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First year not attending any Christmas parties, no family, no friends, just me and the baby.  Oh and the husband who has night shift and has to nap all day to prepare. I thought it might be a nice change to have a quiet holiday wearing sweat pants, just me and the baby, but I'm actually more tired now. I think I expected to have a chill day, just play with baby S and maybe watch a few Christmas movies, but instead, she decided to explode in her diaper, and I ended up having to do extra laundry on top of all the other things to keep her fed and happy (first world problem, yes, I know). Wish H would learn how to change diapers, sleep less, clean more, and maybe pick up breastfeeding as a side hobby.

Meanwhile, I always have raw fish to drown my sorrows in:  


We ordered take out from Steve's Poké Bar in Mount Pleasant after dropping off Christmas presents at the front door steps of our family and friends (following the social distancing rules!). This came highly recommended by P, who loves their first location up at SFU. I guess they're successful enough up there to start opening up more locations around the Lower Mainland, including this one in Vancouver.

Steve's Poke Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Both H and I had the California Dreamin', which consists of salmon and lots of edamame... That was my mistake. I shouldn't have chosen that one, because I actually find edamame disgusting, so I picked them all out and gave them to H.  The rice was also not our favourite, as it was a bit crumbly and did not have much flavor. They also did not have a brown rice option, which I prefer, but they do offer salad mix. 


The marinated salmon was actually really good though, so I wouldn't mind giving it a second try, and just pick my own toppings more carefully (no edamame!). I never thought of myself as a picky eater, but now that I think about it, I have some weird food habits, like this thing with the edamame. I also don't like raw nuts, particularly peanuts. I wonder if this would have been different if my parents put me through baby led weaning, which we've just started with baby S

This holiday season has not been easy, and what has made it easier is all the very thoughtful gifts and messages that friends and family have sent. Always working on that gratitude attitude... 

Picked up a dim sum platter from Sea Fortune for $38:


From the left corner and going clockwise, this platter includes: 
    -4 shrimp dumplings
    -3 sticky rice in lotus leaf wraps

    -4 panfried radish cake 

    -3 bbq pork buns

    -4 siu mai

There were also a few spring rolls, in a separate box, which I thought was quite thoughtful because it helped to prevent the crispy skins from getting soggy: 

Probably the best deal we've come across, and definitely the most aesthetically pleasing dim sum takeout around the Lower Mainland, just missing a piece of parsley garnish, or a carved carrot garnish. 

Sea Fortune Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The standards at Sea Fortune are pretty high, and both H and I were satisfied with the quality. Did I mention all of this food was only $38? 

You might think that it's a lot of food for just the two of us, even though we had some leftovers for breakfast the next day, but hey, stop judging us! I'm still breastfeeding, and constantly hungry. Baby S is still waking up in the middle of the night, but luckily, not as often as before, so I actually get a few REM cycles. I'm starting to feel a bit more like myself again!

Except when she's latched on to me. I get this wave of anxiety, and I think it's because I actually have to stop and sit down while nursing her. I can go on my phone, surf the net, read an eBook, but it's still a restriction on my freedom. Pumping is not a solution either, because I hate doing it even more, especially with all the parts to clean, and don't even suggest switching to formula. Baby S practically licks the floor, and I swear, if I don't protect her with the antibodies in my breast milk, she'd be sick everyday. 

There is light at the end of the tunnel though. We finally started her on solids at 6 and a half months, so my boobs will belong to me again soon enough. More updates on the solids in a future post.  

I haven't been very motivated to blog, since returning to Vancouver from Victoria, mostly because we've been eating at home more often. Not very interesting to post about my third Instapot chicken meal of the week, but at least I have my orange juice


I was pretty stoked when Glory Juice gave me my own code (LUWESA15) for 15% off their fresh cold-pressed juices this week.  When I was in Victoria, I had gotten into the habit of drinking Tropicana's orange juice with LOTS OF PULP, which I'm sure is just loaded with sugar and not very healthy, but I needed the vitamin C in the juice to go along with my iron pill. It actually makes a huge difference in my energy level when I don't take the iron pill with vitamin C, and an even bigger difference when I don't take the pill at all. Making sure my iron levels are maintained at a regular level is just another part of being a breastfeeding mom...

After coming home to Vancouver, we just haven't had the fridge space for a large carton of juice. I've attempted to remember to take the iron pill with an actual orange, but sometimes, I'm too busy or tired to bother (maybe if I had my iron pill, I wouldn't be so tired. Hmm...). 

