…And changed her name to food punk. Follow the feast, the adventures and stories here: http://foodpunk.ca/
Filed under: moving day
April 2, 2012 • 9:40 am 0
…And changed her name to food punk. Follow the feast, the adventures and stories here: http://foodpunk.ca/
Filed under: moving day
March 21, 2012 • 8:14 pm 2
#103 – 345 Robson Street, Vancouver
I usually never blog about McDonald’s unless I am overseas but recently, the fast food chain added two unique items to their menu that I had to try!
I saw a picture of the Creme Brulee McFlurry on a friend’s foursquare check-in and made a mental note to try it. I love creme brulee. I live for that first crack of my teaspoon breaking the brittle candy shell protecting the thick, creamy custard underneath. The Creme Brulee McFlurry didn’t exactly have a caramelized candy shell over it, rather, there were bits of crunchy caramel sprinkled on top. I guess it’s sort of the same sensation of crunchy versus creamy textures. The caramel bits were definitely tasty, very sweet, sticky and crunchy. They were so crunchy and sticky though that a layer of it started coating my teeth as I got deeper and deeper into the McFlurry. When I finished, I was pretty much eating candy coated McNuggets since the sugar had formed some sort of shell over my teeth. It took a while for the sugar to melt away.
Next up was the much-hyped Cookies N’ Cream pie. I didn’t know what to expect since when I pulled the warm little pie out of the box, it didn’t look the most appetizing. At least with Oreo cookies (that inspired this pie), they’re sandwich cookies so you can clearly see the creamy white filling but this is a pie that is pretty much the colour of dirt. It smelled delicious though, like hot chocolate.
I was pretty blown away on my first bite though. The pie was warm and so scrumptiously sweet and creamy on the inside. It was like eating a giant hot Oreo. The cream was thick and dense, almost the texture of melted marshmallow. I just couldn’t get enough of it.
I loved that the sweet cream filling contrasted with the outer chocolate crust, the crust actually tasted nuttier with a slight chocolate bitterness so it was a good balance of a dessert. I’ll definitely be going back to McDonald’s for more of these Cookies N’ Cream pies!
Filed under: restaurant, reviews, cookies n' cream pie, creme brulee mcflurry, fast food, mcdonald's
March 21, 2012 • 12:36 am 0
322 Davie Street, Yaletown, Vancouver
My two great loves are food and fashion so I was excited to attend Vancouver Fashion Week’s Opening Gala at the Opus Hotel with Rick, Sophia and Missy. Hot on the tails of London’s and Paris’s Fashion Weeks, Vancouver’s very own showcase of local talent in addition to designers from fashion capitals, London, Milan, and Paris hit the runway at the Chinese Cultural Centre starting today until Sunday (March 21 to 25). Check the Vancouver Fashion Week website for show times and a full list of designers.
When we arrived at the opening gala at Opus Hotel, it was packed. Literally shoulder to shoulder. Our guide for the night was Fashion Week volunteer and social media extraordinaire, Sandra Chung. Sandra lead us upstairs to different rooms in Opus Hotel, each room displaying the creations of a different designer. Jeweled pumps and necklaces were strewn on beds and on dressers in the rooms. We were all drooling over the shoes.
I will confess that my favourite room was the Penthouse suite where Cartems Donuts was set up along with beer and champagne. I’ve tried Cartems Donuts before but never in these delectable bite-sized portions. They were just as tasty as the full sized donuts.
Nothing says high fashion like gourmet bite-sized donuts and champagne at one of Vancouver’s most stylish hotels!
I had a great time at the opening gala, even though, it was so crowded in the lobby that at some points, I felt like I would be trampled (by a random super tall stiletto heel). It was a nice glimpse into the fast-paced world of high fashion.
Filed under: festival, reviews, cartems, champagne, donuts, opus hotel, sandra chung, vancouver fashion week, yaletown, yaletown vancouver
March 19, 2012 • 7:59 pm 0
Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates and Patisserie
998 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver
There’s nothing like girl talk on a sunny patio with macarons, cakes and croissants! Diana of Foodology, Anita of La Petite Foodie, Amy of Food Queen and Kathy of kathygko.blogspot.ca and I decided to check out Thomas Haas’ North Vancouver shop. I had never been so I was thrilled! French macarons are at the top of my list of favourite desserts, right up there with New York cheesecake and creme brulee.
