Yumioca

There have been quite a few new bubble tea spots opening up in Edmonton recently, particularly in the southside. One place is Simply Yours Cafe, which I visited back in October (read my review here). Exactly a week later, I checked out Yumioca - the latest addition to Edmonton's bubble tea scene.

Yumioca.

Yumioca (5940 104 Street NW) is a bubble tea and dessert shop located next to Tropika Malaysian Cuisine along 104 Street. It is in the same strip mall where you'll find Let's Grill Restaurant and Escape City. I can imagine many people stopping by for bubble tea after dinner at either of those restaurants, or after trying out an escape room (which is really fun, by the way). 

The interior.

The interior - check out those chairs!

Now to describe the interior: not too big or too small, modern light fixtures, and fun, colourful chairs to contrast the textured gray carpet and walls. The atmosphere is very cozy... it's a place where you can spend awhile just hanging out with friends over bubble tea and snacks. 

Drinks Menu.

Shaved Ice Dessert Menu.

Yumioca offers a variety of drinks, including a signature cheesecake + red/green tea drink I'm curious about. They also serve shaved ice dessert, which I prefer to call shaved snow (because it's not just plain shaved ice like in halo-halo, it's softer and the 'snow' already constitutes the flavour). To be honest, I wanted to check this place out just to try their version of shaved snow! 

They have a food menu!

One thing I was worried about was if Yumioca offered a (savoury) food menu since they currently do not have one shared on their Facebook page. Good news - they do! These menus are found on each table but there is also one next to the cash register. I thought the menu could have been organized better... smaller snacks first, more filling options, and then desserts? I didn't really like seeing a green onion cake listed under two desserts (but that's just me). 

Taro Bubble Tea.

I think CJ was a bit overwhelmed by the number/variety of drinks available, so he wasn't really adventurous and ended up going for a classic Taro Bubble Tea ($4.75). I thought the taro was great... perfect consistency, prominent taste - I would totally order this for myself but without tapioca. CJ also noted that the quality of the tapioca pearls was much better at Yumioca compared to Dream Tea House... I guess you could say they were "yumi-oca" (haha I'm funny right?). 

Chocolate Shaved Ice Dessert.

I picked their Chocolate Shaved Ice Dessert ($6.95) for myself. Although there are a lot of choices for toppings, each topping costs an extra $1. I obviously did not want to go overboard with toppings, so I only asked for strawberries in my dessert. Surprisingly, I was given some chocolate sauce and chocolate rolled wafer sticks for no extra charge - thank you Yumioca! However, in spite of the free extra toppings, I was disappointed to see very little shaved snow in the bowl... I was expecting a lot more for the price I paid. Imagine how this dessert would look without any toppings... yea, I wouldn't be happy either receiving such a small amount. Furthermore, the quality of the shaved snow wasn't the best... most of it had an icy consistency instead of a melt-in-your-mouth softness. At least the chocolate taste itself was okay. The toppings were the best part of this dessert, but overall I felt that the $7.95 I paid wasn't worth it. To improve this, I think Yumioca should 1.) reduce the price to match the amount of shaved snow in the bowl or, 2.) increase the amount of shaved snow and keep the price and finally, 3.) either add set toppings for each flavour (at no extra cost) or reduce the price of each topping (so people are more able to pick and choose how many toppings they want). 

Green Onion Cake.

I knew CJ would want something to snack on (the reason why I hoped for a food menu!), so I got us a Green Onion Cake ($2.95) to share. The version at Yumioca is the big, soft, and fluffy kind of cake, with a surprisingly strong green onion taste. I thought it paired well with the sauce we were given, although it would have been nice to see some specks of green colour throughout the cake (really just a minor detail though). 

A variety of games to play at Yumioca.

CJ and I were in a hurry to do some errands, so we weren't able to stay longer to play some of the board/card games available. I really liked how the games are organized on big, roomy shelves - you can see what's available clearly and easily grab it off the shelf. It also looks like there's space to add even more games in the future!

Yup, we arranged the Jenga blocks to be a rainbow.

