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Sobaicecream

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Posts posted by Sobaicecream

    Whistler restaurant update

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for the great input!

    Sabrosita, I spent my childhood in Vancouver and my family were regulars at Sushi Village, but haven't been back to Whistler in over ten years, so it's great to hear it's still good! Looking at the photos on the Rimrock website, it looked very casual--is that not the case? Since we're celebrating a special occasion (dad's 70th birthday), we wanted something a little fancier.

    Oyster Guy, thanks for the tip on Araxi. I did kind of get the same impression. As for the other restaurants you mentioned that I missed, I actually left some of them out because I thought they seemed a little on the casual side--Apres, Elements, etc. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

    I think I'm leaning toward Bearfoot Bistro, right now--it kind of seems like the safe bet.

    Whistler restaurant update

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    I've been researching restaurants in Whistler (for a Christmas Eve/birthday dinner) and, after a thorough search of eGullet, noticed there aren't many new posts on the subject. I know there are a few names that consistently come up--Araxi, Bearfoot Bistro, Les Gros, Rimrock Cafe, etc.--but are these places all *still* good? I read a review elsewhere that said service at the Bearfoot wasn't great, for example.

    Usually, for me, the quality of food always comes first, but since it's a special occasion, I'm concerned about service, ambiance, etc., as well. So weighing all these things equally, which restaurant would you recommend?

    I've also tried to find more info on Les Gros--what's the ambiance like, can it accommodate a part of 7 to 8 people, etc.--but haven't been able to find much. Anyone have pictures?

    Greasy cake on second try

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Underbeating made the crumb in one of my recent pound cakes kind of greasy and heavy.

    Hi Ling, thanks for replying! And sorry it took me so long to respond. Did you mean underbeating the butter and sugar? Or the batter after the flour has been incorporated?

    Greasy cake on second try

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I recently made mini caramel-banana cakes from a recipe that originally makes one large loaf cake. The cakes were so good, I decided to try making the larger, single loaf cake version and was surprised that the texture came out very different. The main problem with the larger cake is that the crumb feels quite greasy. I did a search on eGullet as well as on the Web but can't seem to find the cause for greasy cakes. Does anyone have any guesses as to what happened?

    The depachika

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I have some friends visiting soon and I wanted to take them to a good depachika. I used to be the depachika queen, but lately I just go to Seibu and Tobu in Ikebukuro, caust it's closest. I did a forum search, but I'm hoping for more current info.

    About a year ago, I thought the best one was probably Matsuya in Ginza (very generous with the samples). Now I'm not so sure. So which is your favorite and why?

    Thanks for your help!

    Pho in Oahu

    in Hawaii: Dining

    Posted

    Many people think the best pho in Hawaii is at To Chau in Chinatown, 1007 River Street, off the corner of Hotel Street. You'll recognize it by the line of patrons waiting outside! The place next door on the corner of Hotel Street & River Street isn't bad, either, and also makes a mean Vietnamese iced coffee. (I've forgotten the name of that restaurant.)

    Get to either place before noon. No reservations, no credit cards.

    That restaurant on the corner is actually Golden River now, it used to be known as Ha Bien. I actually enjoy the pho dac biet at Bac Nam which is not located in the downtown/Chinatown area.

    Sun Ki's recommendation of Pho 97 is a good one. I've been there a couple of times and have enjoyed it. If you like pho with a strong anise flavor and don't mind poor service, you can try Pho My Lan. I was just there a few weeks ago.

    Thanks for the info everyone! I realize pho isn't the first thing people think about in relation to Hawaii, but what you've got is better than anything in Tokyo.

    Hey Suzy,

    Thanks for the additional tip on the Vietnamese iced coffee--yum.

    Sun Ki, I'm not a connoisseur, but some important factors for me is that the beef soup has to be clear (not cloudy), there should be a respectable selection of chilli sauces and other condiments, the noodles shouldn't be at all stuck together, and it should come with lots of bean sprouts and basil. Ah, I can't wait!

    By the way, is the one you mentioned that's downtown--Pho 97--behind the Ala Moana shopping center? Because I went to one there that wasn't too bad.

    Hi Reid, love your blog, by the way. So do you think Bac Nam's better than Pho 97 or Pho My Lan? Is there any main differences among the three?

    Pho in Oahu

    in Hawaii: Dining

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I'll be in Oahu soon and need to find good pho (can't get it where I am)! I did a search on this forum but turned up zero results. Can anyone help me out? Or better yet, guide me to the best pho? I know there are tons of Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, but I only have two days!

    Thanks!

    Designing Hubby's Birthday Dessert

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I don't think I've ever encountered a bavarois -- is it essentially a mousse that is set with gelatin?  Or am I misremembering?

    I think that's what it is.

    If you're still open to other ideas, how about white chocolate ice cream and mango sorbet, paired with tuile cookies?

    Or a white chocolate-mango swirl cheesecake? That way you really get a nice melding of those two flavors on the tongue.

    Why does cookie dough need a leavening agent?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    chefpeon, I think I use single-acting baking powder. I've never seen the double-acting kind before. I hope this isn't a stupid question, but why would you want something to activate before it went into the oven?

    One comment though.  You'll note that tollhouse cookies call out for baking soda.  But there is very little acid in the cookie dough to react with the baking soda.  It turns out that baking soda is a browning ingredient, to help give the cookie a more attractive color.

    But if the soda has nothing to react with, does it still work? Or would a tollhouse cookie be actually unleavened, or...half leavened?

    Why does cookie dough need a leavening agent?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    No it won't lose it's power, the leavening through single acting baking powder and baking soda is only reacted through heat.  In fact it will just slow down the double acting baking powder.