Anyways, when I got the code, I immediately ordered both the options that matched the Vitamin C nutrition profile, as well as one of the juices that contain high iron, and one other for skin and hair health because I've been losing so much hair lately (postpartum effects, ugh). Tastes delicious. Also tastes guilt free, without added sugar, because they use real organic vegetables and fruits.  Also, the bottles are conveniently sized to fit my fridge. 

H went to pick up our online order for me, and he mentioned there was lots of great COVID-19 safety protocols being imposed at the Glory Juice location by Olympic Village. I'm sure the other locations in Yaletown and Coal Harbour are just as diligent with their safety procedures. 

Glory Juice Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

These juices aren't cheap. Use LUWESA15 for 15% off online orders at Glory Juice

What else have we been up to? Sleep training, cloth diapering, learning to sit, and lots of time wasted on Instagram...  

We've been cooking a lot at home and haven't been going out to eat or getting take out, because H and I are trying to save up some moneys for this person:


We did get bento boxes from Fujiya, while we were there to get groceries: 


There's a piece of salmon AND saba, and they tasted delicious. 

Great value. Best bang for your buck, if getting Japanese food!

Fujiya Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Anyways, it's been a busy week. Baby S's naps are getting longer, but her wake time is also stretching out, so I'm spending more time playing with her, rather than working on this blog. What will happen to my attempt to post weekly, once we have to start moving next month?  

Today's haul consists of:

 

Royal City brown butter toffee and pumpkin cream cheese donuts, a cup of medium roast coffee from Heights Coffee Co., and The Bench Bakehouse cheese and onion twist.

Glenburn frequently hosts Royal City on Sunday mornings, and has now added in a new local coffee roaster from the Burnaby area to their line up. I've had Royal City donuts before, and really enjoyed them. The pumpkin cream cheese has a hint of saltiness from the cream cheese, and is delicious with the powdered sugar dusted over the donut. They've figured out a way to inject just the perfect amount of filling into their donuts, so that they don't explode and make a mess everywhere, but every bite has some filling. 


Good luck to the new coffee roaster. There's so much competition in town now, they'll really have to work hard to stand out. 

After Glenburn, we visited the Vancouver Farmer's Market, as we figured with COVID, it'll be better to shop outdoors. Very glad we did not miss out on this onion cheese bread, which we had with EVOO, truffle oil and balsamic vinegar: 
 

We also got one of their apple pie double baked croissants -  no photos as it has been devoured before I remembered my camera. Very flakey, with many crispy bits on top, as a croissant should be. 

The Bench Bakehouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The aftermath: 


So far, being back in Vancouver has been a mix of anxieties about the pandemic and meeting up with our loved ones. The grandparents were able to come visit and helped us babysit once or twice before gatherings with individuals outside of our household were discouraged by our lovely Dr. Bonnie Henry. 

It had been a while since the grandparents were left alone with baby S, and what an experience it was this time around. The use of white noise to help infants fall asleep is quite common nowadays, but both sets of grandparents were very confused when we instructed them to ask our Google Nest to play this loud annoying sound when putting baby S down for a nap. 

One set of grandparents asked Google to play "white music", and instead of noise, somebody (presumably a person of Caucasian decent) started singing. 

Both sets of grandparents had a tough time enticing baby S to take the bottle, now that she could recognize mom as the source of food and comfort. H and I received many calls to "come back home NOW," but every time we would tell them we're on the way, when really, we were still finishing up whatever we were doing.  

Baby S eventually calmed down with them, and by the time we arrived home, she was an angel again. 

I can't wait for our curve to start flattening again, so that our babysitters can return.

I'm currently craving a burger from The Hive Eatery. Food from hole in the wall places tend to be the most delicious... 



The Hive Eatery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Hive Eatery is just an order window on one side, and a pick up window around the corner, not more than 300 sq ft inside, so it definitely qualifies for hole in the wall status. Their menu is full of creative burgers, using fresh local ingredients. The Sweet and Sour Pork had a crunchy coleslaw that provided the texture to balance the pork patty, and sweet and sour sauce was just oozing out of the whole burger. The Cornflake Chicken burger was super crispy, just like cornflakes, and super juicy. No dry chicken here! Neither of them gave me that heavy feeling after eating a big greasy burger. 



Definitely pick up a few of these next time.  

