canucklehead

I walked by it the other day and had a peek in - it looks like it is going to be a beautifu space. Much nicer than the Earl's Paramount (whose psuedo night club entrance is a real turnoff). I almost snapped a picture of the construction in progress - but thought the better of it (being the chicken that I am). Looking forward to trying the steaks there.

Check out the corkage discussion we had a while back. Bottom line - we checked out the Provincial statutes covering this and it is illegal. The penalties are pretty stiff.

I am currently on a gig that will keep me in Richmond for a couple of months at least. The real upside that I will get to try a number of places for lunch now and reconnect with my Chinese roots. Starting out low key - I went to McKim Noodle Saga for lunch. As posted above - this is run by the family behind that orginal Mak's in HK. Wonton Noodles and Soup, Beef Brisket Lo Mein The noodles and wonton were very good - bouyant and with a fresh snap to the noodles. The beef brisket was deeply flavoured with star anise and citrus peel. Nice lunch for $11. Bad news though - I have heard that they are closing shop at the end of November - so there is literally only a few days left to experience this real HK wonton institution. However, Mak's is still excellent and a more than adaquate alternative. Don't even mention Hon's in the same sentence.

Dude - I've got a couple of the non-low carb ones myself (they make good bedtime reading). I wonder though - how often she cooks for herself from the other cookbooks since she dropped 70lbs? Regardless - she would be good to drive this... I was thinking about which other local chefs would be good. Somehow I can't see Feenie, Hawksworth, or Vij spooning out school lunches (ah but what lunches they would be!).

I don't have an issue per se - I am a fan of Karen as is pretty clear from my post. But she is big into low carbs - I watched on City Cooks cooking from her cookbook Low Carb Gourmet. and the cooking seemed very Atkins to me (Splenda appears in alot of the desserts). Regardless - all I am saying is that there needs to other nutritionists involved whatever actual process comes from this. I agree that the ecomonics of this may be fuzzy - and I have heard conflicting things on this issue. The "Super Sized" documentary (I use that word pretty loosely) cited a couple of small school districts where they were able to make it work ecomonically as well. However - I think that both sides of the argument can supply facts and figures accordingly. I also agree that everyone needs to excerise self responsibility in taking care of themselves. However I think saying that government has no role in educating and providing choices to those that otherwise would not be able to eat in a healthy way is a little harsh. I am all for an open and free economy - but I also recognize that while the free market will give us the most efficient solution - it is not necessarily the best solution for people.

I like Karen Barnaby - her cook books are fun and usable and she has great food voice. My only issue is I think that she is all about the Atkins diet. Now cutting down and sugars and carbs is a good thing (he says as he looks in the mirror) - but as Julia Child says "everything in moderation, including moderation". Otherwise - I think that local chefs get involved with feeding kids. What can be wrong with serving fresh local ingredients - as much as possible. My understanding is that the approach is generally cost effective (or at least cost neutral) even compared to the Sysco approach.

hzrt - what I love about these pictorials is that they take me back to the food of my childhood. Vancouver has a number of places that are very good at hyper refined HK style of cantonese food. What is much more rare are places that make real home style "little dishes" like these. I don't think I have ever had this dish before - but just seeing the cooking process let's me imagine the flavours very clearly. BTW Hzrt - my mom wants her frying pan back.

When I lived in HK - I used to love going to Fernando's. But I have heard that things are not as good as they used to be *sigh* - isn't that always the way? However - it is inexpensive and I still think maybe worthwhile going. I always liked the Portoguese style roasted suckling pig, spicy crab hot pot, and grilled sardines. The tomato salad was a nice bit of vegetable in the meat heavy meal. There are places in Macau that serve papaya milk shakes and ginger milk custards and - though I never bought any - Macau is supposed to be famous for its beef and pork jerky. Have fun - Macau is a nice change (slowed down) change of pace compared to Hong Kong.

