A quick and easy dessert!

I watch too much Food Network.

Really I do.

Well not as much as I used to; but I still watch a decent amount. So whenever I see the chefs make something that peak my interest, I always make a mental note to either try it later or look the recipe up so I can make it in the future. This particular one comes from one of my favorite FN chefs, the lovely Giada De Laurentiis.

I’ve been watching her and her shows since 2007 and frankly, I never get tired of her. Even if she doesn’t use a lot of different adjectives to describe whatever she’s making, she still somehow manages to make it sound delicious. She’s adorable! From the all the shows she’s done, I’d like to see more of Giada’s Weekend Getaways. I almost feel like I’m on vacation with her whenever I watch.

Anyway, back to the recipe. I made an Affogato! All you really need for this is 2 key. You can just add whatever ingredient you love to have once you build this.

Traditionally, this is made with gelato and a shot of hot espresso. If you’re really into coffee, you’re probably going to have some expensive brand of coffee. That works too, but I only have a regular blend and a vanilla ice cream from the local grocery store.

Giada also made hers with whipped cream. I didn’t have whipped cream, so I didn’t include it. But if you have it and you want that s*** to go straight to your thighs, go on ahead and cream away and want to use it, be my guest .

SO! Make some espresso for yourself (and possibly more if you’re planning on serving more than just yourself). While waiting, prepare your glass/mug and scoop a generous amount of gelato or vanilla ice cream into your dish. You can also start whipping that cream if you’re planning on using it.

When the coffee is ready, simply pour a generous amount into the ice cream! Like so

Look at me being all Messy Jessie!

But that’s it! So easy and simple.

Like I already mentioned, if you want to add something else to jazz it up, feel free to do so. I served 5 of those and I put in something different for each one.

• Chopped walnuts
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Hint of Maple Syrup
• Crushed Oreo Cookies

We all loved it obviously.

As you can see the sky is the limit with these toppings. Here are a few more suggestions:

• Use flavored ice cream if you want to. I’d be careful about using fruit flavored ice cream though. Mango Ice cream might not sit well with espresso.
• Wafer sticks
• Candy Sprinkles
• Caramel drizzle
• Chocolate shavings (will probably melt right away when you drop it, but who cares!)

And whatever else you can think of.

Enjoy! And let me know if you tried a topping that I didn’t include here.

From Spain With Love

At least once or twice a week as I prepare to head to work, I catch Food Network’s From Spain with Love hosted by one very enchanting Annie Sibonney. Annie has traveled around the world immersing herself in various cultures and enriching her palate. In the last few years, she has focused her attention to Spain and its grand cuisine.

Who wouldn’t? I’d travel all around Spain just for the sake of traveling. But to travel, be hooked up to the best cuisine Spain has to offer, and be paid to do it? Anyone would be a fool to refuse.

There’s something about the way she talks and the way she presents herself that I like. She’s quite charismatic and she has good diction. With all these compliments flying left and right, you’d be surprised to know I didn’t used to think that way.

Ms Annie. Img from http://iwatchanythingontv.wordpress.com/2011/05/

I think all these new Food Network “stars” are just a load of ****. They’re so inauthentic and commercial; it just leaves a sour taste in mah mouth. It just seems so fake. Sure they’re real chefs or cooks, but they obviously want the fame and recognition. Otherwise they’d be content to sticking to their restaurant or catering business.

So when I first saw Annie’s show, I immediately thought “Oh great, another one…” and couldn’t help but have that attitude right away. But when I started to see the content of her show and what she talks about, I realize it’s not like many Food Network shows out right now. Sure it’s not original, but it’s presented in a way that’s engaging and makes you want to watch ’til the very end.

Here’s a clip from the show the other day

 

This almost reminds me of David Rocco’s La Dolce Vita (also LOVE that show) and Spain on the Road Again, with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. I enjoy shows like these, as it’s not just being in the kitchen and cooking meals in 30 minutes or 1 hour. I also get a taste of the local culture and lifestyle.

 

This episode is about fire and its significance in Spanish cuisine. You’re probably thinking “well of course you need fire to cook it, duh”. To you sir, shut up and watch it. We do it here in North America, but there’s something about it being done in a European country.

I could probably watch her for hours. Wish I could have a job like hers!

 

 

Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant

I love sushi.

I say it all the time to my friends, family, myself and to anyone who would listen.

Well I just actually love Japanese cuisine in general.

So when my birthday rolled around, my family took me to eat at Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant in Richmond. I wasn’t expecting a huge feast when we got there. However since it was my day and they had an all you can eat menu at $20 ish a person, we decided to take that route.

Ninkazu has a modern vibe that I quite enjoyed. It’s not the stereotypical Japanese restaurant like many in the city. The crowd was a mix of young and the not so young, so that made the experience even better for me.

