Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 1)

[canucklehead]

I think 43rd or so...

[Mooshmouse]

Whoops. Almost forgot dinner with some fellow eGulleters at Phnom Penh on Wednesday evening. Ordered up what seemed like a huge quantity of food that disappeared all too quickly. There was Butter Beef (thinly sliced, briefly seared, served with what tasted like a cilantro/soy/lime marinade and fried garlic chips), Garlic Frog's Legs served in the same style as the Garlic Squid with a lemon pepper dip, a dry noodle dish of some sort (the details of which I've already forgotten), Steamed Crepes, a Crispy Crepe made with a bean curd wrapper, Sauteed Pea Tips with garlic, and Green Papaya Salad.

Standout dishes, however, were the Crispy Fried Chicken Wings and the Spicy Garlic Squid. Deep fried goodness at its best. I'll be back for both, without a doubt.

[mangez]

the lamb popsicles are always outstanding.

** Edited to add that we saw Harrison Ford there tonight.  My friend just about broke her neck trying to check him out.  Vikram said that the first time he came in - he did not recognize him and asked him what his name was.  Mr Ford apparently then had to pull out his egullet decoder ring...

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Mr. Ford must be a regular at Vij's, saw him a couple of weeks ago, also had a female companion almost breaking her back trying to check him out.

Lamb popsicles are heavenly.

[butter]

Chutney Villa - Southern Indian food. If I had had room, I would have ordered a second helping of parata (flakey bread fried on a griddle) and payasam (tapioca dessert).

Firewood Cafe (Chef Hawksworth's recommendation) takeout pizza - 1/2 Chef's Special, and 1/2 Veggie with Veuve Cliquot Champagne. This combo reminded me of the scene in Sideways where he ends up drinking his prized wine in a plastic cup in a diner. I didn't really like the combo of pizza and champagne, but perhaps it just wasn't the right kind of pizza. I love champagne with anything. BTW, Chef David, Zacchary's pizza is still better, IMO. Tasted better warmed up this a.m.

Rime (new Eurasian eatery on Commercial Dr.) - after the pizza so only could try the 3 appetizer plate. Pita bread, hommus, roasted eggplant, and red lentil patties. Pita was cold as well as patties (maybe better if warmed up.) We went for the music, not the food, and unfortunately neither was satisfying.

[PaoPao]

High Tea at Secret Garden Tea Company in Kerrisdale, where I had numerous cups of Vanilla Almond tea and shared this with a girlfriend:

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I must say - the picture makes very curious... but the name "Secret Garden Tea Company" makes it - literally physically impossible for me as a man to walk into their shop (or 'shoppe' in girly land) . Much like no man can drive the new beatle - I mean am in touch in with my feminine side - but I cannot drive a car with a built in flower vase.

BTW - Mooshmouse - have you checked out Michelle's in Kerrisdale (on West Blvd)? Insanely good egg tarts - done in the Macau (or Portegese) style with a flakey crust and burnt top. The rest of the Chinese style baking is also good - esp BBQ pork bun.

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I did high tea once with a girlfriend at The Empress in Victoria. They whole experience just bothered me. Paying an insane amount of $$ for some tea, sandwiches, and pastries. Yes I got picked out to be the "Tea Daddy", all that meant was I had to monitor the tea level. Ugh.

Gotta second Canuckleheads mention about Michelle's. A friend brought over 6 of these little morsels of heaven once. Our first time trying them. The next day (Sat) we went out and bought about 30 of them. They we're gone by Sunday with just the two of us around.

[mangez]

literally physically impossible for me as a man to walk into their shop (or 'shoppe' in girly land)  .  Much like no man can drive the new beatle - I mean am in touch in with my feminine side - but I cannot drive a car with a built in flower vase.

Gotta second Canuckleheads mention about Michelle's.

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For a more masculine high tea experience, we frequent Casablanca at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Georgia, and we second Michelle's, the mango cake there is pretty good.

Now Pao, would you pick the new Beetle, Mini, or the Smart car?

[Feedbag]

New place down by False Creek, about a door or two

away from Provence Marinaside. Called Bojangles.

Actually quite nice, cheaper alternative to Provence.

