Moonshine Doughnuts

Moonshine Doughnuts (https://www.facebook.com/moonshinedoughnuts/) is an Edmonton doughnut company founded in 2012 by Matthew and Simon. The doughnuts made are vegan-friendly, meaning they do not contain any dairy or eggs. They also make gluten-free doughnuts as well! I've taken the trip Downtown to visit the City Market a few times for the sole purpose of trying these doughnuts, and I've always been super happy and satisfied by them. So at the start of September when I found out that they would be at the University of Alberta Farmer's Market on Thursdays, I knew I had to take a quick trip over to the Students' Union Building (SUB) to pick up a new box of doughnuts! 

Moonshine Doughnuts.

One thing I love about Moonshine Doughnuts is that these doughnuts always look absolutely gorgeous! The glaze is a pretty vibrant colour, and the toppings add another layer of beauty to the treat. Like an art masterpiece, but in an edible form. For a pack of 4 doughnuts, it costs $10. Gluten-free doughnuts are $12. 

Hibiscus Rose.

The first doughnut I tried was the Hibiscus Rose. This doughnut has a vanilla cake base with a bright pink and sweet glaze on top. I found this doughnut to be a bit dry, but it was nice to have when washed down with a cup of cold milk. There was a pleasant yet assertive sweetness in the initial bite which later mellowed out in my mouth as well. 

Blueberry Chocolate.

Next up was the Blueberry Chocolate. I loved how the beautiful purple colours stood out against the deep brown chocolate cake base of this doughnut. The glaze itself was not too sweet but paired well with the chocolate cake, but I do wish that I got more blueberry flavour! 

Matcha Coconut.

Anything with matcha is bound to be a hit, and this Matcha Coconut doughnut definitely was! This doughnut has a vanilla cake base with a mellow green matcha glaze topped with shredded coconut. I don't usually go for treats with shredded coconut on them, but I found this one to be particularly addicting. The matcha and coconut was a surprisingly pleasant combination, and while the matcha came through nicely in the glaze, it was not too sweet either. 

Campfire S'mores.

Last but not least: the Campfire S'mores doughnut. I had seen many photos of this doughnut appear on Instagram with people raving about how good it was. Of course, I had to try out this doughnut for myself. Made with a chocolate cake base, this doughnut is very eye catching with the cute toasted marshmallow and graham crumbs on top. A few bites of this doughnut, and I was immediately in heaven. IT WAS SO GOOD!!! The chocolate flavour of the glaze was delicious, and the cake base was dense and velvety. I loved how the graham crumbs added a nice texture with every bite, and the subtle heat of the doughnut was amazing. This doughnut is by far the best one I've tried from Moonshine Doughnuts. I had initially planned on giving CJ half of this doughnut, but I couldn't help myself. I had to eat the entire thing. It was that good. 

Be sure to give Moonshine Doughnuts a try! They can be found at the City Market in Downtown, the 124 Street Grand Market, or the U of A Farmer's Market on select Thursdays. To stay up to date with this awesome doughnut company, follow their Instagram (@moonshinedoughnuts) or Twitter (@moonshinedough) pages. 

I Love Sushi

I Love Sushi: a super cute name for a Japanese restaurant located in Downtown, just off Jasper Ave. I first noticed this restaurant two years ago when CJ and I were exploring Beaver Hills House Park located right across from it. Fast forward to the present, I took the opportunity to finally take a visit here for lunch since we happened to be in the area!

The interior.

Decorations on the wall.

The inside of I Love Sushi is quite small but the neat decorations on the walls give the restaurant a cute and cozy vibe. There is also a large window that overlooks the street and the park, so it's perfect for those who like to enjoy the view while they eat (and also great for taking photos with natural lighting!). 

The menu.

I Love Sushi offers the usual Japanese fare at an affordable price: appetizers, donburi and tempura, nigiri, sashimi, temaki, maki rolls, bento boxes, udon, set dinners, and several house specials. The location of this restaurant is also pretty convenient for those who work in Downtown, and it's not hard to get to by public transportation either. 

Our drinks.

Drinks to start off our lunch: CJ got himself Iced Tea ($1.95), June got Green Tea ($1), and I went for their Pineapple Mango Juice ($2.25). I initially wanted to get orange juice, but they didn't have any. However, the juice I got instead was quite refreshing and enjoyable, so no complaints here! 

Our food.

It didn't take too long for our food to come out, and since we were all quite hungry after a long day, I couldn't wait to dig in. June and CJ's food were served on small wooden boards which I thought was very fun and unique. 

Avocado and Shrimp Maki.

For my lunch, I decided on one of their House Specials - the Avocado and Shrimp Maki ($9.95). This dish is a tempura shrimp maki layered with avocado, which are easily two of my favourite things to eat! The avocado layered on top tasted fresh, and the crunch from the tempura shrimp was perfect and satisfying. 

Teriyaki Chicken Maki.

CJ chose their Teriyaki Chicken Maki ($9.25), which is one of the many choices on I Love Sushi's list of Maki Rolls. Instead of 7 pieces like what I got, CJ's dish came with 8. I got to try a piece, but I thought the seaweed was a bit too tough for my liking even though the teriyaki chicken itself was good. CJ seemed to enjoy his food regardless! 

Tiger Maki.

June got herself the Tiger Maki ($10.00), another option under their House Specials. This dish comes with tempura shrimp maki layered with BBQ eel and avocado. There were also some sesame seeds added as a garnish as well. In addition to that, she got two of the nigiri sushi which cost $2.15 each. June seemed to enjoy her food a lot. 

Green Tea Ice Cream.

I've said this before in one of my previous posts, but I'll say it again here. I think Green Tea Ice Cream ($3.75) is the perfect sweet ending after having a lunch of Japanese food! CJ actually wanted to go for the tempura ice cream, but I was hesitant to try it because I didn't really enjoy the one we had at Teriyaki Corner. I did appreciate the two generous scoops of the ice cream we got, and the chocolate sauce drizzle was a nice touch. The ice cream itself was smooth and the flavour was amazing! 

Tempura Fried Green Tea Ice Cream.

June also got a dessert, but she chose the Tempura Fried Green Tea Ice Cream ($5.75) instead. This dessert consists of only one scoop of green tea ice cream with the fried tempura exterior and chocolate sauce drizzle, along with some extra tempura and a Pocky stick on the side. She offered some of her dessert for CJ and I to try, and I Love Sushi's tempura ice cream was significantly better compared to the one from Teriyaki Corner. Not soggy at all, this tempura was light and crispy - the way it should be. I found myself wishing we had ordered the tempura ice cream instead of the plain one! In my opinion, these two desserts were definitely the highlight of the lunch. 

Nya nya nya.

I Love Sushi is a spot that I would want to return to. The food we had was amazing and left all three of us feeling happy and satisfied. I especially loved the affordability of the food here. If you're ever in the Downtown area and need a sushi fix after work or school, I highly recommend checking out I Love Sushi!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! I know this is super late but I still wanted to take the time to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fun and relaxed break with your loved ones - I sure did! I'm very thankful for all the memories and experiences I had in 2014: I celebrated another year with CJ, I had a birthday, I improved my grades, my family grew, and of course, I fell in love with food adventures! I'm especially grateful to have CJ support me with this interest that I am extremely passionate about. I'm looking forward to more food adventures in the new year!

Obligatory photo in front of the Christmas tree.

In other news, my winter break is coming to an end really soon. I don't want to go back to school! :( That being said, my goal is to put more effort into this blog during the upcoming semester. I think it will be doable for me since I'll have a less intense course load this time. Wish me luck! 

Have a blessed start to the new year! <3

- Stephanie