We were asked if we had a reservation (we didn’t have one because I didn’t plan it, obvs) and we didn’t. Thank god we got there early because the tables by the window were all reserved, and it wasn’t busy.

Yet.

Half an hour after we were seated, there was a crowd of people by the entrance all waiting to be seated. Some of them had to wait a while because it got so much busier in the evening.

I digress again.

First thing I noticed when we sat down: this little plate of wasabi:

So cute! Anyway, we proceeded to order from the all you can eat menu. Sashimis, sushis, battered and deep-fried items, soups and desserts.

I found the service to be quite fast. Everything tasted fresh and the quality of the ingredients used was pretty good. With a hungry pack and such delicious food, we had to order round 2.

After the dust settled on this  food riot, I saw how much we ordered and was so surprised we consumed this much. I’ve never eaten this much food in my life!

• Miso soup
• Salmon Sashimi
• Tuna Sashimi
• Salmon Sashimi
• Tuna Sashimi
• Hokkigai Sushi
• Lobster Sushi
• California Roll
• Avocado Roll
• Alaska Roll
• Dynamite Roll
• New York Steak
• Beef Teriyaki
• Agedashi Tofu
• Chicken Karrage
• Tonkatsu
• Prawn Tempura
• Yam Tempura
• Inari Sushi
• Shark Fin Sushi
• Kappa Maki
• Salmon Maki
• Negitoro Cone
• Chicken Katsudon
• Vegetable Tempura
• Vegetable Samosa
• Spring Roll
• Spicy Salmon Cone
• Short Rib
• Yakitori
• BBQ Chicken Wing
• BBQ Pork
• Oyster Motoyaki
• Chicken Udon
• Fried Rice
• Fruit Jello
• Mango Pudding

And we obviously didn’t just order one of each. We had quantities for most of those items! Can you say food coma? I’m pretty sure I did, like 17 times. We really milked that deal dry. The best part was that it was great food with great company. Perfect combination.

Anyway, I suggest coming down here if you and your friends (or family) love to eat and be social. It’s a great place for kids too.

Terra Breads

Terra Breads is gem hidden in the vicinity of the Olympic Village. I always think that this area isn’t very consumer-geared. By that I mean it’s all offices on one side and homes on another. There isn’t a lot of retail stores around. But I guess this works for them because the people who work in this area appreciate having a haven like Terra Breads.

Located on West 5th by Ontario Street, Terra Breads serves soups, sandwiches, salads, coffees, and pastries for a higher price than your average soup and sandwich stop. But for good reason; their stuff is actually pretty good.

Only one type of soup is available each day; some of which include white bean prosciutto, green pea and mint, black bean and more. I guess this helps people in the decision-making process; if you like the soup, you get it. If you don’t, come back another day.

The savory focaccia works the same way. You only get a selection on certain days. But they do have the cheese and herb focaccia which you can get everyday.

They’re also a bakery; check out the loaves of bread at the background.

Pretty good selection of desserts and pastries.

I should have been a lot more diverse with my selection, but I found that I gravitate towards the paninis and the desserts. From the selection, I’ve tried the Roast Lamb Panini, the Pulled Pork Panini, the Roasted Wild Salmon Panini, and the White Bean with Prosciutto Soup. Even though it doesn’t win on my wallet, it wins on my taste buds.

These paninis start with the spiced bread, then the protein, the choice of vegetable to include in there, and the sauce/dressing. It’s a complex layering of flavors and textures that I truly appreciate. It’s quite the gourmet offering for an area that isn’t surrounded by many gourmet restaurants/shops.

The pastries aren’t anything special, but it was still pretty good.

This area totally needs something like Terra Breads, because I’m sure a lot of people like to grab their coffee and pastry before running to work.

But it’s not just the morning people I see here. I also see quite a bit of people who have business lunches here. It’s really a good spot for anybody who wants to either sit and eat in silence (as they play with their Macs) or talk business with their clients.

Although I don’t come here very often, I like knowing that fresh and delicious gourmet sandwiches is just around the corner. I just have to mentally prep myself to spend $12 for a sandwich and a cookie!

Glowbal Group

Last week my friends Nicole, Cynthia, and I decided to go out for brunch because we haven’t seen each other in a while. Taste of Yaletown was happening at the same time and I told them I’d like to go out and try it, since 1. I love Yaletown and 2. I love dining at Yaletown. It was a great chance to catch up while trying something new.

They had asked me where I wanted to dine so I looked at the list of restaurants that participated and ended up selecting Brix Restaurant. However, upon arrival we found out that they only served dinner. So at the last minute, we decided to go to Glowbal Group.

Seeing that this was such a posh and modern restaurant, I thought that the servers and the people were going to be snooty and stuck up. I could not have been more wrong. From the initial greeting, to being seated, to our server and all the way to when we were exiting, everyone was so pleasant and courteous. I was really pleased with the level of service we received.