Here are pictures of said burger: I agree that it was a delicous burger - juicy, beefy, nicely seasoned. The high fat content kept the flavour quotient high and the texture nice and succulent. The fries that came with were very good also - amazingly crisp. Not sure if this is on the actual menu yet - we asked for the "experimental" burger. Let me just say that I kept my eyes politely and steadfastly averted (actually I was a little frightened) as VL had his "When Harry Met Sally" burger moment. We had to leave a very generous tip.

I went to Ouzeri's last night on West Broadway and came away suprisingly pleased with my meal. I have generally found greek food in Vancouver to be at best - meh and at worst - truly horrible. I know that alot of people like various greek places - but for the most part it is a joke that I don't seem to get. Overthinking things perhaps. I had the cliche calamari and roast lamb at Ouzeri's. The calmari did not have a ton of squiddy taste - but it was hot and fresh with a crisp light batter. The roast lamb was very tender with a crispy crust (as opposed to the heat lamp refugees at other places I have tried). The food had a brightness and immeadiacy that I don't recall at other greek joints. Now - I am not saying that I was transported to the island of Lesbos (though - does'nt that sound nice...) - sitting in a cafe beside bobbing fishing boats - but it was something that I could picture going back to and enjoying again.

I drove by Katzenjammer last night and it looks like has reopened... I did not get close look so - it could be an entirely new restauratnt... but it is the old awning and signage. So here's hoping.

You should read Andrew's write up in the West Ender - less than impressed apparently (I can't seem to link the article). So much of the time - these events aim for 'Caligula' but you actually get 'Eyes Wide Shut'.

The Halso Bakery on Arbutus has a some - along with other Swedish food stuffs. Also don't underestimate Ikea for carrying large quantities of odd things to put in your mouth. My friend made a fantastic sour cherry crostada last night - she got her sour cherries frozen at Yen Bros. Cash and Carry - not sure if it is open to the public though. I think that HY Louie is open to the public. You may want to call ahead and see what they have.

Again, the puff pastry! I have never seen this dish before myself, but I would love to try it. For some reason I love daikon, I think it is the crunchy texture. What was the main flavour going on in this one, was it the saltiness of the ham or was there a vinegar component? Very curious. ← Dude - as one would say in Chinese "you know how to eat", very preceptive of you that for a dish like this - you need a counter point of salt or sharpness to bring out the sweetness of the daikon (otherwise it just tastes bland and rich). In this case - both mooshmouse and felt like the ham was not strong enough - so we dabbed the puff with a little dark vinegar - and volia! Deliciousness. Shangai Wind does a good version of this also.

Actually - the teapot sits over a tea candle - so it never gets too hot. Plus the staff are constantly checking the teapot for you. I have never actually seen the long pour technique myself - but I love those old school places in HK - the old waiters are so grumpy, you don't know whether to laugh along or to punch them. The particular restaurant in question is called simply 'Schezwan' in Richmond BC (it is actually mainlander run) - it is an extremely well decorated restaurant with top notch staff and small private rooms. The food is very good - though with alot of Cantonese friendly flavours. The killer pricy dish were the eels - I think that it was close to C$50 or C$60 dollars. They were pretty good - but I am not sure if it warranted the price. Yes - but think of it as more of a light peanut sauce - in the same vein that they serve with 'bang bang' chicken or 'strange flavoured' chicken.

Okay - I am sure AGill is lurking here... somewhere... In today's column she notes that in the food issue of Enroute (great article by Mr. Stearns btw) Chambar was given the dubious distinction of having the worst dish in a best new restaurant (the poutine a la Belge were slammed - along with the blue cheese cocktail) and she finishes with "And you thought I was cruel." Well - that's a succinct summary of this thread's assessment of Ms Gill's reviews so far.