I think Yumioca makes for a great hangout spot in south Edmonton. The inside is very clean, modern, and cozy, and the bubble tea drink we tried was quite good. The only issue I really have is with their shaved ice dessert... it needs to be improved by adjusting either the price or the portion accordingly. As for the rest of the food - well, I'm interested in seeing how they serve yam fries and what their tiramisu cake is all about. I also had no problems with their service... very quick and friendly which is always great to see (although I do question why there were so many staff near the cash register when we visited lol. But again, not a big deal). My first time at Yumioca was good overall, but for my next visit I think I'll go for their bubble tea drinks instead of shaved ice (until they improve it, that is). I love seeing Edmonton's bubble tea scene continue to grow! 

Simply Yours Cafe

Happy Halloween! It looks like we're having perfect fall weather today too (and let's hope it stays that way in the evening). Whatever your plans may be, I hope your Halloween is safe and fun! Now onto this new blog post. 

After a particularly stressful week of school, I was in much need of some food therapy. In this week alone, I learned about many new food businesses that recently opened so I decided to visit one of these places as a reward for getting through the week. 

Simply Yours Cafe.

Simply Yours Cafe (3811 99 Street) is a new cafe and bubble tea place that held their grand opening last Saturday October 24. They are located in south Edmonton along the busy 99 Street in the same business area where you'll find Izakaya Tomo. 

The interior.

View of the ground floor.

Second floor.

One of the first things you might notice stepping inside is how big and spacious this cafe is. A high ceiling, stylish light fixtures, and minimal decor add on to the modern feel of the space. There is also seating on the second floor as well as a pool table. I would have wanted to sit on the second floor, but it was too dimly lit for me (and that wouldn't be good for my food photos lol). 

Drink Menus.

Specials + Food Menu.

So what does Simply Yours Cafe offer? In addition to bubble tea, they have coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads, subs, and a variety of sweet treats. There are also chips and boxes of Pocky available. The pricing of their food and drink items are on the lower end which is great if you're looking for a more affordable eatery in town. 

I spy macarons!

Even more treats next to the till.

The display case features their packaged and ready to eat sandwiches and salads along with cheesecake, swiss rolls, macarons, and homemade cake pops. A tray sitting next to the front till also has an assortment of individually wrapped treats. Lots of selection for snacks or a light lunch. 

Avocado Dream.

CJ and I ordered bubble teas to start off our lunch. He chose the Avocado Dream ($5.50) for himself, but found it to be really lacking in avocado flavour. I gave it a try and while I do agree about the barely there avocado, I preferred the consistency of his drink over mine. A lot of people leaving reviews on their Facebook page seem to be enjoying this particular drink though. 

Berry Berry.

I went with their Berry Berry ($4.75) bubble tea and asked for lychee pieces instead of tapioca. I usually love mixed berry drinks, but this one wasn't a favourite. The consistency of the drink was too thin for my liking and reminded me of the Tripleberry Julius from Orange Julius. I think I would have enjoyed this drink more if the consistency was a bit thicker and also if I had requested for more lychee. 

Vietnamese Meatball Sub.

The food item that caught CJ's eye was the Vietnamese Meatball Sub ($5.50). Unfortunately, he was really disappointed with this and ended up eating only half of it (which says a lot, because he almost always finishes his food). What was supposed to be meatballs ended up being sliced sausage which I thought had a weird taste to it. The toasted bun was also a bit hard and sliced in an odd way. In my opinion, this was a little unappetizing so I wouldn't recommend getting it. 

Green Onion Cake.

The Green Onion Cake ($2.50) I got was probably the best food item we ordered (take a look at that very low price! Happy Stephanie indeed), but it was still just okay compared to other green onion cakes we've tried in the past. This version was more compact and crispy which was fine for me, but if you prefer your green onion cakes to be fluffy and soft then you might not find this one enjoyable. I thought it could've used some more of that green onion taste as well. 

Coffee Swiss Roll.

To finish off, I went for a slice of their Coffee Swiss Roll ($2). Sadly, I didn't enjoy this treat either: the slice was stale, dry, and lacked a lot of coffee flavour and sweetness. Certainly not the soft, moist, and delicate dessert I had hoped for. You all know how much I enjoy sweets, but I really couldn't get myself to finish this one. 

