Food Porn Alert

Do you know the cookbook area of the Chapters on Robson and Howe? I love sitting and browsing the cookbooks there at the cluster of chairs near the huge atrium-like wall of windows. I also love the fact that the best view in the building is right next to the cookbooks. It's usually nice and quiet, the natural light floods in, and on a beautifully sunny day, you can look out onto a postcard perfect slice of downtown, with the Vancouver Art Gallery, various surrounding skyscrapers, Robson Square, a few trees, and bustling Robson Street pedestrian traffic. Today I flipped through Susur, A Culinary Life, a unique, two-volume book from celebrated Toronto chef, Susur Lee. The two parts are presented as two books joined at the spine, with the first focussing on a biography of the chef, and his personal culinary life journey, and the second volume is a collection of recipes with full-page colour photographs of each dish. The platings are stunning, and really appeal to my love of intense, vibrant colour, and layering of textures.

Just like most celebrity chefs, the buzz around them always makes me suspect each might be a bit of an ass to work with, but it's probably just a by-product of the kind of self-confidence, attention to detail and sky-high standards that make their food so desirable in the first place. Susur, in particular, seems to come off as one of the most pretentious of the bunch, and I had never really had much of a desire to try his cuisine. But those photos have convinced me that I need to go to Susur (his Toronto restaurant) one day. They were THAT pretty. And the dishes are complex and sound really intriguing. The back cover plate photo with it's bright palette of baby veggies had me just staring and staring at it. The almost gruesome presentation of whole roasted squab - cut in three section, including the head, all garnished with a round of foie gras balanced on it's butt (while foie gras is liver from a different bird, to me, it's as if it's own guts are there to remind us of the bird as a whole organism, Something that is not shyed away from in Chinese cuisine, which is what provides the foundation of his cooking) - took me in too. His food has amazing visual impact.

Another famous restaurant with incredible visual impact that I'd like to visit is Chicago's Moto, where Chef Homaro Cantu really pushes the envelope of cooking, with incredibly inventive techniques and presentations. He's the one responsible for the ink-jet printer edible paper sushi, fresh herb-holding eating utensils, so that you take in the aromas of the herbs while bringing the food to your face, and even a clear, tabletop "oven" made of a clear plastic box that cooks your fish at your table while you eat the other dishes. Check their website out for more food porn. I'm not aware of a Moto or Homaro Cantu cookbook, but would love to see that.

Phnom Penh, Phinally!

Phnom Penh (244 E. Georgia, 604 682-5777 ) has hoards of fans, and it's been in Chinatown, just east of Main St. for years. They serve Vietnamese and Cambodian food. Somehow, I've managed to live all this time in Vancouver without having ever tried it...that is, until last week. Yay! Another restaurant knocked off my very long list of places to try. Cheeseboy and I went for a very pleasant early Saturday lunch. The place was already full of mostly other Asians, including large families, with a smattering of mixed couples (Asian girl, white boy) thrown in for good measure. Good smells hit us as soon as we entered, as well as a general feeling of authenticity. It had the expected look of a fairly simple Chinatown restaurant that has been around for a while, but is well-maintained. I wanted to try their famous deep-fried squid with lemon, black pepper sauce. That was good, but not mind-blowing for me, as deep-fried spicy salt squid (which is deep-fried in a very light batter, then tossed with minced green chili peppers and garlic) is a favourite dish of mine to order in Chinese restaurants. Phnom Penh's version was quite good, and served with a nice, tart dip of lemon juice and black pepper, which is a really nice addition actually. I would order this dish again, but I definitely want to try their deep-fried chicken wings next time, as I've heard good things about that. We just couldn't handle too many deep-fried thingies that early in the morning. We also had a tasty rice vermicelli dish with stir fried beef and veggies on it, as well as a shrimp salad roll. There are lots of dishes to try on the menu, and it was hard to choose just a few. They even have a couple of frogs' legs dishes. Prices were good, with our bill totalling $31.67 before tip (including tax, and Vietnamese coffees). Service was great, and I actually found it quite refreshing that this very Asian restaurant didn't rush us out at the end of our meal by putting the bill down right away. We actually had to ask someone for the bill, and could leisurely finish our pot of tea there. The Vietnamese coffees with sweetened condensed milk was perfect for waking us up on a sleepy weekend morning. I enjoyed this meal very much, felt very comfortable there, and would definitely go back. And who knows? Maybe I'll have to make a new top five fried chicken list after my next visit.

Breaking Bread

Sometimes it's really easy to forget about the bread course that gets served at nice restaurants. You don't actually order it, most of the time it's complimentary, and comes to your table quietly. But sometimes it can have an enormous impact. I've been thinking about the best bread I've been served at restaurants, and have had a wide range of bread experiences lately. I thought I'd throw the spotlight on this portion of the meal, to give kudos to those restaurants that take some extra care and offer something special. Perhaps I can also encourage some places to put a little more care into what can be a wonderful start to a meal. Also, I'd like to hear about your restaurant bread experiences. It's wonderful how joyful something as simple as bread can be. Spread some happiness with some nice, warm, fresh bread with a bit of real butter, served at a spreadable temperature.

I had the best foccacia in my life recently at a Seattle place called Restaurant Zoe, and the constant flow of this wonderful bread made up a huge part of my overall impression that I received spectacular service that night (along with things like their amazing ability to keep my water glass filled. I was dehydrated that night, and you would have thought I was a beached cetacean with the rate at which I was taking in the water). I think the bread alone makes the place worth going to, but it was an all around great dinner. It looked like they had one server dedicated to just walking around doling out bread out of her basket with her tongs. I was loving the bread, and as soon as I made the foccacia disappear, it was magically and immediately replaced. It was irresistable - light and fluffy with just the right amount of chew, tasty, savoury, and served with nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In contrast, I checked out Savory Coast, on Robson Street, a couple of times, during and after Dine Out Vancouver in January, and while they seem to be quite proud that they make their own foccacia in-house, I don't think they really have much reason to be proud of the overly dense, charred, cosmetic sponges they served us. If only I could get them to taste Restaurant Zoe's foccacia. However, Savory Coast does serve their bread with a very nice little hummous.

Another wonderful basket of bread that sticks in my memory is the beautiful assortment of little buns at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts at the mouth of Granville Island. Served with good, old plain butter, the bread there is likely the result of having on staff a very skilled baking instructor, and the luxury of having other reasons for putting so much effort into the bread (namely, the teaching of baking classes, as well as operating a bakery counter just outside of the restaurant).

One big bread disappointment came surprisingly from a highly touted restaurant in town, Chambar. With main dishes ranging in price from $19 - 23, there should be no reason for them to not offer a complimentary bread course. Especially since many customers are ordering the moule frites, which, as the name indicates, comes with fries (a little bitty dish of them compared to the huge vat of mussels), but would be lovely with some bread to sop up the broth. Instead of an automatic bread course, they offer a $2 side dish of bread with smoked paprika butter. The flavoured butter is a nice touch, but come on, just skip the twoonie charge. That $2 they make is hardly worth the cheapo factor that comes from charging it. Even though I know that two bucks is really not much money, it just leaves me feeling like the service is stingy. I don't really mind a charge as much when it is a lower end restaurant, like La Bodega. Their bread was pretty good, and they charge for it.

There are several examples of low budget type restaurants that do serve complimentary bread though. I think Sami's at Oak and Broadway is gone now, but I used to love their flatbread served with two richly coloured sauces - a sweet tamarind, and a spicy sauce. I love the corn tortilla chips and salsa served in Mexican restaurants in general too. Burgoo in Kitsilano has a really tasty corn muffin. The Portugese buns kept coming to us at Senhor Rooster, since we kept using them as vehicles to sample their wonderful sauces. And in the U.S., isn't the only real reason that people love the Olive Garden is the unlimited bread and salad? I have a vague memory of being quite fond of the Keg's bread too. On the middle price range, Fiction and Aurora both went the extra step of presenting flavoured butters to accompany their bread when I visited.

I'm sure I've had very nice bread at places like C, Lumiere, Bishops, The Pear Tree, and Diva, but I don't really recall right now. At Lumiere, I do remember appreciating the prettiness of the square butter plate with it's square of butter sitting perfectly on it. And was it the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Restaurant who decorated each butter portion with a single elegant sage leaf?

All I'm really saying is that each component of a restaurant meal is one more opportunity to impress with some special detail. A restaurant can either make use of that opportunity or miss the boat. And the possibilities really are endless with bread. Just ask my all-time favourite (food) superhero, Anpanman, from Japan, his baked good colleagues, and his arch enemy, Balkinman, a germ man who plots with his evil henchmen to mold and mildew Anpanman's head.

