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A photo walk of Kal Barteski's Back Alley Arctic 

(a series of back lane murals featuring the beautiful creatures of North Manitoba)

Quick post on my summer Fargo getaway, checking out a couple of old favourites and new spots that opened within the last year.

- Red River Market for some local goods. I got some local hot sauce and lavender tonic mixer - 

- Young Blood Coffee for an iced honey miel -

- The White House Co. for amazing vintage finds - 

- Prairie Petals with gorgeous dry and fresh flower bouquets - 

- Yeobo Sweet Shop for a quick gummy treat - 

- Onyx + Pearl for some curated clothing and lifestyle goods - 

- Rosey's Bistro for lunch - 

- Plains Art Museum -

If today's post doesn't make you hungry, then I don't know what will! This entire blog was from my food adventures last week and I was on a quest to try some new things, whether it was a local restaurant that I haven't been to, newly opened food spots in the city or the first Winnipeg Beerfest.

- Sydney's at the Forks: An old one that still has its charm. I've been meaning to try this prix fixe style restaurant and finally had the chance when the boy and I went for date night. We started with grilled octopus as appetizer, tuna and pork loin as our mains, and matcha crepe for dessert. 

- Chew: A neighborhood favorite. I normally buy bread and pastries from their sister bakery, The Store Next Door, but one afternoon I found myself wanting to have lunch here and indulged in some crispy gnocchi, pork belly and truffle fries.

- Za Pizza Bistro: a growing artisan pizza chain around the city. I've been seeing a lot of this popping up here so I decided to try it myself - think Subway style for thin crust pizza where you can customize your own toppings. For something cheap and quick, I couldn't complain on the margherita I got here. 

- La Carnita: a Toronto favorite comes to my city. After a number of successful restaurants in Toronto, my city is lucky to welcome La Carnita at the Exchange District in downtown Winnipeg. Yes, think delicious Mexican street food including elotes (grilled corn), nachos and tacos. Their drinks are amazing too. Perfect food for a night out with friends. 

- Harth Mozza and Wine Bar: an aesthetically beautiful new restaurant complementing its amazing Italian menu. From a wonderful wine, cheese and charcuterie selection to housemade pasta and bread for their dishes, Harth is going to be your next go-to restaurant in the city. I even wish I had room for dessert to try one of their Ricotta Zeppole so obviously, I need to go back here.

- Last but not the least, the first ever Winnipeg Beer Festival, held at Fort Gibraltar. With over 20 different kinds of local beer, this event highlighted the growing craft brewery scene in the city. There were also unlimited poutine, pita, hummus and veggie platters, as well as local food vendors sampling their products. Peg Beer Co, Little Brown Jug and Torque Brewing came home as the top three winners of the night. Overall, a night filled with great beer, good friends and tons of fun!

While I was trying to put together this blog post, I realized how few my pictures are from this cabin getaway. But, I'm taking it as a sign that I was enjoying this trip too much, capturing everything in digital photos was the least of my priorities. Talk about savouring the moment. 

Last week, my friends and I went on a quick overnight cabin trip to St. Laurent, Manitoba. During the day, we made our way to explore the beaches of Steep Rock and seeing the turquoise water was everything I envisioned it to be. Later in the night, it was all about sunsets, bonfires and endless stories with my friends. This trip gave me the recharge my body needed and was definitely a highlight of my summer.

I totally outdid myself last Friday discovering too many new things around downtown Winnipeg.

In no particular order, I recommend checking out the following:

* A new 'mural' behind the City Hall, just across from Chinatown - the floor is painted vibrant hues of pink, red and purple. Too pretty not to share!

* The Coal and Canary pop up shop at 73 Princess Street - my favourite local candle company has a storefront and it's everything I imagined it to be: pretty, pink and fabulous!

* Mur Lifestyle Studio at 70 Arthur Street - not a new spot but this well curated lifestyle store has a whole bunch of new home goods that I'm adding to my wish list. 

* Pop Cart has an UBE Bubble Tea popsicle - if you know ube, need I say more?

* Locally grown flowers from Prairie Blossom - I had to stop over these bouquets while at Alleyways Market. To know that they were grown locally made me even more in awe. 

* Cordova Tapas & Wine - a new spot for drinks, imported cheese, tapas and good times. I totally recommend their cheese platters.

* All the happenings at The Forks for the Canada Summer Games 2017 - As this year's host to the festivities, this place has been packed with tons of outdoor activities including markets, art installations and free concerts.

 

No elaborate blog or vlog post today but I've been lugging my camera everywhere taking snapshots of the province. Hope you enjoy snippets of my summer so far. Here's to August!