You get the same deckside view of the water but pay

way less. Granted, the food's not as upscale, but the

sandwiches, lasagne and pastries were pretty darned

good. Nice room, too - and excellent coffee!

Speaking of coffee, this may not qualify as the last place

I ate, but I went into the new JJ Bean on Main. Asked

for a half pound of their house coffee, and the guy asked

me if I'd like a cup while I was waiting - on the house!

How's that for service? The room is very nice, cozy

fireplace on drizzly days is welcome. And the baked

goods looked great, oversized muffins still in their tins.

I'll try them out next time.

Ate at that pub on Clark and Kingsway, Cottage something,

can't remember the name, that somebodey recommended.

Standard pub fare, nothing outstanding. Not a bad room,

and managed to win (OK, just once) against the hardcore

NTN trivia players.

That's about it. Not much excess food cash available these days to throw

around the expensive joints. It'd be nice if the next egullet

gathering was held at a pub??? But one with good grub?

I realize I'm not allowed to talk about this here, so I won't.

Just putting a bug in ears.

Cheers.

[newbie]

Well, made it back to good ol' PG after a whirl wind weekend in Vancouver. Got to try out some great restaurants that I am very sorry that I will be unable to frequent as much as I would like.

Friday lunch, met Daddy-A at Go Fish for the amazing Chipotle Curry Fish Chowder and the Halibut and Chips. Nice to have tartar sauce not from a bottle and coleslaw not swimming in mayonnaise as is found in most restaurtants in PG when ordering fish and chips. Will never be able to order it again until I am back in Vancouver.

Drinks and appy at West with Mooshmouse, peppyre, edible vancouver and mrs. edible vancouver. Can't remember what my first drink was (red wine recommended by the bartender) but my second glass was a Wolf Blass Riesling to accompany the seared scallops as described already by mooshmouse. Excellent food and service!

Dinner at The Keg with my husband. I told him before we left PG that we weren't going to be hitting The Keg, Earl's or Moxie's while in Vancouver since we could eat at those restaurants back home. However, after keeping my hubby waiting for me while I was out with the other egulleters, I caved and let him take me there. I nibbled on the Baked Garlic Shrimp with the House Green Salad with "fresh" greens, other crap and a dijon vinaigrette. Some of the greens were wilted and the salad was swimming in the dressing. Thank god I wasn't very hungry...

On Saturday evening, we had dinner at Hamilton Street Grill . Definitely the highlight of the trip for us. The service and food was excellent and will be a regular for us when we make it down there next. I had the hangar steak which was the best piece of meat that I have ever tasted. The sauce that accompanied it was amazing which I would have readily eaten up with a spoon. My husband had the 6 oz filet mignon which he thoroughly enjoyed, along with what bites of my hanger that he could bribe me into sharing. We shared a bottle of Nichol Vineyards Syrah 2001 which was fantastic and a perfect choice to accompany our dinners. We didn't think that we could eat another bite but I would be damned if I was going to leave HSG without trying the infamous g-pudding. OH MY GOD! Unfortunately, they had run out of the ginger ice cream but the pumpkin ice cream is unlike any ice cream I have tasted. My husband quickly pulled the plate to his side of the table with no intention of sharing but was easily persuaded....There is no way that I could adequately describe the g-pudding and give it the justice that it deserves so I won't even bother. Just a big THANK YOU to our server and Neil for the most excellent evening. Unfortunately, after the bottle of wine and a couple of glasses of a late riesling with dessert, my brain was a bit foggy and neither my husband nor I could remember our server's name....Neil?

Lastly was our breakfast at the Elbow Room Cafe. Good breakfast with unexpected "entertainment:. The banter that goes on with the servers...definitely not PG rated.

Thanks to all for your recommendations!!

[nwyles]

Newbie, Your severs name was Erik.

He is also the very same chap that asks people at the front door if they are egulleters ! Very enthusiastic - He is starting to recognize the egullet crew not only by their name but also by their secret name as well.