Baby S has been sleeping a bit better these days, and her sleep cues are becoming more noticeable (or I'm just more familiar with them now?) She's never fallen asleep when she's around people or while she's playing on her play mat... How come other babies can fall asleep anywhere?!

The other night, as we were leaving the grandparents' home, she was getting fussy from being overtired and not getting her usual naps in. I was holding the car seat in one hand, and baby S in the other arm, because we wanted to reduce the amount of time she would be spending in the carseat, which she currently despises. H was busy packing away other things into the car. I'm trying to lift the heavy carseat into H's raised truck, while baby S is clinging to me, and Grandma tells me to "let the man do it". 

That's an old school thought I haven't heard in a while. Didn't bother me too much because Grandma is a cool progressive dog usually. I wonder what things I'll say to baby S that will make her ears perk up. 

On yet another walk with baby S, we picked up pastries from La Roux Patisserie

I walk by here frequently, and was not super interested in trying it out, because the decor was so fluffy. Why did it have to look so girly and colourful inside? Were the colourful pastries in the window display just beautiful on the outside? Would they also be yummy in my tummy? The entire package just appeared way too pretty to be true, so I avoided it. 


I first tried the Paris Brest (cream puff). This is the shop's best seller - a buttery cream puff with a hint of salt to balance the creamy Nutella filling. I couldn't stop at one bite! 

La Roux Patisserie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The lemon tart was my favourite out of all of three, because I love how the tartness cuts through the sugar and butter. The espresso pistachio tart didn't really have much pistachio flavor, and was quite heavy handed on the butter. 

H's favourite dessert is tiramisu, so I had to get it:




We both thought it was just OK. 

These would be convenient to keep in the fridge for late night snacking too. We kept them refrigerated for a few days, and they were still delicious. Sometimes, after a night feeding for baby S, I can feel my stomach 
growling, but I'm too lazy to get out of bed and just suffer through it until the next morning.
 

Baby S doesn't realize how lucky she is - in the middle of the night, all she has to do is whimper slightly, and her favorite food (milk) shows up in front of her.

H and I will be heading back to Vancouver soon, and I've been making a list of food around Victoria that I want to have before we leave. Would be nice to get burgers and shakes from Big Wheel Burger again: 


They use fresh local ingredients, which makes for a beautiful burger. Even the brioche buns were fresh from the oven. 

Big Wheel Burger Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

H had the chicken burger, because he doesn't do beef. I had the single patty, with a strawberry milkshake. 


Best burger and shake combo since Shake Shack, and it's unlikely we'll be gorging ourselves on that anytime soon, since the US/Canada border is still closed. 

After two months living on Vancouver Island, I've gotten into the routine of not having a routine. I still have my habits of caffeine every morning, and brushing my teeth twice a day, but we've been travelling so much that there hasn't been time to settle into a schedule. It's hectic, and I'm sure it doesn't help with baby S's erratic sleep patterns.   

The other day, it was rough. 

The morning started off okay and then as I succumbed to what my husband and child wanted to do rather than what I had planned for, I felt more and more drained. H wanted to make waffles at the buffet station, downstairs in the hotel. I didn't want to wait in line for waffles and carry my baby with me to get breakfast. I wanted to be in and out. Black coffee. Toast. Done. I let him convince me that it would be quick, and delicious. We stood for at least 10 minutes that I could have spent doing something else more enjoyable (like sleep). The waffles were bomb though. 

Then, I wanted to spend some time working on this blog, and was expecting my child to be taking her usual morning nap or at least have my husband take care of her so I could have 90 minutes to myself. 90 minutes. Some moms are lucky to have 10 minutes to use the bathroom and to maintain a certain level of personal hygiene. And here I was, having the audacity to expect more than an hour of free time. Of course, baby refused to nap and whined right through the time I had planned for, eventually progressing into a full-blown tantrum. H did not know how to soothe her and put her to sleep, adding fuel on top of this awful four month leap and sleep regression that she's going through. I ended up being too distracted to do anything, and had to nurse her to sleep. Then, I scolded my husband for not paying more attention to baby's needs, because he was just on his phone the whole time as she whined for her soother. 