    Oh! I always thought baking soda was instantly activated the minute it got mixed in with any liquid. That's great to know!

    Have you ever tried making cookies without leavening?  Try it sometime then you'll get your answer.

    I think I'll just take your word for it! :raz:

    Why does cookie dough need a leavening agent?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I was thinking about making chocolate chip cookies recently, and searching around for recipes, I noticed several times the suggestion to put the cookie dough in the fridge before baking to let it firm up.

    So I was wondering, first of all, wouldn't the baking soda/powder lose its power sitting that long in the fridge? And second, why do cookies even need leavening at all?

    Western style sweets

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Hi Sobaicecream (that's interesting...is there such a flavor?  I do love soba...)

    Don't know where you live.  These things are all over the LA area and they are all oval.  It's pretty crazy.  Some bakeries don't even spend enough attention on them and they are half collapsed.  Everytime I see one I frown. 

    I am a little embarrassed to do this, but you can find a little pic on my "IN CONSTRUCTION AND DEFINITELY NOT PROFESSIONAL" website.  trial site  (It is a first-time attempt and might even move or disappear soon.  I started on it because my friend was whining over the phone about her cake coming out as a pancake.  I told her I will build a website for HER.  Considering the # of pros roaming on this site, I get sweaty...but I guess baking is fun, not snobby, so I'll relax.)  There are other pics but I can't remember off the top of my head which websites. 

    Hi Turtle!

    Yup, there is such a thing as soba ice cream.

    I live in Japan, and usually when I see this cake, it's round. But I'm sure there are oval versions out there somewhere.

    By the way, your Devil's Food Cake looks soooooo good. I love cakes with lots of layers and just a very thin spread of icing. Yours looks perfect.

    Western style sweets

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Hiroyuki, but if you've never heard of it, and you are presumably a Japanese living in Japan... maybe this isn't "Japanese" cheesecake? I really wonder where this all originated!

    Hi TurtleMeng! Welcome to eGullet and thanks so much for all the great info! I never knew these cheesecakes were originally baked in oval pans--do you have a picture? :smile:

    I've baked mini test versions of this cake a few times now, and I think I'm finally perfecting the recipe.

    Yeah, I changed the recipe from sour cream to 200ml soy milk.

    One thing that was really bothering me was the floury taste. I finally stopped using any flour, and have been using 4T of ground almonds instead. The cake is creamier and more fragile, but I think it's better this way.

    Okay, will take a look at your recipe and play around with the amount of eggs and the baking temp. But tonight is the LAST TIME I'm making cheesecake for a while. This is starting to get out of hand! :raz:

    Western style sweets

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    The internet oven was a very nice oven--I'd love one, as an oven, anyway.  According to my teacher, no one has ever used the internet part of the oven at that school :blink: .  It's pretty neat, though.  You insert a memory card into a slot and you can call-up recipes onto the display screen.  You can see the oven here.

    That's pretty neat. But I'm afraid if I had an Internet oven, I'd probably be inseparable from the damn thing. I think the two things that command my attention the most are my computer (because I work from home) and my oven (because I love to bake), and if the two were combined... I guess I'd be permanently camped out in the kitchen. :raz:

    I realize things probably haven't advanced that far, but wouldn't it be crazy if the oven door was also the computer screen (or is it?), and you could actually work on a Word file *and* keep an eye on a baking cake at the same time?!

    Western style sweets

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    That is a beautiful cake!  Did you take a look at the recipe she used?  It's more like mine, though mine calls for whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks and hers calls for soft peaks (as you did for your second try).

    I did see the recipe, but I wanted to stick to mine beause it doesn't require cornstarch. I only have katakuriko--can cornstarch and katakuriko be used interchangeably in baking?

    One thing to consider, as well, is the temperature of your oven.  Too hot an oven will cause cracks.  My ovens in Japan have always run hot and, since I now have a gas convection oven, I have to really watch the temperature (here's a picture of what happened to my first cheesecake in my new oven, using the original temperature and time).  I just picked up an oven thermometer in Singapore, so I'm going to be testing temperatures more carefully. 

    Maybe you could try covering the cake fairly early in the baking process?

    I've noticed my oven in Japan always makes the tops of my baked goods turn much darker, compared with ovens in other countries. But my oven is one of those electric dial-up kinds, so can't I trust that the temperature is what I set it at? If not, I will definitely get an oven thermometer!

    Kristin, the first cake I baked was done at 180 and the second at 160, and both cracked badly.

    Maybe my water bath was still too hot. Or, if my oven really is on the hot side, perhaps I should try baking at 150...

    Western style sweets

    in Japan: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Hi prasantrin, I just tried again, this time baking at 160'C, and the cake still cracked (but this time didn't shrink or fall--I think whipping the egg whites only until the soft-peak stage did the trick).

    But here is a picture of a home baker's attempt at "Japanese" cheesecake, and look how perfect and smooth her cake's top is:

    http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/luvkdogg/det...4&.dnm=95b8.jpg

    Oh, I wish my cake would look like this!

    Vancouver Restaurant Recommendations

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    Back on topic, my recommendations for your party would be Coast or Parkside. Although it sounds like it won't be a "typical" bachelorette party (kudos to you) I think if your girlfriends are anything like mine, it can still get a little loud with the stories and laughing. Something you can get away with at both restaurants. I just went to Bistro Pastis, and the space is tight. Haven't been to C for a few years now, but as I remember, it was somewhat of a reserved atmosphere, and more expensive than my two suggestions. Hope this helps.

    That's a good point, Butter. I think I'll scratch C off my list.

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