Neil

[Vancouver Lee]

Firewood Cafe (Chef Hawksworth's recommendation) takeout pizza - 1/2 Chef's Special, and 1/2 Veggie with Veuve Cliquot Champagne. This combo reminded me of the scene in Sideways where he ends up drinking his prized wine in a plastic cup in a diner. I didn't really like the combo of pizza and champagne, but perhaps it just wasn't the right kind of pizza. I love champagne with anything. BTW, Chef David, Zacchary's pizza is still better, IMO. Tasted better warmed up this a.m.

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Butter, my wife and I have a tradition that whenever we move into a new place, our first meal, eaten on the floor and surrounded by boxes, is pizza and champagne, usually Veuve. Glad to hear we're not the only ones to give this combo a try. If you didn't like it, clearly you had the wrong pizza.......

Edited to add that this is a tradition started in our post-university days, NOT becuse it's a wonderful taste combination!

Edited April 5, 2005 by Vancouver Lee (log)

[Daddy-A]

Seems I've been a busy diner lately ...

Saturday was my shift to work the showroom, so, as is my tradition, I went out for breakfast beforehand. Remembering the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen at Cafe Artigiano (during my foodblog visit) I decided to return for a proper meal. I had my usual cappuccino (large) and a Croque Madame. The sandwich was really nice, although I personally would have preferred a little less mornay sauce (which I correctly identified as bechemel with cheese ) and a few more fried 'taters. Still, very filling, good taste, and the coffee was great as always.

Sunday, a visit to Savoury Coast after a downtown shopping trip with "J" (we bought a new sharpenning steel for ourselves, and some Henkels as a wedding gift for a friend ... though you might want to know.) Now I know we should focus on the food, but the room ... well, let's just say it's not my kinda decor. I had never been to Setabello (sp?) but "J" had, and noted they hadn't done a lot to change it. I just found it too cliché Mediteranean ... but the patio does look very inviting. Perhaps this summer.

The food however was very much to my liking. We started with the Buffalo Carpaccio and the Calimari. Both were excellent. We shared the risotto with dungeness crab, fresh snap peas and a carrot reduction. YUMMMMMM! Wash all that down with a 1/2 litre of Blasted Church Rosé and you have two nicely fed, slightly sleepy, shoppers. I'm looking forward to dinner on the patio there this summer.

Today, lunch with peppyre at HSG. Shared a pear/stilton salad, and each had a bowl of Roasted Tomato Soup. A while back, jamiemaw said to me that he often guages a restaurant by its soups. Being a soup lover myself, I have started this habit myself. Neil's soups are a true reflection of both the man, and his retaurant. No, not red and hot! He's proud to serve them, and he has good reason to.

A.

[PaoPao]

New place down by False Creek, about a door or two away from Provence Marinaside. Called Bojangles.  Actually quite nice, cheaper alternative to Provence.

You get the same deckside view of the water but pay way less. Granted, the food's not as upscale, but the sandwiches, lasagne and pastries were pretty darned

good. Nice room, too - and excellent coffee!

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Very good Soup and Sandwiches. The stand out there for me is the Chocolate Eruption dessert. It's basically a Chocolate Cheesecake with alot of chocolate bits all over it.

[2roost]

Firewood Cafe (Chef Hawksworth's recommendation) takeout pizza - 1/2 Chef's Special, and 1/2 Veggie with Veuve Cliquot Champagne. This combo reminded me of the scene in Sideways where he ends up drinking his prized wine in a plastic cup in a diner. I didn't really like the combo of pizza and champagne, but perhaps it just wasn't the right kind of pizza. I love champagne with anything. BTW, Chef David, Zacchary's pizza is still better, IMO. Tasted better warmed up this a.m.

Pizza is always a delicate personal issue but I've gotta go with Chef Hawkesworth on this one - I have tried hard to like Zacchary's because they are right around the corner but the sauce and crust at Firewood is simply superior in my opinion - and after all sauce and crust are what Pizza is all about. As for champagne and Pizza we have tried it a couple of times and I agree it is NOT a match made in heaven.

