LordBalthazar

I look forward to checking it out. Toque is one of my favorite restaurants in Montreal.

Okay, admittedly I've never never been a big fan of CinCin. My previous visits have been disappointment and I had, for all intents and purposes, written this restaurant off. Until, that is, I heard they were offering a special "wild mushroom" menu for the month of November. Well, fourth times the charm, right? As matter of fact... I'll give credit where credit is due. My wife and I had a wonderful meal. Instead of ordering the mushroom festival tasting menu, as I had originally planned, I decided to go off-book by ordering a variety of dishes and share plates (several wild mushroom "accompaniments" among them). We had the Taglierini Al'Astice (thin, almost fettucine-like pasta in a delicious, only slightly spicy chili-garlic-olive sauce, served with roasted lobster), and the Garganelli al Vitello (a delicious penne-like pasta in a delicate cream-based sauce with shitake mushrooms and oh-so-tender veal cheeks). The mushrooms selection was wide and varied (some 15 or so choices if I remember correctly) and they could be prepared either in a dish or served solo. We went with the cauliflower fungus, blue chanterelles, and the velvet piopinni (sic?) - each cooked with a little butter, olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Heavenly! My wife adored the velvet piopinni (sic?). My favorite was the blue chanterelles - slightly crispy, incredibly flavorful, they reminded me of the times my father would pick "shaggy manes" and fry them up for us. They were so good, in fact, that we ordered seconds of both. Rounding out the meal was the dish of the night, a subtle but thoroughly perfect risotto bianco with shaved white truffle. As is often the case when it comes to dessert, I couldn't choose - so decided to go with three choices: a classic creme brulee with dark chocolate gelato (terrific on both counts, I was only able to steal two bites before my "I don't feel like dessert" wife polished off the rest), a ten layer chocolate-coffee cake served with walnut gelato (incredibly moist and slightly, wonderfully, boozy), and my favorite: the house tiramisu served in a brandy snap with espresson cream (and, once again, I was reminded of my father and the home made tiramisu he used to make with rich marscapone cheese - CinCin's version was as close to his version as I've ever tasted). Service was terrific. Overall, a fantastic meal. Yup, I will go back.

I'm in Vancouver, Canada. I didn't get around to tasting all of the chocolates that night but, suffice it to say, there were leftovers. My favorite chocolate bar is the Amedei Chuao. Check it out.

Hi, Robert. Welcome. There's plenty of chocolate to be found in the city, but my favorite chocoalte hangout is Chocoatl in Yaletown - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=83181 A great source for chocolte bars (they say they'll be bringin in Amedei for the Christmas holidays) is Meinhardts on Granville St. I hosted a chocolate party earlier this year and Ling was kind enough to put together a threat with pics - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=85197&hl= I've been meaning to host another one for some time now, but have been too busy to organize one. Maybe in early 2007.

Soooooo envious....

"I'm guessing they're use to dealing with Japanese people with low alcohol tolerance." You're an exception to the rule. Most Japanese people I know could drink me under the table. And I'd like to test your alcohol tolerance sometime in the coming weeks if you and hubby are game. Calpis and vodka at Zakkushi anyone?

Alas, no grilled unagi. But they're adding menu items.

My Aunt said she was not a big fan of their dim sum and to be honest I found that Sea Harbour does the non-traditional offerings better than the standard dim sum offerings. ← Ah. I've never been a fan of the siu mai or haw gaw (sic?), preferring the more non-traditional fare (check out their conch with garlic paste). By the way, do you know of any other places that offer non-traditional menu items?

What rumors? I think Sea Harbour offers one of the best dim sums in Vancouver. Pricey, granted, but you won't find better pork cheek anywhere.

Amid the proliferating izakaya joints and Japanese tapas restaurants in Vancouver, Zakkushi stands out. A tiny place just above Burrard (a couple of doors down from Videomatica), the restaurants seats about 25 max - and it's a tight squeeze at that. But don't let that put you off. Grab a seat at the bar or, a small table or, better yet, share the big table with strangers and make some new friends. The food is very Nihonjin, very reminiscent of the casual and friendly atmosphere to be found at many similar eateries in Japan. Gompachi comes to mind. The food is very Gompachi as well - grilled items, soups, tapas, and a few suprises. Don't go in expecting sushi. Instead, look forward to the best robata in the city. If you're partial to hatsu or gyu-tan, I defy you to find better. Another stand-out item is the Zaru Tofu, their homemade tofu served with salt, green onions, and a smidge of an extremely aromatic Japanese pepper. It's one of my favorite dishes on the menu - and this is from a guy who doesn't like sushi. A recent addition to the menu - scallop skewers served three ways - was excellent. As was the chicken udon my wife ordered. The broth was incredibly flavorful. Great service from the young, upbeat staff. The place has only been open a couple of months and I sincerely hope it does well. Apparently, it's hopping on weekends but fairly quiet on weekdays. Hopefully things will pick things up for them once word gets out and more people discover this hidden gem. Check it out. A true Nihonjin experience.