As soon as we were seated, we were served complimentary bite sized donuts. To be honest, virtually anything that’s free tastes good 🙂

I seriously wasn’t expecting this. Maybe this only occurs during Sunday brunch? Maybe they serve this at any time of the day? I don’t know. But these powdered goodies were light with a crispy outside and a soft puffy inside.

I was quite happy with one round of complimentary delights. What I wasn’t expecting was to get something else for free: Strawberry Vanilla Milkshakes.

Served in a shot glass, this strawberry vanilla milkshake had chunks of strawberry with a mild vanilla taste. It wasn’t too thick and it was a nice small portion. I definitely think this is great idea because sampling is the best kind of marketing.

After trying to read the menu several times (it was so difficult because we were so busy catching up and there were so many dishes to choose from), we finally decided to get Glowbal Mimosas, Mushroom and Short Rib Satays, the Lobster Benny, the Chorizo Benny (that day’s special), the Crème brûlée trio and the Frosted Beignets + Apple Fritters.

Orange juice with sparkling wine, finished with cassis.

This might have been the right kind of mix for mimosas. I had one in Vegas before and that was much stronger than what Glowbal serves. Mind you, it is Vegas, they probably expect people to want stronger liquor concentrations in their drinks. Anyway, I found this refreshing. It wasn’t too strong and it had a good amount of fizz.

This dish had several components:

• Mushroom Satay, tempura battered and finished with sea salt
• Short Rib Satay, paired with truffle aioli
• Thai Slaw, with daikon and mint. Probs a palate cleanser.

I feel like the Satays are a little on the pricier side; it would have been nice to get another short rib or another mushroom with it. But having said that, the taste and texture does deliver. It makes up for the price factor. The mushroom was hearty and the short rib was very tender. And that aioli… Hot damn that aioli. Made the short rib much more rich and decadent. It was a nice touch.

Although I got two dipping sauces (Ginger White Soya and a Hot Chinese Mustard), I only dipped into the soya sauce. I did try a taste of the mustard so I could taste it get a feel of the taste. The heat got the better of me.

The Thai Slaw is a nice palate cleanser; the sweetness, tartness crunchiness of the apple, mint, daikon and the lemon/lime vinaigrette is a nice compliment to the soft and chewy texture of the short rib and the mushroom.

Lobster Benedict with Atlantic Lobster chunks, Poached Eggs,  Lobster Hollandaise, Crispy Pancetta and Cheddar Biscuit.

I wasn’t blown away by the entire dish, but I still thought it was deelish! The lobster.. oh man.. the lobster. I’m the type of person who always wants more of the specialty dish. If it’s a lobster dish, I want it to be swimming in lobster chunks. But alas, we only got a few chunks. The lobster was moist and tender. It had a flakiness and chewy factor that just melts in mah mouth. Those eggs were nicely poached, and the hollandaise was drizzled all over. It wasn’t an overpowering hollandaise, not too acidic but not too creamy with just the right consistency. I absolutely loved the pancetta; it was the crisp to the chewy textures of the dish. The biscuit seemed a little grainy, but it wasn’t a huge deal. Overall, I loved this dish.

image courtesy of Nicole Kan

This Chorizo Benny was that day’s special. It had Toasted Hash, Fried Chorizo, Poached Eggs covered in Hollandaise.

Again, I don’t think there’s anything special with this dish. But I still think it was good. There was a good amount of both chorizo and hash, and they were in huge filling portions. The runniness of the egg works well with the crunch of the toast, but I wish there was more hollandaise.

We were so full after these but I convinced them to have desserts. I knew they wanted to anyway!

Crème brûlée trio with Vanilla, Hazelnut, and White Chocolate (from L to R) topped with fruit.

The 2 out of 3 crème brûlées I tried were silky and light, not heavy at all. Although, I could barely taste the vanilla and the hazelnut in each. The biscotti was a great addition to the hazelnut brûlée. I absolutely love the combination of the fruit, crispy torched sugar and velvety brûlée.

Frosted Beignets and Apple Fritters

I personally loved this dish because these two desserts had just the right amount of sweetness. The apple fritters were fluffy and I adore the small apple chunks inside. That was a nice surprise! The beignets weren’t to die for, but again just had the right amount of sweetness which I liked. The fruits add an interesting layer of flavor to it too; I highly recommend this dessert.

Overall, my dining experience was lovely. Great service, great food and great atmosphere. Would I come back? Definitely. I know I had said I wanted to try Taste of Yaletown, but we ended up with a more elaborate menu so we ended up with more than just a taste 🙂

Thanks again to my fabulous friends who joined me that day!

Cynthia and Nicole, all smiles on a sunny Sunday

Homemade Chili

When I’m at home, I usually get requests from the folks to cook something for lunch or dinner. I usually have something I want to try (whether I’ve seen it on TV or on foodgawker) or something I’ve cooked in school which I want to cook again.

