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Woops sorry it's one of those things where I saw the sign, thought VJ and then even though I have seen it as Vij's my brain still sees VJ. I've fixed my post. I can't be misnaming someone's last name. That's pretty bad.

If anyone here goes camping, the secret weapon to a very very successful camping trip is Rangoli's. My god. Take a couple 'o conveniently vacuum sealed bags, throw em into your pack with some rice and go hike/kayak/whatever. Your fellow campers will worship you like a god.

I think the on thing I really really respect about Vij's is that it doesn't pass itself as 'authentic' indian food but instead as 'this is what >I< like to eat at home'. I mean speaking as someone from a chinese family, our food at home is NOT listed as 'authentic chinese food'. And in fact Sandy's chinese food at her home is also not authentic and not the same as mine. For a restaurant that serves 'home style cooking with a restaurant style flare" (certainly I assume some ingredients in Vij's dishes are not the typical foods you would have at home on a regular basis) I think it has done quite well for itself. The popularity proves that Vij has pretty good taste. That being said, I did find Vij's a bit pricey for me so I reserve it as a 'special occasion' place and not somewhere I'd like to pop into all the time. Does the 'no reservation policy' really work? I like reservations, I like to feel smart and 'book ahead' so even though it certainly doesn't look like Vij's is hurting for business, how bad is taking reservations? Certainly if I'm being invited into someone's home there is an implicit "reservation" is there not? I don't think I tend to invite guests over to my house and then tell them "oh sorry, these other friends were here first so can you wait a sec?" [Added] Thanks Bubbalicious for the insight into the 'reservation system' I hadn't considered the "cost" associated but it is a totally valid point. It certainly puts the whole assumption that people don't do reservations because they like the sight of crowds outside a restaurant to bed. I'm not sure I agree that it is a good move regardless since I know of say 20 friends, 10 will NOT go to a restaurant which does not take reservations - they see it as a respect issue, they don't feel they are being treated with respect when they can't call ahead of time to book a time to eat.

Busy weekend as I had a friend visiting from Seattle: Thursday Night - Musashi (next to Kintaro on Denman) ------------------ I was told that they had really good raw stuff. We ordered some Toro Sashimi and some suchi (Salmon, Tamago, Saba, Hamachi) and then some rolls (spicy tuna, BC roll). The toro was ok, not as melt-in-your mouth as I was hoping for. The rest of the sushi was very good. The salmon was SO red...kinda made me wonder where it came from. The Tamago was a bit too sweet but the spicy tuna roll was awesome. Yumm! BC roll was average. Friday Morning - Hatch (Broadway by Kingsway) ----------------- I posted in the breakfast thread here Friday Night - Mark's Fiasco (Broadway and Bayswater) -------------- Lots of drinking due to 10-year reunion. Also ordered three pizza's one of which was very memorable - I think it was the Mediterranean. Really tasty as agreed by friends who destroyed the pizza before I could get a second slice - the vultures. We also had pizza at around 3am outside of The Fringe. You know..standard. Really good when really drunk. The greese on top wasn't really noticed. Saturday Night - Nu (False creek) ------------------ Nu has been getting a lot of mixed reviews as of late and I can tell from the Nu Thread that some people have been quite dissapointed. I too have had mixed feelings about Nu but my friend from Seattle wanted to try the beer-oyster valve thing and I really wanted a "junkanoo" involving ginger beer and a mixture of rum and other fine liquers. I am happy to report that many of Nu's shortcomings have improved significantly: - Slow to seat - Solved. We arrived and were seated within 3 minutes (on a saturday night at 9:30pm). - Where's the waitor? - Solved, she came right away, asked if we would like water or order drinks. We asked her to grab the water and come back. She was back within 4 minutes and took our drink orders. She was very attentive and made sure we were never dry of liquid. - Food - Everything we ordered was quite good. The chicken popsicles were a bit cold and the cheese was no longer melted. The cheese stuffed crackers were good. Liquid cheese is always good. The fried ribs were surprisingly good. I was ready to lick the plate. The Beer/Oyster was ok, my oyster was too small and I got too much beer in the shot. The Fois Gras Croquettes were enjoyed by all - there is a theme to this place, yummy goodness stuffed in a shell of sorts. Sunday Morning - Melriches ------------------ I posted in the breakfast thread here Wow. Really good potatoes...I had to say it again as I had a rant somewhere on how restaurants never good the potatoes right IMHO. The sandwich I had was touted "world famous" and it was pretty good but not what I would call "world famous". They did have a "yaletown special" which is essentially eggs benny on a bagel - that was good. Hmm thats not the last THREE places...I can't count...

Over the weekend we visited Hatch which was ok but not stellar. The awesome potatoes I had last time were not as crispy this time around but the food was solid and I liked the fried mash. This morning I went to Melriches (yaletown) on my friends recommendation of "the best breakfast potatoes in town". She was right. The tators were seasoned and CRISPY! Really crispy like a lot of love was put into them. The inside was not mushy. Oh it was heaven.

^ Wow, when a restaurant handles a situation like that in the manner that it totally increases my respect for them. I was initially considering giving Joe Fortes a pass when looking for soup but now I am interested in trying this newly tweaked recipe. That is a great way to take feedback from a forum like eGullet and turn it into a good thing.