Has anyone here tried those fantastic steamed sweet and salted egg yolk buns at Sea Harbour? Any idea how they make the filling? Do you think they had condensed milk to hardboiled egg yolks or do they whisk the condensed milk with the raw yolk? I'm asking because I'd like to use it as a base for an ice cream. =

Long's Noodle House: We stopped in for the best wine chicken and wine fish in the city. We also enjoyed an order of garlic-sauteed spinach. Shalin Noodle House: Nutritious soup with lamb and stewed pancake. Delicious. Also had the corn with pine nuts, fried lamb with spicy cumin, and the pork dumplings. Everything was great. My wife and I love this place. Empire Seafood in Richmond: Oh, dear. This place makes the best egg tarts around (only at dim sum) and offers a pretty good dinner menu. However, we made the mistake of going last night during the Autumn Moon festival. It was crazy-busy and, as a result, I'll cut the service some slack - but there were some major food missteps that I found unforgivable. We ordered two large abalone and received the smaller versions, an oversight they apologized for. I was comparing the abalone served here with that served at Sun Sui Wah, commenting on the fact that, althought the abalone was tender, the brown sauce wasn't as thick or flavorful as the versions I'd had elsewhere - then glanced over and noticed that the party table beside us were enjoying their abalone in that thicker version I'd so enjoyed elsewhere. We had some gai lan (sic?) which my wife enjoyed, and some tasty Peking pork chops. We ordered a steamed fish that was presented to us live then carried off into the kitchen where it disappeared for a good 40 minutes. When it was served, we found the flesh mushy and devoid of taste. When my wife commented on the dish's texture, our suddenly flustered waiter assured us that it was the same fish we had been shown earlier. Hmmm. Neither my wife or I had even considered the possibility of a "fish switch" but, after the waiter's anxious denial, my wife (a conspiracy theorist by nature) assumed that's exactly what had happened. For my part, I'm willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt but since: a) my wife is a grudge-holder, and b) I'm partial to Sea Harbour and Shanghai Rivier, it's unlikely we'll be back.

If you've never tried live uni sashimi, you've never really tried uni. Okay, granted, it isn't to everyone's taste, but the creamy sweetness of the fresh-out-of-the-shell variety is so markedly different from the occasionally gamey-tasting offering found in most restaurants. I've had the live version a Kamei Royale and, when I inquired about availability a couple of months ago, I was told uni season was in October. However, when I inquired at Shota (another place where I've ordered live uni), I was told I was out of luck since the season was in March. So, which is it? Anyone know?

Back to Sea Harbour Restaurant in Richmond for what turned out to be my most enjoyable dinner so far this year. The sharkfin soup was extraordinary, served in a brown sauce with the chicken broth on the side. Excellent abalone and a truly fantastic house chicken. We ended the meal with the steamed salty-sweet egg yolk buns I mentioned in a previous most. Wow. Kusshi in Richmond: Nice decor and some interesting menu items, some of which are almost identical to the ones offered at the various Shota restaurants. I assume there's some connection. They offer some pricey offerings including o-toro. Good but, for my money, I prefer Sushikan. Service was a little...odd. I was confused by a couple of the sushi items: cobia and saama. When I asked the waitress, she hesitated, then informed me: "It's a kind of fish." No. Really. Toshi Sushi: Whenever we drive by the place, there is always a line-up so wwent early - and got the last free table. Good sushi although my wife was put off by the film lining the insides of our tea cups.

Where can these be purchased? T&T Supermarket? ← I saw them at the T&T in Richmond this weekend but didn't pick any up because we weren't directly heading home. I did, however, pick up a "Taiwan Moon Cake Gift Box" which includes: oriental green bean cake, red ben, walnut, date, and white bean. Also picked up some moon cakes from Sea Harbour (a box of double yolks for my wife and just plain lotus paste for me) and enjoyed them immensely. So much so that I'm thinking of experimenting with my own homemade mooncake ice cream.