Our spread of food and bubble tea.

I'm sad to say that my first experience at Simply Yours Cafe was disappointing overall. The food was mediocre at best, and the bubble tea drinks I tried were not made as well as it could've been. However, since they are a brand new establishment, it is understandable that there are still some kinks to work out with their food and drink items. It would be nice to see more hot food added to their menu, instead of only spring rolls or green onion cake. 

On the plus side, the service we received was quite friendly and I really liked the quiet and relaxing atmosphere. I think Simply Yours Cafe actually makes a good addition to the area since there aren't any other casual cafes/hang out spots nearby. They also open very early (7:00 AM on weekdays) and close at 1:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays - great for early risers or night owls. Now that I've outlined a few positives about this place, the only thing that really needs improvement is the food! Simply Yours Cafe definitely has a lot of potential! 

The Woodrack Cafe

It's been a long time since I've written a review of a new local business, so I'm excited to finally get back into the swing of things again. First of all, I can't believe it's already October! September flew by so quickly, and it won't be much longer before those beautiful fall colours on the trees disappear. October is also the month that I dread as a university student... why, you ask? Midterms!!! For me, October has always been a month with tons of midterms or assignments, which of course means a lot of studying to be done. Although I mostly study at home or at school, sometimes I enjoy venturing out to a locally-owned cafe for a change in scenery. That's where this post and future posts come in... I hope to share with you a couple cafes throughout Edmonton that would be perfect for studying in or for getting that caffeine fix to help you power through your lecture notes. And as usual, my posts will also be an overall review of the business I check out.

The Woodrack Cafe.

One cafe that has been on my list all summer is The Woodrack Cafe (7603 109 Street), which officially opened to the public just last Monday September 28th. While out kayaking, the owners - Melissa and Shammy - collected driftwood and placed it on the rack of their kayak's - that's how the name of this cafe was born! Located on 109 Street and 76 Avenue, it is only a few minutes away from the University of Alberta (and from Whyte Ave).

The interior.

The interior.

When I stepped inside the cafe, it was almost a full house (the above pictures were taken later on)! It was so nice to see a bustling space on their first day of operation... a good sign that The Woodrack Cafe is very much a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

Comfy seating at The Woodrack Cafe.

Now let's talk about what really caught my eye when I walked in: the lovely decor and the atmosphere! The About section on their website describes the cafe as having a "relaxed boho style atmosphere", and I couldn't agree more. The room itself is spacious and modern, but the furniture and decor were what really gave off that perfect, cozy vibe throughout the entire cafe. The dream catchers hanging on the walls, the driftwood art, and (my personal favourite!) antler art on the tables and shelves looked absolutely gorgeous. I'm happy that the owners (who are also very friendly!) took their time in making their vision for this cafe come true!

Baked goodies!

Menu for Hot Drinks.

Menu for Cold Drinks.

There is a huge glass display case showcasing all the different baked goods they offer, but when I arrived just past 1:00 PM the case was almost empty! Talk about a very busy day for The Woodrack Cafe. The drink menus, neatly written in chalk on two blackboards hanging above the till, are easy to read and categorized into hot and cold drinks. The Woodrack Cafe features 3 brands of coffee: Danesi, an Italian roast, Edmonton's own ACE Coffee Roasters, and Anchored from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Chocolate Whoopie Pie.

I managed to score the very last Chocolate Whoopie Pie ($4.50) available! I'll admit that my goal coming in was to try this exact treat, so I'm quite lucky to have picked up the last one. Whoopie pies are The Woodrack Cafe's specialty, and I would say the one I tried tasted really good. Soft and a little crumbly, with a rich chocolate flavour all held together by a delicious, fluffy frosting. As a fan of all things chocolate, it's no surprise that this treat immediately became a new favourite.

12 oz Hott Chocolate.

Even though the weather was warm when I visited, I still ended up going for their 12 oz Hott Chocolate ($3.50). The drink was served with whipped cream in a beautiful mug featuring antlers! The Woodrack Cafe has a bunch of these mugs for sale as well (for $28), so I'm planning on purchasing one for myself during my next visit. The hot chocolate was on the sweeter side, but it was smooth with no shortage of chocolate flavour, just how I like it.

