Mooshmouse

Holy sublime desserts Batman! West's passionfruit souffle with white chocolate creme anglaise is one of my favourite things on this earth. Ever.

One tip regarding the Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe: get there early. Really early. The lineups there are longer than they are at De Dutch and almost as long as the ones at Sophie's or the Tomato.

There's been talk of butter and sugar on white bread as well as condensed milk on buttered white bread in the Bizarre Bits Between Bread thread. Until I read about sugar bread on eGullet, I always thought it was a Filipino thing too. Sparked by touaregsand's description of "Eating Jello straight out of the box" and "Dipping my finger into kool aid powder", I suddenly remembered my childhood love for drinking cream straight out of the little plastic containers, dipping my finger into a dish of CoffeeMate and squirting ketchup out of the little packets. Sucking on sugar cubes, of course. And the sheer pleasure of eating a soft, buttered hot dog bun. No hot dog. Just the bun.

Thanks for refreshing my memory on those Jon and Kris. I saw them in the store and wondered if they were too sweet as caramel-flavoured things often are.

Yes, Marcello's does lunch. Outstanding pizza; however, if dinner service is a benchmark, then lunch service might not be too expedient. Just sayin'...

In the interests of all things Pocky, I taste-tested a box of these yesterday. Strawberry Chocolate Decorer Nice thick coating, though not as creamy as the Pocky Mousse varieties. Unfortunately, any chocolate taste was overpowered by the rather strong strawberry flavour; when I did manage to get a hint of chocolate, it was milk chocolate which I find less complimentary to strawberries than dark chocolate. If it's a berry and chocolate combination I'm looking for, I'd much rather pick up a box of Berry Pocky G.

Clove is great; unfortunately, it's not open for lunch.

That soup sounds unbelievably good. Baked Potato Soup with bacon and cheese (translate: heart attack in a cup) was on yesterday's menu... it really hit the spot on a cool, showery spring day.

Only took a cursory glance at the dinner menu; however, lunch was very reasonably priced. My mussels were $12, and I believe that the flatiron steak was $10. Fauxtinis on special were $4.75 as were the pints of Okanagan Springs. Excellent food value.

Late to the table, I know, but here are a couple of photos and my take on last Wednesday's lunch at Ocean 6 Seventeen. Flatiron Steak in Chimichurri Sauce I treated my cousin for a belated birthday lunch, and he's never one to pass up a good plateful of meat. Steak was a lovely medium rare, les frites were beautifully crisped and the chimichurri sauce was, to the tastebuds of a chimichurri neophyte, phenomenally good. So good, in fact, that we requested a little side dish of it for frites dipping. Steamed Mussels in Lager Wonderful broth flavoured with beer, fennel and shallots. Not a single drop was wasted. My cousin and I were quick to capitalize on the day's drink specials. Pints of Okanagan Springs and fauxtinis were beverages befitting the celebratory nature of our lunch. Dessert didn't last long enough for a photo op; we ordered a Cinnamon-scented Chocolate Cake with white chocolate mousse and warm dark-chocolate sauce. Moist and delicious. Owner Maureen Fleming was a congenial host, and 2 1/2 hours in the sun passed all too quickly. T'was my first lunch there. It certainly won't be my last. Besides, who can resist this view? Ocean 6 Seventeen 617 Stamps Landing 604-879-6178 Monday to Friday - 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Two options spring to mind right away: Pondok Indonesian located at Commercial and 12th, and Havana Restaurant located at Commercial and William.

Burger Clubbers tackled the North Shore's hippest burgers at Brown's on Sunday evening. Hickory Burger Fabulous smokey barbecue sauce is the best part of this burger. Big on slop factor, perhaps because of the rather soft bun. Thank goodness I skipped the mushrooms this time around, or I would've been wearing more of the burger than I consumed. Like Lee, I found the patty to be a bit on the thin side; admittedly, I do prefer a thicker hamburger. Overall, quite tasty -- "Excellent," says Ian -- but I'd still give Vera's the nod. However, Brown's does serve some damn tasty french fries... probably the food highlight of the evening for me. Sliced and cooked exactly the way I like them: thin (almost shoestring style), crispy on the outside and just tender enough on the inside. I prefer my fries a little saltier, though... chalk it up to my Asian tastebuds. Hollywood Burger Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich Ian, Noah and I all enjoyed our piece of Key Lime Pie. Not knowing what Key Lime Pie is supposed to taste like, I'm throroughly unqualified to add any other comment than "yum". I do know that Arne snapped a photo of his slice, so I'm including this shot of Lee's Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich instead. And here's the happy cholesterol-laden crew. Starting from the back left, there's Ling, Mr. and Mrs. editor@waiterblog, Peppyre, "J" and Daddy-A, Vancouver Lee, and me with Junior and Mr. Mouse. I mentioned that the fries were the evening's food highlight... stay tuned for photographic evidence of Ling's tutorial on Hide And Seek 101. Edited because I forgot to caption the Burger Man himself. Doh!