Edited April 5, 2005 by 2roost (log)

[frogprincess]

My all time favorite restaurant, Phnom Penh :) Ordered my usual 2 dishes, butter beef and chicken wings as well as a bowl of the best hot and sour soup I have ever tried :)

Heard so many good things about this Jap/Kor place on Granville & 14th (forget the name) so I checked out the all-you-can-eat lunch specail which includes sushi and Korean BBQ........not impressed at all :|

Ordered in from Viva, a Vietnamese restaurant on Denman...ordered some beef dish which was delish and a not so dish bowl of hot and sour soup

[appreciator]

A couple of weeks back, Barb's Buns cafe on Salt Spring Island for lunch with one of my brothers. Can’t actually recall what I had…. though I think it might have been some kind of burrito. Quite tasty but man-o-man the service is painfully slow there. I’ve forgotten how slow things can be when people are on island time.

Dinner at Fiction last week with a girlfriend. We shared a few things: the endive salad, a couple of pick up sticks; one was I believe, beef and polenta with a Guinness glaze and the other was pear and Gorgonzola. The latter was more successful in my opinion. Then we had some delicious scallops served with a parsnip and vanilla tortellini over some mixed greens. Great flavours but the tortellini was pretty much cold and I would have preferred it a tad warmer. The best dish of the evening was the tarte flambé with artichokes and goat cheese and possibly something else. Absolutely scrumptious! Our server was excellent and the overall feel of the place was very warm. Music was getting louder by the time we left but that is probably geared towards the crowd that begins to appear around 9:30ish. I'll be heading back soon to try more things on their menu, especially some of the entrees, as they looked very appealing.

Also last week, dinner with my ex at Tang's Noodle House. We were trying to go to Cafe D-lite but it closes at 6 p.m. Who knew? Obviously, not us. Will have to try it some time for lunch. Anyhow, dinner at Tang's instead as it is practically next-door and the man was getting cranky. It was fine.... if nothing of particular note. We did try something new though which was interesting, deep-fried tofu appetizer which had an intriguing texture, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve had delivery from Tang’s before and didn’t really like it at all so was glad that I actually ate in for a change as it was better than I recall.

Last, but certainly not least, was a 50th birthday lunch at Adesso on Saturday. Went with 4 girlfriends... 3 of whom had breakfast items; the birthday gal and I had lunch. We shared the arugula insalata with pears, Gorgonzola and caramelized pecans. (I have to say that I actually enjoyed this more the first time I had it, this time it had a tad more dressing than I usually like). Still an extremely tasty combination of flavours, however. My main was wild mushroom, red wine risotto, which was totally delicious and a very generous portion to boot. The birthday girl had fettuccini with beef tenderloin, mushrooms and oven-dried tomato. Someone else had a cute bread basket of mini croissants and mini muffins served with cream cheese, jam, butter and nutella (though she skipped the nutella due to a hazelnut allergy poor girl ) Another person had the asparagus frittata with goats cheese, herbs and pine nuts and the last person had the chorizo frittata with tomatoes and basil. Everyone had coffee, which they all declared to be very good (why is everyone so surprised when restaurant coffee is good?) The birthday gal and I shared a ½ litre of Sandhill Pinot Gris, and then had coffee with dessert. For the birthday gal, molten chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream and vanilla bean crème anglaise, which was quite tasty (I got to try some, lucky me). But the real show stopper for dessert was the amaretto toasted almond crème brulee that someone else tried. It was really, really good. I am a huge fan of crème brulee and this one was very tasty indeed.

Our server was great and truly added to the celebratory nature of this special occasion for the birthday girl and all of us. I'm glad I chose Adesso for this lunch as everyone had a really good time and all said they'd be back to try something else on the menu. As a side note... the benedicts that were being served to other tables looked very tasty as well.

[butter]

Pizza is always a delicate personal issue but I've gotta go with Chef Hawkesworth on this one - I have tried hard to like Zacchary's because they are right around the corner but the sauce and crust at Firewood is simply superior in my opinion - and after all sauce and crust are what Pizza is all about.  As for champagne and Pizza we have tried it a couple of times and I agree it is NOT a match made in heaven.

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Interesting...I have to try Zacchary's again b/c although I thought the crust was good on Firewood's I thought it was thicker and I prefer thinner (I might be mistaken on this one...) As well, the Firewood pizza was lacking in tomato sauce so I'm not sure if it's better in flavour or not. I wanted more sauce less cheese and toppings. I agree it is all about crust and sauce. I really love cracker like crusts. I think if I compare the two side by side it will be easier. Next time, when the craving hits.

