Mooshmouse

Suitably fortified by my pineapple custard bun and glass of 1% milk, I'm ready for another blogging stint. Fortunately, Ian was heading in the direction of Noah's school on his way to a meeting, so he was in charge of the Mouse family school bus this morning. Back to dessert. Here we have a slice of Cassava Cake made from grated cassava, condensed and evaporated milk, coconut milk and cream, eggs and macapuno or young coconut. Smooth, sweet, rich and wonderful. No, this is not something from Barney's refrigerator (Barney is so banned from our household, by the way). It's Ginataang Bilo Bilo, a warm coconut-milk based dessert soup/stew, and the purple colour comes from ube or purple yam. Other ingredients include langka (jackfruit), camote (sweet potato), saba (plantain banana) and sago (tapioca) pearls. Last but not least, here's a piece of Turon, a fried dessert spring roll filled with ripe bananas and jackfruit, then drizzled with caramelized sugar. The dessert case held even more tantalizing treats. Jewel-like Halo-Halo waiting for toppings of shaved ice, evaporated milk and ice cream. Rows of Leche Flan, similar to crème caramel but a bit thicker and creamier in texture. Some of the best leche flan I've ever tasted is made by my Uncle... who happens to be German. Go figure. Whew! That was enough food for 2 1/2 meals! Typical of a Filipino, however, to cook or order waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than necessary. God forbid that there not be enough food.

This is Pinakbet, a rather strongly flavoured dish due to the use of bagoong alamang or salted shrimp paste. The primary ingredient is ampalaya or bitter melon in addition to yellow squash, long beans, okra, eggplant, tomatoes and prawns. Last up on the savoury side is a Chinese-inspired noodle dish called Pancit Guisado. It's basically "Everything But The Kitchen Sink" noodles; here you can see a mixture of egg noodles and transparent rice noodles, shredded cabbage, sliced celery, julienned carrots, sliced chicken, shredded bok choy and green onions. Also hiding inside are sliced fish balls, and sliced pork. When I cook this at home, I also like to use shiitake mushrooms and shrimp. Clearly, a labour-intensive dish... thank goodness Ian's a great prep cook and helps me with all the chopping. Break time. Step away from the computer. My eyeballs are now rectangular. Off I go to forage for food.

Moving right along, we have Kalderetang Baka, which is a tomato-based beef stew with potatoes, and vegetarian Lumpiang Prito or deep-fried spring roll. In the upper right-hand corner is a dish with coconut vinegar that has been infused with garlic and chili peppers, a condiment commonly used for dipping. Ian's especially fond of it with chicken or fish. Here's the inside of the lumpia showing julienned carrots, green beans, onions, bean sprouts and shredded scrambled egg.

Vancouver's group of eGulleters are quite socially active, due in large part to the "Waiting For Bourdain Big Night" dinner that brought us all together in November (menu details here). Since then, we've been meeting fairly regularly at various food related events, formal or informal. As the de facto den mother of the 'Lunch Mafia' and the 'Party Table' (I've been dubbed "Mama Joie" by snacky_cat), I usually arrange a weekly meeting of the minds and stomachs over a midday meal. Yesterday, I was joined by BCinBC and PeppermintTea for lunch at Josephine's. And boy, did we eat. Filipino food is customarily served family style... the more, the better. The steam table pictured above is what's most commonly found in casual Filipino restaurants: turo-turo, literally "point-point", is what we call it as you can point to the food items that you'd like to order. Utensils of choice are fork and spoon since many of our dishes are sauce-based and are often spooned directly over rice. Cutting meat is not an issue as it's rather tender from braising or cut into small enough chunks to be sectioned without a knife. First up: a palate-awakening Sinigang. A sour tamarind-based soup (there you go Smithy!) with either meat or fish, kangkong or water spinach, tomatoes, kamote (sweet potato) tops, onions, garlic, green chili and ginger. Click here for a recipe. Then there's Ginisang Munggo. This version simmers mung beans with chicken stock, tomatoes and prawns. And garlic. Can't ever forget the garlic in Filipino cuisine. Next is something recognizable: Barbecued Chicken and Bistek (Filipino beef steak). The latter is thinly sliced beef (sirloin, top or bottom round, tenderloin) marinated in soy sauce and kalamansi or lemon juice before sauteeing with onions. Marinade for the chicken is usually quite sweet; Josephine's version has added either sriracha or sweet chili sauce to spice it up a bit. Two of my favourite dishes as a kid. Edited to correct a Tagalog spelling error that only Soba or I might have noticed

