The Good Eats and The Bad...

Hey Guys, I know it's been far too long since I've posted but for many reasons! Major reason is that to my surprise, I've been very uninspired to boast about ANY food I've had lately-and that's not good! I love the experience of dining, it could be anything from fancy to fast food but if it ain't good well it just ain't good! So anyway, I feel it's my duty to let you know which place to stay away from also if the experience was horrendous.

Here we go-

The other day I decided to stop at Moxie's downtown on West Georgia for their advertised $3 Margarita Thursdays. So i'm like "Ok, it's a good deal let's go see what they have to offer on the side of this Margarita." I entered the place at a very non busy hour. However there was no greeting, no hostess, no one acknowledging there were guests to be seated. So we decided after a good 7 mins of being invisible to seat ourselves in the booth section. We placed our order and the Margaritas were great, super tasty and refreshing just like one should be. We had the Hawaiian Honey and Mango Margarita.

We then got our food, I had the Grilled Cheese and Lobster Sandwich. Looked really good and the first bite was actually great...except for then I turned the sandwich around and see a section of mold on the grilled bread. I notify the waiter (who was very courteous) and his face just turned red in embarrassment as he offered to bring the menu back to me to select something else. I declined respectfully since I had lost my appetite. I'm a pretty reasonable client in a restaurant, though I have never worked in the industry I understand it can be a difficult job and never gave them a hard time but C'MON! Mold? Completely unacceptable standards!

Behold- The Grilled Cheese, Lobster & Mold Sandwich- Mmmm!

Wasabi Tuna Tartar

What's really too bad is that they have a pretty great dish called Wasabi Tuna Tartar. It's Tuna sashimi bits mixed with a bit of wasabi and other ingredients like avocado, served with crisp thin baguette chips. My thoughts were immediately how could I ever return to a place that served me moldy bread for anything? Especially a raw dish like the Tartar! It was really good but after that awful experience I think I will get my Tartar fix elsewhere seeing as I do not have a lack of choice in this city. I'll let you guys decide, although I'm sure you're with me on this one!


On to the GOOD EATS!

I was running errands downtown last week and needed something quick, fast and for whatever reason I was really craving a good hot dog. I look around and saw this place that I had yet to try called Dougie Dog on Granville Street. Supposedly this place is good as per all these celebrity endorsers posted on their wall. Celebrities like Zach Efron and Jason Alexander love the joint and I had to see what the hype was about.

I ordered their specialty house made Butterscotch Root Beer (pictured above). It is sooo good. The best root beer I've had. It's got this sweet butterscotch aroma to it with a crisp, peppy finish. Really different for a softdrink, but good different. For the dog, I ordered the Coney Island Dog, which is their signature dog topped with house made chili, onions and mustard. I thought it was really tasty and nothing like I've had here in Vancouver...it's more like American food. As much I liked the Coney Island Dog, I think next time I'll take it the traditional way without all the toppings because their sausage dog itself, is really delicious...almost like a breakfast sausage but still more savory like a hot dog should be. The owner of the place is a very passionate guy who rocks this bleach blond hair do (you can't miss it). He's very hands on with his business and interacts with his clients the way an owner should. Awesome service, and although he was very busy he still made sure to waive us off as we left and thanked us for coming in. Now that's a good way to ensure returning business! Good service but most importantly- Good food!

PS- They've got a dog dedicated to our hometown boys- The Kanucks Dog which is:

"This delicious and colorful creation, inspired by the Canucks logo, includes 2 strips of bacon, an all natural wiener, melted cheese, neon green relish, and mustard - plus a healthy sprinkling of ketchup chips." Go get yours while the Nucks are in the Finals! If they win the cup it will remain on their permanent menu!

The Coney Island Dog with a side of homemade fries.

www.dougiedog.com
1011 Granville Street

Awesome Vietnamese Food at Joyeux Cafe

Im a huge fan of Vietnamese food, especially Pho which is a brothy, usually beef soup with rice noodles. Ever since moving downtown, my Pho consumption went on the decline lol...I suddenly stopped going to my old favorite spot called Pho Tam, in Surrey because it was too far.

