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Hi Jamie, im off-topic but i was just curious about this affirmation. Is there now a city bylaw that regulates the construction and use of wood-fire ovens? Thank you,

I just went down to Fieldstone Artisan Bakery yesterday. They have a amazing facility and are obviously very serious about their bread. They use organic flours from California ("better quality, more reliable source, good price") and offer loaves and baguettes that offer an excellent crust and a pleasant quality overall. To my opinion though, there is a serious lack of depth in terms of flavour. Dunno if that's caused by too short fermentation times?... They used to sell to Capers but have stopped supplying them a while ago. This saddened me at the time as i liked their bread better than Terra's or Ecco's. It looks like the neighbourhood provides them with enough business, which is great for South Surrey! Check them out at www.fieldstonebread.com Could you share the name of the S.S. bakery? Unfortunately people I know there seem to think they are lucky to have a Cobbs now in the area. Would be nice to know of a better alternative, hopefully that won't be overtaken by Cobbs. ← The one that I remember is Fieldstone Artisan Bakery on128th and Crescent Road. I have not been there for a while but the bread was very good. Stephen ←

I found the new Terra Bread location to be disappointing. The way they organized the space may be efficient from a business point of view, but it lacks the warmth (and the sensuality of the smells of fresh bread, puff pastry, chocolate...!) that makes a bakery a welcoming and comforting place. The room feels somewhat empty and "sanitized". There is no soul, no generosity perspiring from these grounds. The products themselves are usual Terra fare. I picked up a ficelle that lacked greatly in flavour. The texture was also a let down. They offer to everyones' view what seems to be a display stone-deck oven, yet their bread rarely offers a nice crust. Some raspberry scones, however, were good, despite missing a tiny bit more swetness. For good bread, one suggestion. Head to the Swiss bakery on Main and 3rd. The organic baguette is only $1.80, and to my opinion, much more satisfying.

ok, we've got a list of cool spots there. Where do you go for a tasty quality breakfast? Is there a place in the city that makes everythng from scratch (jams, sausages, hot choc, bread, pastries...)? Personnally, i like Aphrodites's cafe for brunch. Or i pop by Lebeau or Petite france for the solids and then hop to the Elysean Room for the liquids... Has anyone tried the Alibi room's brunch menu?

back to the tip issue, as well as on the boh & foh misunderstandings. Check out this San Fransisco restaurant's website. Rules (or more so customs, "tradition" in our case) can be bent to the greater good of all. http://www.incanto.biz/why.html

this is the west coast, no? What about the pioneer spirit?

lets have waiters paid a higher minimum wage and split tips 50/50... That could actually have many, many positive results... for everybody.

Jamie, sourcing quality vegetable locally is a major issue. Especially in the winter. Unless, of course, Sysco, Allied, Koo & Co do it for you. Farmers (organic famers, i'm talking about) in the lower mainland need more support and feedback from both professionals and the public. It is an ESSENTIAL step to help improve the overall quality of food in Vancouver. Generally speaking, few chefs here understand the importance of this issue. THERE IS NO GOOD FOOD WITHOUT GOOD PRODUCE. But i know you care, i saw you at Vista d'Oro last saturday... I, for one, plan on solving this issue by having a farmer to work almost exclusively for me and to grow heirloom varities successfully. But i'd also like to see the creation of an organization (a co-op?) that brings together farmers and chefs, with maybe a warehouse at the heart of it where interactions will be made easier & faster. The island seems more succesful at doing such a job.

From my exp. i agree with your opinion, Jamie. But i'd like to precise: to my knowledge, each of the top table group's restaurants bake their own bread. Rhonda Viala at West, Thierry Busset at Cincin, Eleanor Chow at Blue Water Cafe, as well as Aaron at Whistler's Araxi, are all behind the loaves, baguettes and rolls that their respective restaurant serve.