It was pretty packed in the shop. Thomas Haas wasn’t there, unfortunately. Anita told us that he is often seen in his shops. Tucked away in a corner is his wall of fame though, newspaper articles, awards and photos of the famous pastry chef.
The display cases of beautiful cakes made it almost impossible to choose, I wanted to eat everything available! I finally settled on the lemon tart with shortbread crust. I love shortbread and only exclusively eat cheesecakes with shortbread crusts (Carnegie Deli in NYC makes killer ones).
From the lovely lineup of macarons I chose vanilla, lemon, passion fruit and kalamansi. Anita and Amy grabbed the last of the mango coconut macarons!
Suffering from another case of wishing I got what the other person ordered, I fell in love with Amy’s milk chocolate and passion fruit cake upon my first taste. The chocolate was so rich, smooth and decadent and that punch of sweet and tangy passion fruit cream in the middle made this cake incredible. Darn it! Why didn’t I pick a chocolate dessert?!
Although, my dessert was not chocolate, it was still just as rich and equally beautiful. Whereas the milk chocolate and passion fruit cream cake had a contrast of flavours in the sweet chocolate and tangy passion fruit, the lemon tart that I ordered was oozing of thick, creamy and over-the-top sweet and tart lemon curd. I loved the structure that the shortbread crust gave this tart and the cookie crust was so soft, crumbly and buttery that I would be happy just eating the crust alone!
I didn’t get a nibble of Diana’s chocolate cake but needless to say that it looked chic and stunning on the plate.
Now onto the macarons! I always order vanilla macarons wherever I go. Can’t mess with the classics. As soon as I bit into this macaron, I knew what everyone was raving about. The texture was perfect. Crisp and delicate outer shell, chewy interior that held up the outer shell, no collapsing here! And the cream filling. Amazing! It was sweet, fluffy and fresh tasting, no bitter aftertaste of vanilla extract. It’s hard to savor macarons, I’m usually a two-bite macaron eater but I stretched this one out to four. It was that delicious. Nobody loves macarons more than me. If Laduree ever opened in Canada, I’d start living in the shop.
I also had a lemon macaron to go with my lemon tart. It wasn’t as tangy as the tart. The fluffy cream was sweet and tasted more of lemon jam. I couldn’t stop staring at the perfectly symmetrical little feet running all around the macaron. Thomas Haas is a true artist.
The other citrus macaron that I tried was the kalamansi. I’ve never tried kalamansi fruits before but the macaron was very tasty, a little bit more tangy than the lemon macaron. This one made me think of the funky coloured macarons from Pierre Herme.
The pale orange macaron was the passion fruit. I have no idea how such a little cookie can be so flavourful but it was as if the passion fruit juice was bursting from the middle of this cookie. Again, the texture of the macaron was perfectly chewy and slowly melted into a sugary dream in my mouth. I love macaron flavours but am more attracted to the deliciously chewy cookies over the cream fillings. I am now officially addicted to Thomas Haas’ macarons.
Since the sun was still shining over the crowded patio and we were right in the thick of some juicy girl talk, we decided to nibble on a couple of croissants too. The butter croissant was just as I expected, flaky, light but also rich in butter flavours. It made me think of Paris immediately.
The almond croissant I wasn’t prepared to fall in love with, after all I am not a huge fan of almonds. But my goodness, was this ever an amazing croissant! Filled with a thick and sticky almond paste and covered in slivered, toasted almonds and sugar, thanks to Thomas Haas, I am now an almond croissant convert.
I never thought I’d find macarons that I would love more than Pierre Herme’s but in a gastronomical paradise like Vancouver, anything is possible!
Filed under: reviews, snacks, almond croissant, cake, lemon lemon tart, macarons, north vancouver, passion fruit, thomas haas
March 18, 2012 • 9:32 pm 0
801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, inside the Hotel Georgia
Opened by former Executive Chef from West, David Hawksworth, this restaurant was on my wishlist for a while. When we sat down, I was instantly in love with the eye-catching art deco wall.