Earl Grey Shortbread.

CJ got Earl Grey Shortbread for himself, which looked delectable. I didn't end up trying it, but it was instantly devoured! A sign that it was quite tasty for sure. 

12 oz Iced Mocha.

To cool down, CJ went with the 12 oz Iced Mocha ($5.25) for his drink. Yet another drink served in a really pretty cup featuring antlers! These upcycled cups hand crafted by the owners themselves are also available to purchase too.

Pretty antler art found throughout the cafe, view from the couch.

Although CJ and I sat down at a table at first, we were lucky enough to eventually relocate over to the comfy couch facing the fireplace and large windows. There is definitely room for more than 2 people on the couch, and I think it would be a perfect spot to sit and read a book with a hot drink in hand. 

Take a book, leave a book. That's my own stuffed animal to the right!

The Woodrack Cafe has a lot to offer: in front of the other entrance (the one not facing 109 Street), there is a shelf filled with books with a sign reading "Take a Book, Leave a Book". Really cool to see! I didn't have a book with me to leave, but some of the books on the shelf looked like ones I would find myself picking up. 

View of the bar and shelf containing merchandise.

More items for purchase near the front entrance.

The Woodrack Cafe combines delicious baked goods and drinks with hand crafted merchandise available for purchase. T-shirts, cups, mugs, and even earrings are for sale! Furthermore, those beautiful dream catchers hanging by the window? The driftwood art? You can buy those too! You can tell that a lot of love and care went into creating them. 

Yummy!

I think The Woodrack Cafe is a great place for studying or getting work done because of the super cozy space and relaxed atmosphere. It's easy to get to from the University of Alberta which is bonus for me too (take bus 9 on 109 Street going to Southgate and get off at the stop just past 76 Avenue. Or walk, bike, or drive! They have a parking space). I have a feeling that I'll be making a lot of visits to The Woodrack Cafe this school year. And why wouldn't I want to hang out in a place that has tons of antler decor! Caribou/reindeer are one of my favourite animals after all. 

At the moment, The Woodrack Cafe is open from Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM. They are currently working on extending their hours and eventually opening on weekends. I'm looking forward to that. Be sure to follow The Woodrack Cafe on Twitter (@TheWoodrackCafe), Instagram (@thewoodrackcafe), and like their Facebook page.

Island Cafe & Bistro

After returning from my vacation, I spent most of my time attending food festivals or going to the farmers' market for new food finds. Then I started thinking, "it's been awhile since I've actually sat down at a local restaurant". Where could I go for lunch that is a local business and isn't too far to get to?

#yeg follow @cuppacakes_xynn & visit @island_cafeandbistro at 9923 170 St NW. #yeglocal bakery

A photo posted by 🔹#YEGLocal🔹 (@yeglocal) on Aug 7, 2015 at 10:21am PDT

I soon learned about an eatery I had never heard of before, named Island Cafe & Bistro. Thanks to YEGLocal for sharing this on Instagram! I think YEGLocal is a good Instagram profile to check out if you want to discover new Edmonton-based businesses. 

Island Cafe & Bistro.

I wasted no time checking out this fairly new eatery! Island Cafe & Bistro (9923 170 Street) quietly opened in mid-July in west Edmonton. There is plenty of parking space available too. 

The interior - lots of seating.

The interior.

The interior of Island Cafe & Bistro is quite spacious with lots of seating. The yellow walls with wood panels and the wood tables and chairs all add on to the "island vibe" of this restaurant.

The menu.

Appetizers | Western Delights | Asian Delights

Island Cafe & Bistro offers a fusion of Malaysian and Western cuisine, although I would say there is more emphasis on their Malaysian/south-east Asian counterpart. It is an eatery where east meets west. 

More menus!

Drinks and Snacks menu.

They also offer some snacks and bubble tea. Island Cafe & Bistro is actually open quite late (until 11:00 PM Sun-Wed and until 2:00 AM on Thurs-Sat) so if you need a late night bubble tea fix consider checking this place out! 

