Once Upon a Time... there were two geeks. One was far geekier than the other, and wanted to visit the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine.
I haven’t been to Steveston for over a year and I forgot how quaint this area is. Finding parking and browsing the shops is painless at this time of year too, as the village isn’t as crowded as it seems to be during the summer months.

I am in Vancouver for several days attending a conference for work. I’m hankering for some Hainanese Chicken Rice. I also want some bubble tea when I’m done, so I set my sights on City 1 Café on the corner of Oak Street and King Ed. City 1 Café is conveniently kitty corner to Dragon Ball Tea House.

Tiger Ramen is a ramen joint in Kamloops.

Isn’t it great to be able to say that? Let’s say it again: Tiger Ramen is a ramen joint in Kamloops.
I had been doing not so convenient drive-bys, on a regular basis for weeks in anticipation of Tiger Ramen’s opening. The last time I did multiple drive-bys and Peeping Tom Dances in front of a yet-to-be opened eatery, was last summer waiting for the Ploughman’s Lunch and Coffee to open.

The Sweet Home Café is a small soup and sandwich type of place. The main draw for parents is that Sweet Home Café offers a supervised play area for small children. The restaurant is small, but the space is defined. On one end of the restaurant, there is the play area and on the other end there is a living room-like lounge space. In the middle, joining the play and lounge spaces, is the café dining area.

Little Beetle Bistro is an old converted farm house that stands amidst more recent buildings on South Sumas Road.
The restored deep blue building sticks out from its neighbours, in this area that's predominately an industrial park.
The bistro is busy with most of the tables filled with patrons chatting about things like the newest stretch stitch option on their Pfaff.

Caramel Latte ($3.50)

I am on my way to Princess Auto this fine morning, and I’ll need a breakfast stop. Princess Auto stocks some pretty random things in their inventory. It's not just auto. The last time I was there, I found melamine airline dinnerware, next to cigar cutters! My legitimate reason for being at Princess Auto is for jack stands, but that’s just an excuse to peruse their aisles. It doesn’t take much to entertain me, does it?

Harold’s Family Restaurant is located just minutes down the street for a quick morning meal.

I feel like I just spent the entire morning in an appointment at the bank. Perhaps things seem to take longer when my stomach is rumbling. By the time I exit the financial institution it is well into the lunch hour.

As Kamloops begins to acquire a light dusting of icy precipitation, we head over to Papa Tee’s Pizzeria. The new pizza joint sits on the corner of 7th Avenue and Victoria Street (kitty corner to the Thompson Hotel that houses the Noble Pig and Crush restaurants.)

Chicken Noodle Soup ($5.25)

*UPDATE: October 2012 Chicken Time is now closed.

Stop. Chicken Time.

Did the base line to Rick James' Superfreak just start playing in your head? Did visuals of MC Hammer dancing, in his namesake pants, to U Can’t Touch This start sequencing in your mind? This happens to me every time I see or think about this place.

The name is funny, no? I think it needs an exclamation mark at the end. Chicken Time!
This is one of those places I find myself drawn to simply because of the name: Chicken Time.

Did you know there is phở available in Kamloops?
How much do I love the fact that the establishment, which brings phở to Kamloops, is the local doughnut shop?
That’s right my friends, the Donut King is now serving Vietnamese beef noodle soup.
The Tranquille Road Donut King location has been offering phở for the past month or so, but lucky for me, today is the first day the Summit Drive location has it available.

Happy Friday! So glad the weekend is here. I’m sure this weekend will be busy for most. I’m picking up some snacks at Eastuff Grocery today. They have loads of goodies on the shelves on this visit. I might do a separate post about Eastuff later. For now, an opportunity for a quick lunch beckons me into The Lunch Box Café. The little lunch stop is conveniently located next door to Eastuff.