That show also tweaks the menu hey? In fact I think they like to have a place which has potentially awesome food. Sorry Neil your yam fries can't be improved (can they??) I was thinking of the Jang Mo Jib on Kingsway which seriously needs a makeover. Those diner style booths are so ridiculous and the false ceiling screams office. But I think it might have closed down already. How about Hawker's Delight? Too small? That place needs some in-wall tables, a new colour scheme and maybe an overhaul on the lighting.

Havn't been to D'light but I have been to Banana Leaf and really enjoyed the food there. I was shocked to find out there's a new one opening around bayswater and broadway. I really like the SeaBass at banana leaf but with the recent almost-extinction of sea bass I've had to stop ordering it.

Really? last time I was at T&T I didn't say any at all! I will have to have another look as that would be the closest asian market to me.

Nice! I will try! Thanks guys!

When everything is $2 this weird light bulb turns on. Like a dormant carnal shopaholic you never knew you had wakes up from its slumber and runs amok. I think I'm always spending like $60 there, that's 30 items but when I pass by the "unagi sauce" or the cheap dishes I can't resist. That place is evil. I even got suckered into buying an umbrella (which sucked). Buyer beware, there are many items to be had for cheaper elsewhere but they get you with the one-stop-shop mentality. That being said there are some AMAZING bargains to be had. I got a really good Zaru Soba Box and bamboo mat thingie for $2. Makes the Soba noodles look so sexy and authentic. Sandy's sister is into finding good deals on things like little chinese takeout boxes. In fact we were researching little chinese steamers as a wedding favour. That would look awesome for gifts but I think they still run over a dollar each.

Ok where can I find "GALANGA" fresh? I found some frozen the other day and I think I saw some at the asian importer at Granville island but I was hoping for something more in line with a local market. Any clues?

Wow that is a really good deal! I think I blew more cash with drinks and dessert at Opus (at $12 a martini I guess I know why). Considering Sandy and I havn't tried lumier's yet perhaps we can ease into it by hitting up the bar. Then we can watch Chris in action!

Not that I am a big fan of the place (Dem Bones - as you can see from my previous post) but I guess every restaurant seems to have that once in a blue moon mishap which although unforgettable, sometimes needs to be at least forgivable as long as the blue moon doesn't come out all the time. I recall we had glass (!!) in our water at C. Not sure how but I think it got mixed into the ice they had in the back. Sorry that was off topic what I did want to ask was whether people had noticed a difference in quality between Memphis on broadway and Memphis on commercial. I DID recall that memphis on commercial had bigger portions, jucier meat and moist chicken. I havn't been to memphis is what must be 5 to 6 months now...

Thanks for the pictures Lee! The Veal looks really good. I think this is on my list of places to try.

I second this recommendation. I had Passo Doble last year and it was very very good value!

Prix Fixe also helps me narrow down my selections and have a little of everything. I'm terrible because I was brought up to sit down, order water and a main. If it weren't for dineout and taste of and prix fixe I would have not ventured into the really good stuff, the appies, the wine, the dessert. No wonder I used to always think the mains were never enough food. But they are enough if you tantalize your senses with the appy's and drinks...whats the opposite to apres ski? It's like the prequel to a good experience.

Hmm I don't think I ever pulled the eG handshake for a 'deal' per se but more of a "hey cool, you're in 'the club!' then you sorta laugh and theres an awkward silence and then some good old chatting begins. How cool is it to dine somewhere where you feel like you know the people who work there. Oh lordy I can hear the Cheer's theme song coming I better hide now.

This might be obvious, if so ignore me! When steaming fish, once it is done make sure to heat up the oil you used to cook the garlic/ginger in your wok to almost smoking and then pour it over top the fish. This gives a satisfying sizzle and makes the meat tender and infuses some of the flavours already present in the oil. Of course it also adds a bit of that shine.

I am all about Hash Browns. And they HAVE to cook slowly to provide maximum crispiness. None of these soggy rushed browns for me thanks. I like to slice my potato into little squares and freeze them beforehand with a little salt infused. Then I pour in some olive oil the next morning and slow cook them till they are perfectly brown. Toss some fresh basil from my dying ( ) basil plant and cracked pepper and at the last 3 minutes throw in some red / green pepper and drizzle with guyere. Eggs and some sausage are awesome with this. I simply don't find hash browns that taste the same in a restaurant. Most likely because they don't want to make you wait so long for your food.

Now is that each person making those gestures on their own or is that one hand from one person and the other hand from the other? Could make for an interesting sight. And Ling, I'm going to take that as a compliment

^ Excellent thank you! I will try this! Anyone make savoury ones with just egg whites?

Wow congrats Vancouver Restaurantuers! The secret handshake? I 'think' what you do is each grab the other person's ankle and lift it up so each person is on one foot and leaning to balance the other. Then you hop around in a circle chanting: 'duck fat' 'duck fat' 'duck fat' Oh wait...no no that's the secret handshake for the royal order of the duck [fat].

Boy I really need to invite myself over to these things... Deb, that tart looks SO GOOD I'm assuming you all left some tart for next class right?

I have never compared foccacia to a mattress before. It's so incredibly unrelated yet for some reason I know exactly what you are getting at. Lord that scares me. Good imagery! Thanks for the little review! I am really enjoying this thread as I clam chowder and am really excited to hear of places I havn't visited yet that offer good clam chowder. To put it in perspective, my universe of blam [edit] clam [/edit] chowder till I was around 15 was on the 'Queen' to Vancouver Island and back.