Empire Seafood in Richmond - Dim sum: Discovered this place quite by accident when the wait at the Kirin across the street proved too daunting. After our initial visit, this will be our first choice from now on. Great dim sum. Among the highlights: a pork liver rice noodle dish that we ordered by accident and ended up loving. And the egg tarts! Oh boy. I'm not a huge fan (unlike my wife), but I love them here - always fresh and warm, with a hint of coconut. Dinner: Excellent sharkfin soup and incredibly tender abalone with steamed peatip leaves (they're running a special, both dishes for $38), a wonderful steamed fish (my wife ordered and I don't remember exactly what it was), delicious pork belly and bok choy, the steamed turnip cake with its atypical but delicious pudding-like consistency, and an order of terrific sticky rice with preserved meats. A perfect meal. Sea Harbor in Richmond - Dim Sum: Another great dim sum destination. But get there early. Highlights: tender conch in garlic paste, fried smelts with garlic chips, steamed turnip cake, and the so-darn-good buns filled with sweet-salty egg yolk that arrive warm and gooey at your table. Kimono - Dinner: Some alright hand cones (the beef was a stand-out) and an inedible "spicy salmon sashimi" made with black bean that proved not at all spicy. Service was...wanting. My wife asked if they could switch out the spicy scallop cone for the unagi cone in one of the trio cone orders and was told she could. When her unagi cone arrived, it was slathered with Vietnamese hot sauce. She called the waiter over who seemed just as mystified by the hot sauce on the unagi and rereated to the kitchen. Moments later, he was back, unagi in tow. He explained that even though she had asked for the unagi cone, she had technically ordered the spicy trio cone so everything had to be spicy - that's the way it was and did she still want it? Charged for two seaweed salads instead of the lone one we received. I know, I know. You can't judge a restaurant on only one visit - but if I'm going to go back, I'm going to need a date because my wife certainly won't accompany me. LB

Check out Chocoatl (1127 Mainland in Yaletown) for some wonderful homemade chocolates, pastries, and chocolate drinks. And, if Themis (the owner) is around a little chocolate lesson to boot. LB

Many thanks, Tokakris. This one is at the top of my to-do list when my wife and I come a-visiting. Oh, and if you do feel like checking it out sometime around early December, let us know... LB Yes, they are! Their homepage I was on the Oimachi line 4 times 2 weeks ago and ever time we passed Jiyugaoka and I saw the sign for Sweets Forest, I kept thinking someday, someday.... ←

Doing research for my Tokyo trip in December and came across this excellent thread. Please, tell me the Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest is still open. LB Some info on this place in English, with a link to their Japanese homepage http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/hot/sizzling/sizzling_ind.html edit: you need to scroll to the bottom and click on index and then on Pastry theme park I found a nice article about Jiyugaoka Sweet Forest, with listing of some of the stores and their offerings: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/508/dining.asp ←

We went last night and ate ourselves silly. I had: 1. Three terrific skewers - chicken, pork, and beef. 2. Some corn in a cup. 3. A Taiwanese sausage (in some ways very similar to a giant lup-chang (sic?)). 4. A waffle topped with butter, peanut butter, and condensed milk. 5. Excellent radish cake. 5. Some kalbi. 6. A watermelon juice. 7. One of those Japanese pastries filled with nutella. 8. 3 takoyaki balls. 9. I'm not sure of the proper spelling but I believe it's "tofu fau"?, my wife's favorite Chinese desert. 10. 2 "beef muffins" from two different stalls. That's all that comes to mind right now. I must have blacked out at some point.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand a lot of the negative reviews Sanafir was receiving on this forum. I had gone twice - once only weeks after it opened, and again a month later - and had a wonderful experience both times. In fact, the only thing that detracted from the dinner was the less than inspired fruity dessert selection. Overall, I had a great time in both instances - so much so, that I included Sanafir on my short list of "Restaurants to check out" which I provide to the occasional guest to the city. Last night, however, was a completely different story. The dishes were a far cry from the ones I enjoyed only months ago. Flavorless, overcooked beef short rib. Lobster risotto with a consistency akin to papier mache. The only highlight was, and remains, the oxtail capelleti with the black truffle cream sauce. At the very least, the desserts remained consistent, still as uninspired as the first time I visited. All in all, an outright disaster.

Dropped by today and finally checked it out. We had the Mt. Matcha (my wife's favorite), the cream pan, the sweet potato pan, and another pan that came with extra cream (and by that, I mean that they sent it to the kitchen for an extra dollop). According to the owner, business is quiet, but picking up. Word has spread throughout the Japanese community and they've been cleaned out by noon on some days. It's a family owned and run operation with the wife doing all of the baking and, from what the owner told me, it's a challenge keeping up with customer demand.

Don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet but the Beijing has closed its doors and been replaced by a Japanese restaurant, Kimono.

Bad news. Our good friend Ena is a long-time fan of Be Ga Ne and was planning to take us last month - only to discover it had shut down. It sounded wonderful, unlike anything I've ever experienced at a Korean restaurant - which makes it all the more depressing.

I'd consider C among one of the best in the city and have no problem recommended it to out-of-town guests. It has yet to disappoint.