Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 2)

[Zucchini Mama]

Last Friday

Met my date for dinner, but he had been doing errands all day and was wearing a t-shirt and shorts so we had to go somewhere casual. We wound up at Ouisi Bistro, because I haven't had Cajun food before. I ordered a large sampler plate with Jerk chicken, "Gator Bite" (gator meat with Cajun tartar) and crab cakes. The jerk chicken was quite tasty. I enjoyed the seasoning, but I can't say whether this was a good example of jerk chicken since I have nothing to compare it to. The gator meat was really different--it had a slightly fishy taste/smell, but had the springy texture of clams. It was loaded with the "Cajun tartar", a pinkish mayo-based sauce. My date loved the gator meat. The crab cakes were pretty average--lots of filler, not a lot of crab. The dish came with an interesting salsa--I believe it was a pineapple salsa that was heavy on the lime juice, but I don't quite remember. My date had Pacific Seafood Trio, which had black sesame seed crusted Digby scallops, blackened salmon, and prawns in a creamy, tropical-tasting sauce. I didn't enjoy the blackened salmon very much, because it was very dry. We also drank a bottle of the Joie Year One Chardonnay, and he made us individual molten chocolate cake at his place for dessert, with minimal help from me.  (Says date: "Wow...you inhaled that thing so fast!" err...heh heh )

Last Monday

Dinner at Aurora Bistro, which has been discussed already. Wonderful dinner. I'm still thinking about that duck confit. 

During the week, I had a few boring lunches here and there at school...nothing worth mentioning. Well except that the date bars at The Deli are still my favourite things to eat on campus.

Tonight

Take-out hainanese chicken and coconut beef curry from Deer Garden in Richmond. Appetizers were the Portuguese tarts from Michele's. And dessert will be the pan of brownies I just pulled from the oven. 

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Ling, have you discovered the Sprouts store/ I think it's in the basement of the SUB? They sell fresh organic wraps and organic brownies and fair trade chocolate. I was wondering if that might be a decent place to grab a bite on campus. Have you eaten at the Sage Bistro on campus?

Zuke

[Ling]

As a rule, I avoid anything healthy, and would normally stay far FAR away from a place called "Sprouts". But if you're interested, I will grab lunch there on Wednesday and report back, just for you.

I haven't eaten at Sage, but my mom has and my best friend eats there all the time. They both work at UBC (not together). They both enjoy the food very much.

[fud]

Yesterday lunch (Saturday afternoon): a fudge brownie from Mackinnon Bakery (sp?) on W. 12th and Granville. I've read about these and they live up to the raves. I also had a large square of their carrot cake (got a craving after reading that carrot cake thread over on the Baking forum). A brownie and a piece of cake for lunch--I sure love my sugar. 

Yesterday dinner (Saturday night): went to a wedding banquet with 400 other guests at the Sun Sui Wah on Main.

Today lunch: McChicken, no fries, no pop. (I ate cookies and moon cake when I got home--the burger was much smaller than I remember!)

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Hey Ling,

How was the food at Sun Sui Wah on Main? My fiancee and I are looking at them for our wedding banquet!

Wes

[fud]

Hmm I havn't eaten out much this week...

1. Hachi Bei (sp?) - 16th between oak and cambie. Surprisingly Good!

2. Lombardo's on commercial - mmmm nice pizza with thin crust and great pizza bread

3. Tony's Kitchen (NCAV - Northwest Culinary Acedemy)

[makanmakan]

insomnia is kicking in.....

last wednesday night, we decided to try out central bistro since it's around the corner from me. it was also a night that they have the $19 set menu. unfortunately, the prix fixe menu didn't excite us, so we decided to do starters there. each had a glass of wine, i had the cono sure, can't remember what he had. the beet salad was tasty and very enjoyable except for a few of the beet slices were slightly under cooked. the other starter we shared was the lamb chops atop a vegetable stew. the lamb was cooked perfectly, medium rare, and very flavourful. the vegetable stew was alright, perhaps a little too heavy handed with the cumin or cinammon and it was lukewarm.

we then wandered off and discovered a little place on denman, right in between delaney's and fatburger, that is all about the phyllo! it's a warm little spot, with a nice owner, and offering sweet and savoury phyllo treats. we can never resist crispy light pockets of goodness, so we shared the lamb and spinach pie. it took a few minutes to warm up (not in a microwave!!!) and it came with a nice simple salad. it was delicious. filled generously with thinly sliced roast lamb that was surrounded by spinach and phyllo pastry. yummy! must return to try the baklava. hope they take off, nice couple and interesting concept, and not another gelato/cheap sushi joint!!

