BCinBC

Hey Keith, so nice to have you back in the fold. Let me guess, you had some violent nicotine withdrawl symptoms last week, tried valiantly to fight them off, experienced Trainspotting-like visions of babies on the ceiling, then finally gave in and hacked a butt. With sanity returning, you are now able to turn on the computer and see what's going on on eGullet. On the XLB front, I'm sad that I was unable to experience the Shanghai YY versions before turnover. The only other time I went there, they were closed, then Sun Sui Wah was overcrowded, and I ended up settling for really cheap dim sum. And I got what I paid for.

"All the way out to the Punjabi market..." I bet the drive from downtown to Main and 49th will be about the same as the drive from downtown to Commercial and X. Even if it's 20 minutes instead of 15, I say invest your time and get the real stuff! Alternately, perhaps one of the many "upscale" Indian places around South Granville? Edited: just realized, do you mean paneer in the prepared form or paneer in the ingredient form? In which case S.Granville may be out.

Organicgoddess - this is a cool thread, thanks for starting it. "Rural myths"... nice. I have only been to the Kootenays once (not including a ski trip to Panorama), and that was 6? years ago with my then girlfriend now wife. Stayed in Cranbrook for a week, then drove back thru Trail, then up the OK, then back to Vancouver. One night we went to a "well-known" German restaurant in Kimberly which was basically a house with a really busy kitchen. I can't for the life of me remember what I ate, probably schitzel, but I loved the ambiance. If you ever want to visit small-town Germany on a budget, just go to Kimberly! The golf course in Kimberly is also gorgeous; I didn't eat there, but they had some nice looking venison grazing near the 7th or 8th tee.

Yeah what Ling said... Thanks Daddy-A, they were indeed a couple of smokin fine butts - and the rest of the food wasn't too shabby either! Despite my zombie-like status, I won't soon forget the mass of meat (stomach rumbling for more now...), the best-behaved group of kids I've seen in a long time, and of course the deconstructed halo-halo.

So here is the latest indicator that ice wine is our signature product. In the duty-free at Beijing airport, there are five types of wine: a red and a white with a "Great Wall" label, a "James Chang" red label, a red with a French label including text assuring you that it was grown and produced in China, and a bottle of Canadian ice wine. I didn't catch the vineyard, but it was in a black box with a grey "Whistler" watermark. I won't comment on the Whistler part, but what advertising for the local industry! (Memo to ice wine fans: load up now.)

Well with the help of one of our work colleagues – a local – we managed to eat much of Beijing and Tianjin. I apologize for not getting the names of pretty much any of the restaurants, but between the insane work schedule and the jetlag, there just never seemed to be enough time to make notes! However, highlights are as follows: Shanghai-ese place across from the Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing -long spouted tea pourers pouring hot water into our 8-treasure teas (really impressed the Caucasians in the group) -personal highlight was this white fish (no English translation, but it had tiny white bones that branched into a Y which I’ve not seen before) both smoked and steamed 200 year old BBQ place in the center of Beijing where there the lakes / canals are -we had a lot of lamb here, which personally didn’t blow me away, but the setting was very cool. I wish we weren’t so tired, there were a lot of interesting bars in there. Goubuli in Tianjin -dumplings of course, each one with 18 folds (didn’t catch the significance of this); the pork ones were great, I much preferred them to the veggie ones -besides the dumplings, my favourite dish here was this simple appetizer of peanuts and cucumbers in a dark soy vinegar -actually tried white liquor, only the 38% stuff, it was terrible -another cool setting of a restaurant Some hotel in TEDA for lunch -I only mention this place because I had something I’ve never had before here: they make these taro “cubes” (or really diamonds) that they serve covered in piping hot sugar syrop; you take a cube and dunk it into a bowl of water so the “caramel” hardens. The novelty was great, but it was also one of the more interesting ways I’ve seen taro served. Another really old place in Tianjin, this one filled with old (700 years+) statues, carvings, etc. As you enter, the far right wall is filled with small stone statuettes, kind of like ancient Chinese Oscars. Outside the door and yard seem to be guarded by larger statues, some missing their heads completely. Also the yard is flanked by tanks of live fish. Sounds weird I know. We stayed at the Renaissance, and passed through a market street on our way back (on foot), so if you work your way backwards you might get an idea of its location. Or not. -this was my favourite meal of the trip, highlighted by: smoked white fish again, this time almost candied, even better than the other place; slow braised pork all fat basted and loose; and deep fried “donuts” (actually like little pillows pre-cut into 3 sections) that you dip into the condensed sweetened milk on the side… soooo gooood Oh one final place I must mention is a bar called Latino in Beijing. They had a 6-8 piece Cuban band playing live Mandarin-lyric-infused salsa or rhumba or whatever. It was a lot of fun. Plus there were lots of cute girls there just waiting for someone to ask them to dance… (But it was our last night in town and we were too alcohol-filled and sleep-deprived to help them out!) The only low point was my 4.5 hour delay on my return flight on Air China. !

