Ling

Evidently, based on last night's drunken pictures, I am horribly unattractive after a few drinks. (And probably even more so with sauce on my face.)

I had dinner with my friend last night at Aurora Bistro. The service was great, and the food was even better than I expected it to be. (And I had pretty high expectations, considering their recent award from EnRoute Magazine. ) Since I had one of our infamous "mafia" lunches yesterday (lots of food at Lilykate and Ganache Patisserie), I wasn't especially hungry, and so my friend and I ended sharing an appetizer and dessert. The manager, Curtis, recognized me from Egullet and kindly introduced himself. He sent us a beautiful amuse of seared scallop on fava beans. The scallop was cooked perfectly (imo) to medium. The bread was served with a lemon/thyme butter. We started with the Lentil Flour Crusted Fanny Bay Oysters with curried aioli and plum chutney--crisp coating, soft, creamy interior. I ordered this because Lori mentioned it in her review, and I'm really glad I did. I thought the sweet and tart chutney with the curry aioli really worked well together, and I thought the Indian influence in this appetizer was quite creative. This was my favourite dish of the night. With this, I drank the Kettle Valley Viognier, and this was my favourite wine of the evening too. I apologize for not being confident enough to post my wine notes--still very much the wine newbie, you know! Chef Jeff came out and introduced himself at this point. He was really friendly and mentioned that he would be posting on Egullet soon. My friend had the Sweet Potato and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Strudel with morel mushroom sauce. I thought this dish was stunning--the cubes of sweet potato were mounded high and encased in a buttery pastry that had been braided across the top. The menu on the website lists a morel mushroom sauce, but I think I remember tasting porcini instead....could've been all the wine I was drinking, though. With my main course, I had two glasses of wine--the Stag's Hollow 2003 "Simply Noir" and what I believe was the Joie Chardonnay (sorry, I can't seem to find it on the wine list online). (And yes, I know the rule about switching from red to white, but I've read about Joie and I wanted to try one of their wines...so again, I apologize if I'm making you wine enthusiasts out there cringe! ) I ordered the Potato Wrapped Smoked Sablefish braised organic greens and a Saltspring Island mussel and winter vegetable chowder--what I believed to be Aurora Bistro's signature dish (which Curtis later confirmed. ) I can see why the restaurant can't seem to take it off their menu--the lightly smoked fish met my fork with a bit of resistance (which I prefer, as opposed to having fish "flake" easily...I tend to think fish is a bit overdone at this point.) A wide strip of potato is wrapped around the fish, and then the whole thing is fried. It looked like a golden brown parcel sitting atop the spinach. I enjoyed this very much. My friend drank a couple of beers throughout the evening. For dessert, I asked the chef if he would kindly choose for us, and we got the apple cake with creme fraiche, dried apple chip, and caramel sauce. I liked the contrast between the soft, cooked apples and the almost-crunchy bottom of the cake. I drank the Quail's Gate 2003 Optima, and the chef graciously sent the birthday boy a glass of the Domain Combret 2001 Gamay Icewine, if I recall correctly. (Slurring words and generally acting like a fool at this point. ) After dinner, Curtis chatted with us for a few minutes, and told us about the other items on the menu. I had a few cups of an excellent, organic coffee from Origins on Vancouver Island. We were in the restaurant for just over three hours--it was a long, leisurely meal and definitely one of the best dining experiences I've had this year. I'll definitely be back.

halibut and dried scallop congee, a bowl of granola cereal, and some toast with almond butter

The last time I made a boxed cake mix was in grade 6, when I was making cupcakes for a class bake sale. I started doing them from scratch by the time I was 12 years old, and haven't gone back to mixes since. I think there's a real difference in flavour, and even though everyone may not be able to detect the difference between a boxed mix and a from-scratch cake, I can taste the difference. And that's what ultimately what matters to me, because I always want to give the best to the people I care about.

^They have deep-fried Mars bars there? I've had deep-fried Oreos and deep-fried Mars bars....I like the Oreos better. I haven't had chicken wings in awhile. Egullet meet? edit: On second though, I'm a really messy eater, and I don't want to see pics of me with sauce smeared all over my face floating around on the Internet.....