so, up davie we went, heading to lolita's for our final stop. a montezuma's revenge (drink, not illness) for me, and a paraiso for him. my drink kicked ass, muddled pineapple with rum and housemade ginger beer. need i say more?!! we shared the taco plate piled high with a halibut taco topped with a mango salsa and a pulled chicken with salsa verde and crema. real corn tortillas, double layered and with very generous toppings on both. delicious! and very full by this time, so sadly, no room for desert.

thursday night, we finally got to try out chilli pepper house on rupert and kingsway. wow, very reasonable and cheerful but very impressive food. indian style chinese food. we shared the hakka noodles, which were very similar to what my grandma used to make when we were wee little girls. the prawns and veggies in manchurian sauce was nice, but the weakest of the bunch. next up was the mongolian beef, oh so so good. we will definitely be back. the wife chatted with us for a few minutes, very sweet woman, chinese born in sweden and her husband and cook is also chinese, but from india. must bring parents here!

friday night, four of us went to a newish greek restaurant on the drive called dallas souvlaki. i think it's such an odd name for a greek restaurant. anyways, our food was great and it's actually quite charming in there! started with saganaki and the mussel special. two of us had the roast lamb, the other two had lamb and chicken souvlakis. all were huge portions and came with the usual sides. shared a bottle of red, of which the name escapes me.

sunday, we decided on an adventure! hopped on the motorbike and cruised on over to the tomahawk! it was my first time there and definitely not my last! i love the time warp when you walk in! i had the chuck wagon, pancakes, yukon bacon and egg. he had the huge bacon, cheese, mushroom omellete.

sunday night was a fringe play on granville island. sadly, we only had a short time for a bite so we went to the closest place which was sammy j pepper. sigh, very mediocre food for too much money. i had the jamaican seafood and veggie saute on rice. he had a cajun chicken burger and we shared a small spinach salad.

monday was dimsum with a friend in richmond. she took me to garden city hot pot, but don't ask me where it is because she drove and richmond confuses me! i think it's one of my favourite dim sum in this city, so far. not greasy at all, fresh seafood and interesting choices. i love eating out with her because we can shamelessly pig out! siu mai, har gow, steamed rice rolls with preserved vegetable, steamed turnip cake, deep fried prawn in tofu skin, and scallop congee. i must come back (if i can find it) to try out the hot pot.

tonight was a quick meet up with a friend at the templeton. i love going there on mondays as a good friend is working and they show movies! lemonade and soup. that's all i had room for!

so, i guess it's been a while since i've cooked...lol!

Edited September 20, 2005 by makanmakan (log)

[canucklehead]

Yesterday lunch (Saturday afternoon): a fudge brownie from Mackinnon Bakery (sp?) on W. 12th and Granville. I've read about these and they live up to the raves. I also had a large square of their carrot cake (got a craving after reading that carrot cake thread over on the Baking forum). A brownie and a piece of cake for lunch--I sure love my sugar. 

Yesterday dinner (Saturday night): went to a wedding banquet with 400 other guests at the Sun Sui Wah on Main.

Today lunch: McChicken, no fries, no pop. (I ate cookies and moon cake when I got home--the burger was much smaller than I remember!)

←

Hey Ling,

How was the food at Sun Sui Wah on Main? My fiancee and I are looking at them for our wedding banquet!

Wes

←

Dude - Congratulations!!

My cousin had his wedding banquet at the SSW in Richmond, where I expected the food to be better than the Main st location. It was a little disappointing - they were cheap on the seafood and the squab was terrible.

That being said though - I think the food at most Chinese banquets always taste the same to me. I prefer Kirin over SSW - but even there, I have watched them serve the large tour groups and the food doesn't seem interesting.

In SSW's favor - they were super organized, timed the courses well, and worked closely with the bride and groom on all the details.

[fud]

Dude - Congratulations!!

My cousin had his wedding banquet at the SSW in Richmond, where I expected the food to be better than the Main st location.  It was a little disappointing - they were cheap on the seafood and the squab was terrible.