1215

Andrew Morrison said last week, in a review of Abigail's Party, "slightly imperfect meals, when perfectly served, are okay by me." This is often how I react to restaurants too. And this is generally my take on a brand new izakaya style restaurant on Davie St., 1215 (604-633-1215, 1215 Davie at Bute, former Hesperos Greek Restaurant). I really loved the staff at 1215. I couldn't have been made to feel more comfortable in the little dark room, than I was, despite being the first dinner customer of the night, and being dramatically outnumbered by all the staff. In fact, this tiny place had what seemed to be a ridiculous number of staff that night. And every person seemed to have a hand in serving me. Picture it - one customer, sitting at the bar, with two male and two female staff attending...and I was sitting right in front of the chefs preparing my meal too. I think that they will do well on vibrant Davie St. , simply because they've figured out, unlike many restaurants in town, that people will come back to a restaurant with excellent service, and will tend to be a bit forgiving if the people involved in an establishment are really friendly and accommodating. It's evident in the number of staff scheduled for that evening on a Tuesday, two weeks into operation, and it's also evident in the warmth of the service, and even the nametags that they wear. They are all clearly marked with their first names. Even Chef/Owner Shige wears one. He's the chef from Hapa Izakaya. And the enthusiastic shouting, both in greeting and in goodbye was maybe the loudest and cheeriest I've ever heard in a Japanese restaurant. For me, I will come back to this restaurant just because of this earnest attitude.

However, the place, for me, begs for comparison with Yuji's on W. 4th, because of the "fusion" (oh, how I hate using the 'f word'...) of izakaya style food with western influences and Vancouver ingredients has been going on there beautifully for years now, and to be perfectly honest, while dishes seem hit and miss (at least right now) at 1215, I've never had a miss at Yuji's. My first dish, blue fin tuna tartar with avocado ($8 - 9), served with pieces of nori to make my own wraps was beautiful dish to look at, and just fine to eat, but not terribly exciting. The fish was fresh, and the servers did tell me that they had just received the blue fin, and the daily specials sheet featured various blue fin dishes. I probably should have ordered the blue fin tuna tataki dish, as recommended, for a more exciting flavour. I did enjoy my "pork poppers" which were three panko-breaded little pork, tomato (I think) and cheese lumps served with a little tonkatsu sauce on the side, as well as some nicely dressed baby mesclun. I also ordered a carbohydrate dish - their garlic rice stuffed squid in a tomato sauce, which I would not order again. While it was flavourful and deeply garlicky, the overall mushiness of the dish just didn't appeal to me. One more note about the exceptional service though. When I suggested that this dish would benefit from a crunchy accompaniment, my server happily accepted this comment, and even (a little embarassingly for me) passed it on to the chef directly. I do take some responsibility though, in not enjoying this dish, because it was well-described in the menu. I regretted my choices overall, and feel like I could have ordered better. And to be fair, their dishes are meant to be shared with others, and normally one person wouldn't be faced with an entire rice-stuffed squid to eat on their own. But let's be real here for a moment. A really successful restaurant should have a menu made up of all winners, with a number of superstars. The superstars might have been in that menu, but I spent $27.50 (including tax, and a $3 Calpico and soda, but before tip) trying to find them. But will I try again? Absolutely. And it'll be very interesting to see how the dishes get tweaked as this brand new restaurant develops. Having enjoyed the Hapa Izakaya food from Chef Shige immensely, I have a lot of confidence in this little place, and I have a feeling they'll find their way soon. And it's already garnered some positive attention from food critics (Tim Pawsey's Vancouver Courier article, and Andrew Morrison's Westender article), despite its quiet opening, lack of advertising and their blacked out window concept. Well, it seemed to work out for Hapa. I stumbled onto the place simply because I got off the bus right in front of it, and they had propped open the door, allowing me a glimpse of their menu sitting on a stand in the doorway table. It's a little strange to walk into such a dark little room on a sunny day, but it didn't really bother me. The room is plain, but I think that they can leave that alone, and work on the food, to ensure that people on Davie will feel like they will get their money's worth and choose this restaurant over the others nearby. I do give them credit for providing an interesting non-traditional menu, when most of the Davie St. offerings tend to be on the safe side, and look forward to trying their intriguing matcha desserts too. After all, they did provide me with a very enjoyable time overall, gossiping at the bar, especially the part where he let me in on their recent restaurant reviewer experiences. I wanted to "spill the edamame" on my secret blogging identity, but of course, I had to hold back. Incidentally, the internet is amazing thing! I believe I've coined this phrase, when I used it in my first Yuji's post, and it seems to have become adopted by one other food writer now (or perhaps arrived at independently), and maybe it'll eventually become a common part of the foodie lexicon, at least in Vancouver. Anyhow, back to 1215. The lesson learned here, for any of you thinking of opening up a restaurant or improving an existing restaurant, is: never underestimate the service component of the restaurant equation.

Senhor Rooster: The East End, Portugese Bishop's

The Assortment of Sauces (Tangi-Fruit, Piri-Piri, Jalapeno, Mango-Ginger, BBQ, and Extra-Hot)

Meet Senhor Rooster (3885 Rupert St. at 23rd Ave. 604-434-1010). That bird makes a mean sauce! Actually more like six of them...and counting. This little Portugese restaurant in the middle of nowhere (yes, I'm being downtown-centric), is one of the best restaurants in Vancouver that I've been to in a long time. And it's not about the decor, which is fairly humble, intimate, and comfortable, with white tablecloths in a place you initially might not expect them. Partly, it's the unexpected pleasure of finding such tasty dishes with such complex sauces, with a wonderfully friendly staff in such a low key place. But there are tasty, friendly, ethnic non-fancy places in plenty of areas. Why does this place grab me so much? To me it's like the East End, ethnic version of Bishop's. You've got a warm, hospitable chef/owner, who seems to have a passion for food, popping out of the kitchen to serve the customers himself, with an exceptionally homey little restaurant. This restaurant accomplishes the same feeling that John Bishop does at his place - like he's hosting a dinner party at his own home, and you are his (very fortunate) guests. Both chefs also allow the ingredients to speak for themselves in a fairly uncluttered way. You've also got phenomenally tasty food, and on top of all that, (this is where the comparison falters) you're getting it all for amazingly low prices in this hidden away gem. Starters were under $10. I think our prawns were $8 or $9 and entrees between $10 - 15. Yet another reminder that there really aren't many good reasons to go to those casual chain restaurants whose mains start at prices above that.

To begin, nice Portugese buns and butter are brought to the table, as well as a collection of sauces for dinner. Sample them all, and you'll see why the foodies are raving about this place. Rumour has it that chef/owner Daniel Alexandre used to work in the Il Giardino kitchen. Things are simple here. No wine list, but whatever the red was that night (I don't remember), I enjoyed. I'm not even sure how much our glasses of wine cost, but looking at the total of the bill, it must have been next to nothing. We started with prawns in the delicious piri-piri sauce. Some of the sauces have some nice heat like the piri piri, and some are sweeter and milder. If you can't get enough of the stuff, he has bottles of the sauces available to take home. We had one additional, unlabelled sauce in the collection of the table that was very hot, which I think was a newer addition to the line-up.


Prawns in Piri Piri Sauce

Daniel himself came out to tell us the specials that evening, and he was listing away, when he said, "we have horse." After we did the inevitable verbal equivalent of a double-take, and Daniel assured us he wasn't joking, my dining companion, Martini Man, quickly jumped on the opportunity to try it, and there was nothing else on the menu for him. Well, I wasn't so sure, and anyways, I don't think I was THAT hungry. Daniel continued his list of specials, then tacked on that he had rack of lamb too. That was it for me. I think it may help to call ahead and ask, if you are looking for that. We did make reservations, and I would definitely recommend making them if you go, as the word has been out on this place for a while (it sounds like it's become an eGullet clubhouse). The night we went, most of the restaurant was filled with one huge birthday group (maybe 36 people), who took up three long lengths of tables. The restaurant seemed to handle this very well, and the tables got big mixed grill platters of meat. Yet our server, a very sweet Portugese gentleman, was quite attentive, and made our experience at Senhor Rooster very warm and comfortable.


