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transfattyacid

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Everything posted by transfattyacid

  1. Me and the missus had an early dinner @ diner tonight. I had chicken schnitzel with spaetzle ( served with an apricot - onion - mustard seed chutney ) . And Wifee enjoyed her meatloaf & mash . Mexican chocolate souffle and a lemon meringue pie for afters. We like Diner :] . Mr Maw walked in as we were paying ( sorry i didn`t say hi ), so Diner may not remain a yaletown 'secret' for long.
  2. It's a widely known fact that Englishmen can't play soccer either. ← He is Scottish and its football !
  3. I`ll be at modern burger that night for sure. But i did budget for the event , so i`m spending $960 on "after dinner entertainment " ditto ....
  4. Amen to that sistah! I never thought I'd take such great pleasure in the first peek after lifting the bowl on a ball of dough to find that it has risen perfectly. ← Oh hell yeah. Good bread days rule !. Its the stuff legends are made of. Working with dough has a zen like quality to me. I get alot of pleasure from the simplest preparations. These tasks get you out of bed every day to do it all again. Glad you all had a blast with it , the pics look cool.
  5. To be honest none of them. Sorry Mr Maw no offence. I prefer to chat with my boss and the lads at work or other cooks i know, about what a place is like. I dont take any ones word about a place unless they have cooked for ( or along side ) me. Cooks tend to be more realistic about the outside forces that are at play in terms of getting your food on your table. I find hype has the opposite effect on me, in what ever it may be, movies, music and especially restaurants. It just turns me off going completely. I hate being sold an idea or a ' lifestyle ' choice. I have a strong need to find out for my self, be it right or wrong, good or bad. So make note of this if your a Tele-marketer. When i lived back home i used to read Fay in the Standard, tho` i didn`t take all what she writes as gospel. Will self`s old column for amusement. And the Good Food Guide to back up what my mates have already told me.
  6. Au Contraire. its getting very boring.
  7. Correct me if i`m wrong, but i thought Mr Ramsey threw AA Gill out because he was making personal attacks on the chefs character, not about his work.
  8. I second that motion.
  9. I`ll have one of Castelnaudary`s finest please if any one could be kind enough to upload a portion. * wonders off scheming of reasons to take the missus out * ps, nice bump Mr Maw
  10. First, please call me Jamie, Mr. Transfattyacid. Second, as you're probably aware, we intersperse our reviews with backround features on the busines of restaurateuring and other issues such as sustainability, liquor legislation, distribution, farming and fishing etc. that face the industry and our readers. That being said, I am a huge fan of Fay Maschler. My (non-food) business career in finance has taken me many times to England over the past 25 years and I remain loyal to her judgement and also, importantly, to the fact that she is emotionally detached. Of course she has a weekly platform. I don't always enjoy that pleasure, although time permitting, I have been fortunate to extend beyond Vancouver magazine half a dozen times this year for The Globe. Perhaps most importantly for consistently excellent local restaurants though, are the articles that few locals ever see, often for overseas periodicals. They do tend to review the stalwart restaurants, because their editors and readers demand 'best of the best' lists. Additionally, we host many visiting food and travel journalists. The same rules typically apply. But please also take into consideration what I mentioned upthread--our publication of the Vancouver magazine Eating & Drinking Guide to British Columbia. That provides updated reviews, ratings and other important information. It will be available on newstands next week for $7.95. With regard to your last point, i.e. Mistral, upthread I mentioned that I wrote an extensive (and positive) review of the restaurant a month ago. It was in the Globe DISH section. Upon return visits, I decided I liked it so much that we ran an updated review, incorporating their new lunch service, for the November issue of Vancouver. That will be available to you in two weeks. Jamie ← Right you are Mr Maw , right you are.
  11. I must say i thought Prado Cafe looks suprerb. This is my favourite interior of any cafe / restuarant in the city. A bold statement, yup . But i`ll admit to subscribing to the St John school of interior design. The two things that stood out for me in this room are :- Product Focussing your attention to where and what is being made, as opposed to having retail opportunities at every glance. People Apart from the 'chandelier' the people who use this space form it`s sole adornment, ever changing , but always true to the neighbourhood the cafe services. The uncluttered decor draws in the eye from the street. It did mine anyway. bravo . i`ll be back when i`m next in the hood , great coffee too .