Eventually after a few disappointing visits to other so called Vietnamase restaurants in the downtown area, I came across Joyeux Cafe. Well it's no wonder I've never been there for Viet food, the name sounds more like a French Cafe! The menu will truly surprise you with its eclectic range of choices. There's almost something for everyone. Western breakfasts are served along with fresh fruit juices blended right from their fruit bar. The long list of Vietnamese dishes is great. They've got different kinds of Pho, Vermicelli and Grilled Meat dishes, Spring Rolls, Salad Rolls and more. They also serve Spicy Crispy Wings and ones with Tamarin sauce as well as unexpected dishes like fish and chips! I haven't yet ventured into their non-Vietnamese foods yet. I'm sure I will be a regular there though since I'm so stoked to find a great Vietnamese Soup place. They come few and far between in the downtown core! I'm glad I don't have to commute to Kingsway to get a good bowl of Pho anymore.

I tried their Shrimp Wonton with Egg Noodle Soup. Delicious! Perfect for the cold May days, especially on the day I went. The broth is full of flavour and the wontons are wrapped with big pieces of shrimps. I also got their iced drip coffee with condensed milk which was very tasty.

Another dish of theirs that's really great is the Vermicelli with Grilled Lemon Grass Pork (see image below). It's super fresh and tastes amazing. The price range is good, coming in at about $8- $10 per dish. The service is also great, servers are polite and quick. I definitely recommend this place to the Vietnamese Food lover. Oh and by the way, they deliver! How dangerous...

551 Howe St, Vancouver BC
(604)-681-9168
www.joyeaux-cafe-restaurant.com

The Ultimate Asian Fried Rice

So I call this creation The Ultimate, the mother of all asian fried rice because it's seriously the best fried rice I've ever tasted. Now it may be a conflict of interest that I say this since I did make it LOL...but honestly I think I'm a damn good food critic and this rice wont dissapoint.

The reason why I call it The Ultimate Asian Fried Rice is because it borrows the influence of many different asian cuisines like Chinese, Thai and Cambodian etc.

So what you do is first cook the rice and have that ready. Then you begin making the sauce from scratch by grinding galangal which is a very aromatic root in the same family as ginger. Grind it finely with a clove of garlic, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and red thai chilis. This gives you this delicious smelling blend of herbs.

The image above shows the galangal, lemon grass and red chilis I used for the blend, the store ran out of kaffir lime leaves so I used lime zest instead this time.

After, you take the blend of herbs and fry it in some peanut or canola oil (8 tablespoons or so), add a heaping tablespoon of paprika for color and smoke, also add some oyster sauce, a bit of sugar, pepper and soy sauce. Add the small pieces of prawns, diced white onion and snap peas in the mix and stir until its all cooked. Add the white rice in and stir. The rice will take the color of the paprika blend. If you like you can add diced BBQ pork for a full meal. I did that this time and it was really good.

At the end of your hard work and labour you get this amazing fresh tasting fried rice that you can't get anywhere. When you take every bite you taste the different ingredients pulled together to make this one tantalizing rice dish.

Fish and Chips @ Pivo Public House

The other day I was craving Fish and Chips and happened to have found it right near my place at a spot called Pivo. It's a cute little pub on Abbott St in Tinseltown, right in the heart of Canuck Nation. It gets busy when there's a hockey game and their food doesn't disappoint. Check out their version of Fish and Chips! It's so cute and creative. It's true when they say your eyes feast first and I definitely appreciate a well presented dish.

As you can see they serve the bite sized battered fish pieces on a stick. Its presented with their "Kennebec Fries" (they're good!) and roasted lemon.