We went out for a drive after she woke up to see Niagara Falls (not that one... the one in Langford), about 40 minutes away by car. Baby hates the car seat and cries every time we try to put her in the car. No surprise this time that she started screaming right away. Just as we arrived at the park, she fell asleep... great timing! We woke her up, and I was hoping she could be rocked to sleep in the Ergobaby during our walk (she didn't). As we pulled her out of the carseat to transition her to the carrier, we discovered that her back was covered in poo. Got her cleaned up and we were ready to go. The walk was great, the fall foliage was on full display, waterfall was so majestic despite it being a bit dried up. Then we had to put her in the car seat again (nightmare).

 

Along the way home, we wanted to stop by Costco. We always do this, push ourselves to the tired tank limit and I really should have said no, because I knew baby was tired. I was drained, let alone the little four month old baby, who was up all night, had skipped a nap, and now would be skipping another. She had just stopped crying from being placed in the carseat earlier, and started whining again, right as we made it inside. H loves Costco and would usually have wandered all the aisles to look for all the deals. This time, even he understood that we should focus only on what we needed, in and out, but it was not fast enough. Baby S was in meltdown mode by the time we were at the checkout. I ended up nursing her in the car, and she ended up falling asleep in the carseat again. Of course, we were just 10 minutes away from "home", so she only had a few minutes of shut eye, and she was furious from having her nap disturbed once again.

Bedtime was only 2 to 3 hours away anyways and the nap schedule was already thrown off, so we decided to let her stay awake if that's what she wanted. Usually, I can just go with the flow, but this meant hours of her whining about being tired and needing to be held. I finally just gave in and nursed her to sleep around 7PM.

I had also decided to call it a night, around 830pm, and had just fallen asleep next to her, when 20 minutes later, she's hungry. So hungry that she spends 40 minutes sucking me dry. I am a human pacifier. 

It'll all be worth it right? We'll get into a more regular pattern soon, right? I'll start feeling a sense of accomplishment soon, RIGHT?!



Lately, baby S and I have been taking morning walks to Bean Around the World. First thing we do is get changed and cleaned up. By 8AM, I'll throw on the ErgoBaby, and head off to Chinatown. 
After trying a few different coffee shops around Victoria, I hate to admit that it's the one from Vancouver that offers the oat milk and espresso combo that I prefer. It's got a full texture to it, and enough caffeine kick. Not too much though, to cause the jitters!

Bean Around the World Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

They have lots of outdoor seating right now, but also offer a few tables inside with the appropriate social distancing. Gets pretty busy here, so we've never sat down and usually wait outside. 


Thank goodness the sun has still been shining, so we can still go on these walks, because I'm not sure how else I would burn off some of baby S's energy in the mornings. It seems she's made another developmental leap overnight, and can flip over from her back onto her tummy. She's also changed her mind about sleeping yet again, and will not take any afternoon naps. Great. 

In addition to this latest baby development, it feels like so many other things have happened suddenly in one weekend, after all of these weekends just meandering around Vancouver Island.  Just as we've been celebrating the most recent progress on the homefront this week, my grandma passes away. She was our family treasure, and it took a while for me to figure out what I was feeling, because I was confused by the relief I felt for her. She had been suffering a lot of old age problems with her health, and I'm hoping she's resting in peace now. 

Thanksgiving this year is just with H and I (I guess baby S too), so we just ordered take out. White Spot has a Thanksgiving combo: 


Look at all the food for about $30! 

The turkey wasn't too dry because it's drowned in gravy, and comes with an extra side of gravy in case it needs more drowning. Extra cranberry sauce too. The vegetables were a bit undercooked, so we just zinged it a bit longer in the microwave. The mashed taters and filling were fantastic. 

White Spot Fort Street Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Skip the pumpkin pie from White Spot, it's not worth the additional cost. Pick up a few mini pumpkin pies from Hey Happy instead.  

So many things to be thankful - lots of sleep inducing turkey, being away from home so that I'm not obliged to attend family gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic and can really indulge the introverted side of my personality... 

Super thankful to have a healthy baby, although I still don't find motherhood super fulfilling. At the end of some days, I'll feel like I've done nothing, super unproductive because the whole day was spent trying to get baby S to take one nap. I'll be so exhausted by the time she does fall sleep that I don't feel like doing anything, and will just waste away my time on social media or watching TV or reading crap. I start feeling extra bad, because I've done nothing!  

Then, I'll message my mom, who insists that I send her photos and videos everyday because she's not around to see her grandchild everyday. She'll tell me I'm doing great, keeping the baby healthy with my hard work, and I'll actually feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Thanks, Mom, we both did a lot of work today. 

