Mooshmouse

Haven't been to Hälsö Konditori yet, but I did notice it while we were at La Petite France a couple of weeks ago and made a mental note to add it to the desserting list. Hmmm. Black forest cake in Vancouver. Though I've never tried it, La Baguette et L'Echalotte on Granville Island sells what seems to be a fairly traditional version. There's le Forêt Noire at La Petite France, but it doesn't look like the whipped-cream-laden wonder that you seek. And what about Notte's Bon Ton?

Never speak of this place again...it is my favourite secret!!!! ← Okay now Arne. Let's give credit where credit is due. Brian may have the personal connection, but I unleashed the goodness of kolachy upon our local corner of eGullet in September... he was two months late to the table. So there!

Basically what Lorna and Deborah posted upthread for the first four on my list. Zanzibar: Priced at $6.65, their Lamb Couscous offers some of the best food value I've found in Vancouver. A fairly large portion of meat and mountains of couscous served together with zucchini, carrots, brussels sprouts and turnip in a couscousiere. Unbelieveable. Lorna's Chicken Bastela was every bit as delicious as she described it to be... I won't be sharing with anyone when I order it for myself! Prado: Cappuccino and 1/3 of a peanut-butter cookie. Ch'i: Many drinks. Much food. Great fun! 'Nuff said. HSG: An Absolute Crime cocktail and Neil's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink dessert (Hamilton Street Decadence or something to that effect) using up the last of his maple syrup gelato. The Bakehouse in Edgemont Village: Sunny Sunday brunch out on the patio. Farmer's Breakfast for me... sundried tomato chicken sausage, eggs, rosti, a baked tomato, rye toast and homemade raspberry jam. Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, toast and jam for Noah. A rather hefty smoked turkey sandwich for Ian. And a mango-peach pie to take home for dessert with company. Da Francesco: Pre-grocery-shopping dinner last night. Osso Bucco with penne in rose sauce for Ian, Chicken Parmigiana with penne in rose sauce for me. Despite helpings of both for Noah's dinner, we still had loads of leftovers to bring home. I can still taste the garlic! Ian and I are both trying to keep the hay fever at bay, so we bypassed the red wine in favour of San Pellegrino Aranciatas. Dessert, upon Noah's request, was half vanilla-fudge, half cappuccino gelato smothered in chocolate sauce.

As already noted by Ling upthread, we taste-drove two different treats from Sweet Obsession Cakes and Pastries this afternoon. Pastry descriptions are quoted from the website. Chocolate Obsession Rich dense chocolate truffle in a triangle Best of the two IMHO, yet still not quite rich enough for me. Chocolate Ganache Cake Layers of chocolate Genoise and ganache (a blend of dark and milk chocolate with cream) with a hint of rum A bit too dry and crumbly for my liking; I guess I've fallen into the trap of measuring every chocolate ganache cake I taste against the one made by Pane From Heaven. In short, we felt that today's treats were good, not great... and not as photogenic as Ganache Patisserie's desserts from last week. However, as Lorna said, we'll be back for another visit to sample more desserts from their extensive menu. The Bitter Sweet Chocolate Butter Cream looks interesting, as does their Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse. To date, I'd rank the Chocolate Ganache Cake by Pane From Heaven first, then the Caramel-Chocolat at Ganache Patisserie second, followed closely by the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France in third and the Concorde Framboise at Ganache Patisserie in fourth. (Really, third and fourth place are interchangeable for me.) Bear in mind, though, that our desserting expeditions have primarily focused on rich, dark chocolate desserts as I have a greater penchant for fruit-based desserts than Lorna does.

Arne, Ian said that you were a real trooper, especially considering that the fall took place at the beginning of that ride. When he said bridge deck, I winced big time. Hope you're doing okay. That aside, Arne's in blogland... whoohoo!!

After nothing but ice chips and water for hours, one nurse had the bright idea of bringing me a fruit-flavoured popsicle... the old-fashioned cheap-as-borscht kind from when I was a kid... and I could've sworn it was food from the gods. I ate three in a row -- two orange and one pink if I remember correctly -- and they went a long way in upping my flagging blood-sugar level. Check with your hospital or birthing centre as some of them actually keep popsicles on hand for just such an occasion.

I had that problem until I started lining the pan with the non-stick foil. I think the non-stick doesn't allow the stuff to, well, stick, so that it browns on the bottom side about the same. I also think the sheet of foil gives just a bit of insulation that evens things out. Then again, all oven/pan/temperature combinations will probably differ. ← Sticking has never been a problem with the pans I use. I've also tried the non-stick foil method but found that it was one extra step to achieve exactly the same result and I ended up having to flip it anyway. Really, I chalk it up to the oven itself as it is rather idiosyncratic with its hotter and cooler spots. Drives me nuts with a sheet of cookies.