One evening, I got a special request from my dad to cook chili. I’ve never made chili in my life so I was at a loss. I didn’t even know where to start. So where did I start? Where everyone starts when they don’t know how/where/when/who/what/why something is: Google.

I found that chili recipes are actually pretty easy to make. I combined about 6 or 7 different recipes and made something that utilized ingredients which I had at home.

Note that I changed a few things, but the core ingredients and final result is still the same. Also if you want to try this recipe, make sure to allow enough time to cook this (the recipe called for 6+ hours of simmering it for the flavors to come out and make it more tasty. I didn’t have 6+ hours so I only simmered it for 2).

I had

• Around 3/4 lbs of lean ground beef,
• 6 or 7 Italian sausages
• A bag of kidney beans (98% of the time I don’t measure anything, this is why I’m not a fan of baking), rehydrated overnight.
• 2 large carrots
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 huge green bell pepper
• 5 medium-sized, Roma tomatoes
• A small bowl of frozen green peas
• A medium-sized can of diced tomatoes (again, I apologize for not knowing the exact amount)
• A small can of tomato paste
• A large can of tomato sauce
• A can or bottle of beer (any kind, I just used whatever we had in the fridge. The recommended beer was some sort of lager)
• A few drops of worcestershire sauce
• A sprinkle of chili powder
• A sprinkle of paprika
• A sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil to cook all this

In addition to the chili, I also prepared a toasted baguette with cheese. For this I had

• 1 whole wheat baguette
• Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you have, I just used what’s in the fridge). If you have mozzarella or parmesan or asiago, use that. Just experiment! Use flavors you like
• Butter
• Italian seasoning (or garlic powder, works just as fine)

The first thing I had to do before I started was to make sure the beans are rehydrated. The last thing I wanted was to bite into a half hard bean. Not cool.

I started by heating the oil. After 5 or so minutes, I browned the beef. While the beef was browning, I chopped the onions, peeled and chopped the carrots into cubes, and minced the garlic. Once the beef was browned, I took it off the pan, drained it and added more oil to cook the sausages. I kept in mind to only cook it halfway because I would leave it to simmer for a long time.

While that was cooking, I chopped the green peppers and tomatoes, and took out all the spices I needed.

I took out the sausages once it was halfway done and added more oil to the pan. I then added the onions and garlic and cooked it for about 3 or 4 minutes. Right after that, I added the carrots, peppers, tomatoes and cooked it for about 5 minutes.

After the vegetables were soft, I added back the ground beef and the sausages and let it cook for another minute or so. I then added the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and let cook for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes I added the beer, worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, green peas and kidney beans. I left the peas and beans towards the end because these are super fragile; I didn’t want it to be crushed into mush by the constant mixing I was doing.

After it boiled, I turned it down to simmer and stirred it every so often. I also seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I didn’t want to prepare the baguette just yet because I was going to let the chili simmer for at least 2 hours. I prepared it closer to when the chili was about to be served as it only takes 10 minutes to prepare + bake it. I just remembered to shred the cheese while I waited.

For the baguette, I sliced it into small cuts and laid it out on a greased baking sheet (I used PAM cooking spray). I spread a thin layer of butter/flavor on to the slices, sprinkled the Italian seasoning and layered the shredded cheese on top. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes and it was done!

After the baguette was out of the oven and the chili was ready, it was time to eat!

I only wish I had sour cream. I would have added a generous dollop of that onto my chili!

So there you go, a nice hearty bowl of home-made chili.

Fisherman’s Wharf at Steveston Village

I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a morning person, but I prefer to sleep early and wake up early. It makes me feel more productive.

Unless it’s the weekend.

This past Saturday, my mom asked me to driver her to the Fisherman’s wharf at Steveston Village to see the day’s catch. She and my dad usually go together but my dad had a business appointment to deal with in Burnaby. I didn’t want to go, mainly because I had things to take care of, but I thought of it as an opportunity to expand my foodie perspective. Chefs work with suppliers to get the best and freshest ingredients from the farm or the sea or wherever to their kitchens. For me, seeing the back-end operations outside the kitchen could bring more insight into the Chef’s thinking and philosophy.

Or not.

But it’s still a new experience for me hence I decided to go.

Entrance to the Wharf

 

Tons of hardworking fishermen/women on a cloudy Saturday morning

I was told that it’s a lot busier earlier in the morning (we got there at 11 am) and the fishermen are only there during weekends. It’s especially busier during the summer months. There are a lot more fishermen and it’s super crowded.

Rows of boats and dedicated fishermen

How much fresher can this get? One of them actually flinched up and down as I snapped this photo.

Up close

A pound of fresh shrimp costs $4. You might get a bargain at Safeway or wherever, but it ain’t gonna be as fresh as these bad boys.