I've been taking advantage of the summer season by going out of town more and exploring the different things my province has to offer. Case in point is the strawberry picking experience I finally got the chance to do at Prairie Berry. Everyone I know has done it except for me so when I heard about Prairie Berry and its farm being located just 10 minutes away from Winnipeg, I knew I had to plan a visit. As you can see in my pictures, I had too much fun picking strawberries, haha! I went early in the day to avoid the crowds and the humidity. The strawberries were so red, juicy and sweet (half of my pick has already been eaten, the other half will be turned into a compote). I'm definitely heading back to Prairie Berry for next year's picking. 

Afterwards, I checked out the St Norberts Farmers' Market to grab some fresh produce and try the new ice cream from Black Market -- a sister company to Pop Cart Winnipeg. Not only are they selling popsicles now, but also doing small batch ice cream. Yum!

For lunch, I got to try the Lebanese restaurant, Baraka. The place was packed and when I had their Lamb Kabob shawarma, it was not a surprise why this place continuously had people lining up. Generous servings, affordable price points, wonderful service and flavourful food! 

I decided to spend the rest of the day walking around Kildonan Park. I haven't been there in a while so it was nice to see some old spots including the Rainbow Stage, the Witch's Hut and the North Flower Garden. 

 

The start of the summer has been filled with a lot of out-of-town adventures. One of the most memorable one would have to be this group hike I did with local art learning collective, From Here and Away. We started the afternoon meeting up at the Falcon Trails Resort which is a beautiful property situated east of the province. Led by Emily Christie (from Falcon Trails Resort) and Adam Kelly (From Here and Away), our group did a 2-km hike to the Juniper cabin situated by High Lake. When we arrived, we had the opportunity to discover the cabin and use all its amenities -- from swimming lakefront,  building a bonfire, canoeing to the Ontario border and using the eco-sauna. After the hike, my friends and I decided to head to Kenora, Ontario (another 45 min drive) to grab some local craft beers to cap the night. The entire experience was both engaging and relaxing and I highly recommend signing up / joining one if you're from Winnipeg. 

(photo credit: Dan Harper Photography from the Winnipeg Free Press)

We had a long weekend here in Winnipeg for Canada Day and so I was able to spend time outdoors, biking around city-wide festivities. First stop of the day was fuelling up with coffee and croissants at Thom Bargen Sherbrook. Afterwards, my husband and I biked our way to the infamous Portage and Main intersection downtown where a living Maple Leaf was formed on the ground by thousands of volunteers. We also made our way to the St Boniface neighbourhood to check out some new street murals. The rest of our day was spent around the Forks checking out all the activities and concerts, with special mentions to Synonym Art Consultation's preview of their Wall to Wall (mural) event series, free postcard-making by Letter Peddler Press and From Here and Away's 'Where is Home for you?' photo map idea. Ended the night with an outdoor concert at the main stage and of course, the fireworks display for Canada Day!

In today's post, I'm sharing a number of pictures from things I did over the week including a Travel Manitoba tour of Fort Whyte Alive, shore fishing outside the city and attending Made with Love, a mixology competition featuring local bartenders.
- Travel Manitoba hosted their first Instameet at Fort Whyte Alive which included making bannock & rosehip tea before being led to a guided tour of the bison trails. -
- Tagging along my dad, brother and husband, we went shore fishing in Lockport, Selkirk and Gimli (all fishing spots outside of my city) but sadly went home with only one caught fish. -
- I got invited to attend Made with Love, which is an international culinary event highlighting cocktail mixers and bartenders. The overall vibe of this event was AMAZING and I must say one of the best I've attended in the city. I want to let my vlog speak for itself (took tons of video clips than photos) so make sure you watch until the end - 

It's been busy at work so editing pictures and videos from the weekend took some time. Nevertheless, I'm excited to share the following things I've been up to. 

* Picasso at the Winnipeg Art Gallery - Selected Picasso pieces can be viewed currently here in the city. I took the opportunity to attend Feast@Wag, which consisted of a 3-course Mediterranean dinner followed by a special tour of the Picasso exhibit. The exhibition itself runs until August 13.

* Up Dharma Down concert - I saw this Filipino band perform at the Pyramid Cabaret downtown and it was just nostalgic to listen to their songs. I used to listen to their music when I was still in university back in the Philippines and they sounded incredible live! 

* Sprucewoods Provincial Park - I spent almost the entire Sunday hiking with my friends through both the Spirit Sands and Devils Punch Bowl trails. Amidst my sore body, the views in this hike were amazingly worth it. There were sand dunes, grasslands, prairie fields, streams and a river lookout. I can't believe we had those kinds of views in the province. I totally recommend the entire experience.