Horse in a Rosemary Tomato Based Sauce

The horse meat was actually pretty good. Pounded thin, tender, and very mild with no gamey taste at all. It was served with potato and a wonderful assortment of mixed vegetables, including a few pretty lotus root slices. The rosemary flavoured tomato sauce was really good. Martini Man ate his whole entree, but we both definitely preferred the lamb. Oh, the lamb... So incredibly tender, and yes, it was an entire rack! I shared some with Martini Man, but somehow, I had no trouble putting almost all of it down. Yes, it was more expensive than the other mains, at $35, but it is worth every penny (and probably more). Eight perfectly cooked, flavourful chops, covered in a rich brown sauce, and served that evening with potato and mixed veggies. High styling presentation, using unusual ingredients in odd combinations is a lot of fun, but this simple, homey plate with big, rich flavours just speaks to me, and is the perfect antidote to fancy-trendy-restaurant overload.


Rack of Lamb

To finish off, we shared a sweet, creamy Portugese dessert called babas de camelo. Just a really nice soft, texture, and with several quick scoops with our spoons, it disappeared in seconds.


Babas de Camelo

Daniel, the consummate host, treated us to a little extra something at the end of the meal - he brought us two snifters of a cherry liqueur he had made himself, and it was delicious, just like everything else he served. His quietly swooping over with a "Try this, I made it myself" just made things feel all that much more irresistably personal. Oh, and as if I haven't gushed enough, I love the name of the place too! In short, the restaurant is simple, genuine, light-hearted, and very good at what it does. Gawd, it feels good to be able to wholeheartedly recommend a restaurant once in a while!

Sunday Worship

For many people, Sunday mornings are for religious ritual. Well, I'm not so different, but I pray at a different personal altar - my beloved stovetop. This morning, I was seeking the ultimate pancake truth, and let me tell you, I found the answers I've been looking for. These flapjacks were absolutely divine! I have a new book that I draw inspiration from in my life, and it's the New Best Recipe from the editors of Cook's Illustrated and the makers of the television show "America's Test Kitchen." Hmmm, I wonder what the differences are in the old book vs. the new... Anyhow, it's a fantastic publication. If you are familiar either with the periodical or the tv show, you will know that they basically geek out in their quest for the best possible method of preparing whatever they tackle, trying variation after variation, and testing their results on a panel of tasters. I love that! This book clearly explains their testing, considers the aspect of personal preference, considers both equipment, ingredients, and procedures, and settles on a favourite recipe for each dish, while keeping a very practical approach in terms of reasonable time, recipe complexity, and clean-up. It's filled with great tips and also notes on tastings of different brands and types of ingredients. Well, I decided to try their light and fluffy pancakes recipe. I've been searching for a light, fluffy (is there anyone who likes them otherwise?), sweet, and flavourful pancake recipe. While preparing and eating my pancakes, I was reflecting on the spiritual choices that people make for their lives. I found this definition of meditation, in the context of religion, on a website: "An extended and continuous concentration on a single object, with this object being the only thought in your mind, may be a good definition of meditation." One very useful purpose of prayer, religious ritual, and religious mediation is to create a personal calm within, to counter the stresses of life. Well, you can connect with your God(s) in church, and I'll take my pancake ceremony. The service was complete with music (today, the radio was playing classic rock), the smell of the butter in the pan (better than incense), personal reflection, concentration, a sense of calm, and a bit of ceremony in the application of maple syrup. A code of ethics? Well, I think it's immoral to use that fake maple syrup stuff. Only pure Canada Gr. 2 for me. Religious services also provide social connection with others of like mind, and isn't it a great thing to share in the greatness of pancakes with someone you love? So I'd like to share my recipe with you. I substituted sour cream and a little 1% milk for the milk with lemon juice (or buttermilk) called for in the recipe simply because that's what I had around, but I really liked the sweet, tangy flavour and texture of these pancakes, and may wind up always using these. I also halved most of ingredients in the recipe from the book (which originally makes "16 pancakes, serving 4 to 6") . I followed their tips for using a very gentle hand in mixing the dry with the wet ingredients, and not overmixing. They also believe that the best way to test the temperature of your griddle/non-stick frying pan, is to make a mini pancake with a tablespoon of batter, and it should yield a golden brown colour after 1 minute, rather than a blond or dark, uneven pancake. The book is full of great guidelines like how to keep your pancakes warm until you've made them all. I picked it up at Book Warehouse, and I think it's changed my cooking forever. My faith in the book grows with each recipe that I try to incorporate in my life. Had enough? Yah, I thought so. So here's the recipe:

Nancy's Enlightening Pancakes

Makes about eight four-inch pancakes (or two large deities), serving one to two

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup 1% milk (approximately, to yield very thick but oozing consistency)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons of ulsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
a little butter to rub the pan with, or vegetable oil.
optional: 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and dried

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt together in a deep bowl.
2. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the sour cream and milk.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet, and whisk gently until just combined. It should be lumpy. Do not overmix.
4. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, rub a little butter or oil on pan, use mini pancake method of testing heat discussed above. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto three spots on the skillet. Alternately, make cutesy shapes with the batter. Yes, that's a Nancy variant on the recipe. Could you tell? Then you can say, "I see [insert favourite religious or pop culture figure here] in my pancakes!" I recommend Laughing Buddha, as he should be particularly easy to make with blobs of batter. And there's always Elvis in his later years.
5. If using blueberries, sprinkle fresh or frozen dry berries onto the pancakes now, as they set. Cook until large bubbles begin to appear, 1.5 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes with a thin, wide spatula, and cook until golden brown on the second side, 1 to 1.5 minutes longer. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately. If making a larger batch, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and place pancakes on a rack in a baking sheet to keep pancakes warm and not soggy.

Perfectly Parkside - A Dine Out Vancouver Success

Has anyone ever gained your complete trust within the first minute of meeting? Isn't that a wonderful thing? That's how I feel about Parkside (1906 Haro, just off of Denman). I immediately walk in and I feel like I can count on it, and I've only been there twice. No, they're not going to serve me anything yucky...yes, of course they'll serve everything with care...and obviously, asking questions about the menu will get me informed, gracious, answers. Now, that doesn't mean that they don't take chances. Chef Andrey Durbach changes the menu regularly, and in fact, their online menu is updated daily! So great was my trust after one visit, that this restaurant immediately came to mind as the one to pick for Dine Out Vancouver - the event where restaurants seem to set themselves up for big falls, between servers dealing with the large crowds of "unsophisticated" diners who are there for a bargain, exasperated hosts dealing with clogged phone lines, "campers" (those who eat slowly and stay a long time after eating) and no shows, you've likely got an exhausted staff on the brink of snapping at the next person who tries to order, say, a hot water with lemon.

But I look at Parkside, and I think to myself, "they've got class, they can do this" and I book myself a table as soon as they start taking them (beginning of January for any of you Dine Out newbies who want to snag a table at one of the more popular restaurants next time). Well, in short, they did it marvelously.

We arrived for our 8 pm (here's a tip: book later seatings for Dine Out to dampen the pressure to get in and out as quickly as possible) and the staff were relaxed and cheerful. The room was inviting despite being full of the beautiful people. We were seated promptly, and we started with a couple of their intriguing cocktails, a Dark and Stormy (dark rum, West Indian ginger beer, citrus juice) for Guiness Cheddar Boy and I think a Frozen Pineapple Cosmopolitan (vodka, pineapple sorbet,cranberry & fresh orange juice, shaken) for me.

My terrine appetizer was wonderful, with big, satisfying chunks of chicken, rabbit, ham, and foie gras, served with the cutest baby toasts, cornichons, pea puree, and a little fennel slaw. My dining companion had the salad, and I was tempted by the mushroom soup with truffle oil, but I think mine was the winner.


Terrine of Chicken, Rabbit, Smoked Ham and Foie Gras, Toasted Country Bread, Traditional Garnishes


Salad of Belgian Endive, Apples, Croutons, Toasted Pecans and Blue Cheese Dressing

We both chose the beef short rib, which was swimming in a delicious pool of sauce. Again, deeply satisfying, and perfect fare for a chilly evening, especially with a bottle of Chianti (Ricasoli Chianti Classico Riserva 2000, Italy) alongside.


Braised Beef Short Rib, Spring Onion Mashed Potato, Savoy Cabbage, Mustard Jus

For dessert, Guinness Cheddar Boy, true to his cheese fiend nature, opted for the dolce latte gorgonzola, which was a really lovely softly flavoured cheese. I went for the decadent sticky toffee pudding, and was so full, that I could only finish half of it. A small tragedy in my mind. These are the times when a spare stomach would come in handy.