Pivo Public House offers an array of other pub foods that you might expect to find but the great part is that they add a contemporary modern twist on all of them. The staff is friendly and the environment is cozy, almost like you're walking into a friend's house to watch the game and nosh on some good grub. Try it out, prices are decent too, between $8-$15.

www.pivopublichouse.com

Sanpachi Ramen Japanese Noodle Bar

I tried a new Ramen house on Bute St. There's not many that serve decent bowls of Japanese broth goodness, but this one does. It's called Sanpachi Ramen Japanese Boodle Bar. I got the Miso Ramen with a side of Mayo Nori. The service is very good, the waitresses are super polite and courteous, always on the ball with your drinks. The Miso Ramen was delicious, the noodles were perfectly chewy. They add toppings such as bamboo, chop suey, corn and butter. Yes butter. No wonder it's so tasty! The pork slices that are served in the rich broth are tender and juicy. I didn't care too much for the Mayo Nori, it was shredded pork in mayo wrapped in seaweed and rice. It was kind of dry and I found it irrelevant on the side of the very delicious Miso Ramen bowl.

If you get a chance stop by Sanpachi Ramen for a hot bowl of Ramen done right, It's awesome on these cold days that are still lingering around...(where the heck is the good spring weather?). It's definetly a comfort food/dish in my books. Only $8.25 on my tab, minus tax and tip.

Sanpachi Ramen Japanese Noodle Bar
770 Bute Street
604-609-9938

My OMG Curry Wings.

Hot wings, boring. BBQ wings, blah...I love wings but the flavors get redundant sometimes. I made wings last night for dinner and decided to create a new sauce with whatever I had in the fridge. the result was genius...oh yeah. I call it the OMG Curry Wings. They're super tasty and way cooler than your generic wings. So I mixed some melted butter with red thai curry paste, added lime juice and zest, with some honey and a tad of soy sauce. I deep fried the floured wings to a crisp and tossed them in the sauce, and garnished with a lot of finely chopped cilantro. OMG. Sooo good.

Gastown's Terra Cotta Modern Chinese Restaurant

If you love Chinese food, there's a restaurant called Terra Cotta in Gastown that serves "modern chinese" cuisine.

Food is amazing, service is even better. I ordered the Shanghai Noodles, Buddha Rolls which is a crispy bean curd roll with 4 kinds of mushrooms (very tasty), also ordered the BBQ Duck wraps. I saw these wraps featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and never thought I'd be able to find anything close to that here in Canada...but I did at this awesome little place that my girlfriend introduced me to.

(Above) Shanghai Noodles

(Above) Mushroom Buddha Rolls (Great pick for vegetarians, I'm very much a carnivore but this still beats any sort of rolls I've had)

(Below) The BBQ Duck Wraps are delicious! The duck is tender and juicy, there's green onions and cucumbers inside. It goes well with the sweet Hoisin sauce. Perfect combo.

The service is on point, the waitress is very friendly and makes sure you always have everything you need. I met the owner, Eric Low, who clearly knows what hospitality is all about. Plus, I love the little chinese food take out boxes they use for the take home portions!

www.terracottavancouver.com

Spot Prawn Sashimi...DIY

Living on the west coast by the ocean means fresh seafood pretty much all the time for reasonable prices. One of my faves is the BC Spotted Prawn. I guess you have to wait til its in season but lucky me the season is now. I got exactly 6 for some Do It Yourself Prawn Sashimi.

I was inspired by a place called Hapa Izakaya on Robson Street, downtown Vancouver. That's where I first tried this dish over a year ago. Amaebi Sashimi is what the Japanese call it. At Hapa the presentation is killer...they serve 5 Amaebi's in a tiny metal shopping basket looking thingy...so cute. The head is intact with the rest of the prawn peeled except for the tail. Keep in mind this is completely raw. But that's what makes it so good. I find most seafood to taste best in its natural state, just raw with a little soy sauce. So you pull the head off and dip the prawn in a soy sauce mixed with wasabi. The taste is delicious and sweet, believe it or not. The texture is what I like the best, its almost creamy and it definitely has that snap when you first bite into it that a good prawn sashimi should have. At Hapa once you eat the Amaebi Sashimi you can request to flash fry the heads (this is a free, off menu request) :). The result is a Japanese delicacy. Super crispy deep fried Prawn heads. It's really not for those who don't absolutely love seafood! But let me tell you something, it's one of the best things I've ever eaten.

