Frozen Yogurt shops are popping up all over Edmonton - like rapidly reproducing rabbits, except froyo is way more welcome. As a frozen yogurt fiend, I had to check out a shop that's open right by my house!

Taste of Yogurt - 14946 45 Avenue NW - Edmonton AB

Taste of Yogurt is located in a small old strip mall - I have many memories visiting the 7-Eleven in the same mall for slurpees in the summer, so it was a little nostalgic visiting this new froyo cafe. I was expecting a small little shop, but was surprised to find a well-lit, cozy yogurt shop with lots of variety and comfortable seating.

Tables and couches are decorated in their signature colours of red, orange, and green, and they offer free wifi on location, making me think this may be a great place to sit down to get some work done while enjoying frozen yogurt. The facility is clean, the staff are friendly, and with a big screen tv available for entertainment, children's birthday parties could be hosted here.

On any given day, 12 flavours of yogurt are available in a self-serve fashion, that can be topped with fresh fruit, candy, or syrup. They charge cups of yogurt by weight at $0.54 per ounce, which is comparable to all other frozen yogurt shops in Edmonton. On the day of my visit, I chose to try out their original tart and salted caramel flavour, topped off with lychee boba, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. One thing I noticed right off the bat was the creaminess of their yogurt - its much thicker and creamier, and less icy than what I have had in the past, making it more similar to the mouth feel of regular yogurt. The tart was tangy, and not as sweet as I prefer, while the salted caramel had a great toffee-like flavour, but was a little sweet for my taste. However, the fruit was very fresh and were great counterparts to the flavours I chose.

While I sat down to enjoy my frozen yogurt, I had the chance to chat with Aneta, the owner of Taste of Yogurt. Being of Polish descent, she uses a European yogurt blend to make the soft-serve yogurt, which she prepares fresh daily. She believes that simple and fresh is best, and that is what she plans to offer to customers. Having opened just before the Albertan winter began, she has lots in store for the summer months. From fresh smoothies to waffles and crepes, the new offerings will make this little yogurt shop in the south side of Edmonton quite unique.

During my visit, I had the opportunity to try out one of their new summer offerings: the Ukranian crepe. The dense crepe (made locally) is filled with dried blueberries, and topped off with your choice of frozen yogurt. In this case, Aneta paired the crepe with blueberry frozen yogurt and a Cabernet Sauvignon syrup - the crepe itself was a little tangy with the berries, while the yogurt and syrup gave it a complementing sweetness.

While I can't say its my favourite yogurt in the city, Taste of Yogurt is a nearby option for me. It's a nice, cool treat with a creamy texture that will be perfect for the upcoming summer months - and probably healthier than slurpees at 7-Eleven (though I will have my fair share in the hot summer months). I'm most looking forward to the fresh waffles and smoothies they will be offering - I had a sip of a fruit smoothie and it was fantastic! For those of you interested, Taste of Yogurt is now offering a Groupon - click here for the details and give this southside shop a visit!

Happy Monday! Sorry I've been a little MIA lately - with the semester just finishing up, assignments are due and finals are around the corner. I've already written one exam this morning, and I'm one final away from having a nice two week break! Oh, and hopefully the snow will stop coming back, because I'm SO READY for Spring. Winter needs to leave, NOW.

This week I've got a beautiful glittery polish to share with you from the OPI Euro Centrale collection - OY-Another Polish Joke! I honestly don't understand the name of this one...

But that's okay, because it's a beautiful shade and I can't stop looking at it! This polish is a dense yellow gold glitter - it seriously looks like I've applied liquid gold to my finger tips! At three thick coats, the polish is quite opaque, and levels itself out beautifully. You can't feel grittiness from the glitter, and it really is something to note, because I can't count how many times I've had a glitter polish 'grab' onto fabrics. The formula is smooth and quick drying, lasting up to 5 days chip free. This polish is the perfect yellow gold - can't ask for more than gold fingertips!

Not too long ago, the Vancouver based restaurant chain De Dutch stepped foot out of BC, opening its first franchise here in Alberta, and ever so conveniently they opened in Edmonton. Known for their special pannekoeken, or the Dutch pancakes, I knew I needed to make a visit for brunch to see the size of the pancakes with my own eyes.

De Dutch - 10030 Jasper Avenue - Edmonton AB

With all the construction going on in downtown Edmonton right now, De Dutch can be easy to miss. Once you find it hidden behind construction barriers, you step into a warm, cozy restaurant bustling with activity. Standing by the front entrance, the restaurant doesn't seem too big. But take a walk, and you'll see that the place extends quite far into the back of the building, with plenty of space to accomodate bigger groups.

At 12:45 on a Saturday, the restaurant was quite busy - they do not take reservations, but were told that business typically slows down around 12:30 and it shouldn't be hard to find a table during that time. My friend Aubrey and I were seated right by the fireplace in the brightly lit space, and given lots of time to look over the menu. Trust me, there's so much to take in on the menu that it's almost overwhelming to have to choose just one thing! Of course I was most interested in the pannekoek selection, which had both savoury and sweet options, but for those of you looking for something different, De Dutch offers eggs benedict, omelettes with toast, burgers, sandwiches, and more. There's probably something for everyone on that menu!

This restaurant claims that their 12" diameter plate sized pancakes that are paper thin can be cut into 113 square inch bites! Crazy, right? While many pannekoek choices on the menu called our names, both of us settled for savoury options. The Windmill: shaved smoked wild BC salmon, Edam and hollandaise sauce came to our table, looking plain and not too interesting. The pannekoek itself was plain with little flavour, with all the savoury notes coming from the toppings. The flavours did work well, and the hollandaise tied it all together, but it was missing that wow factor for me.

I chose to go with The Hash: hash browns, mushroom, green pepper, onion and cheddar mixed with sausage & hollandaise sauce. The meat option in this dish can be replaced with your choice of ham, DeBakon, turkey bacon, or be served without meat to make it vegetarian. I was really surprised with just how big of a portion the hash was, sitting in its bowl on top of my pannekoek. Like Aubrey's, the pancake itself was bland, relying on the hash to give the whole dish its flavour. The hash had a nice ratio of veg:meat, but for my tastes, the dish needed more moisture. Having to eat such a huge pancake and not have extra sauce to spare while eating it was a little difficult, and the waitress brought by some Franks Red Hot Chili Sauce for me. I probably should've asked for some hollandaise on the side - and would recommend this if you ever order The Hash!

Having finally tried the Dutch pancake, it's definitely something different if you're looking to change up your brunch routine. What bothers me a little bit is the presentation of dishes on top of the pancake - I don't know what surfaces the dishes have touched, and they could potentially transfer some types of germs onto the pannekoek. It's a little off putting, and if it's a concern for you, make sure to let your server know in advance to serve the dishes separately. Price wise, you're looking to pay about $10-$17 for your pannekoek, which can be a bit on the expensive side, but it is a unique concept and something to try out. When I go back, I'm going to take a stab at the sweet pannekoeken with syrup - and portions are big, so you're definitely not going to be left hungry!