Dolce Latte Gorgonzola, Toasted Pecans, Poached Apple and Greek Honey


Sticky Toffee Pudding, Spiced Rum and Ginger Ice Cream

What particularly impressed me was that they managed to provide a meal normally priced at $49 for only $25, without making any single part of it feel like a discounted meal. Additionally, they offered it at the $25 level, rather than $35, as many Dine Out Vancouver participating restaurants did. The dishes were just as interesting as they normally are, the portions generous, and the service filled with their special touches, like decanting our wonderful Chianti and serving a little complimentary biscotti alongside my after-dinner coffee. It was a stellar meal from start to finish.

Mmmmmm, Luminescent Larvae!

Lightning Bugs Gummy in action!

Found this super fun gummy candy in Seattle's Ye Olde Curiosity Shop that comes with it's own light up tongs. It's Kandy Kastle's Lightning Bugs ($1.69 USD). When you grasp your little translucent yellow and red gummy bugs with the forceps, the little light inside makes the candy glow beautifully - a great treat for a night time snack (like my stroll through downtown Seattle in the dark), but maybe not so good for the movies!

Name That Vancouver Restaurant No.4

Here's another round of everyone's favourite blog game, Name That Vancouver Restaurant! This restaurant is a hidden East Vancouver gem, serving up wonderful Portugese food, and known for their sauces. The chef/owner's name is Daniel, and he's been making some foodies very happy in his little spot on Rupert. Okay, I'm starting the clock now!

Back On the Blogging Wagon

I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to lately, so to help redeem myself, I offer up a little giggle to Nancylanders out there, from the New Yorker, that I found through a great site called tastingmenu.com, from a Seattle-based blogger who writes about food in several major cities.

Never Go To Blog Angry

I had horribly rude service tonight from a particular female server at a particular restaurant, and my first impulse is to lash out immediately with an angry post, but just like in most situations, I think it's wiser to make peace with it all first. Mainly because I can't imagine that the owners of the restaurant would have sanctioned the behaviour of this waitress, and it would be a shame to sully their entire business because of this one person's screw-up. But I'll find out whether that's the case or not. Ultimately though, even if it is just one person's screw-up, for me, it might be worthwhile to avoid this restaurant just to avoid the risk of getting served by this person again. What a shame that would be, because it's a restaurant I really want to love. Curious? A full report will come in time, when my blogging isn't impaired. Remember kiddies, don't blog angry!

Corned Beef Sandwich Fix

Having spent some time out east, I have a weakness for good corned beef sandwiches, which can be a difficult craving to satisfy in Vancouver. Actually, to be honest, I think it really stems from the childhood memories I have of the great corned beef sandwiches in the clubhouse section of "The Track." But since I don't play the ponies as an adult, I need another source. Well, I tried a hunk of corned beef from the little stand in the Granville Island Public Market where Mike Vitow of J. Beethoven's New York Corned Beef Connection (604-858-5104) sells his stuff. It's really tasty. About ten bucks for three quarters of a pound (I made four delicious sandwiches with this, some people might make three big sandwiches). It was his smallest piece that day, and it felt like a splurge for me, but I didn't regret it at all. He told me it takes him two weeks to make it, since he soaks it in the brine over two weeks the old-fashioned way, rather than injecting the spices into the meat instantly. I really don't know anything about making corned beef, but I just wanted to let you all know that this stuff was yummy. It was really nice to hear him talk about his product, because he obviously takes a great deal of pride in what he makes. It's also just nice to know where my food is coming from, and actually meet the person who makes it face to face. This is one of the many reasons a grocery trip to Granville Island is so much fun. His stand is in one of the corridors between the two parts of the market, and he had little samples out on the Saturday that I saw him. He recommended steaming it to heat it, cutting it across the grain, and not shaving it thinly. I had a little mustard and margarine on my sandwiches, and lots of dill pickle on the side. Delicious, local, and personal - the way food should be.

What We Ate at the Nancyland Birthday Dinner at Yuji's

I've raved about Yuji's (W.4th Ave. at Maple St.) enough, and they haven't disappointed me yet, so here are simply the photos and captions of a very nice meal in celebration of the first year of Nancyland, Vancouver Foodie Fun. My favourites from this meal were that day's Taka-san roll, every one of the desserts, and the seared sable fish, a small dish, but very tasty. The deep fried spicy tuna roll and wasabi chicken tempura are very good too. I've enjoyed them in a previous visit. The only downside of the meal was that our vegetarian had ordered two dishes, but didn't get to eat until well after everyone else because we hadn't made special mention to our server about him being vegetarian (who doesn't eat seafood), and our dishes came out essentially in the order that, well, we ordered them, and he happened to be last as we went around the table. This normally would not be a problem if everyone is intending to share. The only dish that I didn't get a photo of is the vegetable tempura, and with all of these dishes, four people filled up for about $106 including tax (before tip). Isn't that amazing? The current menu has even more items than the old menu posted online at Adam's Dining Guide, and has wine and sake pairing suggestions too now. I have yet to see a website from the restaurant, but they appear to be doing well. There's always a nice big list of specials. And I still haven't had their yam fries with three dips off their regular menu! There's always next time!


Maguro Avocado Crepe: Chopped fresh albacore tuna and avocado with wasabi mayo wrapped in crepe and covered with a sweet and spicy sauce.


Tuna Tataki: Lightly seared fresh albacore tuna served with ponzu citrus sauce.


Age Spicy Tuna Roll: Deep fried spicy tuna roll (spicy sauce on plate)


Some deep fried dumplings from the specials sheet, that I cannot remember. They're resting on a tempura onion ring.


Sable Fish, served with miso sauce

Taka-san's Daily Roll: Tempura chicken breast on top of California roll, with green flying fish roe and a Japanese sauce on top made with seaweed that tastes a bit like black bean sauce


Tofu


Wasabi Tempura Chicken


Creamy Ebi Asparagus Spring Roll: Prawn, asparagus and creamy sauce wrapped in a spring roll paper and deep fried


Fresh Scallops on the Half-Shell, broiled with a mayonnaise sauce (motoyaki)


Roll Platter: California, BC, Spicy Tuna. We needed something filling near the end.


Green Tea Creme Brulee. This was stellar. Which is funny, because I never really expect dessert at a Japanese restaurant, nevermind one this good.


Coffee Jelly with Ice Cream. It's a solid version of coffee with cream and sugar. Sugar syrup is served on the side.


Black Sesame Ice Cream

Christmas Day Dinner at Fleuri, The Sutton Place Hotel

My Chinese-Canadian family usually has the traditional Christmas Day turkey dinner at home, but this year my brother's travel plans gave my parents and I a good excuse to have Christmas dinner at a restaurant. Guess what? I got to pick the restaurant! Not to worry, we still didn't miss out on the home-cooked turkey feast - it was simply postponed a day, so I wasn't necessarily looking for turkey. As far as I could see, the main choices were either any Chinese restaurant or a nice hotel meal. Kirin was one choice, and there weren't any problems getting a table there. But there really isn't anything that I could get at a Chinese restaurant that I don't feel like I've had before, so I couldn't resist an opportunity for a nice multi-course fancy schmancy evening, and get the opportunity to show my parents a place they would never venture out to on their own. If you find yourself looking for a spot next year, book as early possible. I was doing this more than a week ahead of the day, and some holiday feasts were nearly all booked up. I guess people especially love those hotel big lunch buffets. Personally, when I'm splurging, I like to remain seated.

If you're looking for a classically elegant room to have a quiet refined meal, Fleuri, at the Sutton Place Hotel (Burrard St. downtown, just off Robson St.), is perfect. Over the years, I've done their Chocoholic Buffet, a beautiful Valentine's dinner with chocolate buffet for dessert, dropped in for dessert and coffee on a girls' night out, and booked a full afternoon tea in one of the hotel's private rooms for a bridal shower gaggle of girls. A perfect place, in other words, for indulgence. Fleuri has this wonderfully feminine flourish to me. And she's not just a pretty place. She's got substance too. The enticing menu is made up of interesting flavour combinations in well-executed classical cooking. And where else would you expect to find superlative service, but within the walls of a fine hotel. On our Christmas Day visit, we were greeted with a cute sugar showpiece of a winter scene in the hotel lobby. The dinner was a five course prix fixe meal for $74 per person. Credit card number was required for the reservation in case of cancellation.


Sugar Show Piece in the Lobby


Rare Ahi Tuna Loin with Crab and avocado Salad and Young Micro Green Salad in a Ponzu Dressing

We all started with the Rare Ahi Tuna Loin appetizer. This was quite an enjoyable light tiny salad starter, with the tender texture of tuna being the star of the show, and all of the flavours being quite subtle, including the dressing. It was delightful and interesting because of the different components, but a part of me thinks that I'd almost rather have just a couple of chunks of fresh albacore sashimi at a decent sushi restaurant, in terms of flavour. In the context of this meal though, this dish was a very nice start.