Yes to salted dried plums, No to double (or any degree of) salted black licorice. PS Stefan, I'm sure you can get some at an English sweet shoppe or probably Meinhardts. Or is that sacrilege? I also like Chinese salted fish (haam yee), tho my siblings cannot figure out why. And honestly if you've ever smelled it, you probably agree. However, to the liberal use of red beans in Chinese desserts, I say no, no and NO! Those chalky lumps of crud do not belong on the table! They may be suitable for blind baking, or maybe inserted into a gourd to make a maraca, but should not be consumed by humans.

Chiming in a little late, but I have never been to the Cloverdale or any other rodeo. Even last year when I was in Calgary during Stampede, I had no desire to go. Just not interested in looking at men in chaps I guess. (Daddy-A, your beer garden story is missing that last one-liner! Why can't we ever think of these things on the spot?) Anyway, I am reminded of a New Classics where Rob and Marnie go to the rodeo and end up making chili and corn bread at Lumiere. Mmm gourmet chili and cornbread... now that I could get behind.

The menus at In N Out are totally stripped down. This is probably why I was sitting there with a cheese bunwich in the top of a shoebox thinking, why does everyone think this is so great again?!? Next time I'm Stateside I'm giving them In N Out another try, armed with this new knowledge... PS: Canuckle, try putting the ring through your pierced nipple a la Daddy-A and see if you get a better response when flashing it.

I think it goes something like... I'm an eGulleter. Gimme something free! I know Gerald. Gimme something else free! JUST KIDDING!!! Not jokingly, how does someone find out about secret ordering systems anyway? Or how did they prior to eGullet? The staff at Fatburger, In N Out, etc., they are trained specifically on this? "Okay if someone orders it 'Animal Style' you give them this, but don't wink or nod or anything, they're just cool. And fercrissake, don't tell anyone because it's a SECRET!"

Three helpings of roast beef in Birmingham during the BSE scare. I think I'm okay. I think I'm okay. PS: A friend whose husband is from Central America says they taste like chicken! ← The guy mentioned in the post #1 of this thread says they taste like shit! (NOTE: Not an actual quote.)

Yup I'm at the point where I'm actually not Going to Fish! because I'll probably feel let down, unless of course I'm actually served The Perfect Fish & Chips. If possible, I'd like to wait out the hype, much like what Andrew should do prior to seeing Star Wars #3. Of course he won't. (Is he in line already, is that why he isn't posting these days?)

2roost, this law change was so overdue. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you're reluctant to order a bottle. Or maybe you want a glass but they don't sell the vintage you want by the glass or 1/2 litre. Now you can just get the bottle, drink as much as you want (without feeling obliged to drink the whole thing so as not to waste it, thus cutting down on DUIs), and take the rest home. Wins all-around.

I had the idea to try Au Petit Cafe last night too. Here's what I learned when I got there: THEY ARE CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS. Not to worry, I went next door to Long's Noodle House. And, since I once again skipped out one of those HK Western places, I decided to compromise and order the fried pork chop with noodles. Well it was as weird as I thought it would be: 3 thin pork chops battered like fish & chips fish, deep fried, then served on the side of a large bowl of noodles garnished by 3 spinach leaves. The noodles were great; getting thin noodles to hold their al-dente-ness in a bowl of hot broth is no small feat, but they managed it. The chops were whatever, I ate them anyway. But for $5, who can complain really?

Country Cook, do you mean stronger tasting or stronger as in alcohol %? I do like GI but my favourite local brewer is Shaftsbury. I haven't seen the Rainforest Ale in the liquor store lately but that was my pick, followed closely by Cream Ale.

I just learned at lunch today (dim sum in Fortune Whatchamacallit in Oakridge) that Red Star mentioned ^above^ is actually a reincarnated place from Richmond. Apparently they were looking for a new location, closed, 6-7 months passed, then they resurfaced on Granville. Word on the street was that the old place was pretty good too. BTW dim sum at Fortune ___ today was only okay, not as good as the last couple times we've been. Odd that a non-crazy weekday would be inferior to a crazy-busy weekend. :shrug:

Shelora, say it ain't so. Granted I haven't actually sat down for a meal there since I was about 6, but I do love their meat pies and pastries for take out. Wait... memories flooding back... they used to give us (kids) those chocolate patties with the rainbow sprinkles on them free after a meal. No wonder I love that place.

Moosh - although I probably should be walking around with a Lipitor drip, I have instead decided to take the French approach: vin rouge.

Canuckle, No I haven't taken the plunge yet. I know, I should be tearing down these walls not putting them up! But the impression I have is similar to Keith's I think: overfusion. Well, that and when I hear baked pork chop on rice I start to think Shake N Bake because that's what we would have had as kids. Having said all that I do want to try the minced beef with egg on rice, because unless they add bacon on there I don't think they could create a more cholesterol-centric plate. I bet they also add token frozen peas too, to assuage the guilt. Maybe tonight, as the wife is not around so I won't subject her to the insanity...

