canucklehead

In one of the first two episodes - there is a segment where Delia visits the corporate office of a food company (I can't remember which one) and she tells them that canned mince is going to be the next huge thing - and what a great product she thinks it is. The corporate manager can barely disguise her flabbergasted joy at this declaration. It's a very telling moment. As I say above - I find this new show fascinating. Even here in British Columbia, Canada - they have old Delia Smith shows on the a local government channel - and it's pretty clear she knows her stuff. It's no wonder that there is a little head scratching going on.

As someone living on the other side of the world - I am curious as to what demographic is being reached out to by this new Delia program? On the one hand - the British cooking shows that make their way over here all seem of very high quality and target an informed consumer. But then I've seen episodes of the River Cottage Experiments where they have Londoners that seem so disconnected from their food - they could be eating anything as long as it was sausage or patty shaped. Is there a large population of food disenfranchised?

Delia really knows how to cook - and what she seems to be doing here is doctoring store bought ingredients rather than start from scratch - but you can see how it would be very easy to use fresh ingredients instead of frozen. The potato leek soup would be snap with fresh potatoes rather than frozen mashed. But - you can see underlying food knowledge. Really - I think the 'doctoring' portions are are actually more difficult than the main event - having fresh herbs and spices on hand, chopping aromatics, etc... Comparing her to Sandra Lee is offbase. Sandra Lee is truly horrible - her recipe for chocolate truffles using canned frosting and powdered sugar is mind blowing for its sheer disgusting-ness.

If you head back to Sai Kung again - try Ming Yuen - they have an absolutely killer roasted duck.

Who's CP? I think I answered my question. I always think of CP as Canadian Pacific (RIP). Cathay Pacific is referred to as CX - their actual 2 letter code. Or has that changed?

No doubt about it - How to Eat I have a number of her other cook books - but How to Eat is one I actually cook from - and the recipes work. Out all her books HTE is the best written and feels the most natural. Smart and sharply observed - you can see why Nigella was a Man Booker prize judge. Her other stuff - though entertaining, feels more put on and the cooking becomes oddly baroque. However, I also agree with Smithy, Nigella Express is a welcome return to form.

Stir fry with pork or butternut squash - anything that has an inherent sweetness. I think you would stir into the stir fry last minute rather than cook it out.

I saw other people having that crab dish - and it is Dungeness. Everyone at the table is asked to order the same set menu - so things like the crab, chicken, and gai-lan end up being shared.

So, with Zen Fine Chinese being declared the best chinese restaurant outside of China by NYT writer Jennifer 8 - my curiousty was naturally piqued. It is a set menu that you confirm before you arrive - though I did see people who came in later who I think just walked in and were trying to decide which menu order. There was some tweaking - and I ended up with alot more shark's fin than I expected. Started of cold apple soup. Not sure what makes it a 'soup'. Salad of jelly fish, japanese shark's fin, and citrus. Not sure what the mystery foam was - but it make the dressing creamy as it dissolved. Quite nice actually - very bright and fresh flavors. Baked curried seafood in welk - Macanese style curry. Double boiled soup with shark's fin in young coconut - very fragrant and sweet. Steamed lobster with garlic (this was definitely a value for money entree and the lobster was excellent quality). Cold poached chicken with galangacal (sand ginger). Gai-lan, spare rib rice in bamboo. Black sesame mousse. Very nice - almost white chocolately. So - let's immeadiately say that it is NOT the best Chinese restuarant outside of China. It does Zen no favors by saying so. I would argue that it's not even the best on Alexandra Road. The flavors and dishes would be very familiar to any Chinese person - it is not innovative and it does not move the cuisine forward (as Susur Lee does). When you are dealing with simplicity - things like the gai lan and the spare rib rice needed to be complete home runs - and they were not. They were reasonably well put together - but they were not stellar. BUT - the food is quite good, and room is pleasant and there is a genuine attempt at making authentic Chinese accessible and provide good service. The food is not dumbed down - and there are no easy outs such as sweet and sour or deep fried foods. The ingredients are of excellent quality and the value for money proposition is there ($48 for my 8 courses). You could easily eat better and cheaper at a somewhere like Kirin or Sun Sui Wah - but you would need a larger group and know how to order. It actually begs the question why Vancouver does not have a truly high end Chinese restaurant - such as Lai Wah Heen in Toronto - where the service and attention to detail is insane. The food quality is certainly top notch in Vancouver - but there really isn't a very serious room. Not since New World Hotel (now Ramada Renansance) closed down Dynasty.