Celery Root Soup with Seared Jumbo Scallops and Grainy Mustard Creme Fraiche

This soup was velvety and flavourful. I've had many good soups in my life, and this one was really stellar and I was very impressed with it. My parents enjoyed this too.


Sun Dried Tomato Marinated Lamb Chops with a Roasted Pepper and Caramelized Onion Pave in a Fig Jus

There were three choices for the main. As much as I was tempted by the Sea Bass Filet on a Blanquette of Clams and Fava Beans with a Porcini Mushroom Ragout in a Black Truffle Sauce, I had found out ahead of time that Chilean Sea Bass is not recommended by Ocean Wise affiliates, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch due to overfishing and potential population depletion. Too bad, because it's a damn tasty fish, as I found out, because my Dad had no moral problems with ordering it, and went ahead, and allowed me a taste. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of it, but the sauce and the fish were delicious, and I thought that the clams were a nice addition. Note that Black Sea Bass is a different fish than Chilean, and in less peril, and I did get confirmation that they were using Chilean for this menu. My Mom and I went with the lamb chops. This was very good, with a substantial chop, perfectly medium rare (and I didn't mind at all that they didn't ask us how we wanted them done, because medium rare is the way to go, and to hell with those well-done people). It's pretty hard to go wrong with lamb chops in general, but this was a particularly nice dish. I enjoyed the roasted red pepper pave with the meat, as well as the sauce. Also, there was a tasty little potato stack with it. The third main course option was roast turkey with traditional trimmings, and I was definitely tempted to order that just to see it, but the parental units were going to be making turkey dinner the next day anyway.


Spiced Dark Chocolate Marquise on a Winter Compote and Christmas Biscotti

The spiced dark chocolate marquise was decadent, rich and airy all at the same time. With a chocolate buffet every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at this restaurant, I know I can expect good things from their chocolate desserts.


Another View of the Spiced Dark Chocolate Marquise

We ended with their Mignardise, which included one mini sugar cookie Christmas tree, a couple of beautiful hazelnut cookies, and a couple of berry jam filled cookies. Just a little note here - it seemed quite odd to me that three people were served five cookies. This just sets us up for awkward splitting, where one person feels they get less, while two people get to have two cookies. Serving one additional bit would solve this easily as that would allow two per person (each person getting a different combination of two). Now serving odd numbers of items in a shared plate is a fairly common restaurant practice, and I completely understand the aesthetic reasons for this. Groupings of 3, 5, and 7 do look better than those of 2, 4, and 6. I'm personally in favour of sacrificing the look, though, for the avoidance of the messy affair of "oh you can take the last one"..."oh no, you take it"...and so on. Or, alternatively, especially when it's a really tasty item, the occasional tussle for the last one. It wasn't really an issue this evening, as my parents were full, and, being parents, would give me the last cookie if they were dying a slow death of starvation anyways. And if it had really been an issue with another group, I'm sure I could talk a server into snagging another cookie. But it would all be easier if more than enough was sent out in the first place. But this is a little quibble amongst a stellar line-up of dishes and a lovely evening. Our server, not only working Christmas night instead of being home with family (he may not celebrate Christmas anyway, of course), but was also losing his voice! I hope he had a chance to rest eventually. Despite this, timing was perfect, and there were no service problems. The term "formal" best encapsulates the type of service here and the feel of the room in general, which I find fun and exciting for special occasions simply because it's different from everyday life.

Fleuri makes it onto my list of favourite fine dining restaurants and feels a bit like an unsung heroine in Vancouver to me. The name, Fleuri, feels right, and dining at the restaurant reminds me of rediscovering a favourite serene garden that's always flourishing quietly, and consistantly going about her business with grace and style.

A Foodie's Valentine's Day

If you're with the right person, walking down the street, sipping coffee at Tim Hortons, or offering your last fry at Mickey D's can be as overwhelmingly romantic as any fancy dinner, box of chocolates, or bouquet of roses, right? Yes, but...why not allow yourselves to celebrate your love with something decadent and special? I'm definitely not one of the many St. Valentine's Day curmudgeons who poo-poo the whole holiday as simply a marketing ploy by the greeting card, jeweller, and floral industries to manipulate those vulnerable boyfriends into throwing away their money. It can be so much more than that! I'm not sure how far in advance you have to book these things (so it might be a bit late), but here's a sampling of some really nice things in Vancouver to do for the special foodie in your life:

Fleuri Restaurant, at the Sutton Place Hotel downtown, has a beautiful set dinner offered, that I think is romantic for two main reasons: 1. The room is the epitome of elegance, with a very feminine air, and a quiet ambience (even when the room is at capacity), perfect for unabashed goo-goo eyes and sweet nothings passed between two lovers over beautiful food. 2. It all ends with a Chocolate Buffet! If your date loves chocolate, this is indulgent, fun, and can even feel a bit naughty. You're more than likely not going to be able to try too many things after eating an amuse bouche, and three courses before dessert, but just to be offered the selection in such a pretty arrangement is exciting. It's not just a gimmick either, as both the chef and the pastry chef here know what they're doing. Another hotel dessert buffet was not nearly as impressive but I visited a couple of years ago, and don't know what it is like these days.

Diva at the Met (downtown). Note possible spoilers ahead. Don't read if you're planning to go to Diva already. I'm not sure what they're doing this year, but I can't resist an opportunity to share what they did when I went a while back, because it impressed the pants off me...(so sorry, just couldn't resist. Okay, I'll stop smirking now).

Big budget option: dinner at Diva. Several years ago, I had the Valentine's set meal here (I think Michael Noble was still cooking there at the time), and it was really wonderful. The room and the service aren't quite as cosy and elegant as Fleuri, but here are the little surprises that made the experience extra special; When one of us visited the washroom, we could come back to the table with a little gift for the other. The staff had arranged a basket of little womens' perfume samples with pretty ribbons in the men's washroom, and an equivalent basket of men's colognes in the women's washroom! An adorable touch. Even more adorable? On our way out, after a fantastic and elaborate meal, we were surprised with a beautiful take-home package of treats for a little romantic breakfast for two the next morning! A little presumptuous, perhaps, but if you've gone to the trouble of booking this dinner at Diva...let's just say, I guess it's a pretty safe bet. We took ours down to the water with some coffee, and had an outdoor morning picnic, opening up our red package to find freshly squeezed mixed fruit juices, a couple of brioches from Sen5es, with those cute little individual jars of jam, and two of those wonderful Sen5es chocolates. I have no idea if the restaurant will do anything similar this year, but I'm still talking about it years later, and love the creativity behind those touches. Even my date was impressed, and it seemed to take the edge off paying the special Valentine's Day prix of the prix fixe, as he was feeling a bit manipulated by the Valentine's Day industry at the time.

Smaller budget version: Instead of Diva at the Met, go to Sen5es, around the corner. Chocolates are an oldie but goodie. Buy your sweetie some sweets from Thomas Haas' Sen5es. Chocolate Arts on W. 4th is another good source. Here's a picture of the Valentine's showpiece in their window currently. Chocolate shoes!


In the Window of Chocolate Arts - A Valentine's Showpiece of Chocolate Shoes

Or have a daytime dessert date at La Petite France on Arbutus St, or a night time dessert date at Sweet Revenge. Sweet Obsessions at Trafalgar's is another great spot for a lovely dinner and killer desserts. With all restaurants, call ahead and find out their Valentine's Day plans, as most restaurants will go to a set meal with marked up prices, and will require reserving well in advance.

Aurora Bistro is plunging right into the gooey theming of the night, by offering a special menu with each course representing an aspect of love. I say, right on! If you're going to do Valentine's, go all the way, and wallow in the wonderful sappiness of it all. It's a nice small room, and I suspect it could be quite romantic if they tried. The menu theming already suggests that they are committed to providing that romantic atmosphere.

There isn't, as with any question, just one right answer for everyone. You know your own Valentine, and maybe his or her favourite restaurant, or picture of romance, is completely off of everyone else's radar. For the adventurous type, Cypress Mountain has a wonderful evening snowshoe and fondue tour, and a special Valentine's Dinner at their Hollyburn Lodge. Also, Grouse Mountain's Valentine's at the Peak Package includes the view on the gondola, a beautiful meal at the Observatory Restaurant, with a view, and skating on the pond and riding in the sleigh (weather dependent). I recommend both the Grouse experience and the Cypress snowshoe tour, though the snowshoe fondue tour I did was with a group, and therefore isn't quite as intimate as something designed for just two. The Valentine's Dinner at Cypress allows the two of you to ski or hike to the lodge on your own. A snowy winter scene with a warm meal afterwards should be quite romantic. These wintery options are great fun, show off Vancouver, and feel like little adventures. Some other rooms that come to mind as romantic include Le Gavroche (here's to a speedy recovery from their recent fire), Horizons on Burnaby Mountain, The Cannery, The Teahouse at Stanley Park, Amarcord, and Le Piazza Dario Ristorante at the Italian Cultural Centre.