So much for insomnia... I fell asleep on the sofa last night before I had time to make this post... I was born in the Philippines and lived there for the first 5 years of my life before my Mom and I immigrated to Canada. As with most Filipino families, mealtimes always meant more than just a means of obtaining nourishment: they were a social event, a way of welcoming people into your house, a way of expressing affection, a forum for some of the best conversations I've ever had. Some of my earliest memories are of food. Standing outside the kitchen door of my grandparents' house as a four-year-old, holding a mango pit in both of my tiny hands, feeling the juice drip down my chin and my forearms as I bit into the succulent flesh. The way the house smelled whenever my Lola (Grandmother) made a batch of guava jam or jelly. The excitement of going to a Magnolia House ice cream parlour with my Mom and spooning into my own half-pint of Super Mocha ice cream. Smelling the fragrant aroma of roasting corn on an early evening pedicab ride through the city streets. This early love for food stayed with me even after we left the Philippines. Not that it manifested itself right away; as a child, I was the pickiest eater imaginable. I could have easily lived on spaghetti bolognese, red delicious apples and Campbell's chicken noodle soup for days on end despite my Mom's valiant efforts to have me try something new. Nonetheless, my selective eating habits eventually started to wane in my teenage years, much to my Mom's relief. Soon, I was eating everything from raw oysters to curry, baking biscuits from scratch and making my first forays into Filipino cooking. The heart of every Filipino home is its kitchen. In Ian's words, "There's always more." Food, that is. When visting a Filipino household, you're invariably offered something to eat; to refuse the offer is a snub to your host. And there's always ample opportunity to eat since the dining pattern of an average family in the Philippines goes something like this. Early breakfast, a huge one at that, to fuel your morning commute. Rice, first and foremost, steamed or garlic fried. Eggs, fried or scrambled. Meat of some sort, perhaps tocino or longanisa or chorizo. Bread, particularly pan de sal, served with butter and jam (coconut jam, guava jam, you name it). Dried fish, quick fried until crispy. Rice porridge, either savoury (arroz caldo) or sweet (champorado). Fresh seasonal fruit such as mangoes or bananas (of which there are an endless number of varieties), guavas or papayas, pineapple or jackfruit. Staggering, but true. Mid-morning merienda or snack. Lighter than its afternoon counterpart, this can be as simple as hot chocolate and ensaymada (a sweet buttered bread topped with grated cheese) or bibingka (a rice-flour cake baked in a pan lined with fragrant banana leaves). Lunch, details of which you’ll soon see. Mid-afternoon merienda… yes, again, and usually more substantial than the mid-morning snack. Perhaps a noodle dish such as pancit palabok or pancit luglug. Maybe something sweet like the ginataang bilo bilo that’ll be pictured with my lunch or halo-halo… this link tells you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about halo-halo and then some. After all that, there’s still dinner. Last, but certainly not least, a late-night snack if there’s any space left. No, I’m not making that up. We really do eat that much. Even Soba says so.

Fascinating. Not knowing any Tagalog, I am surpised that I recognize three words out of four in that name. Manok means chicken in the Iban language. Now, what does "Iban" mean in Tagalog? I guess the Phillipines are closer to Borneo than I'd thought. It will be interesting to find out what culinary links exist between the two places. ← I'm perplexed. Talk about Language Puzzles 101. After consulting the highest authority I know on all things Filipino -- namely, my Mother -- and extensive Googling, we are still perplexed. Laksa, you're right on the meaning of 'manok' as chicken. Googling the name of this dish comes up with the translation "Curry Chicken with Eggplant". From what I've found, the words 'iba' and 'talum' are from the Hiligaynon dialect, a dialect similar to Ilonggo. As I type this, my Mom is phoning a friend of hers who happens to be Hiligaynon in the hopes that some light can be shed on this mystery. The literal translation of the word 'iban' is "other, another, some, the rest". The literal translation of the word 'talum' is "sharp", differentiated from the Tagalog word for eggplant which is "talong". What this has to do with "Curry Chicken with Eggplant"? I have no idea. I'll report back if we get any linguistic assistance. Any Hiligaynons out there?

Thanks! easternsun, how long has it been since you lived in Vancouver?