[BCinBC]

Dinner Fri: All Indian Sweets on Main

First time I've been despite having lived in South Van for a year. I used to be able to do some serious damage to an all-you-can-eat buffet (best of all time was the Bellagio in Vegas, BTW), but ye gads I think this one actually beat me. One heaping platter and a kind of half-hearted platter later, I was absolutely stuffed. Agreed Keith, I liked the pickled carrots, but see Tropika below. Also bottomless Chai is nice. Total cost < $20 for two painfully full bellies. And if you really want, you can pick up some samosas at 2 for $1 for later. How do you say "gluttony" in Punjabi?

Breakfast Sun: Risty's in Marpole

3-egg Denver omlette for me, clubhouse on brown for N. Damn, I love breakfast so I always order it given a choice between it and lunch, but their clubhouse is really good. Made with real chicken (ie not "deli meat" chicken). Also, hooray for bottomless diner coffee. I'm serious.

Dinner Tues (last night): Tropika on Cambie

Mom and Uncle in town, so we went to the old standby - which IMO is a good one. Two starters: fried prawn cakes (great w/ sweet chili sauce) and chicken curry puffs (I was expecting the big flaky pastries so I was a little disappointed, but only had myself to blame; they tasted fine but weren't what I wanted). Mains included stir-fried clams w/ sambal (yum), Indonesian BBQ pork ribs (a bit dry but very tasty; don't know why they were "Indonesian" tho), Hainanese chicken (okay, best part was the pickled daikon and carrot garnish, much better than AIS), whole fried ?? fish w/ salt fish (first time in my life I can honestly say that I enjoyed the fish's skin; NOT for the uninitiated tho, the smell of salt fish is probably one step above the smell of durian), sambal bunchies (spicy beans w/ prawns), and mee goreng (tomato fried noodles). And two bowls of white rice. Dessert was fried bananas w/ ice cream (always good) and a new one, "pulut hitam" - which is sticky black rice served with coconut milk and mango. I really liked it, it's definitely different - tastes like rice pudding but has the consistency of unrefined brown rice all glued together. Also I'd have preferred pineapple to mango because the texture just didn't stand up to the rice, but still it was enjoyed. And it removed that smouldering sensation from my mouth. How do you say "gluttony" in Malay?

Oh yeah the best part, thanks to the Mom delivery service, I finally took posession of my two bottles of La Frenz montage. (Which came from Spinnakers in Victoria, thank you James for the tip.) I shall consider this my 100th eGullet posting prize!

[SushiCat]

Does delicious pfeffer sticks from Koni fine foods count as where I have eaten lately? Truthfully I mostly have been devouring these at home - very much yum, if you like pepperoni, these are better - they come mild and hot, both have a very good flavor.

Dined on Sunday at a friends place, home made palak panir and chicken curry with two types of rice and the best yoghurt side dish. I encouraged the cook to give recipes/cooking lessons ...

Last night went for my 2nd dinner at Bo Guo Bu Yi, ! Everything was very good, I ordered from the menu as we had some requests etc. peppering chicken or whatever it is called was quite good, but not as good as the same technique on prawns. Whole fish was the special - don't know who they did it but it was sweet enough and not too spicy so that all the crowd was pleased. We also had wonton soup, something I rarely order, but anyplace that is making such good Shao loong bao ... enough said, very good wontons in a simple rich broth, and if you ask, they add lots of baby bok choy, broccoli etc. They also do a nice scallion cake. Our comp last night was some yam/red bean hot dessert fritters - sorry I don't know what these are called or exactly what to say, they have something that seems like rice dough and then are deep fried (I think). Everyone gobbled them up ... except for one person - so I have a leftover, will have to see how it holds up to reheating.

[azurenath]

In reverse order:

A Turkish-Cypriot restaurant in the Manor House area of North London, whilst visiting a friend. Best hummus ever, with really spongy pita, and shish kebab. Kind of a wonky salad that reminded me of Mexican salsa with tomatoes and cilantro and lemon (for lack of lime), but was still Mediterranean with cucumbers and an accompanying yogurt sauce and heavy on the vinegar.