So anyway, I didn't feel like going to Hapa, I made my own. I'm not a fan of preparing live food. It freaks me out a little, but you can't eat non live seafood raw. I've seen a YouTube video of this asian guy just eating the prawn live and kicking! I'm not that extreme. I learned how to prepare the Spot Prawn Sashimi by watching my favorite Chef, Japanese world renowned Iron Chef Morimoto.

What you do is flash boil the prawn for 3 seconds only, then you throw them into an ice bath. And there you go, you're almost done already! I seperated the heads and coated it with rice flour and flash fried those. I de-veined the prawns and that was it. Just like that it was ready to eat. The contrast between the fried and raw is genius for your palette. Try it, it's damn good. Below is my homemade version:

Taco Bell Who? Try La Taquiera Pinche Taco Shop...

Have you guys seen the latest Taco Bell commercial on TV? It's their rebuttal to the recent public discovery that we haven't ever really been buying real beef when ordering their tacos but rather a substitute called "Taco Meat Filling". Mmmmm. How delicious does that sound? After reading about their "beef" actually having just 35 percent beef, with the remaining 65 percent containing water, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent and corn starch, I immediately stopped going to any fake Mexican, North Americanized fast food chains and that included Taco Time.

Now their commercial just sort of creep me out. They're trying to lure people with the free tacos! While I'm sure alot of people don't care and will still go and get free tacos, I think i'm gonna stay away from that for a awhile!

Anyway, so I recently I had a craving for some real Mexican food. That's when my fiancé introduced me to this Taco place called La Taquiera Pinche Taco Shop.

Located on 322 W Hastings in downtown Vancouver, this little shop's got alot of swagger. The front is graced by Our Lady of Guadalupe painted tattoo style. The first thing you notice about this place is that it's small but really busy, we lined up right at the door. The menu gives you an extensive range of choice for different tacos. There's chicken, beef, pork and even fish. I went with the weirdest thing on the menu because that's what I always do. I ordered De Lengua (which is braised pemberton meadows beef tongue). No really, it's so good! Other 2 tacos I ate were Carnitas (Pork confit with pickled red onion)and Asada (grilled AAA flank beef with cucumber).

Omg, so good. These tacos are legit. The soft corn tortillas were awesome. The real meat filling was even better! They add this cilantro lime and onion salsa on the meat and have this tomatillo salsa verde sauce (green chilli salsa is what I think it is) you can put on yourself. This place was inspired by authentic Taco Shops in Mexico. They just opened in 2009 but business is looking good for these guys. Thanks to the best tacos you can find in Vancouver. Why in the world eat mysterious meat tacos, when you can get the real deal Holyfield right at La Taquiera Pinche Taco Shop. It's 9.50 for 4 tacos. Not bad I say.

www.lataqueria.ca

Kickin' Off The Day Right!

Good Morning Lovelies...I woke up with an unbelievable hunger this morning. Almost felt like I hadn't ate last night for dinner! I could have been thrifty and baked the thick cut bacon in the fridge, made my usual over easy eggs and all that jazz but....nah!! I live near so many quirky food gems, I decided to pay a visit to one of my favorites literally next door to my place. It's called Medina's.

Got me the "La Santé" platter for breakfast...which translates to "Health". Look at it. Isn't it just divine? It tastes as good as it looks. The platter consists of a perfectly medium well done hard boiled organic egg with a teeny pile of sea salt and pepper, 4 slices of grilled croutons/mini baguette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a creamy black olive and tomato paste with basil (which goes with the croutons), smoked prosciutto and 2 quarters of ripe avocado tossed in a salt and pepper vinagrette. A perfect polygamy marriage of food ;) This can be easily duplicated for an impressive breakfast you can entertain your guests with. Very European, very chic, clean and yummm.

Okay, enough with the healthy part of breakfast. Check this out: The small, but very perfect Medina Waffle. It's lightly crunchy on the outside but fluffy and moist inside. Great when paired with their freshly brewed Americano. Delicious.

