Mooshmouse

Kinder Bueno has washed up on our shores recently. My kids (okay, me too ) were always fans of Kinder-Suprise eggs. Bueno just allows me to enjoy my Kinder fix as an adult. Milk chocolate covered wafers with chocolate cream inside. Nice & lite with a rich hit inside. Isn't Duplo really big Lego for babies? ← Big Lego... something only a parent would know! From what I remember, Kinder Duplo is pretty similar to Bueno. Whereas Bueno has chocolate hazelnut cream inside, Duplo has hazelnut-nougat cream filling.

This has been driving me nuts for a while now. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the Korean side dish consisting of tiny dried anchovies in a sweet, almost sticky sauce. I'd love to be able to ask for this dish by name in a restaurant but can never think of what it's called. And whenever I do manage to describe this dish adequately enough to order it, the waitstaff usually look somewhat puzzled and rather astonished that someone non-Korean actually enjoys eating it. Does anyone know what this dish is called? Thanks in advance!

I find the repetitiveness of baking cookies quite soothing, usually late at night after the house is quiet and my preschooler has gone to bed. Also washing dishes by hand at the cabin to work off a few calories (emphasis on few) after a satisfying dinner out on the deck... somehow, it just seems to underscore the fact that everyone has eaten well and is enjoying that pleasingly full feeling on a warm summer night. And the knowledge that, as soon as the dishes are done, I'll be back out on that deck with postprandial drink in hand. Even more satisfying when with my husband... one washes and the other dries... the simple pleasure of either reviewing the day's events or the quiet, wordless synchronicity of our working rhythm.

Taking barolo's advice, a group of us took on the arduous task of taste-testing some of the desserts at Ganache Patisserie on Homer Street in Yaletown. A tough job, to be sure, but we manage to suffer through somehow. PeppermintTea, Ling, dUbVADER and I taste-tested five desserts between us. Following is a list of our preferences from best to merely okay; interestingly enough, we all ranked the desserts in exactly the same order. Descriptions are taken directly from the Ganache Patisserie website. Caramel-Chocolat Milk chocolate caramel mousse with hazelnut croquant, raspberry gelée, 75% Tanzanie dark chocolate mousse, praline crunch and chocolate biscuit. Awarded first place by all of us. Lusciously rich and smooth offset by the praline crunch 'crust'. Concorde Framboise Dark chocolate raspberry mousse, raspberry balsamic gelée, cocoa meringue. A very close second to the Caramel Chocolat; in fact, had we based our selections on strictly chocolate desserts, this would have been our number one choice. The raspberry balsamic gelée filling and the delicate morsels of cocoa meringue on the bottom really make this dessert. Chocolat-Banane Dark chocolate mousse, caramelized bananas, praline crunch, hazelnut dacquoise. Ranked third by all of us except dUbVADER who abstained from tasting this due to his aversion to all things banana. Lovely rich chocolate flavour; however, we found the banana flavour to be a bit overpowering and would've preferred it as a complimentary taste rather than taking centre stage. Opéra à la Noisette Dark chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream, hazelnut biscuit, praline crunch. Tasty, yet a bit lacking in depth of chocolate flavour. Tiramisu-Chocolat Tiramisu cream, 70% dark chocolate mousse. In hindsight, I should've taken a photo of this dessert to show the dark chocolate mousse centre after we had taken a few bites. Of all the desserts, this was the only one that we felt was just okay. Not good, not bad, just okay. We probably would've ranked it higher if the marscapone had a thicker, creamier consistency and the ladyfingers had been more moist (booze, that's it, more booze!). Personal preferences definitely came into play here as fellow eGulleter butter and her husband, who arrived just as we were finishing our desserts, declared the Tiramisu-Chocolat to be absolutely delicious. As Ganache Patisserie's menu changes seasonally, we'll definitely be back to taste-test their new desserts!

Can I apply for the position of "grill bitch"? ← Only if you shave your legs as well as your head.