Hey now... back in the day, I loved me my Kent McCord! Admittedly, I absolutely loathed Moshe Safdie's concept for the VPL's downtown branch when it won the international design competition. Over the years, however, it's kind of grown on me. Like fungus. Hey, if it's good enough for Arnold (The Sixth Day filmed a few scenes there), I suppose it's good enough for me. Irwin, you hit it right on the head. Eating balut is a sure-fire way to change anyone's reality.

Kolache are Czech in origin, Mr. Rehovot (Czech) advises (it means "cake" in Czech). One town in Texas, founded by Czech immigrants, has a festival devoted to these sweet- or savory-filled thingamabobs. ← Rehovot and srhcb, thanks for pinch-hitting on the kolachy factoids. They are, indeed, Czech in origin; there's also a Polish version of them. Traditionally speaking, kolachy are made from a sweet dough and filled with nuts, cottage cheese or fruit preserves. Apricot and poppy seed are common variants. srhcb, what are your favourite flavours?

While Ian the Grill Master works his magic on the barbecue, I thought I'd steal a minute or two and catch up on today's meals. Here's this morning's view down our street as Noah and I joined the rest of humanity on our 15-minute commute to preschool. Once the Mommy school bus had delivered its one and only passenger, I headed straight to Seb's Market Café for breakfast with fellow eGulleter Vancouver Lee. It's a neighbourhood restaurant about 10 minutes from our house named after the young son of Chef/Owner François Godbout. Seb's features live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays and it's one of our favourite family hangouts for weekend brunch. Comfortable, relaxed, a great stash of toys and colouring gear... it gets Noah's seal of approval. There are four things for which I have developed an even deeper appreciation since becoming a Mom: wine, beer, chocolate and coffee... not necessarily in order of preference. First thing in the morning, I'll gladly settle for one out of four. That's a cappuccino in case you're wondering. And now for breakfast. Vancouver Lee ordered a Ham Scramble with home fries, rye toast and orange marmalade. All of the breads and preserves at Seb's are made in house. I had a Roasted Garlic and Shiitake Mushroom Omelette with home fries, rye toast and apple butter... a welcome break from my usual breakfast routine of coffee, coffee and coffee. After a relaxing breakfast, it was nice to see that life's pace had slowed considerably in our neighbourhood once I got back home. Dinner's now on the table, so I've gotta run. In my absence, here's a teaser or two from lunchtime. Up next: a few thoughts on Filipino eating habits, or "Cultural Justification For Eating 6 Times A Day."

Likewise Arne... you've been missed 'round these here parts. The tomato harvest has been bountiful to say the least; Noah and I have been mowing through them like wildfire. And night-owl, schmight-owl... stay-at-home Moms have busy days too! On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ian usually heads over to the new house for a renovating stint... which means Date Night for Noah and Mom. Last night's date was a book reconnaissance mission to the Vancouver Public Library's central downtown branch. Of course, what date would be complete without dinner out on the town? A good dose of comfort food was in order, and our stomachs demanded ramen from this little noodle joint across the street from the library. Noah and I shared this massive bowl of Shoyu Ramen; somehow, we managed to escape relatively splash-free. Hidden away in there are bamboo shoots, corn, bean sprouts, green onions and sliced pork. Fellow eGulleter *Deborah* joined us for the noodle slurpfest. Here's her bowl of Char Siu Ramen with shoyu broth... much more photogenic than ours. And there's always room for gyoza. I'm off to the races yet again. Back after lunch with photos of breakfast and some much anticipated Filipino food.

As you'll soon discover, my son is a bottomless pit. Noah always asks for a snack on the drive home from preschool despite the fact that he's just demolished a snack with the rest of his classmates an hour before I pick him up. Today's munchies were some dried cranberries and a Granny Smith apple. Well, half an apple; I ate the other half. When I arrived, Noah was busily inspecting a tray of fruits and vegetables (I gather that the plastic wrap keeps the fruit flies at bay). Coincidentally, the science topic for his first week back at school is the Food Pyramid and making smart food choices. True to form, Noah made a beeline for the tomato patch as soon as he changed out of his school uniform. I've hit the jackpot... tomato heaven! With that, I bid you good night. Sweet tomato dreams.