I used to go to that mall all the time in Milpitas. I agree that the Kee Wah is excellent. Also in that mall are very good Chinese restaurants - especially the Halal restaurant (I cannot remember the name) that also has some Shanghainese specialties (including a giant fish head hot pot, good green onion flat cakes, and lamb hot pots). Have you been? Vancouver is quite lucky with its bakeries - there are also a number of Vietnamese bakeries here making crusty french bread and buns with unexpected fillings (durian for example).

I kind of don't the get joke - is it because there are so many restaurants that Asians don't have to cook? Anyways - you may want to try Golden Schezwan on Broadway and Burrard for lunch - they have ginger beef - it is glazed but not too much. For about 7 bucks you get an entree with rice and a hot & sour soup. There are large number of choices for you to check out.

Went back to Shanghai River for lunch with mooshmouse today. Lunch is definitely their strong suit - I had dinner their a few weeks ago and the kitchen does not seem to be able to handle dinner dishes as well as the lunch time dim sum items. Pork in Sesame Cake, Tofu Shreds with Celery Shredded Daikon in Puff Pastry, Braised Meatballs (Lion's Head) Red Bean Paste in Beignet ("Fried Dumpling") Not pictured, Soup Buns and Foie Gras Sticky Rice Sui Mai The pork was very good - sweet oniony sauce and crispy sesame flat bread. The celery was a refreshing cold dish - dressed lightly in flavourful sesame oil. The shredded daikon could have used more Yunan ham - but it was still very good. The braised meat ball had a small nugget of salted egg yolk in it - adding a constrasting sandy texture to the rich meat ball - pure comfort food. The beignet was very very light and eggy - I think mostly egg whites. Dusted with pink sugar that seemed to be lightly fruit flavoured. The soup buns were good - but I like larger more rustic versions. The sui mai was a disaster - with no sharp notes it tasted like overly rich meat smeared on rice. Not good. I really like the friendly profressional service and nicely appointed room. Good food in comfortable surroundings - a nice lunch all around.

Here's a picture of the pineapple bun - with pineapple inside. It seems like there are questions of the technically - how the bun is made. It is not full bursting with pineapple - but with nice big chunks.

Well - the Portuguese style is based upon Pateis de Nata. In Portugal, the story (I think) goes that a recipe was needed to use up all of the extra egg yolks that were a by-product of the wine industry - the whites were used to clarify the wine. So - nunneries were given the yolks and they turned them into tarts to sell for money. So I think that the HK egg tarts come by Macau. The HK egg tarts tend to be less rich then the real thing and the pastry is more like a pie pastry rather than puff pastry. In fact, in HK you can get egg whites only egg tarts if you want to be healthier. Also the HK egg tarts filling tends to be about smooth slipperyness (appealing to the Cantonese palatte for textures) - the Portuguese style is richer - but also has more of a 'curd' mouthfeel. But really - not to over think this - I would not turn down any warm fresh egg tart.

What about Firefly? It is ridiculously trendy and it does the 'hidden non-descript' frontage - but I have heard decent things about the food. Maybe someone else has comments. Good call and Jerry's - matzoh ball soup and boiled chicken dinner - so comforting.

Chinese Name: Po Kuok Dan Tat English Name: Portuguese Style Egg Tarts Description: Custard in flaky pastry and carmelized top Michelle's Bakery - Vancouver BC Best eaten same day - flaky, warm, with soft creme carmel style filling.

Chinese Name: - English Name: Dungess Crab w/ Kabocha Pumpkin and Black Bean Sauce Description:A 3lb crab stir fried with japanese sweet pumpkin and fermented black beans. Served at Sea Harbour in Richmond B.C. This is currently my favorite dish... the sweet soft pumpkin and the sharp salty blackbeans are the perfect match with the fresh briny crab. God almighty this is a good dish!

Chinese Name: Xiao Long Bao English Name: Steamed Soup Buns Description: Steamed dumplings full of pork and soup - eaten with dark or red vinegar. Served at: Shanghai River Restaurant, Richmond B.C.