What do they teach them at Dubrulle? It doesnt look like they take them to the farmers' markets or out to the fields, but it sure looks like they're stuffing them with an inadequate and unfounded sense of worthiness. If there's one profession that requires humility, it's ours. Well labour cost here is high, but hey!... not as high as in France for example. OK, every 3* kitchen's filled with stagiaires, but still... Many, many restaurants in Europe work with half the staff of any given place here, but they work their asses off, and the kitchens deliver. They just dont need these pretty red pepper brunoise and sharp vegetable chips to sex things up. The produce speaks for itself. Also i want to point out that choice is an ABSOLUTELY over-rated idea. It's quality that prevails. Ever wondered how a 300sq ft kitchen offers a 3-page menu? Ask the freezer.

Well, when a sous-chef in a top restaurant in Van isnt making more than 2500$ a month for more than 50 hours a week, with a truckload of stress every day, and so on, he takes off to greener pastures or changes career altogether...

Why is Cobs' bread so god damn... "Additives (?) COBS Bread does not claim to sell products free of any ingredients (eg yeast, wheat, gluten, preservatives, etc). Animal Fats Most of our breads contain no added animal products, however, traces of such fats may be found in some products sold such as our cheese breads. Genetically Modified Organisms / Ingredients COBs does not claim to sell products free of any ingredients, however, we have made a special effort to investigate GMO's. Preservatives Whilst COBS Bread does not add any ingredient to be used purely as a preservative, some of our raw ingredients contain preservatives. " Beautiful PR machine! We sell crap, but it's already in the bulk ingredients we use. SO... It's all good! Am i taking the piss? I sure am! Sorry i'm drifting again... (info fetched on COBS' website)

well, since we're talking about french bread... And since i'm french and love my bread, i can tell you one thing. No bakery in Van comes close to a really nice baguette or loaf one would find in France. So maybe LMB focus on local specialties and ingredients, as well as on ethnic food?... Good Japanese restaurants in France are very pricey, and really good chinese are rare, and likely not on par with Vancouver's best. As for the bread, the best tasting bread i've had in BC was at WILDFIRE in Victoria. Nothing else matches. But if you oughta find good bread, give Chris Brown (Rise Bakery, Trout Lake on saturdays) a try. He's not cheap, but it's a pretty good product. My guess is that the bread here is not allowed to ferment long enough, and maybe sourcing of quality flours is not being conducted... But if you wanna have a good laugh, drag the frenchies to Cobs!...

honestly 3wc, that's a tough one. Aphrodite's does come to mind. Some of their food is well handled and their produce are and taste fresh. At the peak of summer, places like Blue Water and West use a lot of local organic produce, and that translates onto the plate. Unfortunately to my knowledge, no ethnic restaurant here is ingredient driven. Maybe you'll have to ferry your ass across to the island to witness effort & pride at serving local ingredients!

Sarah, i will try to come up with some sort of list. canucklehead, I strongly disagree with your perspective. I think quality independant restaurants need criticism because that will help them improve and get above that bunch of lousy, mediocre places that get away serving crap. Vancouver needs more places that associate good fresh food with affordability and genuineness. For anyone who cares about their food and who cares to see Vancouver kick some real ass, criticism and discriminatory customers are crucial. It doesnt cost much to go see the manager or the chef at the end of a meal and share your comments. The more people do that, the more improvement we'll see. We can all have a good time, and have a perfect meal! DillyBravo i second your comments. Vancouver restaurants has disappointed me in many ways and i say thank god!!! for ethnic food. But i chose to live here, i am just starting my own business (hopefully to bring my good cards to the game) and i genuinely want to see the food scene improve. I know it is improving already, but i'm really, really impatient when it comes to food! I dream of good bistros with their own potagers and their small producers' smart & affordable wine list. Good artisan bakeries, butchers selling local organic meat and poultry, proper fish shops, and more importantly, a year-round farmers' market with some sexy produce that call your name when you walk by. I dream that good food in Van will cease to be a treat (or involve a marathon shopping across the city), and become a very part of our daily lives.