Mooshmouse

Anise seed girl. Anise seed. You should've seen the bottom of that salmon cake... it was crusted in it. Jury's still out on that meat cookie!

Gotta love Ling! When Ian and I virtually carried Ling back to her apartment and ensured that she was able to remove her shoes and coat without falling over, I encouraged her to post immediately about tonight's antics so that I could see what effect the evening's libations would have on her typing skills. Clearly, it was that last drink at relish that pushed you over the edge girl! Look at it this way Ling: your liver will be that much stronger for it!

Actuellement, the French verb "baiser" must be used with the qualifying verb and preposition "donner un baiser a quelqu'un" (literally, to give someone a kiss) as noted in Ben's explanation above. Otherwise, without the qualifier, its usage changes to a colloquialism for "to fuck".

Eh-dah-MAH-meh (all short vowel sounds) And you have it right with 'pan-CHE-tta".

And how do you like them prepared? Masala curry or tandoori style?

Oh great. Now everytime I see Andrew, I'll be thinking about Christopher Walken in that FatBoy Slim video. Kidding aside, we'll be visiting the Adesso crew next Wednesday evening for our post-Valentine's Day repast. After I talked up a sneak preview, dear husband took one look at the menu and didn't hesitate to make the reservation. In like Flynn!

Is it the one with a yellow sign in a stand-alone building that shares a parking lot with a small korean grocery store and focuses primarily on Korean BBQ dishes? The name escapes me too... ← Probably not. The one I'm thinking of is directly across the street from the British Ex-Servicemen's Association. But I know the one you're talking about... still can't recall the name of either restaurant!

Wow Yetty... I can smell those bao right through my computer screen! Especially since I haven't had breakfast yet. Let's see. Two days ago: sockeye salmon cakes. Yesterday: potstickers doused in soy, sriracha and cane vinegar.

You're kidding, right Ling? There couldn't have been any leftover chocolate at your house.

I know exactly what you mean, but can't remember the name of them. I've had them at the little counter restaurant that is behind the korean supermarket on North Rd and Loughead Highway. I can't remember the name of the restaurant. I'm sorry. But in that area of town I'm sure you can find them in several places. ← Thanks for that heads-up Vancouver. I often get an incredulous look from my server when I try to order them at a Korean restaurant, almost as if they can't believe that someone non-Korean actually likes them. And an equally incredulous look from my husband as I'm eating them -- he dubs them "krill" and can't stand them. There's a small Mom-and-Pop style place on the south side of Kingsway between Knight and Fraser that serves them too, along with fairly good Korean food. I can't remember the name as I haven't been there in a couple of years... Lee's Korean Garden perhaps? At any rate, I'm overdue for another visit to get my "krill" fix. And welcome aboard Pretzels!

Oooh, Susan. Roasted green beans. I keep forgetting to try that, throwing some garlic in there for good measure. And that looks like the potato salad to end all potato salads. Yetty, your soup is so vibrantly coloured... I'm sure it tasted just as wonderful as it looks! Tonight's dinner was an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink stirfry. Cooking had to be extra-quick as the troops were ravenous Chicken and loads of vegetables with a soy/cane vinegar/orange juice/honey glaze, served over jasmine rice. And no leftovers to be had.

I feel so cheated! Only three flavours to choose from here in Canada... well, Vancouver anyway. What's up with that?! Does this mean I have to mug a Girl Guide on my next cross-border trip?

It's free all over town, but can be hard to find. Street boxes are at Granville and Robson, Homer and Smithe, 4th and Burrard, 1st and Commercial, and all around Yaletown. There should be deep drops at Soma and Pulp Fiction on Main, as well as at Granville Books. And of course, there's always www.terminalcity.ca. ← They also have copies at The Elysian Room. And welcome to the madhouse Bess... pull up a padded cell and stay awhile! Joie

Oooh, I'd love to try escolar. Sounds heavenly! I'd be hard pressed to find a type of sushi that I genuinely dislike. Some I'm more fond of than others, but I don't think I actually dislike any one kind. Well, except maybe for cuttlefish. Maki: I'm partial to negitoro for either rolls or cones. Sashimi: maguro and hotatagai (scallop) are my favourites. Nigiri sushi: sake, maguro, kani and spicy scallop. Mind you, whenever there's any tobiko on my plate, it almost gets down to fisticuffs if my son finishes his first and starts eyeing mine.