Banana Split Bubble Tea.

Now on to what we ordered! CJ got himself a Banana Split Bubble Tea ($5) which was listed as their Daily Special when we went. This drink is a combination of banana, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla - pretty much all the components of a classic banana split. Unfortunately, CJ didn't really taste a banana split... when I gave it a sip, I only tasted chocolate and banana.

Avocado Bubble Tea.

The bubble tea drink I chose was Avocado ($5). This drink was made using powder so taste-wise it was just okay. I'm sure it would've been a lot better if the actual avocado fruit was used. I did enjoy how the drink was served in a cute mason jar though. 

Complementary crackers!

We were given these complementary crackers to start off our lunch. These had a satisfying crunch and were great to munch on while we waited for the main meal. 

Thai Style Green Curry.

It's been a long time since I've had Thai green curry. My favourite place for Thai green curry was T.H.I.S. Place cafe but I'm sad to say that they closed back in January (to be honest, I'm still pretty sad that they closed!). I decided to give Island Cafe & Bistro's Thai Style Green Curry ($12) a try and share it with CJ. The spicy green curry comes with chicken and shrimp, lemon grass, lime leaf, potatoes, Malaysian salad, and your choice of either rice noodles, steamed, or coconut rice. We went with steamed rice. The spiciness of this green curry was a lot more mild than what we were expecting, so we wished it was just a little more spicy! However, it's great if you're not really into overly spicy food. I also thought the flavours in the Malaysian salad helped to uplift the otherwise ordinary flavours of the chicken, shrimp, and potatoes. In my opinion, the pineapple was the best part of the salad - juicy, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweetness to contrast the spice. 

CJ and I would normally share T.H.I.S. Place green curry and feel *almost* full but still very satisfied. However, we both felt that Island Cafe & Bistro's green curry didn't leave us feeling satisfied enough splitting it between us two. While we thought the curry from T.H.I.S. Place was excellent for sharing, Island Cafe & Bistro's version is definitely meant for one person (as it should be anyways). 

Display case filled with desserts!

I can't leave without seeing what's available for dessert! Island Cafe & Bistro offers organic desserts made by Cupcakes by Xynn (the daughter of the restaurant owner I believe) who uses raw recipes. I'm not too familiar with raw cuisine, so it was nice to read a note above the dessert display outlining the benefits of eating raw foods. 

Dessert samples.

I was about to ask for a cookies and cream cupcake when we were given a plate of dessert samples! Yay! I'm always up for trying samples. The first one we tried was Nikkea's Living and Organic Chocolate Mousse Cake (pictured on the left). CJ and I both enjoyed the intense, rich chocolate and the nutty crust of the cake. The next sample was a Maple Mille Crepe Cake (pictured on the right). I thought it was really cool to see so many layers of both the crepe and maple custard keeping it in place. 

Raw Recipe Cheesecake.

The last dessert sample we tried was this Raw Recipe Cheesecake. It is made without any cheese or milk but it tasted just like a classic cheesecake! This one was my favourite dessert sample out of the three. Thank you Island Cafe & Bistro for all these delicious samples!

My experience at Island Cafe & Bistro was positive overall. The Thai green curry I tried made for a tasty lunch, especially with the addition of the Malaysian salad. Bubble tea could have been better - it would be nice to see an option of having it made with either powder (set at a lower price) or actual fruit. Service was quick at first, but I wished our server was more prompt and attentive towards the end of our visit. I also thought the pricing of their food items was reasonable, while the portion sizing of the dish we ordered wasn't too big or too small either. 

I think Island Cafe & Bistro is a great place to check out if you ever find yourself in west Edmonton. It's only a short drive north of West Edmonton Mall too. CJ and I visited on a late Friday afternoon, but we were the only customers the entire time. Hopefully they'll start seeing more customers soon though! I would love to give their authentic Malaysian style dishes a try in the future. Don't forget to follow Island Cafe & Bistro on Instagram (@island_cafeandbistro) and like their Facebook page. Also, give Cupcakes by Xynn a follow on Instagram as well (@cuppacakes_xynn).