That being said though - I think the food at most Chinese banquets always taste the same to me.  I prefer Kirin over SSW - but even there,  I have watched them serve the large tour groups and the food doesn't seem interesting.

In SSW's favor - they were super organized, timed the courses well, and worked closely with the bride and groom on all the details.

←

Thanks!

And I'll keep this in mind. The only problem is that the 'space' for SSW is awesome compared to Kirin but the food to me is important. If I'm going to be paying for a fancy banquet I refuse to accept substandard food. We actually havn't decided if we are going 100% chinese banquet yet. We might actually go western if the Chinese options don't meet our likings.

You are not the first person to tell me the SSW food was a let-down. This just bolsters the fact that they seem to be fairly inconsistent

Wes

[ja_rtw]

.. have been on an entertainment coupon spree, before they expire nov 1st

Dinner at Fiction Five - cool, loungey little space just above the block from Lonsdale Quay. Extensive martini list, mostly "tapas" dishes, and about 5 entrees on the menu. For starters, had the phyllo wrapped camembert served with figs & apple chutney, toast points, garnished with grapes & chili pepper. Mmm.. cheeeeezy ... ! Upon first slice, the camembert just oozed out - I enjoyed the flavour more than the milder baked bries that i've tried. My date had something called Ducky's Payback - sort of aquesadilla filled with tasty hoisin marinated duck meat, served with a lemon mayo sauce. For entrees, I had the salmon patted with dill, served with spinach - nicely medium rare. Date had the Rubicon chicken - spicy, breaded, coconut curry sauce & rice.

Dinner at L'Artista in Burnaby, decent well-priced Italian. I had the chicken cordon bleu (Mm, more melted cheese). Date had the linguine frutti di mare in a creamy tomato sauce. Overall good, but nothing outstanding.

Dinner at Minoas - authentic looking Greek house near Kingsway & Boundary. I was very excited when I saw the stuffed squid on the menu (it was one of my favourite meals on the island of Paros) but alas, they weren't serving it that night. Went with the dolmades - grape vine leaves wrapped around seasoned beef with rice, with a creamy lemon sauce. Date had the chicken souvlaki with some sort of pasta that resembled a lasagna, but had a creamy meat sauce instead of tomato. Baklava for dessert was great, the closest I've come across to what I had in Greece - dense, nutty filling with honey, phyllo wrapped. This place might be my favourite Greek restaurant thus far !

[snacky_cat]

Dinner at Minoas - authentic looking Greek house near Kingsway & Boundary.  I was very excited when I saw the stuffed squid on the menu (it was one of my favourite meals on the island of Paros) but alas, they weren't serving it that night.  Went with the dolmades - grape vine leaves wrapped around seasoned beef with rice, with a creamy lemon sauce.  Date had the chicken souvlaki with some sort of pasta that resembled a lasagna, but had a creamy meat sauce instead of tomato.  Baklava for dessert was great, the closest I've come across to what I had in Greece - dense, nutty filling with honey, phyllo wrapped.  This place might be my favourite Greek restaurant thus far ! 

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Oooh, thanks for the heads-up on Minoas. Mr Cat and I tore out the Entertainment Book coupon for this place months ago and keep meaning to go, but our dinner peregrinations rarely take us out Burnaby way. I will upgrade this place to must-try-soon status thanks to your review

[Ling]

Dinner at Minoas - authentic looking Greek house near Kingsway & Boundary.  I was very excited when I saw the stuffed squid on the menu (it was one of my favourite meals on the island of Paros) but alas, they weren't serving it that night. 

←

I love Greek food! If you're suffering from stuffed squid withdrawal, Umberto has a recipe online that I've used and it's quite good. I remember the filling had prosciutto...I'll look for it when I get off work.

[Harry Sturhahn]

insomnia is kicking in.....

last wednesday night, we decided to try out central bistro since it's around the corner from me.  it was also a night that they have the $19 set menu.  unfortunately, the prix fixe menu didn't excite us, so we decided to do starters there.  each had a glass of wine, i had the cono sure, can't remember what he had.  the beet salad was tasty and very enjoyable except for a few of the beet slices were slightly under cooked.  the other starter we shared was the lamb chops atop a vegetable stew.  the lamb was cooked perfectly, medium rare, and very flavourful.  the vegetable stew was alright, perhaps a little too heavy handed with the cumin or cinammon and it was lukewarm. 