Baby S is now four months old, and as mentioned previously, she's going through a sleep regression/4 month leap. She used to just let us put the pacifier in her mouth whenever she was upset.  One day, she realized that if her mouth is too small for the pacifier, we won't be able to do that anymore. She started to keep her mouth smaller instead of wailing with mouth wide open, so that she can still complain and whine but the pacifier won't fit.  Just as easily, she forgot how to sleep for more than two hours at a time, and so I'm swimming in exhaustion for the past few weeks.  

It's just easier to go out and pick up lunch, rather than cook. H found a great little spot for Vietnamese sandwiches, Ba le Deli Victoria.



Fresh bread, excellent meat to veggies to sauce ratio, $7 a sandwich, prepared in less than 5 minutes.  Can't go wrong.

Other than changes with the baby, everything else has remained the same, but it just takes that one phone call to change everything. Hopefully we get that phone call before we return to Vancouver for good. 

Baby S has been going through a pretty bad sleep regression, and although I expected it around the four month mark, I still was not prepared for it. It is harder than usual to soothe her to bed. The only solution that allows both of us to sleep was for me to lie next to her while nursing her to sleep. However, sometimes, I wouldn't fall asleep that easily, and just as I'm dozing off, baby S is ready for another session of milk.  

Wouldn't it be amazing if there was something for adults where they could be soothed back to sleep by sucking on a pacifier? 

K suggested that I ask my husband to soothe me back to sleep, but I think I'll stick with coffee in the mornings. 

Good thing I am in close proximity to Hey Happy. On the days that baby S gets up bright and early despite waking up every two hours throughout the night, their delicious coconut milk iced latte keeps me alive: 


Sometimes, lumps will form from the coconut milk if I'm busy with the baby and leave it sitting for too long. When it's fresh though, it is the smoothest coffee beverage I have ever consumed. They add in just the right amount of cane sugar to mask any bitterness from the coffee (not that I mind the bitterness because I usually have black coffee; it's a nice change). Wish I could figure out their almond milk to coconut milk ratio too, so I can recreate it at home. 

They used to sell 500mL bottles of these, at $16 per bottle. It's pricey, but if I can buy a bottle of happiness for $16, WHY NOT? Sadly, they're listed as "out of stock" on the website now, so I emailed the Hey Happy team. Turns out that they're currently working on a way to make the packaging more sustainable. Well, good for them and the Earth. 

When I'm there, I will usually pick up one of their chocolate chip cookie too. It's got large chunks of chocolate, and they're topped with a sprinkle of salt, just the way I usually make my cookies. I'll save it for a snack in the afternoon, to go with my orange juice and iron pill. 

For the fall season and Canadian Thanksgiving, they also have a mini pumpkin pie as one of their pastries, which I decided to buy purely because I thought it'd look cute in a photo. Turns out that the pumpkin is perfect. The pumpkin filling is super creamy, and has a good blend of spices and sweetness. Wish I got two so that I didn't have to share with H, and will definitely return for more.  



Hey Happy Coffee Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

As I finish up this post, I'm typing as fast as I can, because baby S could wake up from her nap anytime. According to the Wonder Weeks app, she has another 10 days remaining for this mental leap of Events. It's this leap that is contributing to her poor sleep. Guess that means 10 more trips to Hey Happy. 

I'm so sleep deprived right now, because baby S has decided she doesn't like to sleep at night. Maybe it's become a habit now to wake up every 2 hours for milk? Maybe it's part of her Events leap, which is estimated to end in 14 days? I was actually afraid to travel this past weekend with her during this long leap, because it would be so exhausting. For a 2 night trip, we would have to transport more of her things (change pad, bathtub, extra diapers) than the last time, when we did a day trip to Sooke. Everything was booked already, so we just had to grit our teeth and do it. 

Day 1 was spent entirely in the car, racing against the clock to arrive at Tofino before it got too dark. We checked into the hotel, and went to bed right away.

Our actual first day in Tofino started with a visit to Rhino Coffee House, for donuts and coffee (of course. you know me by now, donuts and coffee are the reason I get out of bed at all).

 
We had their maple bacon donut (above) and their bronut sandwich (below), which is an egg and ham/sausage/bacon sandwich. I chose the sausage option:  


It doesn't look that good, and it didn't taste that good. It was all just so-so. 

I also had an oat milk latte, which was again, so-so. 

