The Ladies Who Lunch (Part 2)

[Anna N]

These "ladies who lunch" started early this week as Kerry is heading off to the

eG Chocolate and Confectionery workshop on Wednesday and we had to pick up one of the prizes. On our way back from that errand we found a place that had been recommended by my adult children--K&B Sushi.

Shrimp roll

Tempura vegetables

Unagi pancake

Pork tonkatsu

A dim sum dish but I don't recall which

Shrimp tempura

Chicken udon

Beef wrapped around scallions

A small salad

Edited to try and add the names/descriptions of dishes

Edited May 12, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Anna N]

Today after much food-shopping at Marilu's Market for their hand-made, seasoned beef burgers, Bulk Barn for gluten-free flours and Deninger's for real lard we returned to Hakka Fresh for lunch.

Kerry sweet-talked our guenuinely pleasant server into using his influence in the kitchen for an appetizer of deep-fried spicy cauliflower

Then we shared a plate of hot garlic chicken

And one of sesame beef.

Rice, of course

As usual it was far too much food and I have a couple of meals in the fridge.

[ElsieD]

That looks like one mighty fine meal.

[Okanagancook]

Where is the shrubbery? Just kidding. The meat looks amazing!

[suzilightning]

Well, with John retired now it may be become for us The Couple Who Lunch as we try to catch up from 30+ years of not having time to spend together.  After shopping for snorkeling equipment we headed into a local town, Denville NJ, because I needed more 00 flour and we stopped at a seafood store with a restaurant attached: Codmother's.

 

Fresh seafood you can see at the counter and reasonably priced for lunch;

John had his first taste of Arctic char that was broiled and served with boiled potatoes, lemon butter sauce and some of the best coleslaw I have had in a long time.

I went for my basic "check out the place" lunch: fried flounder sandwich on a Kaiser roll and coleslaw.

 

Perfect portions and good food.

[Anna N]

Well, with John retired now it may be become for us The Couple Who Lunch as we try to catch up from 30+ years of not having time to spend together.  After shopping for snorkeling equipment we headed into a local town, Denville NJ, because I needed more 00 flour and we stopped at a seafood store with a restaurant attached: Codmother's.

 

Fresh seafood you can see at the counter and reasonably priced for lunch;

John had his first taste of Arctic char that was broiled and served with boiled potatoes, lemon butter sauce and some of the best coleslaw I have had in a long time.

I went for my basic "check out the place" lunch: fried flounder sandwich on a Kaiser roll and coleslaw.

 

Perfect portions and good food.

It would be great to have you and John along contributing to this topic. We could certainly nominate John as honorary lady who lunches! Love Arctic char above all other fish.

[Anna N]

So after haircuts Kerry and I stopped in at Deningers and grabbed some buns and some meats from the deli counter. Then we headed back to her home where we were due to meet another eG member who had come for a chocolate lesson and a demonstration of Kerry's recently developed chocolate tempering instrument.

My brilliantly conceived sandwich. An egg bun with rare roast beef, Dijon mustard, horseradish and potato chips.

Fully assembled and ready to eat.

Kerry started out on the right foot with rare roast beef but then totally ruined it with ballpark mustard.

[rotuts]

can you imagine who good that would be  ( dijon, thanks ) for breakfast ?

 

lettuce and tomato ?

[Anna N]

can you imagine who good that would be  ( dijon, thanks ) for breakfast ?

 

lettuce and tomato ?

The tomatoes were considered and promptly rejected as being baseball-hard and likely as tasteless as cardboard.

[rotuts]

but they are coming !

 

( I prefer Boston Bibb myself for the lettuce )

[Anna N]

So today we did something quite different. Someone had recommended this tiny restaurant to Kerry. Called the Himalya (which we and others insisted was the Himalaya) hidden in a small strip mall lacked most of the things one thinks are necessary for an enjoyable lunch. Ambience -- it had none. China/porcelain/earthenware tableware -- it had none. Steel utensils seemed in short supply although real spoons did eventually show up and glassware was nonexistent. But what it lacked in all these things was made up for in the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food -- most especially the bread! The offerings are all strictly vegetarian.

Water, uniced and served in a styrofoam cup.

Vegetable pakoras and two dipping sauces

Vegetable samosas

Channa bhatura

Vegetable Jalfrazi and kadhi

We also had rice since the staff seem to think it was absolutely necessary!

Much, much too much food as usual. I got to bring home the leftovers and my granddaughter is diving into that Basmati rice as we speak (read, type, dictate?).

I would go back in a heartbeat to have more of that bread and to try their other breads including naan.

[Tri2Cook]

A lot of things are easily overlooked or just plain unimportant if the food is good and the people are pleasant but I have to admit that the styrofoam cup of un-iced water might have thrown me off my stride for a brief moment. Just for a quick second because I didn't expect it, then it would cease to matter. Seems like an expensive (long term) way to serve drinks to people dining in the restaurant though... especially free drinks like water.

[Anna N]

A lot of things are easily overlooked or just plain unimportant if the food is good and the people are pleasant but I have to admit that the styrofoam cup of un-iced water might have thrown me off my stride for a brief moment. Just for a quick second because I didn't expect it, then it would cease to matter. Seems like an expensive (long term) way to serve drinks to people dining in the restaurant though... especially free drinks like water.

