chamekke

There are 2 types of tetsubin: the kettle type (like yours), which is unlined cast iron and can be placed directly on a heat source - its intended use, as it's meant for heating water rather than steeping the tea. This is the older, traditional style. the teapot type, which is cast iron that has been lined with black enamel. These should never be placed on a heat source, as they're purely intended for steeping. It's increasingly rare to find the "kettle" type of tetsubin outside Japan, because it seems that most people in the West want to use their tetsubin for brewing and keeping the tea hot. Personally, I adore both types of tetsubin enough to have collected several, but I rarely use them for steeping tea. First of all, you have to be careful of the temperature (green tea in particular should be brewed at a lower temperature - not boiling), and secondly you don't want Camellia sinensis tea leaves to remain in the pot, or they'll become bitter. If there's an infusion basket, this means it's usually best to remove it after a few minutes, which is a step people don't always like to take. But, the cast iron certainly keeps the tea nice and hot! Anyway, as for removing the rust -- I'm trying to find the best way to do this myself. A little rust is just fine, and indeed almost unavoidable. (Some people feel it's a good way to get more iron in your diet! ) When there's more than a little rust, I usually scrub the rusted area under running hot water, using a stainless steel scrubber, then set the tetsubin on a heat source (on low heat) to ensure that all moisture has evaporated completely before I put it away again. This helps to get rid of the worst of it. P.S. For what it's worth, larger "kettle-style" tetsubin are still used for certain styles of the Japanese tea ceremony. However, they are not always made from cast iron... and they are never used as teapots for brewing.

Sooke Harbour House's menus are fantastic. You can take a peek at the restaurant information here: http://www.sookeharbourhouse.com/victoria-fine-dining-seafood-restaurant/ ...and yes, it's about a 45-minute drive from downtown Victoria (give or take 5 minutes).

Hmm. I own a lovely ceramic (glazed) kyuusu whose lid was tragically smashed to smithereens in a kitchen accident a few months ago. At the time I was heartbroken, since it was my favourite pot for my non-sencha Japanese teas as well as several non-Japanese types. To think it's now fashionable! Thank goodness I didn't throw it out. Genmaicha, you're going out again tonight!

Thank you, Phoenikia! I really appreciate your detailed reply. Can I ask, was the objection to Dragonfly primarily (1) the quality of the food, or (2) the lack of variety of dishes? I don't mind if there isn't a huge spread, but I do care if the food they do offer isn't that good... I've heard positive things about Manna Grill before. Which of their Korean dishes would you personally recommend? Thanks also for your other recommendations. I will suggest them to my father when I next visit. ←

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted to this thread! First of all, my father and I did go to Massey's Fine Indian Cuisine, and we really enjoyed it. So Massey's is now on our list of regular dining spots whenever I come out for a visit - particularly where dinner is concerned (the dinner menu is distinctly better than the weekday lunch buffet). I was wondering, has anyone here tried the Dragonfly Bistro - specifically the Rijsttafel that they offer every Monday from 5:30 - 9:00 pm? Used to go to that location (715 Richmond) back when it was the Village Cafe, but I haven't tried it since it changed its name and menu. On the other hand, their Indonesian/Dutch evening sounds interesting! I'd also really like a recommendation for a Korean restaurant - any ideas? (BTW I'm looking for a selection of good Korean food, rather than Japanese food; I'm not looking for sushi.) The only places I've turned up by searching are Asiana Restaurant, Seoul Garden, and Take Sushi (!). Anyone know them?

Can anyone recommend any Korean restaurants in Victoria, BC?

Just wanted to say that I love your green matzoh ball! Very spring-like - and quite pretty

Preheating the pot and cups is usually a good move, too.

I haven't gone to any of these places myself, but ... why don't you try reposting your question, this time mentioning those four placenames explicitly in your header? (When I first read the topic header, I thought you were asking about what's available in the lower mainland immediately outside Vancouver.)

Can anyone here kindly point me to any sellers of wagashi who are willing to ship internationally from Japan? (I.e. to me in Canada ) I'm most interested in higashi (dry sweets), particularly those made of wasanbon. The Futari Shizuka higashi that were mentioned earlier in this thread would be fantastic, for example. Although frankly - any fresh wagashi would be a huge treat! So far my searches have only turned up one seller who ships to the U.S., but not to Canada

Hi Eric, I'd be really interested in hearing what you thought of dining in Victoria! Today someone mentioned Red Fish, Blue Fish to me for the first time, so I'll have to try it out. This was right after having lunch at Fish on Fifth up in Sidney (affordable seafood - also well liked for its yam chips with curry mayonnaise).

Thank you all for the many dining suggestions! I will write them all down (well, print them off, anyway ) before I go. And little ms foodie, I need very little encouragement to go and get chocolate. If Cacao Drink Chocolate is even remotely within walking distance, I will check it out. How long does it take to get to the Pearl from downtown, by the way? I've seen maps, but I still have a very hazy sense of the scale of the city. Is it walkable to get from Pioneer Square to the Pearl, or is it more a "streetcar" kind of thing?