It was one EPIC sunny weekend here in Winnipeg and I took so much advantage of it by biking to all the events that I can manage to attend. 

Starting off Friday with the first Alleyways Market of the season. This outdoor post-work pop up market will be happening every first Friday of the month this summer and will feature local artisans and food vendors. You know I can't resist the chance to grab some popsicles from Pop Cart and beet chips from Chew. 

I did a LOT of biking this weekend - from checking out the Assiniboine Park, to grabbing some great deals at the Academy Road Street Fair. I can't wait to show you what I got!

The Forks Market was also buzzing with so many activities, including the Makers Market hosted by Etsy Manitoba. I also tried the newest summer kiosk at the end of the Provencher Bridge called Le Monkey Bar. They sold refreshing drinks and treats, perfect for the warm and sunny weather over the weekend. 

Finally, I attended my first Pride Parade and it did not disappoint! From the colourful floats, to the extravagant outfits and more importantly, the unconditional acceptance and equality that enveloped the entire event, it was the perfect end to the glorious weekend I had. 

Last weekend, I decided to give myself some rest in terms of local blogging; So I thought it was also the perfect time to look back at my Vancouver trip last month. I never really got to continue the rest of it from my first post, so here's the second part. Hope you like it!

-Brunch at Nelson the Seagull -
- Discovering the Capilano Suspension Bridge -
- Wandering around Granville Island - 

Back in the winter, there were weekends when I found myself either too lazy to go out or just not finding anything exciting enough to go out for. But as soon as spring steps in, there are far too many happenings here in the city that this blog just can't keep up with. A good example was last weekend, so instead of talking about everything I did, I think it would be better to have the pictures and videos speak for themselves.
- Riding Mountain National Park -
- The HUB Winnipeg x Culture Card rooftop series event at the MET -
- St. Norbert Farmers' Market opening day -
- Sunset biking trails around the city -

What I had originally planned to post this week was a continuation of my Vancouver Travel Diaries from last month. However, I ended up winning a free cooking class with Deluca's last week and of course, I have to share it here in the blog. I've always heard of these cooking classes hosted by Deluca's, a specialty food store and restaurant catering mostly to Italian ingredients and cuisine. I have always gone here for our coffee needs (syrups, tools and even maintenance for our espresso machine) and once in a while, we indulge ourselves with their great selection of Italian offerings. So I was more than happy to be able to attend and check out their cooking studio for free! As you can see from the video, the place itself had an open kitchen concept with dining space good for about 100 people. Chef Mike Brown showed the group how to prepare each course before being served. Afterwards, the deli market was open to the attendees for private shopping pleasure. If you live here in Winnipeg and are interested, there are still two cooking classes before this month ends and I highly recommend the entire experience (with a girlfriend or a significant other). 

The weekend was filled with pop up events all over the city. I started Saturday morning lining up at the Third & Bird Spring market. In case you didn't know, I've been attending this craft market for a number of years now and the newest venue at the Hudson's Bay basement downtown is the best yet. To be honest, I spent most of my time eating than shopping, haha! But that doesn't disregard the fact that this market keeps getting better each year. I also stopped by my local bicycle shop before heading to Cornerstone for some drinks and chicken wings. For dessert, my friend and I decided to try out a new gelato spot called Baires, located along Marion street. It was a great surprise to see that they had Ube-flavored gelato which is traditionally a Filipino sweet delicacy. 

On Sunday, I was lucky to get tickets to Lasa (meaning 'taste' in Filipino), a series of pop up dinners by Master Chef Canada runner-up Jeremy Senaris. This time around he was collaborating with Kyu Grill, who recently gained a permanent spot at the Forks market hall. The pop up included a 6-course meal highlighting the chef's take on traditional Filipino cuisines. It was an amazing experience to see people of all backgrounds appreciating Filipino food, definitely all good vibes on a Sunday night. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to capture some photos for a local dessert up by S Squared Patisserie and Manila Nights. The pop-up entitled, Midnight in Paris, consisted of 6 courses of decadent desserts inspired by the pastry chef's days of living in Paris. It was very interesting to see behind the scenes of how each dessert was delicately created by Soapy, the man behind S Squared Patisserie. At the same time, it was exhilarating to witness how the duo behind Manila Nights (Allan and Amanda Pineda) worked their way into making sure everything in the pop up event went smoothly. As of now, these desserts are only available online but with the reception of the event, I wouldn't be surprised if Soapy gets his own space soon. For more information on S Squared Patisserie, you can check out his website here and for more pop up events, check out Manila Night's instagram here. 