High tea by myself on Sunday at Kensington Palace, Hyde Park. I couldn't afford much, so I just went with the poached egg and spinach on toast, and splurged on a rhubarb and ginger cream tart for dessert. It was sunny and the light was flooding in, illuminating the statuaries, they looked almost alive. Read a book, people-watched, enjoyed the food, the weather, and the Sunday off. Glorious!

A chicken salad sandwich an hour previous that was so, so awful that I went to Kensington palace to compensate. I hate throwing out food, especially since what was a cheap sandwich for London (three pounds) means I spent six dollars on something I took one bite out of and, sadly, threw out. There was more mayonnaise than anything else in there. Mad gross. Thank god high tea was so satisfying.

[Tough Cookie]

Friday lunch - Go Fish

Loved the grilled salmon sandwich. Moist and utmost delicious. I don't know if others have the same problem as I do but I find that most places overcook the salmon, so it was a pleasant surprise taking my first bite. Also tried the cod and chips - really enjoyed the fries and homemade tartar sauce. Will have to try the soup next time.

Sunday dinner - Kiyo Sushi

Good value for the money. Really liked the wild salmon sashimi but have had better/fresher uni. The grilled black cod was also a highlight of the evening.

Monday dinner - Giraffe Restaurant

Nice atmosphere with great views of the water. Shared the Torta Basilica (layers of cream cheese, pesto, pinenuts and sundried tomatoes, served with garlic crostini) as an appetizer. Very rich and would recommend sharing this dish among three or four people. My main course was the angel hair with smoked salmon, scallops, spinach and capers in a tomato saffron cream sauce. The sauce had a good kick to it with the saffron. Both of my friends ordered the salmon filet with a toasted pinenut crust - didn't get to try but the salmon did not look dry. Finished the meal with a rich chocolate cake served with a sour bing cherry sauce - the cake was very dense and pate like. Liked the combination of the chocolate and bing cherries. The dessert was not too sweet which was refreshing (I'm more of a bittersweet/dark chocolate type).

[Vancouver]

Dockside Restaurant Lounge - Started off with the shared appetizer plate. The chili squid (pan-fried with garlic, ginger, and lemongrass) was particularly impressive. A large generous piece of squid rolled and coated in chili powder had just the right amount of kick, while the squid was pan-friend perfectly to the right tenderness. The beef satay (wood grilled with peanut-coconut milk & sambal sauce) was also delicious. The beef was extremely tender and the sauce added just the right amount of spice. The wood oven pizza was a wonderful surprise. I was not aware that Dockside had a wood fired oven. The dough was light and crispy and perfectly cooked. Had the smoked salmon pizza which was served topped with alder smoked wild coho salmon, red onions, creme fraiche, dill, & mozzarella. Apparently they also have one of those automated pizza roller machines in the back that produces a perfect dough thickness for the wood oven. I would go so far as to say this is the best gourmet pizza I have tried in Vancouver. Dessert was an apple galette, with lavender gelato and vanilla bean creme anglaise. The apples were deliciously tart, and the pastry was perfectly crispy. The lavender gelato provided a nice counter sweetness to the tartness of the apples and the creme anglaise (which did not suffer from that alchohol taste that many creme anglaise around town that use vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans have) was dish licking good. I wish they would have provided a spoon instead of a fork to assist in cleaning up the last drops.

Since it was sunny yesterday, decided to do a bit of a drive down to the Langley wine route and try the local vineyards. Started off with Glenugie Winery. While the hostess was quite friendly the wines left me a bit underwhelmed. Out of the bunch the best was probably the Gamay Noir. It could make for an easy drinking wine for a casual evening. The next was Domaine de Chaberton which again left me underwhelmed wine-wise. The one stand out was the Gewurztraminer which had a distinct rose flavoured overtone. It was a unique Gewurztraminer and would pair nicely with some light meals.