we then wandered off and discovered a little place on denman, right in between delaney's and fatburger, that is all about the phyllo!  it's a warm little spot, with a nice owner, and offering sweet and savoury phyllo treats.  we can never resist crispy light pockets of goodness, so we shared the lamb and spinach pie.  it took a few minutes to warm up (not in a microwave!!!) and it came with a nice simple salad.  it was delicious.  filled generously with thinly sliced roast lamb that was surrounded by spinach and phyllo pastry.  yummy!  must return to try the baklava.  hope they take off, nice couple and interesting concept, and not another gelato/cheap sushi joint!!

so, up davie we went, heading to lolita's for our final stop.  a montezuma's revenge (drink, not illness) for me, and a paraiso for him.  my drink kicked ass, muddled pineapple with rum and housemade ginger beer.  need i say more?!!  we shared the taco plate piled high with a halibut taco topped with a mango salsa and a pulled chicken with salsa verde and crema.  real corn tortillas, double layered and with very generous toppings on both.  delicious!  and very full by this time, so sadly, no room for desert.

thursday night, we finally got to try out chilli pepper house on rupert and kingsway.  wow, very reasonable and cheerful but very impressive food.  indian style chinese food.  we shared the hakka noodles, which were very similar to what my grandma used to make when we were wee little girls.  the prawns and veggies in manchurian sauce was nice, but the weakest of the bunch.  next up was the mongolian beef, oh so so good.  we will definitely be back.  the wife chatted with us for a few minutes, very sweet woman, chinese born in sweden and her husband and cook is also chinese, but from india.  must bring parents here! 

friday night, four of us went to a newish greek restaurant on the drive called dallas souvlaki.  i think it's such an odd name for a greek restaurant.  anyways, our food was great and it's actually quite charming in there!  started with saganaki and the mussel special.  two of us had the roast lamb,  the other two had lamb and chicken souvlakis.  all were huge portions and came with the usual sides.  shared a bottle of red, of which the name escapes me.

sunday, we decided on an adventure!  hopped on the motorbike and cruised on over to the tomahawk!  it was my first time there and definitely not my last!  i love the time warp when you walk in!  i had the chuck wagon, pancakes, yukon bacon and egg.  he had the huge bacon, cheese, mushroom omellete.

sunday night was a fringe play on granville island.  sadly, we only had a short time for a bite so we went to the closest place which was sammy j pepper.  sigh, very mediocre food for too much money.  i had the jamaican seafood and veggie saute on rice.  he had a cajun chicken burger and we shared a small spinach salad.

monday was dimsum with a friend in richmond.  she took me to garden city hot pot, but don't ask me where it is because she drove and richmond confuses me!  i think it's one of my favourite dim sum in this city, so far.  not greasy at all, fresh seafood and interesting choices.  i love eating out with her because we can shamelessly pig out!  siu mai, har gow, steamed rice rolls with preserved vegetable, steamed turnip cake, deep fried prawn in tofu skin, and scallop congee.  i must come back (if i can find it) to try out the hot pot. 

tonight was a quick meet up with a friend at the templeton.  i love going there on mondays as a good friend is working and they show movies!  lemonade and soup.  that's all i had room for! 

so, i guess it's been a while since i've cooked...lol!

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Hi makanmakan

We appreciate your feedback. I am just heading down and Ill make sure to share this with our kitchen!

Cheers Harry

[Mooshmouse]

Dinner at Minoas - authentic looking Greek house near Kingsway & Boundary.  This place might be my favourite Greek restaurant thus far ! 

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Oooh, thanks for the heads-up on Minoas. Mr Cat and I tore out the Entertainment Book coupon for this place months ago and keep meaning to go, but our dinner peregrinations rarely take us out Burnaby way. I will upgrade this place to must-try-soon status thanks to your review

←

Once upon a time, about a million years ago or so it seems, I lived in Burnaby. Briefly. My Mom and I always thought of Minoas as our go-to Greek restaurant, the place where I had my first taste of roast lamb. It's been a donkey's age since I've eaten there but, from what I remember, it was always reliably good.

[Vancouver Lee]

Wow, seems like it's been forever since I've posted here. After a summer spent mostly flying and chillin', I'm finally starting to eat again...