Yes, I'm an insomniac. A bona fide insomniac. Everyone always claimed that my sleeping habits would change once I had children, but that certainly hasn't been the case. Fortunately, Ian is a night owl too, and Noah is already showing signs of being a late sleeper/late riser. A summer hiatus of sorts. Just out and about with Ian and Noah, making the most of Vancouver in the sunshine and spending lots of lazy time at our cabin on Salt Spring Island before the summer slips away. But I'ze back now! Is a move in the works? To where? ← We live in the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver... The Drive as it's affectionately called. Once known as "Little Italy" for its plethora of Italian shops, cafes and restaurants, The Drive has evolved into a more ethnically diverse neighbourhood with African, Asian, European, Latin American and East-Indian influences being added to the mix. Its tree-lined residential streets are dotted with character homes, many of which have been lovingly restored. Oddly enough, we're moving only 8 blocks south of where we live now, into a 1950s-vintage two-storey bungalow that's 1/2 a block from a park. It's a relaxed, family-oriented neighbourhood that's perfect for preschooler hijinks and walking distance from some of Vancouver's best ethnic eats. Thankfully, all of it. Even if our friends decide to re-rent this house after we leave instead of returning from their travels abroad, there'll be no problem with us reaping the fruits of our labour.

Wow, Jamie, that's quite an impressive litany... and you've managed to list a few of my favourites. Your knowledge of Filipino cuisine is a pleasant surprise; as Soba will readily attest, Filipino food isn't that widely known in North America. There's a fairly significant tome on Filipino food in the General Food Topics forum that serves as an excellent introduction to this ethnic cuisine. Over the coming week, I'll talk a bit about how the Filipino approach to eating has affected my own perceptions of food. With the exception of Cendrillon in New York City, most Filipino restaurants I've come across serve homestyle food in a cafeteria-style setting, food that I'd love to cook more often if I wasn't so constrained by time. There are a few here in Vancouver, and I'm hoping to hit one for lunch tomorrow... you're one step ahead of me Pam!

Dejah, to answer your question, the temperature was a wonderful 25°C today (or 77°F for those of you south of the 49th parallel)... not too shabby considering that we're now moving into Indian summer. As Jamie said, all the benefits of a temperate climate sans the skeeters. It's been warmer and drier than usual from about mid-July up until now, and they say that our beautiful summer weather should last until next week sometime with the odd sprinkle of rain thrown in to keep us humble. Fingers crossed. Lunch on the go, courtesy of the kolachy shop which is co-owned by fellow eGulleters ktbear and Chef Fowke. Tasty, reasonably priced food made with lots of TLC. Warm bread. Meat. Warm bread and meat. It just doesn't get much better than that! Just ask Noah... he'll choose the kolachy shop over Mickey D's any day of the week. Chef Fowke wouldn't sit still until this photo was just right. Here we have Thai Chicken Soup (coconut milk, chicken breast, lime juice, flavoured with cilantro and ginger) and a Lox & Cream Cheese Kolachy (cured BC wild salmon with capers, red onion and Philly cream cheese). All washed down with a Boylan's Grape Soda... the soda to end all sodas IMHO. I brought a couple of extras home for Ian's mid-renovation dinner break this evening including one of our favourites: a Mushroom Pesto Kolachy (roasted field mushrooms with basil pesto and Philly cream cheese).

David Duchovny's a liar... who says it always rains in Vancouver? It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. Here's the view upon which I gaze each morning as I take a pull from the elixir of life; today it's a cappuccino courtesy of Prado Cafe. The ivy-covered planter holds our tomato plants: Yellow, Brandywine, Yellow Brandywine, Siletz and Ugly Ripe, all grown from seedlings courtesy of Mrs. Daddy-A (merci beaucoup, ma chere amie). She also graciously provided us with an eggplant plant along with two chili plants: ancho and jalapeno. I see ratatatouille in my future! Aside from the veggies, our back yard also sports a profusion of herbs: two types of mint, oregano, regular chives and garlic chives, bay laurel and rosemary. I'll certainly miss this garden when we move. I'm saving this yellow tomato for Noah to eat after school today. He loves to pluck them off the vines himself and eat them like apples. God bless my child for eating vegetables. Coffee shot and gratuitous pet photo #1. Behold Shadow, in all her largeness, luxuriating beneath the bay laurel and the lavender. Let's just get one thing straight. Shadow was not the moniker we chose for her. She was so named by her former owners, our neighbours across the alley, who gifted her to us when they realized that she preferred spending time at our home to being picked on by her sister at theirs. Since Shadow adopted us, we've been trying to come up with a 'cooler' name, one more suitable for a feline of her girth... we're guessing she tips the scales at 18-20 lbs which is, believe it or not, a normal weight for cats of this breed. Tiny was my choice, Sylvester was Ian's. However, because we're unable to agree, the name search continues. Non-food-related, I know, but do y'all have any suggestions? Thanks for the welcomes and well wishes everyone! I'm off on an errand run before I pick Noah up from preschool, so I'll field your initial round of questions a little later on.