We actually had a huge shrimp dish that evening. It was cooked in a broth with tomatoes, onions, garlic, spinach, ginger, tamarind and longhorn peppers (which added a huge kick). The shrimp was so soft, literally melting in my mouth. That’s how fresh it was.

I have much more respect for these fishermen who get up in the wee hours of the morning to sell their catch. While my ass is still snoring in bed I’m still in the middle of my REM cycle, these guys are already working hard.

Prestons Fall Menu Launch

Last week, I was invited by the lovely Gastrofork (@gastrofork on Twitter) to the fall launch menu of Prestons, a restaurant serving cuisine infused with Mediterranean and Asian influence. I was very excited as it was my first media event and it was a chance to meet food bloggers and local media personalities.

These guys really wanted to make an impression. So what do they start with? Red carpet treatment. I missed taking a picture of it because I wanted to chat with Dee (gastrofork) who I haven’t seen in ages. Right after our little chat, I was ready for some food, Prestons style.

First sight: rows and rows of gift bags for everyone, a huge screen with the twitter feed and booze. Tell me you have those 3 things at your next shindig and I won’t need a lot of convincing to go. What better way to start the evening.

Venetian Spritzer - Aperol Herb liqueur and brut. Didn't get a very good quality pic with this one

This one looks better, somewhat

Goodie bags!

Twitter feed

Yes, you read that correctly – Open Bar. Two of my favorite words in the world. Unfortunately it was a Monday evening in Vancouver. If it had been a Monday evening in Vegas, that would be a different story. But I digress.

More Venetian Spritzers

Walking among the crowd, I recognized some bloggers and foodies. In today’s social media world, it’s so weird tweeting to someone or mentioning them in a blog post or whatnot, but not actually formally meeting them yet. Fortunately, I got to schmooze and meet some people whose tweets/blog posts I read often. Now it’s not so weird 🙂

The first dish that tried was the Mini Thai Red Thai Curry

Mini Red Thai Curry

I loved the presentation.

Mini Red Thai Curry

Spicy Coconut Curry, Chicken, Eggplant, Peppers, Steamed Jasmine Rice.

A little tidbit about me: I’m not a big fan of spicy food. In an earlier post, I mentioned that my taste buds are very sensitive to it. Even a mild dose of spice will trigger the “Can I have some sour cream/milk please?” question.

Anyway, I was told this was mildly spicy. A red flag immediately went up in my head. We all have different definitions of what ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘nice’ or ‘mild’ means. I had a feeling it would be too spicy for me but I tried it anyway. The chicken was very moist, and in small bite sized pieces. There were red onions in there too; that and the peppers gave it a nice crunch. I thought it was good, but again this is not something I would order unless I have 2 glasses of milk with me.

While waiting for the next platter to arrive, I explored the venue a little bit more

Peeps enjoying their Spritzers and schmoozing

Very modern design

Bowl decor on the wall

These bowls were attached to the wall. What a way to save money on decor. Wonder if they found these from Daiso and decided to use it. It’s a lot more cost effective than buying 2 or 3 $300 paintings or murals.

Busy but fun evening

As soon as I finished snapping pictures, more food arrived. Next dish: Mini Poutine with Pulled Pork

Comfort food... aww yea

Crispy French Fries, Quebec Cheese Curds, Rickard’s Red Gravy

This item is a must-try. The french fries are cut nice and big, lightly deep-fried so it isn’t very oily at all. The cheese is gooey and it held on to the gravy well. It’s not like an average poutine where the fries are swimming in gravy and just tossed in cheese. There is just enough gravy, which is really nice as it’s not very pleasant eating poutine that is swimming in gravy. What really separates this poutine from the average pountine? The pulled pork. Small chunks of yummy goodness; I had two servings of this as it was quite delish.

A serving station was placed in the second section of the house, together with a wine table and a beer table (GIB to be exact)

Ribs!

Sweet Hoisin and Ginger Glazed Pork Ribs

I love the combination of ginger, garlic and honey. Very Asian and very good. Drizzled on moist pork ribs? What’s not to like? I’ll tell you what’s not to like.. this small portion! I kid 🙂 Honey garlic ribs are certainly messy, but what a better way to help you eat through this mess than these

I thought these were mints when I saw them the first time

I'm so fascinated by this lol

They’re really just compressed towelettes, with the air sucked out of them. It’s like hydrating beans or sun-dried tomatoes.

Gyoza station

Seared Shrimp, Vegetable Dumpling, Miso Vinaigrette

I wasn’t a big fan of these Gyozas; there was nothing special about them at all. The seared shrimp was cooked nicely and the  gyoza was a nice portion, but even the miso vinaigrette did nothing to make this dish stand out. I feel as though I could get this at any Chinese restaurant in Vancouver.