I knew exactly what I wanted to order: the confit pork shoulder served with braised lentils, apple and walnut. I’m not crazy about lentils but I am definitely crazy about pork. And the pork shoulder smelled so incredible when it came to the table that I could care less that it was on top of a bed of lentils.
The colours were beautiful, the deep pink pork against the earthy green lentils with pale, paper thin ribbons of apple shavings on top. The apple shavings were surprisingly juicy and sweet, bringing out the robust pork flavours. After all, what’s a more classic pairing than apples and pork.
I’m not sure what the foam was but it was sweet and tangy, only David Hawksworth can make even foam tasty and memorable.
The pork shoulder was so tender that I didn’t even need my knife. Just a few pokes from my fork made the meat fall apart. And the flavours! It was salty and moist, like the best cross between the tastiest piece of bacon and the juiciest pork chop.
The walnuts also added a wonderful crunch to contrast with the soft and tender pork meat.
The Hawksworth beef burger was plated so neatly that it almost looked like a toy on the picnic board. I was also amused that the fat fries were arranged in the shape of an ‘H’ for Hawksworth.
Even though the beef patty was very thick, the meat turned out to be extremely moist and tender. The applewood smoked bacon was the perfect crispiness and was nutty and salty.
The fries were so huge, we had to eat them with a knife and fork. But boy, were they tasty, crispy on the outside and soft, and fluffly on the inside. They were like baked potato sticks.
The steelhead salmon was also very delicious, cooked to a perfect medium rare, the meat was a gorgeous pink. It was juicy and flavourful, the fresh salmon flavours coming through nicely. I also loved the crispy skin on the fish.
The crispy chips sprinkled on top of the fish also added an extra, playful and tasty element to the dish.
The cauliflower puree was smooth and creamy, the perfect accompaniment for the delicate salmon.
I really must find out where to buy the pretty glasses here, with their curved tops, the glasses were stylish and practical (anti-dribble!)
I loved our lunch at Hawksworth and will definitely return again to try brunch and dinner.
Filed under: fine dining, lunch, restaurant, reviews, apple, burger, confit pork shoulder, fries, hawksworth, steelhead salmon, walnuts, west georgia street
March 18, 2012 • 1:54 pm 0
217 Carrall Street, Vancouver
Gastown has become the new hip hub for great restaurants. I’ve been hearing endless raves about L’Abattoir and finally tried it last week. I was not disappointed. I love the cozy, intimate but cosmopolitan ambiance of L’Abattoir. I really like the metal menus too!
First off, I was already impressed by their bread basket. They served bacon brioche! The key to my heart is bacon.
It wasn’t just bacon bits sprinkled on top of this fluffy little bun either. The bacon was distributed throughout the bread, I got a little bit in each bite. Delish!
The other bread basket goodies included cheese sticks and a flat bread. The salty cheese sticks were my second favourite. I’m pretty neutral on crunchy flat bread in general.
For drinks, I decided to order a light, fruity and refreshing French white: Monmousseau (2010) from Turonien Vouvray, Loire, France.
We also ordered two cocktails: the Gastown Swizzle: Plymouth gin, Aperol, passion fruit, fresh lime twists and Fernet Float. The gorgeous drink was a brilliant orange and tasted fruity and sweet with a splash of citrus from the lime. We were actually more intrigued by the metal spoon/straw sticking out of the drink (I was dining with a mechanical engineer). We didn’t discover that the hollow metal rod was also a spoon until we got to the bottom of the drink. How practical!
We ordered the Aviation because on the menu it was compared to a Cosmo but it was far from it. It wasn’t exactly sweet and the gin really dominated the drink.
One of the memorable things about L’Abattoir was the striking plating. It literally was like every plate was a canvas and the food and swirl of sauce on each plate created such a visual masterpiece that I felt guilty messing everything up with my fork.
I ordered the roasted duck breast of course. It was served with a fried confit leg, beets and a foie gras sauce. For a second, I thought the duck breast was bleeding on the plate but turns out those streaks of red were just from the bright red beets.
The duck breast was amazing, succulent, juicy, with just the right amount of fat topped off with crispy skin.
And the rich, creamy foie gras sauce really tied the dish together, complimenting the robust duck flavours and adding a rich butter flavour to the vegetables. I actually polished off all the leafy greens from my plate. That never happens. Ask anyone.