Dinner tonight was at Tanpopo. We had the all-you-can-eat special and tried the tuna sashimi (very fresh), salmon and yellowtail nigiri (salmon was great, the yellowtail a bit tough), edamame (fine, but no salt - gotta have salt on edamame!), teriyaki chicken, gyozas (never been a big fan, but these were quite tasty), and bacon-wrapped scallops. Your basic "non-threatening choices at a Japanese restaurant" meal. All washed down with the required keg of Kirin.

Lunch yesteday was at Lombardo's on Commercial. My friend had a fabulous-looking spaghetti (which he reported was terrific and was confirmed by the completely clean plate when we was done), and I had an awesome pepperoni, mushroom and black olive pizza. This was the best pizza I've had since Da Francesco's closed (a loss I still mourn).

My wife and I were married 13 years ago last Sunday, and we had decided in light of recent happenings in our lives that a low key, low budget celebration was in order. We planned to stay home and just spend the evening together (something we haven't done much lately), but fate intervened and send an unexpeced babysitter our way. With nothing planned and our minds in "stay at home" mode neither of us could come up with a mutually acceptable restaurant, so we walked over to our local Cactus Club. I had the cranberry and pesto quesadillas, and my wife had the Kung Pao chicken. It ended up being exactly the speed we wanted. It was, however, still "Us", so we capped the evening off with drinks at the bar at Cru.

[Chocoholic]

Since the Aurora event I have been doing a bit of eating out. First off, on the 14th I attended my first Edible Vancouver event, the Whiskey Wednesday at Shebeen. I never even knew this place existed! What a find, it is a very rustic and cosy little bar behind the Irish Heather with a whiskey collection that will make you stare in awe first and salivate copiously second. We had some absolutely amazing whiskey paired with some of Sean's hearty Irish fare. The list of whiskeys:

• Green Spot 7-8 year old Irish Whiskey. Very unique and a rare find.
  
• Balmenach 1974, my favorite of the evening, deep chocolate and sherry cask flavour.
  
• Clynelish 1972, another rare one, lightly smokey and salty with lingering peat.
  
• Bruichladdich 20 yr old. Intense and warm, something to bring in a little hip flask on a cold snow day.
  
• Michter's Straight Kentucky Rye, 3 year Old. Yep, Kentucky Rye. I have to say I was skeptical, having bad memories of Jack Daniels overdoses in my confused late teenage years. But this rye went down very well with vanilla and cherry tones on the nose and a chewy, spicy finish.
  

The plates of stilton cheese, smoked salmon, bangers 'n mash and Guiness spiked chocolate mousse from Sean's kitchen complemented things perfectly. Andrew Starritt was on hand to talk about the whiskeys we sampled and his knowledge of the subject is very impressive!

This week we had people from another studio in town, this meant eating out was to be done. On Monday we went to Capone's in Yaletown. I had never been there before, we had a decent enough meal (kind of Milestone's / Earl's caliber) with some live Jazz music in the background.

Tuesday I got to pick the restaurant for a private dinner with a colleague, he wanted seafood so I took him to Blue Water Cafe. This is becoming a bit of a favorite of mine, having been there three times in the last month. It was good as always, I had the duck prosciutto and beet salad followed by the feature of the evening, smoked black cod on a basmati rice pilaf. My colleague had a sushi roll and the wild salmon entree, this all went down well with a bottle of Burrowing Owl Chardonnay. For dessert we both had the mocha praline parfait, I couldn't resist having their 'water for chocolate' martini with that, all very satisfying indeed.

As all that wasn't enough, last night I took the now jealous wife to Savoury Coast to have the tasting menu I got at the silent auction during Feast of Fields. We picked a spot at the kitchen bar which turned out very entertaining. We chatted with the line cook manning their wood burning oven and doing various plating throughout our meal. A large group of tourists all had lobster so I witnessed two men carrying the largest stock pot I have ever seen crammed full of lobsters. Anyway, the food came in copious quantities and was very good. We started off with a combination of buffalo carpaccio with a wasabi mayonnaise and spicy calamari in a tomato sauce. This was followed by a starch course, one bowl of corn/squash risotto and a braised pork cheek penne in spicy sauce for each of us. The fish course was oven baked halibut in a spicy broth with fingerling potatoes and clams, the meat was braised rabbit in a tomato sauce. By this time we were thoroughly stuffed, but somehow managed to eat the flourless chocolate cake and vanilla panna cotta desserts as well. We staggered out of the place, exceptionally stuffed but also very content since the food was top notch. If you ever decide to go there, the kitchen bar is a very interesting place to sit and eat a meal.