It was a pretty busy weekend for me back here in Winnipeg with all the spring events happening. I basically checked out everything from bike auctions, local pop up markets, art gallery exhibits and even made it to a birthday celebration at a local microbrewery. All of those, plus the fact that we had SNOW over the weekend! How about that for April showers, hahaha! 

Anyway, a quick breakdown of my little vlog below includes highlights from, 

- City of Winnipeg Annual Bike Auction 2017 -

- Spring Lucky Girl Pop up - 

- Coffee & Brunch at Forth - 

- Winnipeg Art Gallery's Art in Bloom - 

- Friends Get Together at Peg Beer Co. - 

As promised, I'm back with new posts for this spring. Starting it off with my Vancouver travel diaries, which I'm hoping you would enjoy. This is a packed one, brace yourselves!

- Gastown morning included colourful alleyways and drinking Revolver espresso flights -
- Abbotsford Tulip Festival which was still amazing amidst the late blooms -
- Sushi Oyama in Burnaby for lunch -
- Queen Elizabeth Park for city sights and zen gardens -
- Coffee stop at 49th Parallel & Lucky Donuts -
- Earnest Ice Cream for their yummy honey chamomile scoop -
- Gorgeous sunset at the Steveston Fisherman's Wharf -
- Hongkong style dimsum at Top Shanghai Restaurant in Richmond -
- Capping the night back at Gastown for late drinks at The Flying Pig -

It's spring break! Even though it technically does not apply to me as my student days have long passed, I wanted to share with you some ideas if you happen to be a local reader or looking for something to do in your own city.
- Check out a local coffee and donut shop: This month one of my favourite cafes, Little Sister Coffee Maker, is bringing back their Honey Lavender Latte. A good 10-minute walk from here is Oh Doughnuts, which produces some of the most delicious treats including vegan and gluten free options. I highly recommend this combination if you are from Winnipeg.
- Find a quick day trip from your city: Just 30 minutes away from Winnipeg is Pineridge Hollow and this remains to be one of the most charming locations I've been to. From a restaurant, a boutique, a greenhouse and even a small grazing field for farm animals, this place is sure to give you the quintessential prairie experience. (Also, makes for the perfect ootd background).
- Drive around and shoot local scenery: Through friends, I've discovered a scenic route around Lockport, Manitoba. It goes by the river and gives you perfect shots of majestic houses in that community. It's also cool to see how the season is changing based on the thawing body of water.
- Treat yourself to beer / wine / cocktails: One of the newest and busiest microbrewery in town is Brazen Hall. Situated along Pembina Hwy, this brewpub features amazing local beers and delicious  from-scratch food pairings, sure to fill you up. The place itself is huge and beautifully decorated - perfect for groups; There is a buzz across the hall which speaks volumes about how inviting the ambiance is. It is such a great spot, I've been there twice since it opened last week.
See these recommendations in the vlog version below

I'm one day late than my usual Monday posts, but I promise it's going to be a fully packed blog entry today, plus a video too! Over the weekend I managed to check out a bunch of new spots in the city and  try new events and experiences. I went for a quick day trip to Gimli, Manitoba (1 hour from Winnipeg) and saw how the harbour was during winter time. It was so cool, literally and figuratively, to see the frozen water with all the ice fishing huts around. Food stops for the day included Flatland Coffee Roasters - a Gimli must, Thaw Bakery - a new fusion style bakery with French and Asian influences in their pastries (I highly recommend their Matcha Brioche), La Pampa - offspring of a downtown restaurant called Corrientes that specializes in gourmet Argentinian empanadas (over 21 varieties and is a family business with the friendliest owners).

I was also finally able to check out Mur Lifestyle's studio and space at the Exchange District. If you haven't heard of this online store yet, go and search them now and browse through the most beautiful selection of curated home pieces. Just like their entire aesthetic, their space was minimal, functional and charming. It was a pleasure to meet one of the owners, Joel to chat with him about the brand's vision and aspirations. I bought a couple of things that I'm excited to share on IG.

Later in the evening, I attended a Filipino pop up dinner hosted by Creme Del'Essence and Manila Nights. The event was called Hapunan (meaning 'dinner') and consisted of a 5-course meal with Filipino inspired dishes. To cap the night, my friends and I decided to head to one of the newest microbrewery in the city, Little Brown Jug. Nothing beats ending a long day with a nice cold pint of beer and LBJ totally delivered that.


In case you don't want to read through all that text, here's a video recap of my weekend adventures. 

Finally got to sit down and edit videos from both my New York and Toronto trip last January. These are way overdue, obviously but I'm slowly getting used to doing these videos. Maybe, I might incorporate these more in future posts (especially that the weather is finally getting nicer out). Hope you enjoy!