Right after ribs and gyozas, I spotted sliders (which turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening)

Every time I look at this, I can almost taste it again.. So good

Stewed Red Peppers, Basil Pesto, Feta Cheese

These Eggplant Parmesan Sliders were definitely my favorite that evening. The combination of the crunchy breaded eggplant and the stewed red peppers makes this a solid A. The soft red peppers with the basil pesto gave it an interesting flavor; almost creamy and filling, and very tasty. Combined with the sturdiness of the bun, this was an excellent dish for me.

After some bites and nibbles here and there, I saw a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in ages. I told her about the things I tried and after that we decided it was time for a drink. We headed to the bar and ordered the French Martini

French Martini

Vodka, Chambord, Pineapple Juice

The sweetness of the Pineapple Juice combined with the sting of Vodka (yup, I said sting of vodka) makes for an interesting cocktail. It’s a very girly drink, but hey, I’m here to try everything and it’s all free so I’m not complaining. I actually liked this drink because it’s almost like a dessert cocktail. If you want something sweet after your meal but don’t want to eat anything, have this.

Speaking of desserts, the lone dessert item on the menu arrived in front of us as we were ordering drinks

Had 3 servings of this!

Sweet, light and silky, this Mini Matcha Creme Brulee is not rich at all (which I quite enjoyed). I couldn’t really taste the matcha, but I do find it interesting that they used green tea with this. I also like the torched sugar on top. A nice crisp to a smooth interior. Delicious.

As I thought I was done for the evening, another round of food passed by us. This round had sliders again, so I told the server I already had sliders earlier (not realizing they were serving two types that evening). This one is the Braised BBQ Pork Sliders

Pork Sliders and Ribs

Slow Cooked Pork, Homemade BBQ Sauce, Gorgonzola Coleslaw

Another hit with this dish! The coleslaw is nice and creamy, and it isn’t heavy at all. The pork was tender, and the BBQ sauce had a very home-y taste to it. All the elements worked well together and I was happy to have more, if not for my appetite that was about to burst.

Just when I thought I tried everything, I missed another one. Tomato & Bocconcini Crostini

So full, but tried one last dish

Artichoke and Basil Pesto Puree, Grape Tomatoes, Marinated Mozarella

Unlike several of the dishes tonight, this one was a miss for me. I found the crostini a little soggy, which I don’t quite understand why (possibly from the puree?). The combination of all the elements didn’t do much for the texture, and I wasn’t a fan of the presentation as well.

Overall, I thought the entire night was a success. The samples were really tasty (with the exception of a few), the atmosphere was inviting and the crowd was enthusiastic. The servers were very patient and knew all their stuff. I would definitely come back as I only got a taste of their appetizer menu.

I’d like to say thanks to @gastrofork once again for inviting me! I had so much fun.

Goofing off at the photobooth!

The inside of my gift bag

131 Water Kitchen & Bar

The Vancouver Home and Design Show was in town last week; thanks to my employers, I was able to score 2 tickets to the huge trade show. I brought along a dear friend of mine for a day date and after walking around for over an hour, we were famished. Mind you, we weaved through the exhibit so could see all the exhibitors. It was also our excuse to get hungry so we could dine right after.

A lavish table setting

Close up of the table setting

Once we were finished feeding our creativity, it was time to chow down. At first, we couldn’t decide where we should eat. I remembered this tasting room in Steveston Village called Gudrun which I spotted it while walking to La Tandoor Restaurant last week. It’s a good thing we decided against it because I remembered that it wouldn’t exactly be what we wanted; we were famished and we wanted bigger sized dishes. So we walked down to Gastown and found a *quaint* looking resto-bar, 131 Water Kitchen & Bar.

131 Water Kitchen & Bar signage

Patio area outside

Looks were definitely deceiving as my friend and I discovered that it was actually pretty big once we saw the rooms separating the bar area from the restaurant. We were seated by the bar area and began to look over their dinner menu.

But before we ordered, my friend decided to get a Raspberry Mojito.

Raspberry Mojito

Light, refreshing with a little hint of sweetness from the raspberry. I like the fact that the mint was crushed well, unlike some mojitos I’ve had where the mint was still in huge chunks. Quite a delicious drink to start our meal.

Closer look

After deliberating for a while (we’re both really indecisive), we finally decided to share everything and get multiple dishes. We started off with the Bruschetta.

2-bite Bruschetta portions

For me, what really stood out was the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar. It was a strong taste that almost, if not actually, overpowered the dish. The baguette was quite soggy; I almost feel like it was because of the balsamic vinegar. I really did like the taste of the vinegar though, but I wish there wasn’t as much. I also would’ve like my baguette a little more crunchy. Again, this probably because of the balsamic.

The tomatoes added a nice texture and the cheese helped balance the balsamic a little bit.

We went after the Artichoke Quesadillas right after.