Ling, that noodle dish is called jap chae. Traditionally made with sweet potato noodles, it's one of my all-time favourites. One of my favourite side dishes with Korean barbecue are these tiny, tiny dried anchovies that are served in kind of a sweet marinade/sauce. They don't serve them at Seoul House Royale; any eGulleters know of a Korean restaurant in town that does? Arne, that'd be grilled cheese with both sides of the bread buttered. Served with tomato soup, naturally!

Rangoli for lunch with Daddy-A yesterday. I'll leave the details of Arne's meal to him, but I had the lamb in Vij's masala curry on vegetable rice pilaf with daal and naan. Tender, flavourful meat in curry that I mopped up every last drop of with my naan. And a wonderfully creamy, tastes-like-summer mango lassi. Must add that Vikram Vij is, without question, one of the warmest, most congenial hosts in the city. Post Indian food lattes and bumbleberry pie from The Elysian Room. Who ever thought that an organic wheat-free, spelt flour pie would taste so good?! The spelt flour made for an interestingly-textured crust; not quite as flaky as wheat flour would render, but tasty nonetheless. Packed with filling, not too sweet and not too tart. I'll definitely be ordering pie again. (I wasn't going to confess to buying an oatmeal raisin bar for breakfast the next day, but oh well!) Takeout from Thai Away Home on the weekend. Cashew chicken and pad thai noodles as well as some chicken satay sticks and spring rolls for Noah.

As part of our post Valentine's "two days and one night" of romance away from home (16th and 17th), we're thinking about dinner at Adesso... we thought it would be somewhat serendipitous since we had our first date and our first kiss at Saltimbocca. Hence, my anticipation of Andrew's review! (By the way, Bon Anniversaire in advance Andrew )

My son loves this light and simple pasta dish. 2 T olive oil 2 T butter 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 c lemon juice 1 1/2 t lemon zest, finely grated 3 large green onions, finely chopped 2 T drained capers 10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1 can (184 g) chunk light tuna, drained Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped 4 c penne or pennette Saute garlic in butter and olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, green onions, capers, and olives; saute for 2 more minutes. Lower heat, then add tuna and separate with a fork into large pieces. Heat through, stirring gently to keep tuna in large chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tuna mixture and parsley to pasta; toss. Serve with freshly grated pecorino romano.

Dear heavens. I could live on the eggplant bhartha from Akbar's Own! Of course my previous recommendations are predicated on the unsaid fact that Vij's and Rangoli are my top picks.

*Hums the theme song from Jeopardy* So? Any of last night's diners/cocktailers have reviews on Adesso? Inquiring minds want to know.

As for the butter: most people here put butter (or fake butter, like margerine or some other (vegetable) spread) on their bread before putting anything else on it. It's a habit! But some people don't do it with things that are either fatty enough on their own, or need no glue to stay on the bread, like jam, nutella, pate or something. ← Whoohoo! I'm vindicated! Was just discussing this yesterday with a fellow eGulleter, and we both put butter underneath the peanut butter... it tastes heavenly! I'm with Chufi: whatever the spread or filling... jam, tuna salad, peanut butter, meatloaf or honey... I always butter my bread first. And I am absolutely loving your blog! Funny, whenever I read about your Dutch culinary adventures, I get a craving for Hopjes coffee-flavoured candies.

There's Rubina Tandoori at 1962 Kingsway and the Original Tandoori King at 689 East 65th Avenue (off of Fraser Street near Marine, just around the corner from Tandoori King).

I'm with all those who have an aversion to the flavour of black licorice, anise seed or fennel seed. Ack to the nth degree! My teeth are sweating just thinking about it. On the other hand, I absolutely love the smell and taste of cilantro. Whenever I buy it, I always take a big whiff before plastic-bagging it. Raw in salads or salsas, cooked in stirfry or in a marinade for fish or chicken. And when eating a restaurant meal that uses a sprig or two as garnish, I always eat it instead of putting it aside.

Thanks Yetty! Yes, those are almonds and sesame seeds toasted in a bit of salted butter. They were left over from a salad garnish that I made which also includes crushed dry ramen noodles. The garnish is so tasty that I end up nearly doubling the quantities because at least half of it gets eaten as snack food before it even makes it onto the salad. And Elie, that looks fantastic! Had I been one of your diners, I'd have needed restraint to prevent me from licking the last drops of chowder out of the bowl. Joie

A simple meal tonight, but one of my son's favourites: teriyaki salmon cakes with roasted cauliflower and jasmine rice. It's amazing how much food a hungry preschooler can put away!