Well, have to go...the Swiss Chalet takeout just arrived

[Zucchini Mama]

I got a blasted cold this week, so went for our old comfort food standbys.

1) Lunch before music class: Bacon and Applestroop pannakoek for me at the Dutch Wooden Shoe on Cambie, and Poffertjes for U. The waitress was very sweet and gave my son a little pair of doll-sized wooden shoes-a gesture which was lost on him, but I thought it was very sweet. That place is so kooky. Reminds me of Saskatchewan- souvenirs from the homeland on cheap wood paneling. Actually, reminds me of the home I grew up in!

2) Zucchini family at Au Petit Café: We went for dinner at 5:45 p.m. and it was almost empty. It closes at seven. It was kind of nice to avoid the lunch lineups for a change. We had Hainan Chicken, Vietnamese Rolls on Vermicelli, and Won Ton Soup. Everything was excellent-better than the food we had at the Brentwood Bay Arbutus Room this summer and $3!!!! for wonton soup that is simple, clean, and bang on. I asked what's in the Hainan ginger sauce?

"Ginger."

"Ginger, sugar, chilies, fish sauce?" I inquire.

"Ginger. Oh and maybe some chilies for color. Oh, and you might want a side of fish sauce to put in it."

Eureka. I heart Au Petit Café.

My son, who recently said "I wish ginger had never been invented!" was dipping his chicken in the ginger sauce." It does an eGullet mom's heart proud. (I think there is quite a bit of sugar in their sauce.)

3) Mom's day off: Mushroom Risotto and fresh fruit tart (with GOLDEN raspberries) at Trafalger's.

I have been making myself strong medicinal cups of masala chai at home after reading the chai thread in the Coffee/Tea forum-very interesting reading, BTW.

Zuke

[Fiona]

Wednesday night..

India, in Fiesole, Italy

Wonderful...mixed antipasti, chicken tandorri so tender my mouth watered, goat vindaloo so spicy my nose watered, spinach and cheese, awful wine, good coffee, and even better grappa.

Accadamia, Piazza San Marco, Florence

Okay food...crostini with chicken liver, and an assortment of meats, tortillini stuffed with bland ricotta and spinach with a porcini-truffle sauce

Country restaurant...oesteria cant remember the name...outside Florence

Polenta crostini with onions and pancetta, pici with duck ragu. MMMM

[*Deborah*]

Last two:

Last night, The Brewhouse, Whistler. I was up to attend my company's annual junket. We always take over the upper level of the Brewhouse so the kids can be corraled. I had a fine glass of Hefeweizen, served with lemon, nice and creamy. The food, though...we had a bunch of appetizers: edamame (served with salt and soy sauce...um, I would have preferred it with just the salt), honey garlic wings, dry ribs (not my favourite things in the world, not theirs in particular but just in general), fried calamari with tzatziki (not bad), BBQ wings, and spring rolls (meh). I guess I should really make allowances for the fact that we were something like 45 adults and 20 kids. I ordered a pork chop with mashed and onion rings (their beef is in very large portions, and I just wasn't in the mood). The pork chop was...very charred on the outside, which just isn't my favourite thing. I know others like it fine. The onion rings were good, batter dipped! and the mashed were OK. The guys on either side of me had 10 oz. portions of prime rib. The guy on my left ate everything on his plate, very happy with it; the guy on my right could only get through half of his meat as he had a lot of gristle. Actually I think the 1-hour gap between ordering and receiving food, which began when we had finished our appies, had a lot to do with it, I just wasn't very hungry by then. Anyway, it's not bad for our purpose, I don't want to sound as though I hate it there or anything.

Friday lunch, I met Moosh and Junior Mouse for a Kolachy, I had a pizza kolachy and some fabulous beef barley soup. What would I do without that store down the street from my office?

[Andrew Morrison]

Lumiere: for conversation, a Warsteiner and a light snack of goats cheese cheesecake with fennel, mint, and apple. Nice to see Andre there (and to meet new eGulleter Jamie Boudreau who has a great little booze blog here). For those who haven't met Andre (formerly GM at Chambar) he'll be joining us at the Waiterblog dinner on the 3rd along with Chambar's bar manager, Mark Brand. The two together make plenty mischief.