Artichoke Quesadillas

A mini slice

I love quesadillas, so I always have high expectations when it comes to it. Although I wasn’t blown away, I thought it was still pretty good. The dish comes with shredded lettuce and tomato salsa, which again, I found spicy (sensitive to spice here). The quesadilla contains cheddar, artichokes and green onions. I like artichokes in larger quantities when it’s sliced thin like this as it gives it a more meaty and filling. It doesn’t stand out in terms of taste, but it’s not horrible either. I like to alternate between having no salsa and lettuce with my quesadilla to having salsa and lettuce with my quesadilla. I find the switching gives me a chance to taste and balance the cheese and artichoke flavor with the spice of the salsa.

A look inside my quesadilla

Right after the quesadilla, we moved on to the French Onion Soup.

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is one of my guilty pleasures. I’m quite particular about it, specially since it’s a classic. What I liked about this soup are the big crouton chunks. It soaked up the broth pretty well, and I like tasting semi-soaked/semi-dry croutons as I eat my soup. I also quite like the cheese as it gave the soup thickness; it wasn’t very liquidy at all. The broth was quite rich, which was nice and hearty.

Spoonful of croutons and soup!

What I didn’t find appetizing about this soup was the fact that there was too much oil floating on top of the soup. Really any soup for that matter, because it means the cook/s used too much oil in the dish. Otherwise, it was an okay dish.

For our final dish, we selected the 131 Fish Tacos.

Lovely presentation

Beer battered haddock, shred iceberg, house made salsa in flour tortillas. With a side salad in balsamic dressing.

I adore the presentation of this dish. Don’t you think it’s pretty? I was expecting dinky, 3-bite tacos when I was reading the menu but boy was I wrong. It was a nice size portion, and two tacos were perfect for me and my friend.

The fish was nicely deep fried cooked, it wasn’t dry, and it was fairly huge. I’ve mentioned that I’m sensitive to spice, but the salsa was not overpowering at all.

The inside of my taco. Battered haddock

The side salad was nice and refreshing. It’s a good balance to the carb heavy tacos. I must say I really like pumpkin seeds and the addition of that to the salad was a very nice touch. I also took just used a little bit of the balsamic, remembering the overpowering one from the Bruschetta.

Overall, I found that 131 Water Kitchen & Bar is quite decent. It isn’t the very best out there, but it’s actually not bad at all. I would definitely come back and try their other offerings. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and I really liked that. I’ll be sure to mention this to my buddies when we’re on the look out for a pub/restobar/restaurant place in Gastown.

La Tandoor Restaurant

Whenever someone asks me what I want to eat, I usually say “I want to eat somewhere I’ve never been before” (10 or 20% of the time I’m down for repeats). Last night was the perfect example; my family and I decided to dine out just for a mini celebration. Even though I voiced my opinion and said I wanted Indian, it was a democracy and we ended up deciding on Greek, Kisamos specifically (even if we’ve already been there once before), in the iconic Steveston Village. However, we knew that Kisamos is a very busy hub especially on Saturday evenings. Our suspicions were confirmed as soon we drove past it. I silently did a “YES” while scrunching my fist and pulling my arm back; even if there was another Greek place down the street, I knew that with a simple “let’s just go to this Indian place”, they weren’t going to argue with me. La Tandoor Restaurant was closer and it meant we’d be eating sooner.

Outside La Tandoor Restaurant

My mom had initial qualms about eating here and started finding things she didn’t like about it; I think this is natural for all of us though. We start nitpicking and criticizing. BUT, I assured her it’s fine and it’s all in her head.

A taste of India!

It was quite a slow evening, and we were seated right away. Our server was a courteous gentleman who was very personable. We felt right at home in his humble restaurant.

A few minutes after we placed our orders, these inquisitive dips arrived at our table. I tried asking for the name of these dips twice, and I still didn’t get the proper name. I didn’t want to ask any more than twice because I didn’t want to seem rude. So I’ll just describe it

Didn't catch the names of these.. *sadface*

The sauce on the left tasted somewhat like a plum sauce; it was sweet and it reminded me of.. take a wild guess – plum sauce. That’s the best way I can describe it. In comparison, the sauce on the right is some kind of spicy sauce. Just a side note, I’m very sensitive to spice. My tolerance is really low and I need something to cut the heat – sour cream, milk, raita, anything – bring a tub out because I ain’t eating spicy without something to aid my sissy delicate taste buds. Anyway, the heat doesn’t hit you right away but when it does, you’ll know. Both sauces are a little watery, so it wasn’t a thick dip where we can dip our Papadums into and get a huge slob of it. Speaking of Papadums

Crispy Papadums!

I haven’t had many in my life so I’m no expert when it comes to judging the quality of good papadums, but ours seems a little more on the charred side. There was a lot more charcoal-y taste. It was also really brittle. I don’t like tasting too much charcoal on my grilled food, so I wasn’t quite a fan of this one. It was still decent though.