Dear Lord, Forgive me Neil. I actually know a Noah Wyles, hence the auto error. Sorry ← That's ok, if you have read this board for awhile, sometimes my own guests call me Ian. ← Neil, you've got both men in my family coming and going by name! Are you trying to tell me something?! Have you been sleepwalking in my neighbourhood while wearing caramel sauce?

We had a similar superstition in the Philippines. If you drop a fork, an unexpected male visitor would soon arrive. If you drop a spoon, an unexpected female visitor would soon arrive. I've also heard tell that if you drop a knife, the devil would come a'knocking at your door. That one always gave me the heebies as a kid.

Hand grenades... I always used to think the same thing! In the Philippines, we call these Atis; they were in season last time I visited. Delicious. Thanks for the photo Yetty!

My midnight snack of Brie de Meaux with some Rosemary Raisin Pecan flavoured Raincoast Crisps by Leslie Stowe.

Methinks that regular manscaping would, indeed, be in order. Who'll volunteer for this position?!

Ooooh. Ganache Patisserie. That's one of the stops on our cross-city dessert search! And I'll certainly agree with you about West. There and Cru. Cru's Bitter Chocolate Torte with port-stewed rhubarb and crème fraîche is out of this world.

I also know a number of Persians, and 'Persian' is their word of choice as opposed to 'Iranian'.

Here's a photo of the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum from La Petite France's website as noted above which has a pictorial showcase of all their tasty treats. It really does taste as good as it looks!

Well, the way our reconnaissance played out, the Chocolate Ganache Cake from Pane From Heaven is the best we've found so far. Dark, rich chocolate flavour and extremely moist. Chocolate heaven. Address is 1670 Cypress Street. Second place was the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France. Honourable mention goes to their Sacher Torte. Film at eleven.

Yes, but will he put it in a bun, slather it with condiments and allow you to eat it standing outside the front door of his restaurant? When we lived in Yaletown, we always stopped by the hot dog cart parked on the corner of Davie and Hamilton on our stumble home after a late night of drinking. Hot dogs always taste so much better at 2:30 a.m. Extra sauerkraut for me please.

Post away Lorna. After all, reconnaissance and much detailed analysis is how we found the chocolate ganache cake, is it not?!

Made, of course, from rolling herds of Meyer lemons that migrate north from California and stampede across the open plains of Sardis and Yarrow. Neil's doing us all a great service, really, as he's rescuing Valley farmers from this menace to their indigenous crops. All hail Neil Wyles, the great Meyer lemon rustler!

Who the hell needs lemon meringue tart when you can have a butter tart. With maple syrup gelato. More please. Soon.

It's no mystery that I've been enamoured with Warm Gingerbread Pudding ever since I started posting about it in September. Ling and I both looooove the Chocolate Ganache Cake at Pane From Heaven. There's the lovely bits of pearl sugar crunch in the Gaufres de Liege at Chambar. And jam rugelach from Solly's. But my latest and greatest dessert craving is for Neil's new special dessert at The Hamilton Street Grill: what he calls a "mini" Butter Tart with Maple Syrup Gelato (did I get the gelato flavour right?). Good God. Nothing mini about it at all. PeppermintTea and I sampled it last night, and we damn near had to triangulate and measure for equal portions. I foresee many, many more of these in my future. Neil, please make this a regular menu item!!

Cake. I eat it and composed desserts pretty much the way jgarner described them, except the outer crust isn't necessarily my favourite part. And I'm an only child, but the eldest of 5 very close cousins. Hence my two-sided best-first-and-last approach.

Aha! Here she is, sucked into the never-ending vortex of time otherwise known as eGullet... it's about damn time. A few of you already know her, as she's accompanied me on some of our group dining escapades: chocolate tarts at Bravo Bistro, dim sum at Szechuan Chongqing and many coffees at The Elysian Room for starters. Welcome PeppermintTea! Back OT, the peanut butter and chocolate gelato at Casa Dolce is pretty damn good. They also used to have a fairly extensive selection of handmade chocolates, though I believe they've scaled it down somewhat.

