Extreme Coffee Freak

While in Vancouver we had to check out the newest location for Nemesis on Great Northern Way. This new cafe is located a block away from where my daughter completed her Masters, she often said while we were here that she wished this was open while she was in school. The building has the coolest shape ever, it looks like an upside down flower, it is beautiful.

The Interior

You could clearly tell from the outside that the inside was going to look amazing and trust me it didn’t disappoint at all. It was so light and beautiful inside. The table were surrounding the outside with a couple in the middle with a big bar across the centre and along the back. We were so impressed with how this building looked inside and out.

The Drinks

They had so many options to choose from on the menu so once we looked it over we decided to get a couple different drinks.

I ordered a Pour Over made with Elias Roa – Finca Tamana for $5. It was absolutely amazing, they even filled the craft with hot water while they were making the drink. We witnessed the employee (Alex) making the drink take a sip from a separate cup to make sure it was optimal for serving. It was a very delicious Colombian. 

My wife ordered a Chai Latte for $4.50 and she said that it was definitely on her top list for sure. She said it was so smooth and had really great flavour, she just wished it had a little more spice.

My daughter ordered a Hot Chocolate for $4.50 and she said that it was made with real chocolate which made it really creamy and delicious.

The Food

While we were there we had seen some food leave the kitchen and we had to get some breakfast, so we decided to order.

My daughter and myself ordered the Bacon Sandwich for $10.25 and it was excellent. It had great flavour combinations with the home-made ketchup, maple flavoured bacon and the two kinds of onions really made this sandwich delicious. I also ordered a side of potatoes and they had lemon zest on them which made them refreshing and delicious for sure.

My wife ordered the French Toast for $11 and she said it was amazing. She had singing tastebuds. The home-made ricotta and the toppers really made this french toast out of this world for sure.

My daughter also grabbed a Blood Orange Cruffin for $6 and it was absolutely delicious. It had such a great orange flavour. She wishes she would have bought more.

The Service

Everyone here was amazing and so friendly. Everything we asked they were able to answer and recommend menu and drink options for us. It was great to see it was busy and the staff were still smiling and happy.

The Hours

Monday to Friday – 8:00am to 4:00pm

Saturday and Sunday – 9:00am to 5:00pm

Parking

There is street parking along both sides of Great Northern Way and a little further down by Centre for Digital Media there is a paid parking lot.

Last Words

We can definitely see ourselves heading back every time that we are in Vancouver to this amazing cafe. They have since updated their menu and we would love to head back and try some of their other amazing menu items.

While driving to Vancouver, we decided to stop in Kamloops and get some lunch. As my wife and daughter were looking for somewhere to eat, my wife came across Mittz Kitchen. It had high reviews about its food. It is located right in downtown Kamloops.

The Interior

We ate on the patio so we don’t actually know what the inside looks like. The outside however, had a bunch of seating which was nice. It was an overcast day when we were there and we noticed that there was ash flying in the air. It was also very busy on the patio which is always great to see, it also tells me that we chose the right place to eat.

The Drinks

After looking over the menu, one drink kind of really interested me and that was their Craig Cook. It was $4.50 and it was a combination of orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and soda. It really tasted amazing and all the flavours really combined well.

The Food

While we were waiting to order so many delicious menu items walked pasts us, so let me just say it was really hard to decide on what to get.

I ordered the Crispy Chicken and Waffles for $14, it was absolutely amazing, I cleaned my plate. The waffle was super fluffy, the chicken was battered but wasn’t heavy, and the creamy maple mustard was delicious. 

My wife ordered the Classic Double Cheeseburger for $17, it was also amazing. The burger was light, there was a great bun to burger ratio, also the fries were really good. The best part was, the burger didn’t fall apart in her hands.

My daughter ordered the Mittz Bacon/Avo Benny for $16, it was really good. She received one hard egg and one soft egg which was nice. The smashed potatoes were really delicious. The combination between the bacon and avocado really blended well together. 

The Service

The staff were friendly and super helpful. The nice thing here, is the waiters brought you your food and then left you to eat, coming back only once to check if everything was great. The atmosphere was amazing and the portions were great for the price.

The Hours

Open seven days a week at 11am.

Brunch: 11-2pm on Saturday and Sunday

Parking

There is only street parking and unfortunately driving a truck it was very difficult to find parking.

Last Words

We would definitely head back to this restaurant to get food again when we are in Kamloops again. I would definitely recommend you checking this place out if you are driving through Kamloops. 