Brain. Earth to brain. Come iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin brain. Drat. I knew it fell out somewhere back there in August. Or so it must have if I actually volunteered to do an eGullet Foodblog during back-to-school week. Oh well. Chalk it up to temporary Mommy-brain insanity. Mental lapse aside, I suppose I should introduce myself and the rest of the Mouse house. *curtseys demurely* I'm Joie, a real estate marketing executive in my former life and a stay-at-home Mom in my current one. Co-habitating in marital bliss with my husband Ian who indulges my love for all things food-related. Mommy to our four-year-old son Noah whose growing passion for food is almost as big as mine. Owner of Shadow, the largest Norwegian Forest Cat in all of Christendom who adopted us two summers ago. We've been living in a beautiful heritage house in Vancouver, British Columbia for the past couple of years, housesitting for two friends of ours, and are in the throes of renovating a home of our own with plans to move in by month's end. See what I mean about madness? The start of school, home renos... what was I thinking?! Nonetheless, I hope that you'll fasten your seatbelts and join our family as we rush headlong through this first full week of September. Cooking will be far from gourmet this week as Ian, Noah and I readjust to our fall schedule. To placate Soba, I'll try to squeeze in some Filipino food over the course of this blog. And we'll close off the week with some fellow eGulleters at Aurora Bistro's A Taste of British Columbia! dinner. Fire away with any questions you might have about Vancouver, Filipino food, preschooler dining habits or life in general. For the span of this week, my house is your house and I'm more than happy to accommodate. Let's have some fun!

The Vancouver Courier Wednesday, August 31 edition Taming West Van’s Red Lion – Mario Corsi has transformed the Red Lion into a place to “get ‘pub’ food with a traveled, hotel twist, plus more flavour and imagination than you could ever hope to find in the jolly old original. And then some.” (Tim Pawsey) Wine of the Week – Viu Manent Malbec 2004 The Vancouver Courier Monday, September 5 edition Celebrating wine through the ages – “Wine lovers with a keen interest in grapes, corks, hogsheads and history can get their fill at the breathtaking Museo de la Cultura del Vino.” (Tim Pawsey) Wine of the Week – Rioja Crianza Conde de Valdemar 2001

After a sojourn to Salt Spring Island and a back-injury-driven hiatus, we now return you to your regularly scheduled Media Digest. Vancouver Courier Monday, August 29 edition "Located in the heart of the Okanagan, Gray Monk continues to produce some of the most approachable and affordable wines coming out of the valley." (Tim Pawsey)

There is indoor seating, Lee; however, it's nothing glam. Rather cafeteria-ish. Bear in mind that the forecast is for rain on Sunday. If you luck out with the weather, though, the deck isn't remarkably expansive and burgers on the beach might be in order barring the absence of deck seating. Not a bad option when you think about it.