Thank you, Steve! I'll definitely try some of your recommendations. I love Korean food, by the way, so the suggestion of Bewon is especially welcome. Thanks again

Hello all, I'm visiting Portland, OR for the first time next week, to attend a conference at a hotel in the Pioneer Square area. Because the conference timetable is so crammed, I won't have much opportunity (or energy!) to wander too far from the immediate area in search of good food. Can anyone kindly recommend a good restaurant or two in the neighbourhood? My epicentre is SW 6th Ave and SW Salmon St (Portland Hilton), so anything that's walking distance from there is ideal. I love Asian food especially, but any restaurant with tasty food is of great interest Thank you!! P.S. Realized I should have mentioned Portland in the subject line - oops. Crazy Canadian!

OK, looks like I'll be coming to town for another visit one of these days... My father mentioned having visited the Four Seasons Restaurant, which serves Greek cuisine. He'd like to go back again. Anyone been there? If so, what dishes would you recommend?

I've ordered sencha from Japanese Green Teas Online before, and found their products to be very good. They have gyokuro, too. They're based in Japan, as are O-Cha, who also offer a lot of Japanese green teas, including sencha and gyokuro. One of these days I'm going to try some of their products. Their forum is also very helpful. In your situation, I would write to both companies describing what you're looking for, and asking for their recommendation for a good product for a first-time drinker (and your reasons for wanting these products - i.e. as a healthful drink for a friend with cancer). If freshness is a concern, I'd be a little wary of buying off the shelf in North America - especially if the product is undated. This is particularly a concern with matcha, which expires very quickly and is undrinkable when stale.

There is a new place on King( not sure of the name, something with an M maybe). There is also Jewel of India which was ok. I usually go for the lunch ( buffet) rather than order off a menu. ← Would it be Massey's, perhaps? They're at 174 King: Massey's review on Restaurantica (There seem to be 3 or 4 Indian restaurants clustered around the King/Richmond area. Funny...)

Can anyone recommend a good place for Indian food in London (Ontario)? My Dad would like to try an East Indian restaurant. I've read some online reviews, but some are old, while others are highly mixed. I'd love some guidance!

I did try again, using Taste of Britain's e-mail address this time (found on another site). They replied immediately to say that they do stock the walnuts! So we're good now. Yay! Thanks, everyone, for all your kind replies! Much, much appreciated

I did try e-mailing A Taste of Britain via a Web form on their site last week, but have had no reply to date. Which could mean (a) they don't have the product, (b) they are trying to get it so that they can reply shortly in the affirmative, or © they haven't seen my e-mail Oh well, maybe I'll try again...

I very deeply appreciate this. Thank you so much!!

I'm visiting London in three weeks' time. When I'm there, I'd like to find a shop that sells pickled walnuts, such as Opie's Pickled Walnuts. My best bet (probably) is to find a well-stocked British food shop or dry-goods store. Can anyone tell me of any likely places? A Taste of Britain sounds promising, although their site doesn't mention pickled walnuts at all. I also found another website for a place called the British & Irish Shoppe, but their stock looks pretty limited to judge from the photos. (I'm not including the link because visiting their homepage triggered a MIDI file that I had difficulty turning off - even closing the browser didn't do the trick!) Of course, if you know of a (non-British) deli or other specialty shop that would stock these precious things, I'm all ears. It doesn't have to be an English or British special{i}ty store. Thank you!

Sorry to reply so late... it's been a while since I visited eGullet. Unfortunately I don't know of any place in London that fits the bill - not necessarily because none exist, but because when I go to that city, my father always wants to explore more exotic fare! We did like the late lamented Village Cafe, which was small and quiet and companionable (and white-tablecloth!), and had very nice food. Alas - it closed in June. I can only suggest exploring Restaurantica.com for promising customer reviews. (I took a peek at the "fine dining" category, and apparently the Armouries Grill is very well liked by most of the people who tried it out.) Perhaps you might also try taking a peek at the latest restaurant reviews in the online London Free Press? P.S. I've heard other people recommend Crave, but have never tried it myself. My 83-year-old father went there a few months ago and refuses to return. It's not the food, which evidently is very good. The problem is the noise levels, which can be quite high when it gets busy (which apparently is almost always). Because he (like most elderly people) really has trouble hearing someone else speaking when there's a lot of ambient noise, he has given up on going back. I guess you could try going well before or after the usual meal hours, but - no guarantees!

First of all ... please accept my condolences on your loss. As to your question, have you checked out this thread: Restaurant recommendations for London I asked for recommendations upon visiting London last month. Pookie, rgruby and CaliPoutine kindly made several suggestions. The two places I tried - Hong Ping (Chinese) and Thuan Kieu (Vietnamese) - were fantastic, and I look forward to returning to them upon my next visit. Bangkok Pad Thai, which was an old favourite from previous visits, is also superb, although a little more expensive than the first two. You might also want to browse Restaurantica London for ideas!

This is one of those moments when you need to hook up with a fellow eGulleter, and get them to show you great dim sum in Richmond. I just go with people who know the good stuff. I have not been disappointed yet. ← IrishGirl, can you kindly recommend any places for great dim sum in the Chinatown in downtown Vancouver? Whenever I visit Vancouver I usually stay with friends who live close to Chinatown - it would be much easier to eat there than to try and get out to Richmond (especially without a car!). My friends love vegetarian Chinese food, but have been unable to recommend any good places for dim sum - and since I'm an omnivore, dim sum of all sorts (including meat or seafood) is just fine with me.