Mooshmouse

One of the most delicious things I've ever tasted is shiso leaf rolled into a piece of hotate sashimi.

Angela Murrills also penned a somewhat unfavourable review of Epic in this week's Georgia Straight. Seems that the common thread running through all three reviews (Straight, CityFood, Sun) is that Epic is a sexy new room, working through some opening kinks but shows lots of potential. I'll wait for a little while longer before trying it out, but I'm still anxious to taste what they have to offer. Looking forward to notes on your upcoming dining experience, tokyogurumegal.

I fell in love with Twinings Vanilla and Coconut tea while vacationing in Bora Bora. The resort served Afternoon Tea each day and this was their blend of choice. I brought two boxes home with me and am now down to my last two bags. Unfortunately, I've had no luck finding it here in Vancouver, so I suppose I'll have to break down and order it online. Every time I brew a pot, it reminds me of sitting in the shade of a verandah on a lazy tropical afternoon.

Tried my first Boylan's Grape Soda last weekend on a recent outing of the Vancouver Burger Club. Nectar of the gods. Reminiscent of the Fanta Grape that I had as a kid in the Philippines. I'm now anxiously awaiting the opportunity to taste drive Boylan's Orange Soda and Ginger Ale.

You might enjoy the thin sliced tounge at Yuji's Japanese Tapas on 4th. It isn't Korean style - but grilled perfectly with salt and pepper, and I'm sure you can add a bit of lemon. Very tasty! ← Yes! I've had it there before:) I don't go to Korean BBQ here much but whenever I have tongue it's at a Japanese restaurant. ← Don't forget the robata-style beef tongue served at Takumi on North Road in Burnaby. Delicious.

When hamming it up for the camera during my early childhood in the Philippines, my cousins and I always made the peace sign. Nieces and nephews of mine still do it now when having their picture taken. And I have absolutely no clue why.

Tammy, from one Mom to another, congratulations on successfully juggling the responsibilities of work and home while putting together such an interesting blog Looks like you have an adventurous eater in the making... keep up the great parenting! And thanks too for giving us a glimpse into the interesting concept of community living; I've greatly enjoyed reading about your unique slice of life.

I'm finally getting enough blood flow through my carotid arteries to make a post. Here's a couple of shots showing last night's dinner: a Vera Burger in all its glory. Provalone, bacon, fried onions and BBQ sauce. But, because I'm a toppings freak, I added ketchup, dijon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, roasted garlic and fried mushrooms. I'm no burger purist, but I'm not a hypocrite about it! Before And After (the first few bites, that is) Burger nirvana. Juicy, flavourful, decidedly unmessy with the paper wrapper as noted by butter. One of the best burgers I've had anywhere. Though I didn't get a shot of it, Ian declared his Lamb Burger with blue cheese to be outstanding. And our Boylan's Grape Sodas were the perfect nostalgic pairing. There were three baskets of fries and two baskets of beer-battered onion rings floating around the table. Both were great. Fries were a shade under-browned for me, though the ones at the bottom of Lee's basket were perfect, with just the right amount of salt. Not too high on the grease quotient either, but the onion rings compensated for that. As I overheard one of the counterstaff saying to another customer, I'll have to try a side of Vera's Sauce as dip on my next visit. Somehow managed to shoehorn in two scoops of Mondo Gelato to top off the evening's cholesterol festival. What the heck. Go big or go home! On behalf of these fine folks, signing off until the next installment of Burger Club at Browns.

Squid. Spicy garlic squid from Phnom Penh. Need I say more?

You're talking about Black Tuna with Chef Jacob Jung, formerly of Taka Sushi on West 4th Avenue. Haven't tried it myself yet, but my girlfriend who lives in the West End gives it rave reviews. Am also interested to hear what fellow eGulleters have to say about it.

Whoops. Almost forgot dinner with some fellow eGulleters at Phnom Penh on Wednesday evening. Ordered up what seemed like a huge quantity of food that disappeared all too quickly. There was Butter Beef (thinly sliced, briefly seared, served with what tasted like a cilantro/soy/lime marinade and fried garlic chips), Garlic Frog's Legs served in the same style as the Garlic Squid with a lemon pepper dip, a dry noodle dish of some sort (the details of which I've already forgotten), Steamed Crepes, a Crispy Crepe made with a bean curd wrapper, Sauteed Pea Tips with garlic, and Green Papaya Salad. Standout dishes, however, were the Crispy Fried Chicken Wings and the Spicy Garlic Squid. Deep fried goodness at its best. I'll be back for both, without a doubt.

Thought I'd include a photo of the top dessert tier from High Tea at Secret Garden Tea Company. Included are lemon tarts, blueberry tarts and triple-layer chocolate fudge cake. Mind you, I'm not entirely sure about the name of the chocolate dessert; suffice it to say it was a layer of chocolate cake, a layer of what I believe is milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate ganache. The latter is definitely good but not blow-me-away great like the Ganache Cake at Pane From Heaven which seems to be my current benchmark for all things excellent and chocolate. There were other treats available in the dessert case that I've yet to sample... each of my visits to Secret Garden has been for High Tea and the top tier, though different every time, only includes three desserts. I do, however, love their petite scones with raspberry jam and Devonshire cream. For a listing of all their "Dainty Sweets" in PDF format, click on this link to Secret Garden's "Buy The Dozen" menu.

