Vancouver Ventures | DAY 8: Black Sugar Banana Bread, Revisiting Brentwood + Koon Bo Takeout

Not alarmingly, I awoke the next day with my entire body sore from bearing the weight of all my bags while commuting.

​​Having finally depleted the remnants of a four-year-old bag of Starbucks coffee grounds, I looked forward to brewing my newly acquired Empress blend from East Van Roasters. ​My specified "coarse grind" revealed itself adopting a larger aggregate size than typically used in cold brew applications back home.

Exuding from the satchel were fabulously fragrant grounds that, shockingly enough, lost their alluring aromas once saturated with water. The resulting pour over possessed sparkling tea flavours, rather than a robust coffee-like profile. Admittedly, there wasn't much body either. I'd continue to test different brewing methods over the subsequent days, confirming the need for higher water temperature.

​Three very ripe bananas - yet not overly sweet - made their way into an impromptu loaf of banana bread. With time, the dark brown sugar stashed in the pantry had become stiff and stale. Microwaving the required quantity with a damp paper towel would have reinstated pliability, though I took the opportunity to experiment with a bag of Taiwanese black sugar instead.

In the absence of my usual roster of spices, I adapted Sunday Baking's Best Ever Banana Bread recipe. The amount of added sugar was supposed to be equivalent in weight to that of the bananas, however this quantity was reduced in fear of excessive sweetness. 75 g of heavy cream was swapped for a mixture of half & half and whatever remained from my carton of whipping cream used for the Mango Cake.

The banana bread emerged much darker than desired, though it was likely that the Chinese variety of cane sugar had alluded to this caramel hue. In sampling the creation, it dawned on me that the reduction in sugar had brought about unwanted alkalinity. There was an inadequacy of acid (molasses) to fully react with the amount of baking soda, leaving behind a strong, bitter aftertaste.

​While the astringency diminished with the passing of time, the loaf hardly constituted my proudest production. Two slices were deemed more than sufficient for my liking.

​Simultaneously compiled was a hearty Pork Bell Shabu dish. Once again, cooking in the unit demanded innovation and adaptation. The package of shabu meat was marinated in dark soy, sugar, sesame oil, and 2 cans of Stanley Park lager, both as a consequence of having no cooking wine on hand and being unable to stomach alcohol immediately after receiving a tattoo. The beer would later on be reduced to form an deeply rich and complex broth, one even slicker than usual due the fatty protein choice.

​Sautéed onions and chunks of Yukon gold potato would also be used in the dish. Scallions, severed with kitchen shears in an abode barren of knives, would be added to the pot in three intervals. The final portion would be mixed within and allowed to simmer just slightly as to preserve the texture and hue.

Frozen udon was prepared in a separate pot to serve alongside the Japanese-inspired dish. While it pains me to admit it, the frozen variety indeed offers a chewier consistency and better mouthfeel, as well as swifter cooking time.

​Afternoon activities were left to the whim of local family members. We were first guided towards Michaels on Bridgeport.

​Next was a detour about the perimeter of Crystal Mall, where some of the city's most uniquely named eateries reside.

​And then, we set off for Brentwood.

Since my last visit, the commercial-residential hub has seen further construction completed. The outdoor lounge area between Lougheed Hwy and Brentwood Blvd had opened to the public, even featuring streetscape with plenty of greenery.

​The connection to the parking garage was admittedly seamless. Gazing about the vicinity, I observed an astounding number of shoppers and caught sight of upcoming vendors, such as Lee's Donuts.

Traversing across the private road, I entered into the old Brentwood space for London Drugs. This section was practically deserted, save a few youngsters crowding about a well-illuminated dining area, deep in conversation.

The TABLES food hall assumed a similar concept to those prevalent in Toronto's downtown core. Its vendors were strictly local establishments, offering fare options of tempura, noodles, sushi, HK café items, coffee and pastries, and more.

Soon Coffee was the only café outpost to be seen during my time of visit. Within their display case were a handful of Lee's Donuts, though none too inviting for my tastes.

Directly across was Japadog, Vancouver's ever-prevalent fast food chain.

​I took note of their Wagyu Beef Burger, pinning it for a meal/snack later in my trip agenda.

Naturally, The Rec Room would be my next stop.

​Two members of staff halted me at the entrance, requesting presentation of ID before any further steps were taken. It was with a bit of amusement that I presented my out-of-province identification, for it was undeniable that I was well older than them.

​A number of games were experiencing technical errors due to a supposed loss of connection to the network server. Glitching from time to time, I succeeded only one play on the Grand Piano Keys and Kung Fu Panda each.

​Pump it Up! had been revised to a 2023 edition, much to my delight, and offered a handful of newer tracks for my enjoyment. It had also been shifted towards a quiet area of the arcade, adjacent to a football throwing game with a built-in wind tunnel that provided much relief.
At seeing my attempts to tap in, a member of staff advised me that the server was offline, all while sharing his own gripes about his lost game progress.

​Without any sort of queue forming, I continued my unrestricted runs on the Pump it Up! machine until reaching a point of fatigue.
Leading up to the date of visit, I had ensured my wristband was tucked away in my luggage, ready to redeem whatever prize(s) my heart desired. Ventured towards the Trophy Case, I was pleasantly surprised to find the shelves brimming with good quality, licensed merchandise - at reasonable redemptions levels too! I could afford the largest prize in the alley, a life-sized Sonic the Hedgehog or Luigi, unlike back home where I'd find myself departing with a measly Stainless steel mug instead.

Unfortunately, I was forced to forego my first pick of a Pokémon waffle maker, for my luggage was already struggling to fit the four (!) glass bottles I had secured at BC Liquor in the days prior.

​I'd engage in a second round of Pump it Up! before bidding the arcade farewell and descending the stairs to street level. Brentwood had evolved into a one-stop shop for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Yet, even in the presence of multiple condos and a SkyTrain station, majority of those spotted on-site were evident tourists. Granted, the retail destination housed a decent number of brand name stores, while TABLES had enabled visitors a taste of local Vancouver fare without having to venture throughout the city.

​Heading west of Willingdon Avenue, I found CoCo tucked into the corner of a small plaza. The retail strip boasted few parking spots on the asphalt lot, many of which were signed as "small car" spaces.

​My mission at hand was none other than the June TOTM (Tea of the Month): Mango Pomelo Sago.

The store featured a spacious seating area and plenty of A/C. Just one other patron was present at my time of visit, leading to a fairly quick ordering process.

​With choices of either Sago or Crystal Pearls presented to me, I opted for the latter. The drink was rather milky, with a handful of mango chunks suspended within; 30% sugar made for an acceptable sweetness level. Generally speaking, it wasn't half as enticing, nor as complex, as the traditional Mango Pomelo Sago dessert.

​Finally, our travels would conclude at Koon Bo. Takeout renditions of our go-to orders had been secured the day prior, and would be transported back to the unit in time for supper

The restaurant's signature shredded chicken was still as delicious as ever, fusing lean chicken, a crispy noodle topping, and a tangy sweet & sour sauce in perfect harmony.

​On the other hand, their Baked Sago Pudding with Lotus Paste was a bit lacklustre. Heavy on the sago but minimally creamy, the highly-coveted dessert ceased to be as delectable as our past recollections made it out to be.

Remnants of the twenty-four dollar specimen and its ginormous foil tray were stored in the fridge for later sampling, though neither its chilled nor warmed variations interpretations succeeded in reinstating our allegiance.