Lunch at the Baccus Bistro was the highlight of the day. Chef Frederic Desbiens has done an excellent job here. Taking Jamie's advice of judging a restaurant by its soups rates Baccus Bistro highly. We started with 2 soups. The creme of carrot with cumin and the seafood chowder. The carrot soup had the perfect blending of flavourings while maintaining a smooth consistency. The cumin overtones perfectly balanced the sweetness of the carrots. The seafood chowder was a generous portion of a hearty vegetable and seafood chowder. Mussels, halibut, salmon, and numerous chunky vegetables combined with herbs to create a dish that could serve as a main course easily. We were in a bit of a brunch like mood so our mains were the stuffed crepes and omelette. The crepes with filled with ham, gruyere and mornay sauce. It came presented with a side salad that had a grainy mustard and sherry vinegrette. The omelette was brie filled and served with roasted yukon golds. Overall a very satisfying meal. I would like to come back and try the dinner.

Lunch was followed with a quick stop at Township 7 Vineyards for the final tasting of the day. They were pouring 3 wines - the Semillon, the Chardonnay, and the Late Harvest Pinot Blanc. The Semillon was crisp with a very clean finish. The Chardonnay was distinctively oaked with slight hints of vanilla. Both were quite drinkable and would pair well. The Late Harvest Pinot Blanc was a bit too honey tasting for my personal taste. Overall Township 7's wines were the best of the day.

Langley was only about 45 minutes-1 hour away from Vancouver. Nearby, and a fun day trip overall!

Cheers!

[kontemporary]

Early evening dinner at West with their early prix fixe. We were the first table that night, at 5:45, though crowds started arriving within 10 minutes. I ordered the smoked salmon to start, the halibut entrée, and the lemon terrine to finish. The appetizer was perfect, the salmon soft and flavourful, and their dressing complimenting. The halibut entrée was good as well. I did not enjoy the parsley foam, but the halibut was cooked perfectly and very smooth. The halibut was placed over cooked mushrooms and asparagus which were very nicely done. There was also some gnocchi, though I found that to be a bit bland as the halibut jus was not strong enough to compliment it. The terrine for dessert I found to be a bit too sweet, but the passionfruit white chocolate ice cream over taopica sauce was a piece of heaven. Good service as always, but of course, we're talking about West.

Had late evening drinks and dessert at LIFT. Very nice atmosphere, decor, crowd. Lively, electic, and packed. The "LIFT it up" martini was excellent - consisted of bols blue, lychee SOHO, and a dash of grapefruit. The John Collins cocktail was very good as well. Their bloody mary however, was not up to par. Had the pear tatin dessert. Was a bit too sweet with the caramel dressing over poached pears (not done too well), but the vanilla ice cream (I couldn't taste any chocolate if there were any) helped dilute some of the sweetness.

Dinner at Wild Rice yesterday. Had the AAA charred rare beef tenderloin on crispy jasmine rice, which was absolutely delicious. The 'Chinatown sweep' bowl of fried noodles and BBQ pork was decent, though the sauce was a bit watery but nonetheless flavourful. Drinks were good. I had the Shanghai Alley cocktail, which consisted of vodka, lychee juice, and grapefruit. The lychee juice overpowered the rest mostly, though. Their infused teas were good - especially the vanilla tea. It was flavourful yet suttle, and just the right sweetness. Their lemon-mango unfortunately was much too sour to enjoy with the rest of the meal.

[PaoPao]

Rodney's Oyster House on Hamilton. On weekdays between 4 - 6 pm it is "Happy Hour". As the traditional happy hour doesn't do much for me in most places, Rodney's on the other hand is a definite winner. They have a special menu available during that time that is delicious and full of great deals. When we we're there we had Steamed Mussels, Pan Fried Oysters, a dozed mixed raw oysters, and their very tasty bread. Everything was prepared perfectly and tasted delicious. We'll definitely be back to try other items on the menu.