Or maybe what's really romantic for your date is dinner cooked at home. Which is all the more impressive when the cook is not that confident in his or her skills, and makes the effort to figure it all out for the special meal. You can't beat a meal, or even just a cup coffee, made with love. Savour it. Savour the love, no matter what you choose.

Blog Birthday Reminder

Today is your last chance to get a spot at my table for the Nancyland, Vancouver Foodie Fun First Anniversary Dinner this Tuesday, January 31st, 2006. The dinner is at 6:30 pm at Yuji's Japanese Tapas. I will make the reservation tonight. After today, if you decide to come, just send me an email to let me know to look out for you, and please make your reservation for your own table directly with Yuji's (604.734.4990). Thanks everyone for reading this blog, leaving comments, linking to this site, and generally being supportive of my blogging this year! Thanks also to anyone who has clicked an ad; you will (eventually) be indirectly taking me out to dinner, because any month now, I might get my first cheque from Google! What else would I spend the money on? Eat well, Nancylanders! Happy Chinese New Year too!

Quick Bites Downtown

I find myself fairly often wandering around downtown, and eventually needing sustenance. I've recently discovered some little places downtown just perfect for that spontaneous, yet worthwhile meal. These aren't, in my mind, really destination restaurants, but they're perfect for dropping into while you're in the neighbourhood. Also, since I'm often alone while running errands, shopping, or on my way home, these places meet "lonely guy restaurant" standards, and are perfectly comfy to eat in alone (although I personally enjoy eating alone at all sorts of places). They're all good places to eat with other people too, of course. Maybe you're looking to grab a quick bite in time to catch a movie after at the Paramount. The first two are great for this. India Bistro would be great for this too, but can also be a place where you can spend a little more time enjoying your meal.

Sushi Maki (989 Hornby St., at Nelson St.)

I discovered this little hole-in-the wall sushi place when I was attempting to go to Okada Sushi (more of a destination restaurant, in my mind) upstairs at 888 Nelson, and they were closed. I was already geared up for sushi, and lo and behold, look across the street in Vancouver, and there'll be another sushi restaurant right there. This is one of those moments where I think to myself "Gawd, I love Vancouver!" Give me five minutes on the clock, and free reign to change whatever I want in the decor, and I could make this room look about ten times less hole-in-the-wall just by ripping down some of the junk on the walls (those fake flower/frame things, and the paper customer comments), but then again, I don't want this place to be fancy. I just want the good, cheap sushi, and the friendly homey feel that the staff give it. Yes, this is a Chinese-run sushi place, and they don't really make any attempts to hide it, since wonton soup is featured prominantly as an item in several of the combos, but that doesn't mean that their fish isn't fresh and tasty. They have a mini chirashi (only $6.50) that I think is a great item, and more sushi places should have it. Theirs has a bit of seaweed (I think it's wakame), which I really like, and all the fish was good. Their full chirashi is only $9.50. I've also had their Dragon Roll ($5.95), 8 pieces of tempera prawn roll with barbecue eel on top. With two visits, I've had good food, and have no complaints. It's one of a cluster of great lunch restaurants, like a lunch oasis for the office types. It's across from the Law Courts. I want to try falafels and Mediterranean fare at Lulu's next door too. Sushi Maki is open for both lunch and dinner, 11:30 am - 9 pm, Monday - Saturday and 12 - 3 pm Sundays, closed on holidays. I also recently tried the Kadoya sushi place that opened a few months ago on Davie St., near Burrard, but Sushi Maki is definitely my pick for cheap, quick sushi in the area. It's quieter and more comfortable too.

One Saigon Deli (979 Hornby St., at Nelson St.)

Here's a bright, modern, and invitingly casual room serving up Vietnamese food with healthy-feeling, fresh flavours. The epitome of "cheap and cheerful." I had a delicious vietnamese sub (which they call "Vietnamese Deli Baguettes") with various cold cuts and pork sausage, served with three freshly made spring rolls for $6.45 as a combo (with tax included!). The sandwich alone is $3.99, and I dare you to tell me you that ever want to go to Subway again after having one of these for that price. I realize Banh mi sandwiches can be cheaper and better other places in Vancouver, but there aren't any in that immediate area, and not many Vietnamese places in the downtown core in general. It was just a great sandwich, made very tasty with the coriander, pickled peppers and pickled slivered carrot and daikon that is typical of Vietnamese subs. The crusty baguette was perfect. The spring rolls on the side were very nice too. They also have chicken pho (which I will try next time), and rice and vermicelli dishes and combos. Cash only. Open 11 am - 2:30 pm, and 6 pm - 9 pm Monday to Thursday, 11 am - 5 pm Fridays, and closed weekends and holidays.

India Bistro (1157 Davie St., just off Bute St.)

I heard about this one on eGullet, and I think it's a great addition to the Davie Street strip. This is exactly what downtown needs: cheap, yummy Indian food, in a cosy, quiet, and elegant interior, along with cordial service. I had the Lamb Tawa ($10.95), lamb stir-fried with onions, garlic, ginger, bell pepper and special Indian sauce, and it was really good. The flavours were rich and complex, and the portion was generous. I asked for medium spicy and it came out just a tad too spicy for me, so I'll probably be going mild next time. I had the lamb with some garlic naan ($2) which was quite good. I also had the Chicken Pakoras ($4.95) to start, which were salty and tasty, very lightly battered in a thin chick pea batter, and served with mint chutney. The chai was definitely made to order (though it was early, and I was one of the first people there, so I'm not sure if that's always the case), and quite nice. The pricing is great. All the mains are between $7.95 (veggie options) - 12.95 (prawn vindaloo), with most around $9.95. India Bistro has been operating for a few months, and from the looks of things, they'll do just fine.

Banana Leaf for Lunch

I've gushed about Banana Leaf before, but I didn't know that they were open for lunch! All three Banana Leaf locations, including the new one that replaces Sausi's on Broadway (3005 Broadway, at Carnarvon St., near MacDonald St.) serve lunch daily, usually starting at 11:30 a.m. Bac'n Girl and I had a great meal at the Denman location, choosing dishes from their lunch specials and their regular dinner menu. I was particularly impressed with the substantial Vegetarian Curry Puff appetizer off the lunch menu, which included two pockets of pastry filled with curry vegetables, with accompanying papaya salad for only $4! These are available at dinner time too for $5. I thought I didn't like papaya, but with a little chili, lime juice, and pineapples, I absolutely loved it. We started with the requisite (to me) roti canai ($3 each). We also had the Rendang Beef and Sayur Lemak with Rice ($7), a lean beef stew in curry coconut milk sauce. This was nice, but I will probably order something else next time, as I really like my stewed beef to be falling apart and tender. We also ordered the Sambal Fried Okra, Eggplant, and Green Bean vegetable dish ($12) from the regular menu. This Denman restaurant was just a perfect spot for a tasty, filling, and quiet lunch downtown during the week. And we didn't have to wait for a table!