Interestingly, lannie, it was during an omakase dinner that this topic of conversation arose... and o-toro was my last bite. I absolutely do start with the tastiest bite, but I like to end with it too. After having gone through the bulk of my meal and determining what tastes best together as Luckylies does, I'll save a little bit of the most fabulous taste combination as my last morsel. In my books, a cold (or, rather, lukewarm) bite of foie gras is miles better than a hot bite of rutabaga.

Prompted by recent dinner conversation with some fellow eGulleters, I'd like to know if you save the best part of your meal for your last bite(s), or do you eat the tastiest tidbits first? For me, it's all about last bite planning. When I'm reaching the end of a plateful of food, I quickly assess what's left to ensure that my final mouthful is nothing short of ambrosial. C'mon, admit it. There are fewer things more infuriating than being so engrossed in a conversation or a television show that you eat the last piece of chocolate without realizing it. Or having that final brussels sprout to cap off your main course because you forgot to save a delectable morsel of duck confit. One of my dining companions posited a theory that it's all about birth order. In other words, if you're the youngest in the family, you're more likely to dive in and eat the best part of your meal first so that you stand a chance at getting seconds without being scooped by older siblings. Untrue with my husband, the youngest of three. He, like me, wants his end bite to be a good one. So, 'fess up. What's your strategy?

I've posted my review on our long-overdue post-Valentine's Day dinner in the Truth be told thread. A fabulous dinner, indeed, and I'm already looking forward to our next visit... the fettuccini with beef tenderloin and the tiramisu are calling out, "Taste test me, taste test me!"

The amount of restaurant dining I’ve been doing lately is bordering on the obscene. I keep saying to myself that I’ll slow down after Dining Out For Life… wait, after the end of the month… wait, after Ian’s birthday. Oh, for crying out loud. Brunch at Tomato Fresh Food Café with Peppyre (and, coincidentally, Vancouver Lee and family as mentioned upthread). We diligently constructed our waffles with fresh fruit, yogurt and maple syrup as Tricia shook her head in disbelief. I also had a side of turkey bacon, and Noah had a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, home-fried potatoes and toast. Bowl-sized mocha for Ian, and bowl-sized latte for me. Sparkling wine tasting and dinner at Cru. I’ve made my comments on Jeff’s “Cru special events” thread. Lunch with Noah at The Elysian Room. Shared the baked chicken mezzaluna pasta with a side of greens, and had a wonderful bowl of soup for myself: tomato vegetable with coconut curry and a squeeze of fresh lime. And the requisite post-prandial cappuccino. Family dinner at Da Francesco as noted on the appropriate thread.. Lamb burger and a salad and a few of Arne’s yam fries with a group of fellow eGulleters at the Hamilton Street Grill, followed by a cappuccino and chocolate almond torte with sundried sour cherries at The Elysian Room. As I've posted elsewhere, one of the best damn burgers I've had anywhere. Valentine’s Day redux… dinner with Ian at Adesso. From our near-ringside perch, we could watch Travis and Joseph work their magic, and magic it was indeed. Arancini (which, by the way, I could live on) and Vitello Tonnato as starters. Dijon and Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb for Ian, served with braised green lentils, sweet potato crisps, rosemary-scented demi glace and white truffle oil. It ranks up there as some of the most tender lamb we’ve ever tasted. And the sweet potato crisps would be, without a doubt, a best seller if you manufactured them and sold them retail! Dinner special for me: Osso Bucco Milanese with Saffron Risotto. Luciano brought me a steak knife, but I certainly didn’t need it for this beautifully braised portion of veal. The saffron added a wonderfully unexpected element to this dish, and the marrow definitely did not go to waste. Garlic heaven indeed! Dessert: Amaretto Toasted Almond Crème Brulée with house-made biscotti. Fabulously thick sugar crust, a perfect compliment to the amaretto and almond flavours. Wine? Yes, we had some. White with our appetizers and red with our main courses. But we were more focused on the seamless kitchen choreography, the warmth of our gracious host and hostess, Luciano and Carol, and each other (of course!). We’ll definitely be revisiting Adesso soon. Thanks to the entire Adesso crew for a great evening!