I don't think DB's entry into Vancouver is somehow patronizing or that it means that the local culinary scene is lacking in any way. As a consumer - I am very intrested to see what he will bring to the table. But then again - I am also excited to see how David Hawksworth's new venture will turn out. And whatever new standalone venture Rob Feenie ends up operating - I'll be there. I am going to judge the food and service standards at DB on it's own merits. I leave the armchair pschoanalysis to others. As to Lumiere being some sort of hallowed ground - I don't get that. Yes Rob Feenie did alot to raise standards in Vancouver, but wasn't much of that gleaned from experience gained under DB? Regardless, a restaurant should not be a shrine.

Ha!

Try: http://www.arnesalvesen.com/ Arne is better known as Daddy-A here on egullet. He is a good person to talk to and works out of a storefront on Cambie St.

Great to hear that it works well. Zeemanb - I hope you post some pictures.

I think it's worth trying - and I am really interested in your results. That being said - wonton skins are going to give you a different result. The mark of good wonton skins is a slippery softness on the tongue - there is less kneading and therefore less gluten. They should be very delicate and almost translucent. Ravioli pasta - has more snap and bouancy in the mouth - and a sturdier flavor. I've always thought that the goal of the wonton skin is to yield and give way to the filling - while ravioli pasta is more equal partner to the filling. Am I being too estoteric? Probably - this kind of over analysis has stopped me from experimenting with wonton wrappers in Italian cooking. Please - do share your results!

Eric - great list! I second Waterfront and Taste of India in Oliver.

His plans sound interesting - I think the move away from a tasting menu is a smart one. As a diner - a full on tasting of 9 or 10 courses is simply too much - and unless done very well, it's wearying on the palatte. As a result, Lumiere became a "special occasion" dining spot. I hope that Dale comes out of this process on his feet - he has been buffered by forces way out of his control - so it will be interesting to see how it all works out for him.

Pictures please! And smell-o-vision if you can arrange it.

Hi insomniac! Sorry I wouldn't know. I have always been a Kowlooner. ← There is one - right across from Leighton Center just outside of Happy Valley.

Liberty full fat lemon yogurt over fresh blueberries - simply awesome dessert. And it *seems* healthy to boot.

just...wow. If a restaurant were to fail in Vancouver, you would blame the city/diners? It's not up to the chef and the management to position a restaurant effectively for a given market? the Vancouver dining scene has much to be proud of. Even if "world-class classical French" turns out to be a dimension in which Van doesn't excel, I don't think it's a condemnation of the scene as a whole. It isn't as if that genre is Vancouver's only food claim to fame or a genre the city in which the city should excel. I should add that I'm not saying that Chef Boulud's involvement is bad (I can't see how it could be). I just think it's odd to consider a hypothetical restaurant failure as being a failure of the city. ← Hear Hear!!

I LOVE those old school places in HK - Tai Ping Koon, Perfume River, Nam Wah (RIP), Boston... I never got to Indonesia - but I always found the storefront intriguing.

Regarding the Olympics question - it really is an interesting piece of the puzzle. The big dollars of course - are not related to serving Olympic Tastings to the public - but whether you can get someone to buy you out for the month. This guarantees a cashflow and the ability to maximize margins for minimal effort. I am sure the prestige factor of buying out the restaurant has just increased exponentially with the addition of the DB name. Well - it's all speculation for now - proof is in the pudding. We'll see if the Siddoo's and DB are serious about operating a great restaurant - or if this is basically just a break even food stall until Feb 2010 hits and everyone cashes in. Still has not dampened my curiousity.

I don't think it's good or bad news - but it will be interesting and it will be impactful on the local marketplace. Of course - the gods live in the details. Whether DB brings in a higher standard that raises everyone's bar or if this just turns into a branding excercise is the big question. I would be just as interested if Susur Lee or Martin Picard decided to open a Vancouver operation.

The "ocean bottom coconut" is used in soups - especially with conch and pork. I don't think you really eat it.

I think its a pretty big coup for Vancouver. I've lived in cities where big name chefs have set up locations - sometimes it works, sometimes it fails. It will be interesting to see what happens and, as a consumer - I am very curious to sample it first hand. What's the word been for DB's other outposts?