While we waited for our food to arrive, my attention was drawn to our water goblets. It’s not the usual glass that holds water, and what fascinated me about it is its shape and the material used. It’s great because it will keep cold liquids cool and hot liquids hot.

It's just a glass of water, no need to get excited Adrian.

As soon as my fascination with the goblets dissipated, food finally arrived. First dish to be served: Lamb Curry and Butter Chicken

Lamb Curry and Butter Chicken

Not enough lamb here

The lamb chunks were cooked pretty well, it wasn’t dry at all. The sauce was quite tasty and has the consistency of pureed peas. The only problem I have with this is that there is not enough lamb chunks. There’s probably a 4:1 sauce and lamb ratio. I can mix the sauce with the rice or just taste it on its own, but I needs me more of them lamb!

It was the same deal with the Butter Chicken

Tiny pieces, wish there were more

This was probably my favorite dish. For me, it had the right balance of sweet and savory. The sauce was rich and creamy. The only issue.. well 2 issues I have with this dish: not enough chicken. As with the lamb curry, did we honestly run out of chickens and lamb to cook? I don’t know. But I wish there was more chicken in there. I also thought the chicken was kind of dry.

Next dish to be served was the Lamb Biryani

Lamb Biryani

I guess this is a house special (well.. since the menu said so). It is boneless lamb pieces cooked with basmati rice, possibly with turmeric and curry powder to add color. I thought it was “ok”; there were slivers of caramelized onions that added some texture to it. I thought there was too much rice and not enough lamb chunks. It was also a little on the oily side. We also ordered a shrimp version of this.

The next dish that arrived was some sort of spicy beef dish. Remember how I said I’m really sensitive to spice? This bad boy was spicy. And we only ordered the medium. Thank the lord for the raita. My serving was swimming in it!

Shrimp Biryani and Beef Korma... something, I didn't catch the full name

Beef Korma something.. starts with an M. Can't believe I didn't catch it!

I will try to describe what I tasted beyond the spice that almost killed my taste buds:

• there was ground beef (obvs)
• there were peas in there
• a thick and chunky tomato sauce in which the entire dish was nested
• there might have been something else in there that added to the texture, I think beans? I’m not positive though
• and a bunch of other spices that I can’t identify

I was warned that it’s spicy even for the spice lovers in my family, so I drenched mine in raita.

I like the container where it was served in. Cute

This raita wasn’t as refreshing as the ones I’ve had previously. One of my favorite versions is my friend’s: hers had lots of cucumbers, so it was really refreshing. This didn’t have quite as much, so it wasn’t quite like my friend’s. Another side note: last night’s fond memory was when my younger brother ordered this without asking me. He usually asks me what to get when we eat something foreign, but because we’ve had Indian food in the past (and he’s had some spicy dishes without anything to counter balance the heat), he remembered that I always order raita, so he remembers what it is now. I’m so influential and proud of my lil bro.

We also got a variety of Naan breads including

Cheese in the naan

Cheese Naan Bread

Chicken inside the naan

Chicken Naan bread

Le naan bread

and Regular Naan Bread.

I feel like if I combined the chicken and cheese into one naan and then smother it with the lamb curry sauce or the butter chicken sauce, that it could be an Indian pizza or something. Both the flavored naans tasted vaguely like pizza, no joke. Anyway, it was quite tasty; the chicken was a little dry and the bread was charred a little too long, but I still liked it. I think this dish had enough chicken/cheese, but they could have interspersed  it instead of just having it in 1 section.

After we devoured all that, we had room for dessert! I really can’t pass up the chance to have some Indian dessert. We asked about their selection, but apparently they didn’t have a lot left because they “ran out”. I don’t know if they only had enough for lunch service or have been out of supplies for days, so I just opted for the Mango Lassi (as I remember Michael Smith making his version). My little brother wanted the vanilla ice cream.

Mango Lassi

Vanilla ice cream

I like the Mango Lassi a whole lot. It was very refreshing after our exotic meal. The juice was quite thick, not quite like a shake but not liquid-y enough to just sip it fast enough. It also wasn’t very sweet at all, which was nice because if it had been, I wouldn’t have had as much as I did. The ice cream was delicious; I don’t know if they got a bucket from Safeway (hopefully not), but it was a bit sweeter than regular vanilla ice cream. I like the texture and it didn’t have the fat, rich taste at all.

About a third of the way finished. See the glass behind with 2 straws? Mom and Dad shared one! Mother really liked it

Overall the experience was ok. The food could be a lot better, but it wasn’t as bad as I read it would be. I think if I got my chicken, lamb and dessert selection I would’ve been much more happy.

My mom ended up loving the place in case you were wondering, so did the rest of them. As for me, I want to try other Indian restaurants so that I have something to compare it to.

Would I come back? Not jumping out of my seat “yes”, but possibly.