Lift-ing My Spirits

Okay, I'll be honest, I was prepared for the worst, when I visited Lift. Lift is the type of restaurant that I consider well out of my price range, targeted to the fashionable, hip, and well-to-do. I also haven't been all that interested in dining there for it's million-dollar view (in Coal Harbour), since I'm lucky enough to be able to get that view for free everyday (and so can anyone else - just go for a walk or bike ride on the paths down there anytime). So I was mentally bracing myself for a snobfest, and possibly a place that relies too heavily on the visuals (view, crowd, architecture, interior design), when I had the idea to stop by for a quick late night cocktail for a chance to check out the interior, and some fun cocktail combinations without breaking the bank. It was about 9:45 on a Friday night. Since Dine Out Vancouver has sold out so quickly this year, it occurred to me that we could check the place out on any night, now that it's possible to have a drink at a restaurant bar without being obligated to order a meal. Incidentally, the Lumiere Tasting Bar is another way to check out the place extremely reasonably. So Cheeseboy and I go in, and the place is beautiful as expected - the bar itself is lit up, there's a gorgeous fish tank at the entrance, the huge windows make you feel like you're out on the water even when you're inside the first floor room, and there is a definite hip, modern vibe going on. What I didn't anticipate was how friendly the staff were, how comfortable we were made to feel sitting there at the bar, and how much I would like the menu. I discovered their Whet on Wet menu. Beautiful little pairings of a drink and a bite ($12 each). Cheeseboy had the Opulence. The menu describes the pair: "seared and chilled foie gras with saffron poached pear captivate a fusion of golden pear liqueur and sparkling wine." It was a beautiful combination, and I think it actually made a foie gras convert out of me (as long as I don't think about the geese too much, I guess)! I have had foie gras at some very nice places (including Lumiere) as part of set menus, but it has never grabbed me, despite the fact that I actually like the taste of chicken liver. I don't tend to order it. This stuff was delicious, with that nice bit of crispiness on the outside. I had the Ambrosia: "ice wine, vanilla vodka and crushed grapes finesse a frizee of poached lobster, tarragon and vanilla vinaigrette." I really enjoyed this. Both were beautifully presented, yummy, and so much fun to taste. Our bartender/server was very welcoming, and all the staff appeared to be having a good time at the bar. The upstairs patio looked great, and I can imagine it to be a very nice place to dine in the summer, especially since I've heard that they have a non-smoking patio for those of us who like patios but don't want all that smoke in our faces. And the experience did lift my spirits in general, because I was starting to lose faith in finding unpretentious service at "non-ethnic" restaurants in town. A place that I thought could be the height of pretension wound up being one of the least pretentious experiences I've had lately. Somehow they managed to make me feel that they live up to their hype and surprisingly, in no way did I feel like anything looked overpriced (mains are $25-35). And there are plenty of fun things on their food menu. If we had had the time and the appetite, I would have been tempted to sample their "Whet plates," tapas type plates ($10 - $21), including their take on poutine which has beef tenderloin, mushroom ragout, petit pont neuf (stacked pomme frites), and bocconcini! I was thinking "uh oh," since this place is so conveniently close to me, and hanging out at the bar could easily become a dangerous habit. Anyway, I am aware that expectations are everything, and it definitely helps that my expectations were low here, but I dare you to try this place without enjoying it, even if it's just for a little nightcap in the middle of a waterfront stroll.

A Healthy Hors d'oeuvre

Salad-On-a-Stick

The holidays meant parties, and here's my rendition of an idea from the Food TV show, Party Dish. I think they served the tomato, basil, baby bocconcini sticks on a plate on the show. I decided to use a nice tomato for a pin cushion. I sliced a bit off the bottom to make it sit firmly, and tried to balance the whole thing so that it didn't wind up being some sort of edible Jenga. The red and green colours are perfect for a Christmas party. It's served with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip (using a little dijon and honey to maintain emulsification). I love grape tomatoes, and basil is one of few herbs I've been able to grow successfully in my little indoor plant pot lately. I loved the texture of the fresh mozzarella. Incidentally, I discovered it's important to use your fresh bocconcini right away. They tasted great when I brought them home from the store (and when I served the dish), and I was surprised at how much flavour the remaining ones lost after a few days in my fridge even though they were stored in liquid in the airtight container. Also, is it me, or has anyone else noticed that baby bocconcini have little nipples, and a very breast-like firmness? I can't be the only one, considering I'm one of the less breast-obsessed people that I've met... I also served some meat sticks at the party - pork satays with a spicy peanut sauce.

Anyhow, I think I could really run with this food on a stick thing. Long before I ever saw this party dish idea, I thought it would be great to do a deconstructed pesto bite with a basil leaf wrapped around a pine nut embedded chunk of reggiano...that would be great on a stick! The possibilities are endless. Inspiration also comes from a great little downtown Japanese restaurant I tried recently, specializing in stuff on a stick. Let's have another round of "Name That Vancouver Restaurant!" Will anyone break the 87 minute record?

Am I Being Too Cru-el? I'll Have to Go Again To Decide.

Let me set the scene. I arrived 15 minutes early and ahead of the rest of my party on a Tuesday night, but the room was already bustling with pretty people laughing and drinking, and our reserved table was already to go. I had really been looking forward to this dinner, having heard many great things ahead of time, and had been meaning to try it out for a while, but unfortunately, I didn't feel welcomed right away since I sat down at the table indicated but was not offered a menu or a glass of water or asked if I wanted to order a drink. Really, just the menu would have made me happy. He had helped me get settled with hanging up my coat, so I hadn't been completely ignored, and he knew I was there. I made the eye contact with my waiter patiently assuming that he would see that I was sitting alone and unoccupied at my table with nothing offered, and in mid-range/fine dining, usually that's all it takes for a server to think, "hey, something's up, better go check," but that didn't work. Yes, I was waiting for the rest of my party, and it was a few minutes before the reservation, but I think it's just a matter of hospitality to see if I want anything while I'm waiting. I started getting irked, and finally gave up on the eye contact signal, because he just blankly looked at me looking at him, and then went back to checking on all the other tables. I finally started flagging him down, and managed to get his attention. The "frantic waving" of my hand probably clued him in that I was overlooked and he apologized, and I worked on not letting the lapse ruin the rest of my evening. I did however watch his behaviour when another partial party arrived afterwards, and there he was seating them with menus in hand, very welcoming. He presented me the wine list as if I would have never heard of such a thing before. Now, I think I "clean-up" pretty well, and I had, as usual, thoroughly researched the place out before arrival, but I got the distinct impression that he threw me automatically into the category of very unimportant person. So started my meal at Cru (1459 W. Broadway, just east of Granville St.). Surprised? I certainly was. I had heard only raves about this place, knew it was run by a husband (front) and wife (chef) team, and the husband had actually extended a kind welcome to me in an online forum. Yes, it's always a dangerous thing to go into something with high expectations. While it may seem a minor slip, I believe the arrival is key to setting the tone for the entire evening, and if it's a service procedure there to not pay any attention to a table until they have all arrived, then it needs to be changed immediately. When I asked for a menu and then a glass of water, he laid out the menus and water for my whole table so I'm suspecting that it either threw him off his procedure that I was there first, or he was just trying to minimize coming back to our table in the future by setting down all the waters, or both. I tried asking his opinion on a pairing, and he interrupted me halfway into my sentence and said "Wouldn't you like to wait until your party arrives before you order?" I wasn't trying to order. I was just trying to get some information to help me make my decisions. His introduction of the wine list needs to be tweaked a little too so it doesn't sound condescending (The "This here's called a wine list. You might not get these where you're from..." tone needs to be banished no matter who you are talking to). Granted, Cru's wine list is something pretty unique - it's colour-coded in categories, and each item on their small plates and prix fixe menu has one or two category pairing suggestions, so it does demand explaining. And there's no way to tell whether a diner knows about the format or not, which is why one shouldn't assume either way. Not to harp on the breakfast waitress thing, but this is a classic example of what I was ranting about in a previous post. I dare you to walk into any breakfast joint - I'm talking even a Denny's - tell the hostess that you're waiting for more people to come, and yet not get offered a menu or glass of water or a drink while you're waiting within the first 5 minutes...eye contact or not, Denny's regular or not, big breakfast spender or not. This always astounds me that I can get worse service for a meal that I am literally paying ten times the money, and therefore ten times the tip. One last service slip to note. We decided to share all of our dishes, and do one prix fixe set, and other small plates. When we ordered our set, we knew we wanted to get the brown butter almond cake, and ordered it. He disregarded it, and said "we can do that later." Later in the evening when we were ordering dessert, we hadn't realized how much he had disregarded it, because we added on a lemon tart, thinking he already knew we wanted the almond cake too. My dining companion said "we'll add on the lemon tart" to indicate this, but I guess we should have said in addition to the almond cake we already ordered. It was just another little indication that he didn't care to really pay attention to us, unless it was part of his plan. Adaptability is key. A server who is really in tune with us would have clarified at that point, and checked to see if we didn't want the almond cake anymore if that was what he was thinking. I will note that I have the greatest respect for servers, and I know that the job requires a lot more skill than people generally give them credit for, and it's a lovely thing to watch when the pros have everything under control. I would love to go back and see the entire service at Cru gel together smoothly. And believe it or not, I'm pretty forgiving when human error and accidents happen, especially when it's busy. What I don't care for is snobby attitude, coldness, or assumptions about the type of diner you are. In this case, it was hard to tell which it was. He did apologize for his obvious lapses, so it may be inexperience, just being swamped, or a somewhat inflexible nature, and not snobbiness that was affecting the service. At any rate, With the service out of the way, we can now talk about the food and the room, which were both very nice.