  12. Dear Mr Maw. With response to your last statements. I used to enjoy the way Fay Maschler would interject her esteemed column in the ' standard with a " revisited " section , a small space to extoll the virtues ( or not ) of an established business, and in doing so she helped to keep these places in the mindset of her readers and in turn painted a fuller picture of the cities restaurant culture. Now, i`m not meaning to compare the Vancouver scene with that of London. its just a reference point for me, and an example of which i`m sure your aware Mr Maw. (OT) With regard to Mistral. I believe not enough has been said about this place, here on eG or in the media . As it is in my eyes the most significant restaurant opening this year ( thus far ). (OT)
  13. If Diva is good or bad, to me it aint that much of a big deal. frankly i know it aint a place i would go, so i don`t. thus no comment on it`s quality / relevance / problems / or not. The big deal about this article (and the ensuing eG thread), is that established dining rooms ARE being reviewed after an initial opening period. Yes, it`s good to keep up with the new openings, but thats all you hear about in the local press. And it`s as if the media`s last year`s darlings just fell off the face of the earth. Bis Moreno being amongst one of many here that i could site as an example. Loads of reviews and hype then nothing . Not a whistle. I for one would welcome more reviews of the "classic" household names in Vancouver dining. They deserve the attention for the commitment they have shown to the city.
  14. Took my wife to Spinnakers on Monday night for a quick drink after work. I left early that night, so skipped supper at work and decided to order halibut and chips. Good chips, fish was stone cold in the middle, both times !!!!!!!!! Looks to me like they pre-batter huge pieces of fish, that take way too long to re-heat. However, they did comp me an *excellent* burger (a local rancher uses the spent grain from their brewery to feed his cattle, then sells them the beef) and a long island iced tea. It was the only bad food I've ever seen there, and the service was excellent. How do you react to "uh, it's cold. Again." -- Matt ← My fish`n`chips ( halibut ) that i had yesterday was great ( but huge ) but the portion was cut from the tail end so easier to cook. maybe they changed there plan of attack with the thick pieces after your incident. The vinegar you get for your chips is awesome tho .
  15. Mine would be not working here Le Pied De Cochon while i had the chance. But you never know your luck. it could still happen.
  16. Just got back from a couple of days dans le isle . `Twas my first time over there, and we had a blast , thanks for asking. The Empress link Ok so when the wife really wants to have 'tea at the Empress', and i do mean really, who the hell am I to tell her different ?. And to be honest we had a grand ol` time, sipping tea ,eating cakes and looking back at the yanks outside taking photo`s. This is a lovely place eh ? quite charming in almost a Ritz on Piccadily type way. The tea was very refreshing, the service was excellent ( not bad considering we were by far the youngest and scruffy-est of the day). A three tier plate of goodies was presented including :- smoked salmon, coronation chicken, prawn, cucumber and carrot (a bit dodgy this one) sandwhiches. Scones (scowns/scons depending on what side of the Watford gap your from) and cream and jam, were very good indeed. also on this tier was shortbread and ganache filled chocolate cups. Top Tier = chocolate eclairs , fruit tarts and lemon curd tarts. oh yeah and a dainty glass of strawberries and cream to start. kinda hefty bill tho` $ 115 for two including tax and tip ! Brasserie l`Ecole link Wonderfull place this . we ate mussels in the classic fashion (white wine/garlic/thyme) was the biggest, fattest, sweetest moules i`ve ever seen. also for starters was an endive, bacon, apple, hazelnut salad with dijon dressing. Mains, cured pork chop on creamed spinach and lentils (very f@*%ing good) and a sirlion steak with some amazing pomme frites (goodered up with truffle oil, parmesan and parsley) Two creme brulee`s (both vanilla, one each) for afters and a couple of the house`s chocolate truffles to finish a very, very nice dinner John`s Place my god, they have a website too ! Two meals taken here. a brunch of waffles. And a lunch of perogies. for johns place think a hybrid of the elbow room and sophie`s. but we enjoyed it . Zambri`s i`m having trouble with this link , but it is on zambris business cards? Wow . food = some bread gnocchiesque dumplings that were pane`d and deep fried, for the life of me i can`t remember what they are called in italian, but they were a delight. very savoury, sagey and light but chewy at the same time. ( oh no that doesn`t do them justice at all ). A plate of salumi, sardi pasta with sausage and ricotta with crushed amaretto biscuit on top for sweetness , and brasied pork shoulder with polenta. All fantastic. Spinnakers linkage Spinnakers, what an absolute gem. lunch number one here had us eating lamb curry with all the trimmings and clam chowder. and pretty soon we were back for more. lunch number two = halibut `n` chips and chicken pot pie . its offical Spinnakers rocks ! You islanders do alright don`t ya , i always thought you were a bunch of hippies with broken watches and bad tailors, But we ate some serious, wonderfull meals at some truly great places. All comparable to whats going on on the proper bit of Canada. Matt R thanks for your suggestions mate , sorry we didn`t get round to your place, we will on the next trip. ps the bill at the Empress was the biggest of the trip.