Vancouver Magazine August 2005 edition Few Many Fish in the Sea – Sustainable dining goes mainstream (Jamie Maw) The Vancouver Courier Wednesday, August 10 edition Enduring del Duero – Born of the Duero valley’s harsh climate, Tempranillo is an intense, robust Spanish varietal (Tim Pawsey) Food lady hungers for zucchini – “Devorah Kahn wants local gardeners to donate their superfluous squash to the city's Plant A Row-Grow A Row initiative, which invites urban farmers to grow an extra row of vegetables for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and local neighbourhood houses.” (Sandra Thomas) The Georgia Straight Thursday, August 11 edition Best Eating: Red but not ready – “If you’re going to do it at all, why not do it properly?” asks Angela Murrills of the the Spectra Group’s latest pan-Asian venture Best Eating: Cooling Asian salads just the thing on hot days – Stephen Wong offers recipes for two Asian-inspired salads, perfect on days when it’s really cookin’ in the kitchen Uncorked: Ways to wine away the summer – Jurgen Gothe pens a list of wine-related tidbits and events Food of the Week: Bobobaby frozen vegitarian [sic] baby food (Angela Murrills) Brew of the Week: Bellhaven Wee Heavy just one big mellow (Jurgen Gothe) Straight Goods: Back to the future – A facelift keeps things current at the 25-year-old Bridges (Judith Lane and Angela Murrills) Straight Goods: Chilled to a T – Cool off with the newest icy concoctions from T (Judith Lane and Angela Murrills) Straight Goods: Pretty ‘n’ pink – Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs (Judith Lane and Angela Murrills) Straight Goods: Higher learning – Wine & Spirits Education Trust certification courses now offered in Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria and Kelowna (Judith Lane and Angela Murrills) The Westender Thursday, August 11 edition (Lifestyles section) There’s no waffling on this Belgian delight – “Stella's proves two things: there is room enough in this town for a few more Belgians, and our current love affair with the small and the sharable has no end in sight, as long as it's innovative and, for lack of a better word, cheap.” (Andrew Morrison) Terminal City Thursday, August 11 edition Are You Experienced?: Frenchies’ ambience blows your mind… plus they have food – “Michel Blais, the owner of the new Frenchies! (sic) Montreal Smoked Meat location on the Drive, would like you to go there for the food, but you’re more likely to head down for the experience—a trip probably worth it for a few different reasons.” (Shad McAllister)

Here's a link to Judith Lane's blurb in The Georgia Straight on this Saturday's "first ever cookbook swap" at Trout Lake.

The Vancouver Courier Wednesday, August 3 edition High marks for controversial Kits upstart – “The real question is whether Watermark will level out on the culinary plimsoll line – or languish in the doldrums of view dining. On that point, only time – and the operator's inclinations – will tell.” (Tim Pawsey) The Georgia Straight Thursday, August 4 edition Best Eating: Zesty Japanese food is elegant and satisfying – “Delicate flavours and subtle spins on the usual dishes distinguish Zest, newly opened on West 16th Avenue [at Macdonald] by chef Yoshi Maniwa.” (Angela Murrills) Uncorked: The grapes from Spain are mainly rather plain – Jurgen Gothe trudges through a morass of mediocre Spanish table wines to come up with a few standouts Food of the Week: The Cooks Illustrated Guide [to Grilling and Barbecue] a fine deck read (Angela Murrills) Brew of the Week: Spanish brew a hot-weather treat – Alhambra Reserva 1925 (Jurgen Gothe) Straight Goods: Holiday helper – Christmas isn’t the only time of year when donations to the Food Bank are needed and appreciated (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: Teas please – “Steer clear of [the] java jitters” at Moonstruck Chinese Teahouse and Japanese Sawa Tea & Craft (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: Stellar cellar – The list of winners in the third annual Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in B.C. Wines is now available for review (Judith Lane) The Westender Thursday, August 4 edition (Lifestyles section) When it comes to vino, ignorance is anything but bliss – “Never allow yourself to be intimidated by wine or those who know more about it than you - it's only fermented grape juice, for fuck's sake. Stick with it and relax. The knowledge will come.” (Andrew Morrison) Foodie Q&A / Hooked on Häagen-Dazs – Profile of Tim Muehlbauer, Executive Chef at the Listel Hotel and O'Doul's (Andrew Morrison) Terminal City Thursday, August 4 edition Sunday dinner redux: The Normandy’s better than your grandma – “If you need to have a another taste of grandma’s cooking, though – if you want to revisit now, in the present, the food too impossibly perfect and down-homey to be real – you can pick no better spot to indulge yourself than the Normandy… It’s simple but it’s good.” (Chris Eng)

We were privileged enough to enjoy outstanding Sri Lankan cuisine almost every weekend, courtesy of our good friends' kitchen. Nothing beats home cooking. Barring that, you can try Noor Mahal which is located at 4354 Fraser Street; their menu features both South Indian and Sri Lankan fare. Though I've never dined there myself, it does come recommended by our Sinhalese friends. Here's a link to Cyril's review of Noor Mahal on evevancouver.ca.

The Vancouver Courier Monday, August 1 edition No shortage of winning wines in B.C. – “There's no time like the present to be celebrating the remarkable transformation of the province's wine industry over the last 10 years.” (Tim Pawsey)