Yesterday I got burned and went to the beach, but oddly, they happened independently of one another.
Let’s start with the burn. A while ago, a fellow blogger who knows my love of tan tan noodles asked if I’d tried the original Szechuan version. They’re straight-up spice-ay – wheat noodles in chili oil with minced pork and scallions. They lack the sweetness of the versions with sesame and/or peanut sauces, the ones that I LOVE. While I did have tan tan noodles at Golden Szechuan Restaurant, that dish included some sesame sauce, and so until yesterday I had not truly had the spicy version. Therefore, in order to round out my tan tan education, I went to Szechuan Delicious on No. 3 Road and ordered myself a bowl. I left without my lips, both of which burned off during the meal.
Ok, it wasn’t quite that spicy, but it was very spicy for me, a person with a relatively low tolerance for heat. Fortunately, my desire to not look like a weak white girl was greater than the actual pain, so I ploughed through my bowl with a fiery determination to look cool.
The bowl cost a mere $4.95, and consisted of a huge pile of wheat noodles resting on a pool of red chili oil and topped with ground pork, green onions, and crunchy soy beans.
I tossed the sauce and noodles together, took a deep breath, and dug in. This kind of al dente wheat noodle is one of my favourites, and the most prominent taste in the dish was of mouth-tingling, almost soapy-tasting Szechuan peppercorns. They zing, let me tell you. It was very spicy but also very addicting, and I found myself eating faster and faster. By the end, my lips were on fire and my belly was full, all for only $4.95! The restaurant is small and extremely popular, so I suggest arriving early to get a seat. The dishes on the other tables looked phenomenal, so even though I was alone and only needed noodles, I’d highly recommend this place if you’re a fan of Le Spice.
Afterwards, I went to the beach. 6 Pack Beach, specifically, which remains dry even on a rainy Friday night.
That’s because it’s an indoor beach volleyball facility, a truly epic space that opened two years ago on Mitchell Island.
It’s 18,000 square feet with 5 full beach volleyball courts, 33-foot high ceilings, and 700 metric tons of sand spread around all of it. That’s a lotta sand!
With the popularity of beach sports on the rise in Metro Vancouver, a rainy area for much of the year, 6 Pack makes perfect sense.
They offer league and corporate rentals, drop-in play, kids’ birthday parties, summer camps, and more, with amenities including full showers, a foot wash station, meeting room, BBQ grills, HDTV with 50-inch screen, 15 dynamic range stereo system with dual subs, free WiFi, a ping pong table, and decorative night themed lighting.
The space is modern, relaxed, and FUN. They even have toys and tools for kids to build sand castles!
I took off my shoes, dug my toes into the sand, and took some photos of a group playing on one of the courts.
If you’re an avid player or just looking to try something new with friends, I’d definitely check out 6 Pack. Also, keep an eye out on their events board, because sometimes they host indoor beach movie nights. FUUUN.
Happy May Long weekend, everyone. Stay safe and eat well!
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