It doesn't sound disgusting... in fact, it sounds like a liquid Creamsicle.

it is called berry and it lists both strawberry powder and raspberrry powder as ingredients. The cookie is still chocolate. ← T'was the first time I'd seen a box of this in our local Asian supermarket and had to taste-test it for myself. Much tastier than regular Strawberry Pocky; the chocolate cookie's slight bitterness effectively cuts the sweetness of the berry-flavoured icing. One bag disappeared in about 2.2 seconds flat. However, I still think that Strawberry Mousse Pocky edges out Berry Pocky G in the berry-flavour department.

Ocean 6 Seventeen... you were right on your guess of creme fraiche in the smoked salmon risotto cakes. Yum. Now. As for Phnom Penh. Was that Butter Chicken the package of mysterious origin that you smuggled in under your coat? You got the menu right: Butter Beef, Spicy Garlic Squid and Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings (the dynamic duo of deep-fried goodness), Green Papaya Salad, "two kinds of noodles" with sliced beef/pork/liver, and Pea Tips in Garlic Sauce that Ling actually professed to like. My only wish is that Vietnamese Iced Coffees were served in larger glasses as they always seem to disappear far too quickly. Last but not least, The Mill. We had a Warm Salmon Salad with some sort of teriyaki-ish dressing. Good enough. How can you screw up a salad? And halibut that was a mite on the overcooked side with rice that was also a mite on the overcooked side and snap peas. Kind of bland... meh, but edible. Arne was right. Cold beer, warm red wine and tepid white. But it was all about the view and the company anyway. The noise level on that 'patio' must've dropped exponentially after the five of us left.

The upcoming Cabernet Sauvignon dinner is, indeed, scheduled for Sunday, May 22. If you're interested in attending, I suggest that you call and book your spot posthaste as these events sell out very quickly. Cru's wine tastings/dinners usually run in the ballpark of $75 per person; this includes tasting of a full wine flight, a four-course meal and wine pairings with each course. Unbelievable, isn't it?! The La Crema Winery Dinner was an extraordinarily special event yet still remarkably reasonable in the food-value department at $85.

The other day, my Mom gave me a few sections of a durian that she had bought. First put into a ziploc bag, then wrapped up in two knotted shopping bags. She made me promise not to open it in front of my dear husband lest I kill him with the smell. So I vowed to enjoy it outdoors in solitude. The things you do for food.

Well posted Stephen. Umami is a gem of a restaurant, one that I consistently recommend to friends (or anyone who asks for that matter). Elegant yet comfortable in its atmosphere, plating and flavours. It's one of our restaurants of choice when we're up for cool jazz, great wine and excellent, inventive food that isn't over the top.