My lunch at Lilykate was decent, but at $11 for a slice of chocolate buttermilk cake, and a small bowl of pork stroganoff, I felt it was a little pricey. The pork stroganoff was not bad, though I found the pork a little dry. Angela's brie and avocado sandwich (smeared with some sort of citrus dressing) looked good, and the chicken and bean stew that Joie and her husband ordered was pretty tasty. The chocolate cake was moist and dark, with a thick layer of decent (i.e. not Safeway) frosting. The coconut cake covered in the Italian meringue was my favourite item--quite dense, like a butter cake, and layered with a filling that tasted like coconuty condensed milk. edit: I didn't know so many Egulleters like coconut cake. I have a coconut cake recipe that I've been meaning to try...the legendary 6-layer Ultimate Coconut cake from the Peninsula Grill. Will have to make it for you all soon!

My friends went there last week and they enjoyed it. ETA: I'm going to Aurora Bistro tonight--I guess I'll be posting pictures in this thread.

cheese omelette and chocolate chip cookies

^ Oh, the exist. And that's where I post my juicier reviews.

^Awww....venison, foie gras, and rabbit--some of my favourite things in life.

I haven't yet been to any of Umberto Menghi's restaurants , Le Crocodile, Villa del Lupo, C, Cru, Sooke Harbour House, Cioppino's, Diva at the Met, Bishop's, Chartwell, La Belle Auberge, Bistro Pastis, Tojo's, La Regalade, and Vij's. I'm going to Aurora Bistro on Friday night, and Chamber on Monday--so there's two off the list.

^I think it's Open Mic night on Mondays at the Media Club.

chocolate chip cookies

Yesterday: 2 huges pieces of Oreo cheesecake and a chocolate ganache cake from a nearby bakery (Pane from Heaven). 2 cups of coffee with sugar and cream. Today: leftovers from last night's dinner--roast pork smeared with Dijon mustard and honey, and balsamic-glazed onions. And a nice wedge of double-cream camembert (from Popular Grove). 2 cups of coffee with sugar and cream.

The only way to get blue-rare is if you cook it yourself, from my experiences.

In no particular order... Samurai on Davie...I had ika sashimi, their huge House Roll, and some Rainbow Roll. Cassis, Steamworks, One Lounge all in one night...that's been posted about in the "Cocktail" thread, though. Provence Marinaside for afternoon tea, as mentioned in the "Sweets and the City" thread. Some Chinese restaurant atop VanCity in Richmond for my sister's birthday dinner--my favourite dish was the garlic crab.

I just got out of a relationship, too. I lived on cheesecake, chocolate, and alcohol.

^Glad you enjoyed it. I had another Chocolate Ganache cake just yesterday. And no, I'm not tired of it yet.... I'm not really a fan of the Chocolate Oblivion at MIX, either.

http://vancouverisland.kulshan.com/British...er_Tea_Room.htm There's a link to The White Heather Tea Room in Oak Bay. We ordered the "Big Muckle" and we were utterly stuffed. The reviewer says she's never finished the "Big Muckle" before...but it's definitely do-able if you're a glutton like me. It comes on a 3-tier tray like The Secret Garden, but I'm quite sure there was even more food!

I had breakfast food for dinner--ham and eggs. And a big slice of the Oreo cheesecake I made for my sister's birthday.

The Empress is OK, but really over-priced (even during the low season). There's one in Oak Bay that I liked more...I think it's called "The White Heather". That place was totally packed when we went! ETA: My favourite thing at the Empress was the carrot, ginger, and cream cheese tea sandwiches. What a flavour combination.

Well, if Coop is wearing his tutu, then perhaps he could lend Arne his blue velvet dress.

I'm waiting for the day when the men on Egullet come to afternoon tea with us, preferably wearing pink.

^ I've never been there. I think there was a French bistro thread where The Smoking Dog was mentioned several times.

Uhm...actually, I was famished because I ate lunch at 12:30pm and we didn't have tea until 3pm-ish. I was flitting in and out of consciousness by the time the food arrived. I echo Zucchini Mama's thoughts about the afternoon tea at Provence--the olive and creme fraiche spread was delicious, as was the roasted vegetable topping. The lemon tart was definitely the best of all the sweet offerings. The portions were definitely dainty. Tea at Provence Marinaside--what a civilized way to follow our night of drunken debauchery on Friday!