The Steak Diane (not sure who this is named after) was plated in an equally gorgeous way, like a work of art with steaks of sauce artistically drawn across the black plate.
Each piece of steak was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. The peppercorns sprinkled over the top were a little heavy but really enhanced the natural sweetness of the meat.
The crispy little knob of potato fondant was so delicious! Crispy on the outside and chewy and salty on the inside.
I can’t say enough about the roasted scallops and potato gnocchi. First of all, I love both these items to death anyway, and L’Abattoir only made me love them more. I like how they didn’t get stingy with the scallops, the plate was piled high with four big ones with a big handful of tender little gnocchi. Admittedly, this was my friend’s dish but I ate most of it! It was so delicious!
Needless to say that like the other two plates, the plate of scallops were presented in an impeccably breath-taking manner, with the flat leaf parsley and mushrooms sprinkled over the scallops, making me think of a wild, majestic, woodland fairytale filled princesses, fairy godmothers and white knights.
The scallops were roasted perfectly, amazingly tender in the middle with a light char on the outside.
The chewy little gnocchi were rich and melt-in-your-mouth good, soaking up the rich sauce and flavours from the dish.
The thick twirl of celeriac was also scrumptious, a little bit crunchy and drenched in flavour.
We saved room for dessert and ordered two items: the pineapple upside down cake and the chocolate caramel bar.
The chocolate caramel bar was beautiful, like it was wearing a stylish fascinator. I loved the dense and heavy chocolate bar on the bottom of this dessert square. The chocolate yogurt custard was the perfect, light and fluffy texture to compliment the heavier chocolate in this dessert. My friend and I loved the crunchy puffed rice in this dish too, the little kernels added great dimension to the dessert.
The banana ice cream was also delicious, sweet and fruity, the best combo of a banana split in one decadent scoop.
The pineapple upside down cake was dense and crumbly, topped with the stickiest, gooiest, sweetest cooked pineapple. This dessert totally hit the spot.
We also loved the little, bouncy cubes of passion fruit jelly, tasting sweet and tropical. The fluffy mascarpone cream was delicious, adding the element of creaminess to this dessert. I couldn’t get enough of it.
I had such a great time at L’Abattoir. The service was impeccable. I can’t wait to go back!
Filed under: fine dining, restaurant, reviews, banana ice cream, chocolate, cocktails, duck breast, gastown, gnocchi, l'abattoir, pineapple upside down cake, scallops, steak, vancouver gastown, wine
March 7, 2012 • 9:13 pm 0
1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
With my partner in crime, Rick Chung, we attended the Dining out for Life launch party at Coast’s O Lounge. I am a huge fan of Chef Josh Wolfe, but have never been to Coast so I was excited to snack on delicious appetizers and learn more about a great cause: Dining Out for Life.
Dining Out for Life is a restaurant fundraiser in partnership with charities, A Loving Spoonful and Friends for Life along with a long roster of Vancouver and Whistler’s best restaurants to raise money for HIV/AIDS support services in BC. The event takes place on March 29 so make sure you visit a participating restaurant! A complete list is on the Dining Out for Life website: www.diningoutforlife.com/vancouver.
As for the nibbles at the launch party, I finally tried the famous blue Coast cooler cocktail: Gekkeikan draft sake, apricot brandy, blue curacao lemon and orange juice. It was sweet, very slightly fizzy and of the girly drink variety that I love.
The Coast coolers actually went deliciously with the oyster ceviche, perched on pink sea salt on the half shell. I almost thought they were too pretty to eat. The plump kusshi oysters (my fave!) were buttery, fresh with a slightly spicy seasoning sprinkled over top.
I also love the intimate feel of the O Lounge at Coast, a wonderful space to kick back and relax after work.
Don’t forget to check out some restaurants for Dining out for Life on March 29, 2012!
Filed under: restaurant, reviews, aids support services, apricot brandy, coast, coast coolers, dine out for life, food, glowbal, oysters
March 7, 2012 • 12:38 am 0
1152 Alberni Street, Vancouver
To celebrate the full moon, Yelp Vancouver threw a party at Pink Elephant Thai! Rick Chung invited me to attend. I’ve never been to Pink Elephant Thai, let alone a Yelp party. There’s a first time for everything.