I love their cushioned benches with pillows. The small room is elegant, and comfortable. It's like sitting on mini cushy couches, but with just the right height and enough back support to eat at a table. They made me wish I had some table-couches for my dining table at home. The food itself is also elegant, as is the colour coded pairing system of the menus. There are no rules though, just helpful suggestions, so feel free to veer away from the system. Maybe my bristles were up due to the service, but I found the dishes overall to be nice (with some definite highlights), but sometimes unspectacular. I had read online what a wonderful dish the smoked tuna below, and I liked it, but I enjoyed the beef tenderloin carpaccio with caperberries much more. Wine pairing can change the experience of a dish dramatically, so perhaps the surprising chianti pairing that they had it with was a factor, or I'm just plain missing something, and would appreciate it more with a more sophisticated palate. I had mine with the chardonnay that the server picked for me. My dining companions also preferred the beef carpaccio. And now I'm wondering where one can buy caperberries. The three course prix fixe menu is quite a good deal at $36, with lots of options for each course. The three of us shared one of those, and a few dishes off the tapas menu. When the appetizer dishes started coming out, we looked at them, and thought that we would still be hungry (particularly seeing the oysters) and would need to order quite a bit more, but the meal was surprisingly filling by the end of it all.



Smoked Albacore Tuna, with beets, truffle vinaigrette and crispy shallots $12



Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio
with caperberries, truffle aioli and shaved parmesan (on the prix fixe menu)



Half-dozen local Oysters, cornmeal-crusted and fried, with tartar sauce $12



Herb-crusted New Zealand Lamb Loin
provencal-style tart and haricots vert $24

This lamb was perfectly cooked. It's a nice solid dish.



Syrah braised Beef Short Rib with macaroni and cheese $15

The short rib was wonderfully rich, tender, and flavourful, and the cute little mac and cheese was tasty and just a perfect little partner for the beef. It was probably my favourite of the night, along with the beef carpaccio. I ordered a zinfandel without asking for the wine pairing list again, and regretted not checking the list.


Brown Butter Almond Cake

I liked this almond cake quite a bit. It's served with a nice honey buttermilk ice sorbet that tastes a bit like creme fraiche. Somehow my photo of the lemon tart disappeared, but it was really tart, as lemon tart fans seem to prefer, with quite a substantial crust, which seemed to balance the sourness a bit. I'm not really a lemon tart person, so it was a bit too tart for me, and I was recently spoiled by a lemon tart that really grabbed me. I haven't let go of my memory of the Nu lemon tart that had a beautifully thin crust, and a wonderful delicateness to it. Our capuccinos were quite good.

In the end, I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this restaurant a second time if the opportunity comes up, and I'm interested in splurging on a night of both food and drink. If I get a bit of a cold shoulder a second time, I'll know better for a third. Perhaps it didn't live up to my admittedly too high expectations going in, and it hasn't quite won me over entirely yet, but I definitely enjoyed and appreciated what they are doing there, and love their menu concept.

You're Invited To a Birthday Party!

On January 30th, 2006, Nancyland, Vancouver Foodie Fun, turns one! It's as good as an excuse as any for a group dinner, and the very first official Nancylander meet. What I would like to do is invite everyone out the next day on Tuesday, January 31st, at 6:30 pm to Yuji's Japanese Tapas (2059 W. 4th Ave., at Maple St.), one of my favourite restaurant discoveries from this year of eating, drinking, and blogging. Email me if you are interested, and can make a definite committment, and I will set up a reservation of up to 8 people for my table. I don't think that Yuji's will take a reservation greater than that. After my table is filled, then I will encourage all others to book yourselves directly with Yuji's (604.734.4990) in individual tables. It's a small room, so even if our tables aren't touching, I'm sure we can get a chance to chat. Perhaps you can ask to be seated close to my table. I won't be explaining the website to the staff, and instead just putting my reservation under "Nancy." Separate tables and reservations also makes it easy for everyone to pay their own bills. Please, out of courtesy for Yuji's, reserve early, honour your reservations, and give them as much warning as possible if you make any changes. I noticed tonight that they have a maximum capacity of 46. Please email me also if you've made a separate reservation and going to participate so I know who to be looking out for. And here's a silly cult-like touch: please wear a string or ribbon tied to your wrist and keep it visible at the restaurant, so that we can all identify each other without bothering strangers that are just trying to eat their meal in peace at the restaurant. Either that, or draw a big N on your forehead. Please realize also that we may wind up making them a lot busier than they normally would be that night, so please be forgiving with the service. If this meet doesn't come together, I'll notify everyone interested, so please leave an email address that I can reach you at. Here is my first visit post and my second visit post.

My third visit tonight was great. I had the wasabi tempura chicken again ($6.00), a grilled eggplant with nameko mushroom sauce ($6.00) from the weekly special sheet, and Taka-san's daily roll creation. Today's roll from their "special roll man" was $14.50, which actually consisted of three different rolls, each with a different coloured tobiko, all beautifully presented together. One roll had barely seared tuna with black bean sauce, chili sauce, and green onion over a roll of avocado, and light green tobiko speckled rice. Another was crab and mango rolled in orange tobiko speckled rice. And I think the third was a salmon skin and asparagus rolled in dark green tobiko speckled rice. I finished the meal off with lychee ice cream ($3). Their menu now has drink suggestions for each item or group of items now, and they have an extensive list of sakes, as well as a wine list. I'd love to introduce this restaurant to anyone who hasn't been yet - it's innovative, fresh, interesting, and gracious.

It's Natto So Bad After All...

Salmon and His Seven Friends (with his buddy Natto at the 8 o'clock position in this photo). From Guu with Otokamae

Okay, I finally did it! I tried natto, the infamous fermented soy beans in Japanese cuisine that sit in their own rotting slime. I've seen it referred to as "vegetable cheese" on a website, but somehow that doesn't make the whole thing sound any more appetizing to me. When a few are picked up with chopsticks, long strands of slime cling to the beans and drape down from them. I had watched Anthony Bourdain on television force down some sticky natto on his show, A Cook's Tour, and talk/write about it with repulsion, and this is from a man who travelled around the world to seek out odd things to eat. And didn't James Barber once refer to it as graduate level ethnic eating? And read what this blogger has to say about a box of the stuff! Even a Japanese friend of mine who has been exposed to it since childhood in her family, had told me she is disgusted by the stuff, and hates the taste. With all this background knowledge, I was prepared for the worst. Well, guess what, it really wasn't that vile. I wouldn't go as far to say that I enjoyed the taste, but it was surprisingly mild in flavour. Yes, it was stringy and slimy and looked generally unappetizing, but a little slime has never stopped me from touching a slug...

This gastronomic adventure took place in Guu with Otokomae in Gastown (105-375 Water Street, Vancouver, Tel: 604 685-8682. The Guu website seems to be down at the moment). Natto is included in the dish "Salmon and His Seven Friends," along with deep fried garlic chips, minced cucumber, fried wonton wrapper bits, green onion, and japanese pickles. These are all presented separately on a plate, so I was able to sample the natto alone first. Then you mix the cubes of salmon with the seven ingredients (plus a raw egg if you want it) together, and roll a scoop of the mixture up in a sheet of nori to eat with your hands. We opted not to have the raw egg. I ate the dish, but as I went along, I decided it really wasn't for me, and I won't be ordering it again. Too many friends at the party for my taste, and Salmon seems to get lost in the mix. But it was all worthwhile, because I finally tried the dreaded natto, and discovered what the fuss is all about. Potato Salad Boy didn't mind it too much either, surprisingly enough.

Potato Salad Boy and I had a few other dishes, including edamame, slices of pork tenderloin, some rice cakes (that's miso paste slathered on one of them in the photo below, served with some pickles), and okonomiyaki, sometimes referred to as Japanese pizza because of the multiple toppings in the eggy batter. As well, I had one of my all-time favourite Vancouver restaurant desserts - deep fried mochi balls (pounded rice) with a sweet black sesame filling. And we had to have a couple of their funky cocktails too, which is a fun part of the Gastown Guu compared to the other two. Floating in mine were frozen balls of lychee juice. Service was very hospitable, as always, and the meal was very satisfying.


Rice Cakes, one with Miso



Okonomiyaki

If you've tried natto before, I encourage you to share your thoughts. If you haven't, I challenge you to try it. In fact, here's a recipe for homemade natto for you rot-it-yourselfers out there (ick, check out the lovely photos, and questions like "White film is made around of bean. Is it normal?" Worse yet, the answer to this question is "Yes."). What's that? You want more fun with bacteria? Try making your own creme fraiche at home. I've done this with good results, but try it at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any consequences of growing these bacterial cultures!