On the chocolate croissant front, I'll chime in for the ones at Pane From Heaven, makers of the all-holy Chocolate Ganache Cake, which is located at 1670 Cypress Street. No nutella, no bananas, just dark chocolate ganache filling with chocolate drizzled on top.

You hit the nail right on the head. The Secret Garden Tea Company is truly girly land in every sense of the word. I have seen male patrons during my visits there, but they are usually of two kinds: elderly gentlemen in blue blazers either with their wives or another male friend looking to recapture a little bit of the British in them, or young fresh-faced twenty-somethings who've been entrapped by their fiancees into a couple of hours of tea and wedding planning. But there's still hope for you with the Beetle: just put a cigar in the flower vase and you're all set! Thanks, by the way, for the heads-up about Michelle's. I'm always game to try a new bakery. What's the cross street along West Boulevard?

Yesterday: It's a toss-up. Either the seared scallops with greens over house-cured bacon and tomato jam while sitting at the bar at West, or High Tea with a girlfriend at the Secret Garden Tea Company.

I would be delighted! Can I have the couch? Nothing like lounging on the couch on a Saturday and enjoying High Tea. Think they'd mind if I brought the dogs? ← And here I thought High Tea was a chick thing! Yes, I suppose you can have the couch if it's okay with Deborah. And they just might let you bring the dogs if you put them in mini-Burberry raincoats.

Apparently, Bacchus at the Wedgewood serves an excellent Afternoon Tea from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Here's a link to their menu. Perhaps you'd like to join me in a club chair by the fireplace one weekend for a taste drive? Before I forget yet again, here's a link to the Secret Garden Tea Company's website. Edited to correct a memory lapse and add weblinks.

After dinner at Da Francesco on Wednesday evening, I hit the dining-out jackpot today to compensate for 1 1/2 weeks of Noah's spring break with no 'days off'. Cappuccino at The Elysian Room with Arne this morning. High Tea at Secret Garden Tea Company in Kerrisdale, where I had numerous cups of Vanilla Almond tea and shared this with a girlfriend: Cocktail hour at West with my dear husband, newbie, peppyre, EdibleVancouver and Mrs. EV. Started off with cocktails: a Krystini and a China Girl. Quickly accompanied by an amuse-bouche of manila clam encased in a potato croquette on a skewer topped with red onion salad, then two appetizers shared with Tricia: Red Kuri Squash Risotto and Seared Scallops served with house-cured bacon, greens and tomato jam. Fabulous. From there, Ian and I paid our first visit to Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe for dinner. Our menu selections were the Ebi Chili-Mayo, Edamame, Wild Sockeye Salmon Tartare, Smoked Tuna Tataki with a chili (?) ponzu sauce and, my favourite of the lot, Dragonball Sushi served nigiri-style with avocado, prawn and salmon roe. Two scoops of Yuzu Sorbet were the perfect finale. Such an extraordinarily flavoured sorbet, the consistency of snow, almost like eating a delicate citrus-fragranced bouquet. Last but not least, a glass of Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Grigio at the Hamilton Street Grill bar in the fine company of Neil and HKDave.

CanadianBakin', glad to hear that our numerous reconnaissance missions weren't in vain and that you were able to sample so many sweet treats in one visit... now that's my kind of trip into town!

There still is a Pepitas located upstairs on the southwest corner of Burrard and West 4th Avenue.

Make an exception for Phnom Penh, located in Chinatown at 244 East Georgia Street, for the best Cambodian food in the city. Their garlic squid alone is worth the trip. The West Broadway location of Banana Leaf for excellent Malaysian food. Their sambal green beans and crab in kum heong sauce are two of my picks. Also Yuji's Japanese Tapas on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. You can find their regular menu here, but don't overlook their specials sheet. Sweet potato tempura fries and their maguro avocado crepe are a couple of menu items that immediately jump out from my long list of favourites. My two cents' worth and the previous suggestions only scratch the surface of Vancouver's many excellent Asian restaurants. I'd post more, but I've gotta run!

Belated welcome to eGullet... and I'm always up for a Mom's night out! Andrew started a thread a while back called Vancouver Comfort Food that focused on kid-friendly restaurants. Check it out... I hope you'll find it useful!

Here's a link to the Georgia Straight blurb on Ganache Patisserie. Dear God, that Citron-Nectarine is calling my name! I know where Ling and I are going soon.

Shelora, you hit the nail on the head for some of my favourite dishes at Hapa. I also quite like the korean-style ishiyaki: rice and other wonderful goodies in a hot stone bowl. And the negitoro is melt-in-your-mouth wonderful. Another great dish is the nama harumaki, which is their riff on a California roll. I haven't had breakfast yet, so your dinner description is making me hungry!

You were right on the no resos between 6:00 and 8:00, but I chose 8:15 p.m. over 6:30. Not a problem anyway, as this makes it easier for parents juggling babysitters and such. Thanks everyone for your feedback! Birthday dinner's all set for Hapa... looking forward to it as I haven't been there for a number of months now. However, with any luck, I'm going to try and make it over to Shiru-Bay on Friday evening.