What a privilege it was to attend the La Crema Winery Dinner hosted by Mark Taylor and Chef Dana Reinhardt at Cru on Sunday, April 24. It was a special evening celebrating a phenomenal California winery. And we were equally fortunate to have montrachet, Foodie In Vancouver and Nels as our dining companions together with three other wine-enthusiast friends. Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, Assistant Winemaker at La Crema, was the night's guest speaker. Following a blind tasting of the wine flight outlined below, she guided us through the wines with her personal tasting notes and provided us some insight on the nuances of La Crema's winemaking techniques. 2003 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2003 La Crema Russian River Chardonnay 2003 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2003 La Crema Russian River Pinot Noir La Crema Sonoma Coast Zinfandel 2002 La Crema Sonoma County Syrah Of the wines we sampled, my choices for drinking sans food were the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2003 (green apple and pear; long, creamy finish) and the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2003 (loads of berry taste... blackberry and raspberry; plush tasting, almost like sinking into a sofa). Ian, who has a wine palate that's diametrically opposed to mine, preferred the Russian River Pinot and the Sonoma County Syrah. Dinner was exquisite. Chef Reinhardt and her BOH staff truly stood on their collective ear for this meal. First course: Potted Lobster and Crab with fresh mango salad Pairing: 2003 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay An outstanding pairing. The buttery, delicate lobster and crab meat complimented the wine's soft mouthfeel without overwhelming it, and the mango enhanced the round richness of the chardonnay's first fruit notes. Second course: Duck Confit with lentils and crackling; Foie Gras Torchon with cherry compote Pairing: 2003 La Crema Russian River Pinot Noir Good God. Much as I love me my foie gras, the duck confit stole my heart. If Chef Reinhardt decided to package the crackling and sell it as a snack, I'd have a serious cholesterol problem. Elizabeth Grant-Douglas's tasting notes on this pinot noir vintage were cherry cola with hints of rootbeer/sassafras and licorice, flavours which were certainly brought to the forefront by the cherry compote. However, the creaminess of the foie gras and the confit's strong smokiness helped to temper the astringency evident in this 14.5% wine when tasted without food. Third course: Seared Lamb Loin, preserved lemon demi-glace; Syrah-braised Lamb Shoulder; Grilled Lamb Chop Pairing: 2002 La Crema Sonoma County Syrah I have no words to adequately describe the brilliantly executed tastes of this lamb course. IMHO, it was the star of the evening. The lamb loin had a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the flavour from diced bits of preserved lemon scattered throughout the demi-glace was genius. Sheer genius. And, though not readily apparent in the photo, the shoulder meat was served 'pulled'. Fourth course: Brown-butter Almond Cake; Cardamom Crème Brûlée; Saint Agur with quince; Optima Syllabub Pairing: Quails' Gate botrytis-affected Optima 2003 Where to begin? Fourth course, four desserts... Chef Reinhardt's theme for the evening is, by now, readily apparent. If hard-pressed to choose one of the four, it would have to be the cardamom crème brûlée. Burnt sugar top that easily withstood the tap test and cardamom taste that was flavourful, not overpowering. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the cheese. Wow. On any given day, blue cheese wouldn't be my first choice, but the Saint Agur was moist, creamy and relatively mild. I'm a convert. Clearly, there was no need for an additional food stop after this meal as we were all more than sufficiently sated. The La Crema evening was, indeed, a gastronomic extravaganza. If you love your wine as much as you love your food, I strongly encourage you to reserve a spot at one of Cru's wine-themed dinners whenever you have the opportunity. You certainly won't regret it.

Those were a favourite in our house. They'd come in a big jar. The ones with lycee and mango were the best. They don't come in mini-size now for the reason Shalmanese stated. They come in a cup about 3" x 1/2 inch size. Kids can't pop them now. I have a tiny coffee spoon for my grandson to use. ← In a moment of weakness, I picked these up today. Am vigorously exercising self-restraint by eating only one before dear husband gets home as he absolutely loves fruit jellies, and my son is diligently doing the same. Didn't taste Noah's banana jelly, but my mango jelly was lovely. Not too sweet with diced chunks of mango throughout. Betcha they'll taste even better once they've cooled in the fridge for a while!

I should know better by now. Never, ever go on a snack run at the supermarket when you're hungry. The sheer volume of snack food that my son and I walked out of the store with was absolutely obscene. Oh well. At least I vow to eat it gradually. Noah asked for these: And I'm munching on these as I type. Holy jumpin' snack food Batman! Where have these garlic-toast flavoured corn sticks been all my life! Just salty enough, a hint of butter and loads of garlic. Needless to say, this is my latest and greatest.

Perhaps it was a Lotus made with lychee-infused vodka, lychee juice, lime cordial and ginger ale? No, I'm not The Amazing Kreskin... I plucked the description off the website.

What a great first post! Welcome to eGullet and thanks for my laugh of the evening.

Ocean 6 Seventeen. It's where I spent a large part of this afternoon. What a fabulous spot. Dining notes forthcoming, but I'll definitely be back. Adding a few to the list, there's: The Cannery BravoBistro Fiddlehead Joes Chili House StoneGrill The Quay BoJangles Cafe Creekside Pub & Brewery (in the Granville Island Hotel) Cat's Meow (on Granville Island, pretty much right by the water) Go Fish! Jericho Sailing Club

West. Without question. (click for West's website link) Appreciator and editor have both proffered excellent lists, but I felt that Chef David Hawksworth's culinary genius deserved underscoring.