BonVivant

i'm thinking about making a DIY 'rig'. for 2 years now i've been using an old coffee table and a couple of lights. need to do some research...sometime. taken with a simple Fujifilm, no natural light whatsoever [at F2.8 but would love another non SLR camera that can do F1.8. sounds impossible though]

that's good to hear although i'm not surprised. have been away over 8 years and the last time i was in YVR was in 2001....and let me tell you, there are days it hits me hard when i want a nice bottle of wine from Okanagan. i drink lots of wines from everywhere but i still like the stuff from BC from time to time, which is not to be found here in Europe! [yeah, people laugh in my face...'are you joking? nice wine from Canada?' 'impossible!']

oh dear oh dear, that Brazilian beer.......i'd rather drink Guinness it's now, for some reason, can be found on supermarkets' shelves, next to Corona, here in Netherlands. [gross!]

recently had Innis&Gunn flown in by a Scottish acquaintance in London. such an amazing brew! made my toes curl too bad it's not for export, now that i've had it i'm gutted it's hard to come by.

too many to list but Innis&Gunn for sure. not for export

aha! i looked high and low now that you provided the photo and its scientific name [Xanthosoma sagittifolium]. the name in VN is 'Khoai Mon'. sorry no recipes but i've had it in savoury soup/dessert. i prefer it as dessert though.

nice report, Posternatoir. have never been to this nice restaurant but i do love Zeeland. here's some translation: 'scheermess': razor clam 'koreander' : coriander 'cocquille' : scallop 'savoiekool' : savoy cabbage [savooikool] ------------------------- oh dear oh dear....bubbly in those wrong glasses

i've eaten a lot of Thai in YVR but always return to Salathai. their pad thai is sh!te however. the owner is from Chiang Mai so he once told me. my ex flatmate still goes to Salathai every week...but then he hasn't been to Thailand [been away for over 8 years but am still talking in present tense]

would like to add to your list: i miss wine from Okanagan valley, huge BC 'liquor store' and its great selection, the food the food the food. or something as simple as looking out the window and be amazed. that's why i intentionally avoid looking at the YVR section

had it recently, [finally]. at times i thought i was drinking 9% shoyu here's a bigger image for SusanFL

now you're driving me insane! i wish you'd taken a photo of this thingie. 'wei ting' ...wei ting....i'm going insane here! hahah... at first i thought it was 'Khoai Cao' [taro], but taro is purple. batata ['Cu San'] is crunchy and solid white on the inside so that's not a match. what the heck IS this? for sure it's a root, innit?

i've had both [Cono Sur, Valdivieso] and must say the Valdivieso [12 euro where i am] is much better. pinot noir....hmm...a noble grape...

why garlic. always! :)

silken tofu has no skin. it's thick and soft. nice in soup, sauces, deserts, smoothies ect. comes in round plastic tubes, ismost likely imported from Singapore,. specifically spells out 'silken tofu'. it's nice. give it a go :) ---------------- [is it originally Japanese? i am not sure.....have to check that out]

mango salsa is my favourite but sometimes i use them in a nice Indian curry in the cold months.

i think that's where i had most of VN dishes in Paris. the staff is also pleasant so that's a nice bonus [unlike some ppl in VN]. i also went to other VN restaurants next door but me thinks i like Song Huong best. and they have decent coffee too.

i was extremely happy with Vietnamese in the 13th since i stayed in the heart of so-called chinatown during my visit [might as well rename it to VNtown]. hmmm......<dribble>...'banh bot loc'......'bun bo hue'......

too many favourites but i think Samichlaus is still one of my all time favs. 14% . goes down beautifully....like fine cognac in the beer world! but if you like Bavaria and the like i'm afraid you won't appreciate Samich. been drinking quite a few from Alsace lately. me likes!

we [2 of us] drink a couple of nice beers everyday on top of the usual such as Grolsch or Hertog Jan. some of them were Young's Kew Brew, St. Peter's Cream Stout/Golden Ale, Badger Champion.

a very nice report! i have one too but it's photographic. dayum, my mouth is watering again. what i would give to be back in Phu Quoc where the water is clear and warm, fresh seafood 3 meals a day, empty beach, the sound of silence, light goes out at 10pm...sigh...

a kilo of big tentacles and this is how they meet their fate, [the rest]. oh yes, scallops of course. love them fresh with coral intact even though i take a long time to gut them.

'food from the sea' is my favourite! i eat meat once or twice a week. love my seafood too much. steamed and eaten with a simple butter parsley garlic sauce

i once got a bag of frozen basa [farmed in VN]. had to quickly finish the whole bag. too bland! :(

oh mannnnnnnnn.......how i miss street corner hotdogs in YVR! never thought i'd miss something like that. here in netherlands they don't know how to make hotdogs or even burger or hotdog rolls/buns! once i tried to get the ingredients from the supermarket to make me a hotdog snack, but couldn't find any real hotdog buns/rolls. had to walk around the place and put everything back on the shelf :(

foie gras [the real thing from France] sashimi beers/wines