Yes. I admit initially I was taken aback. I don't especially like drinking anything out of Styrofoam but there was something about this little tiny place that made one feel as though it was a home rather a restaurant and that it would be downright rude to take exception to whatever they had to offer. The water jug was left on the table for us to help ourselves. Surely that is more hospitable than the usual habit of servers spending their time refilling water glasses! When we gave them a thumbs up to the bread they seemed inordinately pleased. All around it was just a remarkable experience.

[IowaDee]

This is exactly the type of place we delight in when we find one.  We have a dinky little Mexican place that is amazing.  Family run and with love and pride.  I love the fact that each table has a small potted plant  no matter the season.  The bright red pots and greenery some how capture the spirit of the place.  There are some really bad murals on the walls showing life in rural Mexico.  I suspect a family member did them and because of that, they are unique and beautiful.  

 

It is always an adventure ordering.  Sometimes you get salsa and chips and sometimes not.  Every so often they bring a bowl of extra queso fresco to the table but not always.  No matter, we always leave with full tummies and full hearts, happy that places like that can survive and thrive in today's fast food culture.  And, come to think of it, they never bring water to the table.  They have a big cooler and customers just walk up and help themselves to whatever they want to drink as long as it is Mexican pop.  

[huiray]

So today we did something quite different. Someone had recommended this tiny restaurant to Kerry. Called the Himalya (which we and others insisted was the Himalaya) hidden in a small strip mall lacked most of the things one thinks are necessary for an enjoyable lunch. Ambience -- it had none. China/porcelain/earthenware tableware -- it had none. Steel utensils seemed in short supply although real spoons did eventually show up and glassware was nonexistent. But what it lacked in all these things was made up for in the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food -- most especially the bread! The offerings are all strictly vegetarian.

 

 

Ever tried using your hands, in the Indian way?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814007?page=all

:-) 

 

 

 

We also had rice since the staff seem to think it was absolutely necessary!

 

 

For myself, those dishes you show NEED rice with them.  I dare say those folks there also did.

[Anna N]

Ever tried using your hands, in the Indian way?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814007?page=all

:-) 

 

 

 

 

For myself, those dishes you show NEED rice with them.  I dare say those folks there also did.

huiray,

I ate at least half of my meal in the traditional Indian way with my hand and the bread as the utensil. I commented on the lack of steel utensils since we were first presented with plastic spoons. Being a cussed Westerner I felt no need for additional carbohydrates in rice to complete my meal although I understand the other point of view.

[Anna N]

On Tuesday Kerry and I had arranged to meet with a representative from Fuji who had supplied a gift certificate as a prize at the recent eG Chocolate and Confectionery Workshop. The halfway point between her place of employment and our homes turned out to be right beside our favorite pho joint and smack bang in the middle of thrift store heaven.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Kerry's usual beef and chicken pho

My usual rare and well-done beef pho

The usual garnishes.

After lunch we met up with the Fuji representative and handed over this lovely gift basket which will be used to raise funds for charity.

[Katie Meadow]

An interesting pho fact: we've been having the pho at our favorite place for years now. Even when it is crowded there are often only one or two other caucasians in there. Last year I noticed a couple (Asian, probably Vietnamese) next to our table. Their pho came with a plate of lovely perfectly thin sliced raw beef. Obviously this was the "rare beef" part of their soup. Indeed when I asked them about it they confirmed that they always ask for the beef on the side. And that is what we have been doing ever since. If your pho place doesn't serve their soup piping hot I suspect this might not work so well. The waiters never blink when we order it this way, so I assume plenty of customers do the same.

[Anna N]

Today Kerry Beal and I decided to try our luck at the highly recommended Chuck's burger bar in Hamilton.

Kerry's beef burger with poutinized fries.

My lamb burger with plain fries.

And the less said about either one the better. I know we promised not to review but really.....

The place had two things to recommend it -- a large selection of (sort of) craft beers (I wasn't in the mood) and the serving plates which were white enamel butcher trays.

[Shelby]

   Fries look a little limp.

[Anna N]

   Fries look a little limp.

Yeah when the server came to take away our plates and asked if we would like to take the remains home I wanted to say, "Why would I do that? I didn't like it the first time around why do you think I'd like it better reheated?" Oh well it's all experience and we still had fun!

[Ashen]

If you are in cambridge or waterloo.. Try Beer town for a good burger.. the mushroom burger is my fav. .  Actually if you are in Waterloo just go to the Bauer Kitchen , same family owns it but the butcher burger is usually awesome. 

[rotuts]

guessing the burgers somehow didn't make the 'cut' either

 

what a shame

 

guessing ShakeShake not in your area ( yet ! )

[Anna N]

So today Kerry and I had a table at a school fun fair. Kerry had made a few hundred dollars worth of assorted chocolates and confections to sell. In return for the table she had made a beautiful basket which was auctioned with the proceeds going to the school. We have done this before and it has been highly successful for all concerned but not today. It was a new school that we had never worked before and the fun fair was 50% indoors and 50% outdoors. But we wanted to share our meal with you! Above you see Kerry's small hot dog and my rather puny slice of icy cold pizza. Even so both agreed the meal was better than lunch yesterday!

[Anna N]

I almost forgot to post about our lunch on Wednesday. We returned to Bahn Thai in Oakville and had one of the tastiest meals in quite some time..

Crispy squid

Spicy shrimp

Dry curry with chicken

Rice, of course.

For once we left nothing on our plates! (Kerry took care of those horrible pieces of green pepper.)