crunch and tasted so good dipped into the sauce. Must try!

Fricassé

Overall, Cafe Medina lived up to its hype and I would come wait in line again just to eat their food.

Earlier in August I was disappointed to see that Faubourg on Hornby was still renovating but this time when I went it was sparkly and open! The location is a very convenient walk from the skytrain station(s) nearby.

Faubourg on Horby

The display of goodies behind the new glass casing was so pretty that I wanted to try everything! I would have eaten more if I did not already have lunch.

I haven't tried Faubourg's macarons yet so that was the "light" dessert I chose. They cost $2 each and have a good variety of flavours available. When I was there on the weekend afternoon, the macarons were flying off the shelves!

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Blackberry, Hazelnut Praline, Strawberry Black Pepper, Tahitian Vanilla Bean

From the Faubourg website I couldn't find the Blackberry one so it might be a new flavour. Here is the info about the other flavours:

Hazelnut Praline: All the flavour of a crunchy hazelnut, encased in this smooth, creamy confectionary

Strawberry Black Pepper: Listen to your taste buds and give this unique flavour option a chance

Tahitian Vanilla Bean: A light, vanilla delight made from exotic vanilla bean

My favourite was the blackberry one because it was the most aromatic and unique. Despite its name, the Strawberry Black Pepper had no pepper taste (phew!). Personally I still prefer Thierry's macarons because they are larger in circumference, chewier and less sweet. Some people may like Faubourg's macarons better because they are more fluffy on the inside.

Overall, I am excited for another patisserie location in downtown to get my dose of French baked goods!

I saw a $9 for $14 Groupon for Simply French Cafe so I took up the opportunity to visit. It is easy to find since the sign is large and contrasts against the black walls.

Simply French Cafe

The decor of this cafe is interesting with art work and boutique items placed in an unorganized fashion around the place. It is definitely different from Starbucks type of coffee houses. 

There were two unmatching chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

With my Groupon I ordered a good amount of food: a small Roasted Red Pepper soup, one slice of chocolate orange cheesecake, one raspberry macaron, and one chocolate chip cookie.

The soup was hearty and came very hot. It was thick and tasted of tomato and red pepper. The panini bread (I think?) that came with the soup was quite burnt but I liked the chewiness of it.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup $4.50

 The macaron was disappointing, even more than the one at Chicco. The macaron came broken as shown in the picture. The cookie part was like a crumbled meringue cookie that only tasted sweet and the ganache had no raspberry taste at all, it was merely sugary icing.
Since this is supposed to be a French cafe I expected the macarons to be good.

Raspberry macaron $2.50 each

 My cheesecake is in a styrofoam box because I ordered it to go. There were small orange peel pieces in the cheesecake batter and the cake is topped with a layer of chocolate. This did taste pretty good, there was the thick cream cheese texture I like and the chocolate and orange went well together. However, this tasted very much like an American style cake and not like pastries I've had at other French bakeries.

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake $5.50

Cheesecake

This was a butter cookie base with dark, milk and white chocolate chips. I liked the assorted chocolate chips but other than that this is a cookie you can buy at any coffee shop.

Chocolate chip cookie $2.26

Simply French Cafe is a quiet space with WiFi for people to study or chat. While I was there, only groups of 2-3 people floated in allowing the noise level to remain at a low hum.

 

Overall, I paid $11.25 including the Groupon price and tax. I'm not sure if I will be returning again just for the soup.