It’s becoming tradition that I celebrate with Sammy on her birthday, so this year we decided to make it a mother-daughter event at Chambar!

In the heart of downtown Vancouver, Chambar has a great atmosphere & even better food. With a primarily Belgium-influenced cuisine, the restaurant is home to a large foreign beer selection & takes pride in their waffles & fries. These two dishes in particular are what the European country is known for (I still dream about those delicious waffles I had when I was in Belgium). There was a ton of scaffolding covering the front of the restaurant so unfortunately it didn’t make the blog, but that just leaves more room for the beautiful & delicious food that made up for it.

^^ we started out with the “Pain Du Jour”. The bread was delicious, but we all agree that you could have served me anything with that whipped butter on it & we would have loved it.

^^ to drink I had the “L’Orangerie”, which was a mix of gin, Amaro Montenegro & house made rhubarb grapefruit soda. It was super light & citrusy…just how I like it.

^^ of course, we needed more than just bread to start. We ordered a “Fruit de Mer” (seafood), which included octopus & scallop ceviche with cucumber & a delicious lotus root.

^^ & when in Belgium, you must have fries. My mum said she had heard that these fries take quite a while to make. With a quick Google search, you will find that they are some of the best fries in the city, (they’ve also been voted one of the best places to try poutine for any non-Canadians out there!).

^^ for dinner I had one of the most delicious halibut dishes I have ever had. With local fish, a cream broth & a sweet pea mint garnish that was to die for, I had no complaints about the “Fiétan aux Petits Pois”.

^^ my mum ordered the “Pastilla”. None of us could really guess what it was, but she was daring enough to order it. With a mix of spinach, yam & caramelized onions inside & a yummy side of Babaganoush, the risk was worth it.

Even though we were distracted by all this amazing food, we can’t forget the birthday girl…

^^ (who had the “Canard Et Gnocchi”…I know I said I would stop talking about food, but I know you want to know, well cause…look at it!). Sammy, I can’t believe we’re 22! The worst part about all my friends turning 22 is that I remember that I’m 22 & an adult who now has to do adult things. However, we’re in the club together now & I’m glad, cause you can only sing “22” so many times by yourself.

You’re a real gem Sammy & I’m so lucky to have met you on the volleyball court. Although it might have been our height that initially brought us together & it was the road trips, tough games & even tougher practices made us teammates. We have the laughs & the moments in between to thank for our friendship today. Now, I don’t mind standing in the back of any group photo, cause I know you’re always there next to me. Happy 22nd girlie!