We decided to check out a new cafe located in South Calgary in the old location of London Fog Cafe. We were excited to check out this new location since they were only open for six months when we visited.

Why the name you might ask? Jindo is a Korean breed of dog that originated from the Jindo Islands. They are known for their exceptional faithfulness, loyalty, and active yet gentle nature. They named the cafe to be one of those spaces that is  hub for the community representing the same virtues. – Cafe Jindo

The Interior

The location is very open and bright, there is about five tables located inside with a couple out front on the sidewalk. There is pictures on the walls of art for sale made by local Calgarians. At the back of their shop there is table with coffee, tea, and accessories for sale. 

The Drinks

After looking over the menu and talking with Daniel we decided on a couple beverages. 

I ordered a Latte for $3.75 and they were using the David Kim Espresso which was delicious. It was not too milky, you could actually taste the coffee which was really nice. The latte had really great flavour as well.

My wife ordered their Summer Cooler drink the Yuja Yogurt Cooler for $5.75. It was a partnership with Meals on Wheels for their Summer Cooler event happening around Calgary. It had really great flavour and it is one of those drinks that you could drink all day.

My daughter ordered a London Fog for $4.75 it was made with Smith Tea. It smelled very fruity and delicious. It was a different kind of London Fog because it wasn’t made with Vanilla or Lavender, it was made with Bergamont Syrup which was absolutely amazing and really elevated the drink to the next level. 

The Food

After looking over the menu, there were clearly some stand out items that we really wanted to sample. Just to clarify everything looked absolutely amazing and we would go back to try everything on the menu.

I ordered a Cinnamon Bun for $3.98, it was huge. It had really great flavour and the icing was delicious. It didn’t have a ton of cinnamon which was a nice touch.

My wife ordered the Waffle with Maple Lemon for $5.75 and she found it amazing. It was delicious and had a nice hint of lemon with the maple syrup.

My daughter ordered the Matcha Korean Street Waffle for $6.25 and it was delicious. The only comment she had is there was a little too much of the matcha cream cheese for her liking. She wished it was more whip and a little less of the match cream cheese. 

The Service

The owner was working today, it was a great experience being able to talk to him about his shop and the decisions he made to make it his own. He was very personable and enjoyed hearing about our experience at his cafe. 

The Hours

Sunday – 8:00am to 4:00pm

Monday – Closed

Tuesday to Saturday – 8:00am to 6:00pm

Parking

There is a bunch of parking located out front of the shop since it is located in a strip mall in South East Calgary. 

Last Words

We will definitely be visiting this amazing cafe again in the future. There is so many more menu items that we would like to try. As well if they come out with more seasonal drinks we would head out that way to see what they have to offer.

Final Remarks

Let’s start off by saying this month has been a lot of fun and we had an amazing time going to try as many hot chocolates that we can. We have had an awesome time driving around the city trying everyone’s creations. This month we tried a total of 51 different hot chocolates totalling roughly $396.

We had high hopes for a bunch of hot chocolates since the location had an amazing hot chocolate last year, but this year they really disappointed us. We were looking forward to trying certain ones and they really let us down and this was very sad, whereas others really surprised us to no end.

So without further ado, here are my daughter’s and my wife’s top nine hot chocolates for the 2021 YYC Hot Chocolate Fest.

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Daughter’s top 9, in no specific order;

• Jus Fruit : Oreo Cheesecake Hot Chocolate
• Pixie’s Candy Parlour : Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Monki Bistro : Cinnamon Toast Crunch Hot Chocolate
• Black Sheep : Chocolat Chaud Facon Banana Split
• Monogram : Bergamot Honey Hot Chocolate
• Kristi : Kentucky Campout (BOOZY)
• Cravings Market : Cherry Blossom Bliss
• The Coup : Orange Blossom Bliss
• Our Daily Brett : Gianni The Chocolate Rocket

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Wife’s top 9, in no specific order;

• Bubblemania : Spicy Ginger Black Tea Hot Chocolate
• Pixie’s Candy Parlour : Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Black Sheep : Chocolat Chaud Facon Banana Split
• Kaffeeklatsch :  Schwartzwalder Schokomilch
• Kristi : Polar Express
• Cravings Market : Cherry Blossom Bliss
• Jus Fruit : Red Velvet Cupcake Hot Chocolate
• Monogram : Bergamot Honey Hot Chocolate
• Holy Cannoli : Chocolate Covered Raspberry Hot Chocolate

We had found that there were some really good ones this year that didn’t make our top nine but did deserve a honourable mention because of their flavour or their creativity.