If you appreciate charming and methodically thought out ambiances while you dine like I do, this place is just that. They even have a cooking school right down the street called The Dirty Apron. I pass by it frequently and its whimsical name and look always peaks my interest. I will have to check it out sometime.

Seafood for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner please!

If not one way, it's another! It seems I always find a way to incorporate seafood into my daily diet. And who says you can't? It's so good and for the most part not bad for your health. There's endless ways I can think of to eat seafood. Fried, steamed, boiled, pan seared, BBQ'd...oh man, I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump. He knew what he was talkin' about though!

Breakfast of Champs:
Dungeoness Crab English Muffin with Hollandaise Sauce
Where: 13 Coins - Seattle, Washington
This breakfast was delicious, rich with the creamy hollandaise sauce over the flaky, moist crab. Good stuff.




Gourmet Seafood Lunch in a Food Court? Yup.
Where: Place Montreal Trust Mall Food Court, I believe is whats it's called. I don't remember the name of this hidden gourmet Italian place tucked away and hidden among the common, cheap food court franchises. When I find the name I will re-post. This Paella is served on a posh square platter as if you were in a real restaurant. It's loaded with calamari, clams and big prawns you just wouldn't expect to get in a food court. The rice is done perfectly, moist and very flavorful.




Crab Dinner Made at Home:
When you crave a specific dish moms used to make, you won't find it anywhere. You just gotta make it yourself. That's just what happened last week when the usual sudden craving of seafood hit me after a long day at work. Good thing I live above an Asian market with a good seafood selection! So I went and bought one of these suckers and had it cut to about 6 pieces. Dusted it with rice flour and deep fried it. Then made a cream sauce by mixing a few teaspoons of Knorr wonton mix in a wok with 10% cream, added garlic, ginger slices and scallions. Ta-da!! Coat the fried crab with the sauce and book off the next hour! You will be licking your fingers til its all gone.

And it begins! The tiniest gem in Montreal...

So, I just got back from Montreal not too long ago. My sister who is an equally food obsessed hunter for the most unique and delicious culinary experiences, brought me to this lil joint on famous St-Catherine's street called Kazu. (What can I say, like sister like sister!) It's an authentic, Izakaya, fusion restaurant that serves amazing Japanese food! Oh and it's Japanese owned...I always say you can't call it authentic if the owner/chef is not the of the same culture of the food served. Just my opinion.

Anyway, the food is friggin' delish. I had the beef carpacio sliced ever so thinly that it soaks up the savoury sauce drizzled over it in a matter of seconds. Sooo yum. Melt in your mouth good. Okay you get the point. If you get a chance, go there, but you have been warned: GO EARLY. Or risk waiting outside for a looong time my friend. You don't wanna be that guy that looks through the window in severe food envy. Ugh i hate those guys! It's like let me eat in peace, and stop gawking at me like you haven't eaten for a week please, okay thanks. This place, no word of a lie is like the size of my bathroom. Hope you dont mind a little bump here and there. They got their menus items written out by hand with crayola markers pinned right on the wall--all over the wall. Other dishes we ate were the Gyoza and Salmon Sashimi Salad just to name a few. It's always packed so they're doing somethin special to that food where people are still willing to wait for hours, get bumped into every 5 minutes and pay a more than decent price to eat their small but taste tantalizing dishes.

Welcome to The Food Love Affair...

Tell me you don't love food as much as I do? Betcha can't. There's no one out there that doesn't at least LOVE food...I'll bet on that! I'm obsessed, I think about it, cook it, eat it, savour it and photograph it...it's art in my eyes. Art with a benefit. What in the world could be better? I don't think any of you could pick me out of a line up as the mastermind behind this delicious food chronicle/memoir...why? Because I'm a twenty something woman standing at 5'6" weighing at 110 lbs. The joke I've heard all my life is, "Hey you should eat something, you're too skinny!"...well, I guess it wasn't really a joke, more of a rude ignorant comment LOL...but hey, they clearly don't know me as you will soon get to see :) So welcome to my blog, tell your friends and your friends' friends about it!

Happy viewing and see you again soon ;)

S