Tim Hortons (YVR U.S Departures)

           We all know what airport food is like. Expensive and probably not so great, but that was what my family had to settle for when we had a flight at 9 am to the Hawaiian Islands. Alas, sacrifices would have to be made, which meant some probably not so good food for breakfast. We noticed that there was a Tim Hortons at reasonable prices. I actually sort of like Tim Hortons, so this was pretty good for me. Located beside a couple of more expensive places, it was very popular. Or maybe this was the only decent place. The first thing we noticed was that the pastries case were in the back, and the selection was a lot smaller. However, there is no way to know if they are good unless you try it!

          

 I already had a tiny breakfast, so I just opted to go with a donut so I could see if they were the same as he locations not in the airport. I got the Honey Dip, which was pretty on par with the ones I have had outside of the airport. Heck, it was better, being nice and soft. However, it still has that dense texture associated the donuts. At least it wasn't too sweet or  not sweet, along with a nice airy texture when you first bite into the donut. It was like eating cotton candy for a second. I would give this donut a pretty decent 3.5/5. While it wasn't great, it was better than other Tim Hortons. Unfortunately, I only got 2 pictures as everyone was very hungry, because they didn't eat breakfast. I only got 2 pictures too,and the other one was the hash brown. I didn't like this hash brown because it was about as hard as Dwayne Johnson. Pun Intended. As least it was edible, so it wasn't too hard, but it was indeed pretty hard. Remember kids, hard and crispy are two different things. Wait, I'm a kid! Too bad the large amount was not successful in softening the Hash brown. Overall, it was a pretty disappointing 1.5/5. By the way, one of the reasons that I got a donut was to compare it with the famous Leonard's Bakery on Oahu. Keep an eye out for some Hawaii posts coming your way.

Bottom Line: Decent airport eats.

Tip: Come here if you are hungry.

Overall: 2.5/5 based on what I tried.

3880 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, B.C, Canada

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall 5

       Before I started this blog, my mom had a not so great experience at Cactus Club. They sent her a gift card after they heard about it. So she took my sister and I to the Cactus Club Cafe Burrard St to give them another try. The building is really nice and very clean, along with everything else. Some back story on Cactus Club: Cactus Club is a chain restaurant limited to B.C and originated in North Vancouver B.C. Personally, I feel they are a casual restaurant with the prices to portions.

Calamari $13.50

       We started our meal with the calamari for $13.50. This was a ridiculously huge portion for the prices, and came with some tartar sauce and spicy Mayo. The squid itself was very good and chewable, and it was nice and crunchy. This is coming from a person who doesn't like squid. The calamari came with some vegetables and jalapeños that were deep fried. The sauces were quite good, and benefited it for the calamari didn't have too much flavour. However, the spicy Mayo didn't have too much spicy flavour  but the tartar sauce definitely went well. Finally, this photo doesn't really do the portions justice, but we rated this massive appetizer a 4/5. 

        

Rocket Salad $17

        My mom loves salads, and she always gets salads at practically any restaurant. So we got the Rocket Salad for $17, which some nice greens and a piece of chicken breast. They actually split the salad into dishes for us. It was really nice of them, but the salad wasn't so good. It wasn't exactly fresh with the greens but the chicken was what really messed up the dish. THERE WAS A GREASE PUDDLE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH! We couldn't even finish our portions, even though we were really hungry.  Oh, and by the way, the reason we got a gift card was because my mother found a clump of dirt in her first salad. I would rate this salad a  generous 1/5 and would not recommend it at all. 

Chicken Tenders + Yam Fries Subbed $15.50 

      For our other entree, none of us were feeling very adventurous so we went with the Chicken

Tenders. They were described as Panko Breaded Chicken. Sauces on the side were the same tartar sauce as before, which was good and some honey mustard, which tasted very good with the crispy chicken. We replaced the normal fries with Yam Fries because my mother raved about them for $2.  They were great, being very crispy but still having that yam flavor. Including the replacement of the yam fries, this dish was $15.50. Although the Chicken Tenders were a step above the normal stuff, I wouldn't say that they were anything special. We would rate it a 3/5. Solid for what it is, but didn't blow us away. However, the yam fries were very good, and i woudl rate them a 4/5.

All our food.

      Overall, Cactus Club Cafe is a great place to stop in for a casual lunch. Although we didn't try that many things, the dishes were pretty good. They definitely are a bit hit and miss, with the deep frying.The calamari was good, and the portions were very good for the price. Although there were a few problems with the salads, so maybe stay away from those.

Bottom Line: Good, but Hit and Miss

Tip: Salads could use some work...

Overall: 3/5

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall 5

588 Burrard St, Vancouver, B.C