  17. Thanks both of you. I think we`ll have to go some time soon , i had a look round the menus on their website it all sounds very tasty. and Sarah , yes i understand about the lamb should be chicken thang.
  18. You might want to try Mona's. The food is pretty good and on weekend nights they have a belly dancer. ← Mona`s looks cool, must try it soon, thanks for the link. Have you been sarah ? Whats the food like ? Whats the belly dancer like ? Inquiring minds need to know.
  19. I must say that i`m enjoying reading this thread and seeing your pic`s of the finished product ( nice baguette skills *Deborah* ). It sounds like your all getting a great deal out of the course. Thats all .
  20. Doughnuts are a mainstream, socially acceptable form of crack. 'Bits of Tim' do the trick for me, and the place on Granville Island.
  21. "If its 2005 in london, its 5 past eight in the rest of the country." Anon
  22. Nico Ladenis Worked in advertising ( if memory serves ) before opening Chez Nico.
  23. Read the book, Watch the film and then nod your head to the Rap album I always thought it meant something along the lines of :- cat amongst the pigeons. Having seen the mess that water mixed with chocolate creates, and having nodded my head to the rap album. But as i`m sure you may have gathered, i aint seen the film or read the book. ← Way to show the world how uncultured you are. nice one as you were
  24. Read the book, Watch the film and then nod your head to the Rap album I always thought it meant something along the lines of :- cat amongst the pigeons. Having seen the mess that water mixed with chocolate creates, and having nodded my head to the rap album. But as i`m sure you may have gathered, i aint seen the film or read the book.
  25. hi fat guy I just bought your book, the missus is reading it now, and loving it. she say`s thanks. i`ll read it when she`s done. i`m reading that doug psaltis book at the mo`. Both ( along with that book about top chef`s mistakes ) were purchased from my local, cookery book emporium. Not online. ( where they would be cheaper. hmmm ) I don`t think i would use the google print feature myself, but i remember asking one of the lads at work if he had a recipe for a rustic country style bread that would work well with a terrine we were doing. He handed me just the recipe i was looking for the next day. printed from an online source. I`ll admit that was kinda handy. But as to the moral / legal debate on this issue. I see ( as alot of you do also ) huge gray areas. I agree with Mottmotts coments to a degree, that art and culture shouldn`t be linked to your wage cheque. but artist`s, authors and musicians need wage cheques too. For Monet to give france a picture , france had to buy a fair few off him first. Monet had rent to pay too at one point. But hell i aint keeping 50 cent in a new pair of sneakers everyday ! thats just wrong . Whats the legality in the above quote ? In this instance, i`m the google print service pimping your labour. Also, i could ( but please believe me, i aint gonna ) scan your book into my robot and have it online for any one to read by later on tonight. My respect for you and my morals ( yes, i got me some ) obiviously preventing me from doing this. editted cos i clicked the wrong button, doh !
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