GM Place: Concession fare was spaced out in three course over three periods and was as forgettable as the play on the ice (good hot dogs, however).

The Templeton: Several visits recently. Excellent diner fare with the odd nod to health freaks. Review comes out on Thursday in the WE.

Brix: Solo dinner on the patio was fantastic. All staff awaiting news of George's Nick Devine and his trip to New Zealand for a big deal mixology competition (still haven't heard how he did - anyone?).

[Mooshmouse]

Life has been clicking along at a frantic pace here at the Mouse house as we prepare for our imminent move. We've been subsisting on takeout/dining out, reheated leftovers (every last one in the house) and the kindness of friends who've taken pity upon us and cooked us a meal.

The three of us took Ian's Dad out for brunch this morning at Seb's. Scanned the room for you, snacky_cat, but no such luck. Had my usual Roasted Garlic and Shiitake Mushroom omelette accompanied by a cappuccino and watched my son polish off two scrambled eggs of his own before tucking into a few bites of his Grandpa's Bacon and Caramelized Apple omelette.

We've been to Pondok Indonesia Restaurant on The Drive twice over the last week: once two Fridays ago with a group of friends and then again last night with Ian's Dad. Rather than itemize the plethora of dishes that we've partaken of during these two visits, I'll choose a few of my favourite menu items. As an appetizer, I'm especially fond of the Tahu Sayur Isi which is deep-fried tofu stuffed with vegetables and served with peanut sauce. For main courses, I'm partial to the Ayam Panggang (sweet soy-marinated chicken), Ikan Rica-Rica (fried fish in a bed of tomatoes, garlic, shallots and chilies), Sambal Goreng Udang (spicy prawns with Indonesian herbs and coconut milk), Buncis (green beans, prawns and tofu sauteed with dried shrimp, chilies, garlic and shallots) and Kangkung Terasi (sauteed water spinach). For dessert, nothing hits the spot after an Indonesian feast like Pisang Gulung Manis (similar to Filipino turon, fried banana spring rolls with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream).

Then there was Wednesday's Hungarian-food extravaganza with the usual suspects at Budapest Restaurant and Pastry Shop on Main Street.

Daddy_A, peppyre and I each started our meal with a bowl of Goulash, while canucklehead opted for the Chicken Liver Soup special. The four of us also tucked into the most heavenly fry bread that I've had in a while.

We split the garlic clove in half and rubbed it over the bread, then tore chunks of bread off and dipped it into the sour cream. Heaven.

And for the main event? *Play opening bars of theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey* Lo and behold, I give you Mt. Schnitzel.

Holy crap. An obscene amount of food. It was a veritable cholesterol festival. Three kinds of schnitzel: chicken, pork and veal. Kolbasz sausages. A behemoth of a cabbage roll. Sauerkraut. Roasted potatoes. Spaetzle. Dill pickles. Purple pickled cabbage. All this was supposed to feed three people and was accompanied by a basket of bread which we didn't even touch. We were left with enough leftovers for peppyre's lunch the next day. Urgh. Filling, but wonderfully so.

Edited to rectify a pesky spelling error.

Edited September 26, 2005 by Mooshmouse (log)

[snacky_cat]

The three of us took Ian's Dad out for brunch this morning at Seb's.  Scanned the room for you, snacky_cat, but no such luck.  Had my usual Roasted Garlic and Shiitake Mushroom omelette accompanied by a cappuccino and watched my son polish off two scrambled eggs of his own before tucking into a few bites of his Grandpa's Bacon and Caramelized Apple omelette. 

Ha ha, you missed Mr. Cat and I by one morning - we went Saturday. I think I've eaten there almost every weekend for the last two months. I very nearly had the garlic and shiitake omelette this time, knowing it was your usual, but the bacon-y apple-y goodness was too much to overcome. Did they still have the blue/blackberry jam on Sunday? That was the best jam yet, and Mr. Cat and I ordered another round of toast so we could polish it all off.

