twinkienic

Last time I was at Modern Club, the place was full of oily smoke and my okonomiyaki was charred. In addition to the suggestions above, I've seen okonomiyaki on the menu at Zipang sushi... but haven't tried it.

I prefer Benkei. That's where I always find myself heading back when I need a bowl of miso ramen. I haven't tried Menya, though. I'd be curious to see how you feel it stacks up!

How was the chocolate? I'm keen to try the earl grey. For some reason, I'm always a sucker for tea-flavoured goods.

I think they do have the other flavours out (unless they stopped making them). Last time I went about a month ago, I bought some matcha flavoured cream puffs. They had a schedule posted showing which flavours they would be making on each day. They still didn't have some of their non-cream-puff goods yet though.

Which places will be on the Phodown list for 2008? Might I suggest Pho Viet in Richmond? That's my current go-to place.

If you have access to a car, dinner at Rosemeade (http://www.englishinn.ca/dining.html) over in Esquimalt is always nice. Otherwise, The Superior (www.thesuperior.ca) is close to your inn. You might want to plan Monday night dinner ahead of time because a lot of places in Victoria are closed Mondays.

I think the Tropika's in Alberta and BC are all the same franchise (is that the right term?). I just mean that Tropika's is my only exposure to Malaysian cuisine so I have no basis of judging how authentic it is (as opposed to, for example, a Chinese perspective of the cuisine).

Thanks for the report at the pictures! I don't think I've ever had real Malaysian food (I enjoy Tropika's... but I suspect that doesn't count) and will definitely be putting this place on the list to try.

I don't know how fair it is to judge a restaurant during DOV, but I was disappointed by my visit to So.Cial. Had the duck confit appetizer that was significantly over-salty, and the scallops that were overwhelmed by too-spicy risotto (pepper and chili oil). Given some other great options in gastown, I'd personally head elsewhere.

Thought some of you might be interested to know that live lobster is on sale at T&T (I saw it at the downtown location, not sure about the others) for $9.99. There were some pretty active ones when I was there this afternoon. Sale ends today, I think.

I've always liked the more "beany" flavour of the Chinese soy milks too but always disappointed that they weren't fortified (I need my calcium!). I'm happy to report, though, that last week at T&T I saw a Soya Beverage by Sunrise. It's enriched (28% calcium, compared with "mainstream" soy milk brands at 30% and regular milk at 30%) and tastes just the way I like it (albeit maybe a touch "chalky", but I don't know if that's expectation bias).

Have you seen Tea Forte teas? http://www.teaforte.com/ I don't know how good the tea itself is, but they use a silken infuser bags that are very pretty. Lots of flavours, and attractive packaging. They also have lots of accessories made specifically for their teabags that might make nice gifts. That's what I'm giving my tea-imbibing relatives this year.

I don't remember what their selection was like... but Sawa Tea and Craft might be worth calling.

Is that true? Do any of the restaurants here decorate the dish like that? Mmm... suckling pig... That reminds me of a friend's wedding banquet at Shiang Garden. There was a "parade" of the 1st course, that was led by one of the servers carrying a giant goblet filled with flashing LED balls. Is that a typical HK flourish also? None of us had ever seen that before!

When does this mushroom and truffle festival at CinCin start? I looked on the website and didn't see any mention. Sounds so tempting...

I tried Parkside's foie gras terrine when I went to Salt a few weeks ago and I have to agree... it's incredible! So smooth and rich... (Though I haven't tried West's or Chambar's versions. Must add those to my ever-growing list.) Does anyone know if the Parkside FG terrine is sold "to-go" anywhere?