Lift in Coal Harbour next to the Westin. Yesterday was such a beautiful afternoon that after walking around we thought a visit to Lift's deck would be appropriate. We used to live in Coal Harbour until moving to Yaletown, and while we loved the views of the harbour, Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge, and Grouse Mt., we felt it was getting a bit sterile with all the tall glass high rises. It's so nice to visit Coal Harbour with the addition of Lift. What a gorgeous place! We we're seated right away at a great waterside deck table. The sun was shining, and the place was starting to get busy. We had a couple of refreshing lemonades then ordered a few items from their afternoon menu. We decided on the Stuffed Portobello with Cambozola and the Fish and Chips to share. Both tasted every good. I wish the portions we're more generous. The Portobello plate came with about a 1/4 of one 'shroom buried in a mountain of toast and greens. The Fish and chips came with a plate size pile of fries with two small breaded pieces of fish. Everything tasted great, just not enough. We we're warned about this from friends so it wasn't unexpected.

Rounding the night out we drove over to Pink Pearl on E. Hastings. This is the first time we ventured here for dinner. All other times have been a feast of Dim Sum on Sunday mornings. The last time we we're here, while waiting for our table in the entry, we couldn't help but notice the Alaskan King Crabs in the tank. So this was our objective. When we arrived they had one left, an 8 pounder. So after they brought it out to show us we decided on trying half the crab with Black Bean Sauce and the other half deep fried with Spicy Garlic. They brought out two huge platters and we dove in. I've never had crab cooked really any other way except steamed with butter. This was exceptional and the way they prepared this little monster was delicious. Also in the preparation I really appreciated how they made it so all you needed to eat the crab was just a small seafood fork. All the meat was readily accessible without much trouble. Not the cheapest way to go at $18 per pound but it was sooo good.

[Tough Cookie]

Nemoto Cafe - Had their breakfast special (includes two eggs, hash browns, 5 sausages, 2 slices of whole wheat toast and coffee) and was barely able to walk out the door! Good deal for $6.99, which really fed two people (as I split it with my toddler). And the Japanese couple that owns the place (husband is the cook, wife runs the front end) is so sweet.

Sushi Bar Wabi Sabi - First time to this restaurant. We started with fresh oysters, three with wasabi sake sauce and three with ponzu sauce. The wasabi sake sauce was really light, the wasabi taste was not strong, surprisingly enough. The ponzu sauce was good, nothing extraordinary. Next came one of the specials of the evening, amaebi sushi with the prawn heads deep fried. The prawn was extremely large (guess they are in season) and the meat was very sweet. The chicken kara-age came out dry and overcooked. The Hawaiian tuna tartare, consisting of marinated red tuna, mango and avocado stacked on a bed of sushi rice, was good, but again nothing extraordinary. The other various sushi ordered were fresh and what I would have expected given the price level. Overall, I was satisfied with the meal but would not come back for the western infused style sushi/sashimi (would go to En instead).

McDonald's - Had a craving for their fries today (and yes, I have to admit I also like their quarter pounder with cheese).

[*Deborah*]

Today, Mooshmouse and I donned our cute shoes and went over to Bacchus at the Wedgewood Hotel for tea. We had a cute deuce by the fire (banquette and armchair) and a very explanatory waitress, who I think may have thought that our saying we hadn't had tea at Bacchus before meant we hadn't had tea before...

Mooshmouse opted for Green Pear Tea, which smelled lovely and sweet, and had a very complex flavour: it started out bitter, as though the leaves had been steeping too long...(we both left our tea to steep a long time) but finished with a gorgeous pear flavour reminiscent of the aroma. I had Thunderbolt Darjeeling, which wasn't enough of a thunderbolt to jolt me past my hangover/severe lack of sleep

Like the other teas I have eaten, we were brought a three-tier presentation tray. (Photo to come!) The bottom layer had savouries: egg salad and cucumber on white, shrimp salad on wheat, a tiny round with smoked salmon, and a tiny multigrain roll with chicken salad (so KEWT!). The second tier had little tarts (Bakewell and a fresh fruit), and a piece of lemon white chocolate layer cake. The top tier had warm sweet scones with fruit and Devonshire cream and jam, a slice of fruitcake, and the most darling éclair ever, with a delicious crème pâtissière and fine scrollwork decoration on top.

We two girls chatted away and slowly and steadily worked through almost the entire thing; alas, we were not equal to the Bakewell tarts, either of us.

It was a perfectly delightful way to pass a rainy afternoon.

Edited April 11, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)