If I don't flip as regularly as I noted above, then the florets and gibbles in the centre of my pan turn out lovely and brown; however, anything on the perimeter of the pan burns beyond eatability. I'd love to not have to flip, but it's all for a good cause!

I say flip. Because I use a convection oven with the fan on, I find that flipping every 5-8 minutes or so results in more even browining... and more charred "gibbles" (which are, indeed, the best bits).

Well, technically it is beef. I wouldn't eat it either until a girlfriend urged me to try it robata style at Takumi. Absolutely delicious.

Here's a link to one recipe for kinilaw with coconut milk, as well as a second version without it. Kinilaw (or kilawin) is the Filipino equivalent of ceviche: raw fish marinated in vinegar and kalamansi or lemon juice. It can be made with or without chilis; personally, I prefer mine on the spicy side.

Damn you Keith!! That's one of the worst cases of Deadly Song Implant I've had in a while. Thanks to your link, I now have the freakin' theme song from The Rockford Files playing in my head.

By the way, great writeup in today's Queue section of The Vancouver Sun!

Oooh, you go Dave! I've always been curious about Random. Have read a couple of writeups on it and have always meant to try it out. Was this your first visit?

Food geeks + taco trucks + cell phones = Vancouver's newest road racing phenomenon. After coordinating with a friend/friends via cell phone to order from opposing trucks simultaneously, the game's end goal would be to finish eating and race across town to the other taco truck, order and polish off your meal before your opponent does or before the daily special runs out. Of course, there are rules and hazards associated with this sport. Gelato and chocolate refuelling pit stops are forbidden. There's also the fear of getting lost in the urban wilderness that is Vancouver... I can just imagine Ling driving around aimlessly for three hours only to end up at a Taco Time in Aldergrove. Panuchos and salbutes at twenty paces! Sorry Arne. We now return you to your regularly scheduled dissemination of the absence of good Mexican food in metropolitan Vancouver. And I'm all for the taco truck idea.

Blecch. You've hit two of my food peeves squarely on the head. I'm getting that funny gagging feeling just thinking about slicing into pink, undercooked chicken meat or slimy egg whites. Ack to the nth degree.

Good God. I remember loving them as a kid but, for the life of me, can't even imagine eating one now. My nephew offered me a bite of his a couple of years ago and it makes my teeth sweat to think about that cloying sweetness. But more power to you... you can re-live my childhood for me!

Baked/oven-warmed Brie de Meaux, strawberries, roasted garlic and cracked pepper atop a baguette. Heaven!

Hmmm. I think they run on par in my books. Oh.My.God.

That's it! Exactly what I was looking for... thank you so much! Of course, you realize that the wildlife in our neighbourhood will suffer immensely as a result of my having this recipe. I'm absolutely forbidden to fry or oven toast dried anchovies in the house as my husband has a marked abhorrence for the smell. So I cook them outdoors on the gas burner of our barbecue. Though you'd think this solves the odour problem, my husband claims that all birds and small animals within a 1 mile radius of our house drop dead in their tracks or midflight as soon as I start cooking. Filipinos, too, love drinking and snacking. Or just plain snacking really. Pulutan is the Tagalog term for drinking snacks, and our taste preference for a broad spectrum of flavours from sour to sweet to pungent and savoury runs parallel with the Koreans. Thanks again for your input!

Not yet, but our first visit to Ganache certainly wasn't our last! We were so fixated on les patisseries that taste-driving the truffles was relegated to our next visit by default. Which flavours does your wife like best? (Of course, a true chocoholic's answer to that question would simply be "Yes.")

Bokkeum myeolchi... thank you melonpan! The way I've had it served to me in Korean restaurants here is more plain than the recipe you noted: usually prepared with the tiniest fish and no chilis or jalepenos. But your version looks delicious; I'll have to try making it at home. Filipinos usually eat these pan or oven toasted to get them extra crispy, dipped in cane vinegar with crushed garlic and chilis. My 3 1/2-year-old son loves them and snacks on them, sans vinegar, like potato chips. He's forever trying to get my husband to try them -- "Come on Daddy, you have to taste everything on the table at least once! -- but no go as of yet!

Thanks for your kind words Yetty! Consider the photos as payment in kind for all of your own magnificent photographs of fabulous tropical fruit that I so dearly miss from the Philippines. The rambutan picture in your profile is mouthwateringly delicious! Back OT, I'll readily admit that I have a penchant for the combination of fruit and dark chocolate. That's why I love the Poached Pears dipped in dark chocolate at Chocolate Arts and why I rank the Concorde Framboise higher on my taste scale than Lorna does.

As one of Lorna's cohorts on today's desserting expedition, I'd have to add this tasty morsel as my second place choice following the Caramel-Chocolat: Concorde Framboise Dark chocolate raspberry mousse, raspberry balsamic gelée, cocoa meringue.

Don't worry. Virtual cycling makes short work of virtual weight gain!