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 Honorable Mentions;

• Bullet Café : Bullet Oil Hot Chocolate
• Sawa : All Hail Hot Chocolate
• Velvet Café : White Chocolate Lavender Orange Hot Chocolate
• Neighbour : When Doves Cry Lavender White Chocolate
• Café Beano :  Golden Chai Chocolate
• Calgary Heritage Roasting Co. : Campfire Delight

We could all agree that this year had some outstanding hot chocolates and some that missed the mark. The ones that were outstanding really stood out against the rest and the ones that failed really were disappointing due to flavour, texture, garnishes, whip, or their overall beverage.

We were very pleased to be a part of this year’s YYC Hot Chocolate Fest and we were so happy that we were able to visit as many locations as we could. We really hope you had as much fun as we did trying these hot chocolates and we hope that you may have followed our adventures this past month.

A big thank you to everyone who participated and who bought hot chocolates to help support Meals on Wheels. Thank you to all for helping this wonderful organization.

Here is to next year!

Happy Chocolating!

Hot Chocolate Nutella with mini Bomboloni (Hazelnut Chocolate)

“Our famous traditional hot Dutch chocolate with Nutella topping with our whipped topping drizzled in Dutch chocolate sauce topped with a mini Italian nutella bomboloni doughnut.”

Price: $5.00

Let me start off by saying that we were excited to try this hot chocolate since they had an amazing hot chocolate creation last year.

Now with today’s experience it was not the best at all. We arrived and was told to wait outside, which was fine, but when we came inside the staff were not very friendly about it. We stepped to one side and the staff member said to move over because we were too close to another table, although we were still 6ft away from the closest person. We were close to a plant that was all. It just seemed like the staff were not happy and there is no reason to treat your valued customers the way that we were treated. It was very hard to enjoy this drink after the experience we had.

Now the drink… it was a simple hot chocolate with whipped cream. There was no flavour in the hot chocolate except on the top with the sauce and the bomboloni. The bomboloni was oily and didn’t have any hazelnut flavour, the filling tasted more like chocolate than hazelnut.

Overall this was not a great experience for us at all and it was very disappointing to be treated the way we were.

Honeycomb Hot Chocolate

“Chocolate ganache hot chocolate topped with a house made honied marshmallow and a honeycomb crusted milk chocolate truffle pop.”

Price: $7.00

This hot chocolate was really good, it had a great creamy texture and the whip was really good. The honeycomb was delicious and super flavourful. The truffle pop was really good and a great combination to the hot chocolate. We would have loved to be able to purchase the honeycomb so that we could enjoy it by itself at a later date.

Cinnamon Bun Hot Chocolate

“Creamy cinnamon hot chocolate, garnished with a mini cinnamon bun.”

Price: $5.50

This hot chocolate was not overly sweet for being a white hot chocolate. It had a good cinnamon flavour and it subtly tasted like a cinnamon bun. You get a half of a cinnamon bun which was really good and really added some cinnamon bun flavour to the hot chocolate. We thought if there was a little more flavour in the drink it would have been a better cinnamon bun hot chocolate like some of the other ones we have had this month.    

Madagascar Tropical

“We have gathered the best ingredients Madagascar has to offer with in a real tropical treat! Madagascar single origin chocolate, tangy deep rich and unforgivingly smooth with a touch of vanilla bean and passion fruit and coconut to complete your trip to the tropics in each cup. Served with a crunchy Palmier! Both treats are plant-based and do not contain any dairy!”

Price: $9.00

Last year their hot chocolate was very thick and we were not big fans, so this year we went back hoping that it was better. Unfortunately it was still just as thick and there was no passion fruit flavour nor chocolate flavour. When we took a sip there was a strange taste to it, so upon second sip it almost had an alcohol like taste. It is very hard to describe.

But we can for sure tell you that this hot chocolate was not one of our favourites. The upside of this hot chocolate was that the Palmier was very good.    

Gianni The Chocolate Rocket

“A rich and creamy base of milk chocolate hazelnut gianduja with toasted Italian meringue floated on top.”

Price: $7.50

This was a very pretty drink with a simple but elegant display. Let me start off by saying that we are often nervous about trying any drink with hazelnut, but let me say that this was a very delicious drink. It had a subtle hazelnut taste and when mixed with the meringue it was amazing. Overall it was relatively a simple drink but with complex flavours which made this drink a real winner with us.

Let me finish by saying that Our Daily Brett may have changed our mind on hazelnut hot chocolates. Well done!