Rhino Coffee House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The line up to order and the wait for the food was also quite long. All the staff wore masks, so I couldn't tell if the person taking my order was actually as unenthusiastic about working there as her eyes and tone of voice suggested. It seems there are line ups for food everywhere in Tofino. I'm not a fan.   

We visited the Caravan Beach Shop and loved their collection of books, stickers, clothes:  


We went for a short hike to Tonquin Beach: 


We visited Chesterman beach as well. Sand got into my shoes, and it was too cloudy to catch a nice sunset. 

Dinner was takeout from the Wildside Grill, because we had to try their gumbo. The food was great, the wait was not. We must've waited for at least 30 minutes, and baby S was throwing a fit by the time we returned to the hotel, because we were out way past her bedtime. H and I were tuckered out too.  

But surprise, surprise! I ended up sleeping better at the MAQ hotel than at home! Their bed and all their linens and towels are so soft, their peppermint hand soap smells so refreshing, and all the art placed around their lounge created a very interesting space to hang out.


I suppose being out all day, traipsing around the little town and beach hopping, contributed to filling up our tired tanks as well.  Baby S still woke up every couple of hours, but we both slept more soundly than usual.

Overall, it was an average trip with a grumpy baby, and parents who don't actually enjoy the beach life. I think H and I were so determined to get the most out of this trip and see as much as possible that we just forced ourselves to go. We just won't let small things like sleep deprivation and the gritty feeling of sand in our shoes get in the way, because we are the grit! 

Who goes to a beach vacation town in October anyways? 

H and I love browsing thrift stores and hunting for treasures, and now that baby S is outgrowing all the clothes we brought along with us to the island, we decided to visit second hand baby stores. Children's fashion is not very sustainable, and if I can reuse something rather than buying new, I definitely will. One of the thrift shops we've visited so far is Sailor Jack Consignment. It's a tiny little place, packed with clothes for the small people, and they have a solid inventory of almost new children's wear in excellent condition.

Right next door is Fry's Bakery:


We couldn't resist stopping in for a few baked goods, especially because we had worked up an appetite from a good session of second hand deal hunting. Not to mention, their beautiful pastries were calling to us through their display window.

We ended up ordering a mutton sausage roll and the breakfast in bed danish, and brought them home for lunch. Check out the large chunks of bacon in the danish. 

Pretty sure they used a whole stick of butter just for these two pastries. The mutton sausage was extraordinarily flavorful, and I might have to back up a few dozen to take home. I wonder if they have any frozen ones that we can store and pop in the oven for later?  

Fry's Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

It was a perfect way to spend a rainy morning. 
DISCLAIMER - this has nothing to do with the well loved anime about pocket monsters. 

Recently, I came across an article that reminded me of the benefits of omega 3 for baby's brain development, and that I should be including more fish in my diet. H doesn't like cooked fish, so I went in search of good raw fish nearby. Googling "poke near me" gave two results - Island Poke and Poke Fresh

The first contestant, Island Poke!


Their set menu didn't look very appealing to me, because we wanted salmon only. H doesn't like tuna (he doesn't like a lot of things okay!?), and I didn't want to risk the chance of ingesting mercury because I'm still breastfeeding. Luckily, creating our own bowls was not too difficult, and with a few simple clicks, we could do it all from their website.


Pros include large chunks of fresh fish, and a good balance of sauce to toppings ratio. 

My only criticism is that the large portion is not quite enough, and our bowls left us with a craving for more poke. Wish there could be an XXXL size, because it was just so good. 


Island Poke Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


After that great experience, we were excited to dig into the bowls from Fresh Poke:


The portions here were much larger, and they actually use compostable paper bowls, while their competition uses full plastic bowls. However, they're $3 more expensive than Island Poke. The website for ordering was also unfriendly for creating our own bowls, although they did have more appealing set menu options.

Poke Fresh Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Too bad the fish wasn't fresh and tasted like it was recently defrosted. The rice was not flavorful, and the insufficient amount of sauces couldn't save it.  Definitely do not choose the brown rice option, because it was undercooked and seasoned strangely. 

Clearly, Island Poke is the winner in this poke battle. I'm not sure how Poke Fresh even has a 4.4/5 rating on Google, and why Island Poke only has 4.6/5. We're going to go back to Island Poke tonight, so that we can get the mushy texture of the fish from Poke Fresh out of our mouths. 

Not much else has been happening. We're still enjoying the hotel life.