Fair enough, Peppyre. Housing prices and income levels aside, I've never actually been into Whole Foods so I don't really know the pricing level. I was imagining Urban Fare (ie $$$), but if the pricing is actually competitive or even cheaper than say Capers, then yes they will most likely succeed. The one thing about Vancouver housing is, again IMO, most people have gone in as tight as they can afford. Therefore, while the cost of houses increases, the disposable income of the general public may be decreasing. Now wait for interest rates to rise... Sorry I've gone off topic. As I said, they probably have a lot of market research that is better than the thoughts floating off the top of my head! I look forward to WF moving onto this side of the Bridge.

I was wondering where the space was at that corner; is 525 inside that little plaza / mall with the MacDonalds and SBC? Is that the "Fairchild building"? I'm not sure about this location for Whole Foods - that particular corner isn't one I'd say has a large disposable income. IMO Kerrisdale or Point Grey would be better, though I'm sure they have all sorts of market research that drove this decision. Also I'd have a slight disagreement with you, Lee, on West Van. WVan is, I believe, the second richest neighborhood in Canada (behind Kanata), and people generally have more $ than they know what to do with. Note there is a big difference between North Van and West Van. But I bet the more an item is marked up, the bigger it sells because hey it's expensive so it's gotta be good. (Meinhardts in West Van would be a license to print $)

(Note: this post could also go into the Restaurants in South Vancouver thread) N and I decided to go for dim sum on Saturday, to one of our regular places - the Granville Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Granville (it's true) and 67th. We were last there maybe 2? months ago. Well, the place seems to have gone through a very recent and quiet change of ownership, as the name and staff are all new. The place is now called the Red Star, and off first impressions it is even better. Being a table for 2 at dim sum we inevitably over-ordered, but of the har gow (shrimp dumplings), beef balls, sticky rice in lotus leaves, rice flour rolls with shrimp, pan fried rice rolls with soy, and the chicken and bitter melon dumplings, I'd give the prize to the sticky rice. This version had dried scallop inside, and it was pretty close to perfect. In fact it was all really good, except possibly for the chicken and bitter melon dumplings (too bitter for us!). Re: over-ordering. In our defence, we didn't originally order the pan fried rice rolls, but when someone walked by with a few plates... (insert Homer drooling noise) Then the table next to us ordered 1/2 a duck, and it looked awesome. I think the menu said it was $12, or $16 for a whole? I forget, but it sure did look tasty. Alas, we had way too much food already. The service was also really attentive and worth a mention - it is rare that you see side dishes changed out at dim sum (of course this is a usual practice for Chinese banquets, as your dish fills with shells or bones etc.) Also note that the order card is in Chinese, but there is a corresponding menu that you can match up English to Chinese. Hint: the items are listed in the same order. It's a little pricier than the little hole in the wall places on Main or even most places in Richmond - our lunch was $32 pre-tip - but it was a very enjoyable experience and really worth it $ for $ against any other lunch. Now whether the new name is a nod to the mother flag, or to some sort of Chinese Micheline system... Edited to add: you can get the black sesame dessert a la carte here. It may be more of a "pudding" rather than a "soup", but essentially it should be the same.

Just had a quick flip through so far, but things I liked include: * spring recipies from local chefs. Feenie's and Hawksworth's soups sound great, and the variety of halibut recipies is also a good resource. * decentralized approach, beyond Vancouver. Even though I live in Vancouver, there is quite a bit of Island coverage which is cool to read about - and tempts you over for a visit. * teaser: here's the photo of the Vancouver chefs, Q&A to start next issue!

Wow, I have not eaten out much lately. Aside from the Chambar night, some take home Thai Away Home (gawd what such a creature of habit), and several "coffee and a ____"s at Artigiano, SBC and X (yes that would be Starbucks!), I've been dry until... Lunch today at HSG First off, I absolutely did not mean to ditch out on Moosh and the crew, but the timing didn't quite work for me (dang work thing). But I was in Yaletown so I managed to console myself instead by quickly swinging by Barbara Joe's to pick up an EAT, then on to try the infamous lamb & yam. The distinct smell really hit me when the plate was set down (very good thing); juicy, lamby, and I would have sworn there was mint in there, but Neil said no. Maybe oregano? Anyway it was seasoned nicely. Thank God I pulled in before the tour bus, thus making for a relatively quick meal. The chef tried to sell me a gingerbread pudding too, but sadly I had to decline with thanks. Again time was of the essence, plus napping at work is frowned upon . Next time. Edited to add: aioli was great too!

(Steps forward to say) I actually did do a search of this board, and produced these notes: *Laohanzi Kejiacai - hakka *Tianjin Baijiaoyuan (near Marco Polo) - dumplings *3 Guizhou Ren - south / Cantonese *2 Kon Yiji's *Uigurville (near Teacher's College SE of Tiananmen) - mutton sandwich *Quan Ju De - duck DO NOT: *Gourou Dawang - "Dog Meat King" Any updates / comments? Thanks for the help! (Retreats)