We've been eating out a lot, but at all the usual suspects. The weekly bohunks go oriental night was at Connie's Cook House last night, where yet again I managed to eat my weight in dry garlic ribs. Lunch on Sunday was a glass of wine and a few quesadilla bites at Milestone's in Yaletown. I didn't care what I was eating, I just wanted to loll around on a patio close to my home and drink some vino in the sun. Seb's on Saturday morning, and dinner Saturday night was some filet mignon from the butcher's in Park Royal South - very nice cuts of meat at this place. Not the huge selection of our usual Tenderland on Granville Island, but really good quality. Had some carpaccio and mussels for dinner on Friday at the HSG (mamacat and I felt like swooning over our favourite matinee idol!), and on Thursday enjoyed a surprisingly good lunch at the SFU pub. Up until a couple of weeks ago, the pub served up fairly pedestrian fare. A couple of decent burgers, a few good salads, but for the most part, it was generic swill. They must have brought in a new chef for the fall semester, however, as the menu suddenly turned tasty over night. I had oven-baked yam wedges with tamarind aioli, while other diners in our posse had a grilled spicy Italian sausage on flatbread, a really nice looking salmon burger (more of a big fillet on a bun, Go Fish-style), and a bunch of other tasty stuff. Of course, they had to have brought the new menu in mere months before I leave this polace for good. Same thing happened when I was an undergrad at UBC - campus food options sucked royally until I was about 3 months out from finishing my degree. Jerks.

[Mooshmouse]

The three of us took Ian's Dad out for brunch this morning at Seb's.  Scanned the room for you, snacky_cat, but no such luck.  Had my usual Roasted Garlic and Shiitake Mushroom omelette accompanied by a cappuccino and watched my son polish off two scrambled eggs of his own before tucking into a few bites of his Grandpa's Bacon and Caramelized Apple omelette.  

Ha ha, you missed Mr. Cat and I by one morning - we went Saturday. I think I've eaten there almost every weekend for the last two months. I very nearly had the garlic and shiitake omelette this time, knowing it was your usual, but the bacon-y apple-y goodness was too much to overcome. Did they still have the blue/blackberry jam on Sunday? That was the best jam yet, and Mr. Cat and I ordered another round of toast so we could polish it all off.

←

Damn, that was some mighty fine jam! I thought I was going to give myself a case of sugar shock because I spread such a thick layer of it on my toast.

If we're counting dinners at other people's homes, last night's was Beer Can Chicken at my brother-in-law's house. First time I've ever had it and it certainly won't be my last. Served up with homemade Caesar salad (I heart real bacon bits), green beans, baked Gem squash (one of my new favourite things), and roasted sweet potatoes. Damn fine.

And some friends cooked dinner for Noah and me on Friday evening. Figured we'd use the clear nights while we still have them, so we set up a table grill on their back deck and had Beef Bulgoki with baby bok choy under the stars. It's a good thing the three kids ate first, because we could hardly grill the meat quickly enough to keep up with their appetites.

[taryn]

Saturday night: some 24 hour pho place on broadway, there weren't too many choices after work at 12:30 am and I needed something quick before going out. 4 hours later i didn't feel too great

Mooshmouse I saw you at Sebs! I stopped in and picked up a slice of banana bread and carrot and beet juice. The juice didn't taste too great but I just had to keep thinking about how good it was for me.

After seb's I picked up a bbq duck at congee noodle house for some guy at work (does that count?) He made duck ravioli for staff meal, it was GOOOOOOOD

[Mooshmouse]

Mooshmouse I saw you at Sebs! I stopped in and picked up a slice of banana bread and carrot and beet juice.  The juice didn't taste too great but I just had to keep thinking about how good it was for me.

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Aw, you should've said, "Hi!" I don't bite, especially when Noah's with me.

[taryn]

Aw, you should've said, "Hi!"  I don't bite, especially when Noah's with me. 

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I was running a bit late for work and still had to stop off for the duck!!

[Vancouver Lee]

Dinner last Friday was take-out from Hikari at Broadway and Cambie. The best thing I can say about this place is that I can see it from my house and therefore be back home eating within 15 minutes of realizing I want sushi in the first place. The food is decent and reasonably cheap, and on a Friday night when you are too wiped to cook, it works.

Lunch yesterday was at some nameless Japanese all-you-can-eat place on 4th in downtown Calgary. Service so indifferent and food so bland I didn't bother to write down the name of the place. Serves me right for eating Sushi in Cowtown.

Lunch today was at Stormin-Norman's Spirit Grill to do some pre-Burger Club reconnaisance. I'm not going to give away too much and spoil the fun of discovering a new place, but suffice to say it's really good. I had the Mixed Wild Meat burger and it was terrific. Really looking forward to the 16th!