I love Yelp’s branding efforts, scattered all around tables and booths are tins of Yelp mints and chapsticks. You can’t exactly tell, but the mints line up on the table to read “Yelp.” I will confess that my purse is spilling full of Yelp branded chapsticks right now.
The cocktail that I tried was aptly named the ‘Full Moon Cocktail,’ a tasty, fruity concoction of vodka, banana liquor, apricots and pineapple juice. A fun, girly drink- I’d call it a good school night drink.
The food that was passed around throughout the night was delectable. Well, maybe except for the tofu, only because I don’t believe in soggy, finger food. It’s definitely too awkward to eat at a party with toothpicks and napkins!
The crispy, mini spring rolls were addictive. Piping hot and filled with seasoned veggies.
The bite-sized fried fish cake patties were also scrumptious.
My fave of the night were the deep fried prawn dumplings. Super crispy on the outside with crunchy tips and jam-packed with tender prawns on the inside.
My least favourite appetizers had to be the egg plant and tofu. Only due to texture. I’m clumsy as it is, so to eat soggy and limp food is a true challenge for me! I did enjoy the spicy taste of the eggplant though!
Near the end of the night, a traditional Thai dancer descended the stairs in style and grace. You can imagine the amount of cameras and camera phones that went off at this point. It was a beautiful dance, and a great way to tie together the Thai themed evening.
I had a great time at my first Yelp Party. Can’t wait till the next party!
Filed under: restaurant, reviews, food, full moon, pink elephant thai, spring rolls, thai, yelp elite, yelp party
March 4, 2012 • 6:54 pm 0
1147 Granville Street, Vancouver
If you’re looking for a funky place for brunch, Twisted Fork is it! We woke up early so we didn’t have to stand in line, but if you arrive any time after noon on the weekend, the line-up is out the door.
I love everything about this place from the cool decor, cozy ambiance, down to the cleverly mangled forks attached to the clipboard menus.
Also in back is a shelf full of house-made Twisted Fork jam. I live for jam, and can eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon (just like Joey Tribbiani from Friends). To my delight, before our food, some house-made melon jam and whipped butter was served with our fluffy herb and Asiago cheese scones. These scones were almost as cloud-like and fluffy as my faves from Creme de la Crumb.
I love that Twisted Fork serves coffee with French Presses. It just makes brunch that much better with the smell of freshly pressed grounds wafting around the table. The coffee tasted fresh, nutty and rich.
The melon jam was sweet and refreshing and the whipped butter was seductively creamy and smooth. I’m pretty sure I could polish it off with a spoon too.
To no surprise, I ordered the Banana stuffed brioche French toast. I love French toast and bananas so this was the best combo. My plate came piled high with two very thick pieces of toast with hot and sweet banana oozing out the middle. I was drooling as I cut into it.
The brioche bread although crusty on the outside was soft, moist and fluffy on the inside, and that creamy, sticky banana in the middle tasted incredible. I loved that it stuck to the roof of my mouth and also added such delicious moisture to the firm brioche bread. The brioche, being a stiffer texture than regular white bread, soaked up the maple syrup beautifully.
I also enjoyed the fresh fruit served on the side of the French toast, and that heavenly dollop of fresh vanilla whipped cream. What a decadent way to start a weekend!
The other dish we ordered was the Eggs Benny with smoked salmon. What I love about the eggs benny here is that they don’t skimp on the hollandaise sauce or smoked salmon at all. It’s piled on to the max on top of the toast.
I can’t even begin to tell you how finger-licking (or shall I call it twisted fork-licking) good those ribbons of smoked salmon drenched in hollandaise sauce and egg yolk tasted. It was sweet, salty and smooth in my mouth.
The ultimate test of any eggs benny, of course is if the yolks of the poached eggs are runny. Twisted Fork’s eggs benny more than passed the test as that glorious golden yolk flowed all over the plate as soon as we cut it open.
The crispy hash brown served with the eggs benny is also worth a mention. Very crispy on the outside, it was soft and fluffy on the inside and very flavourful, not too salty.
I will gladly return to Twisted Fork for brunch or dinner!
Filed under: brunch, restaurant, reviews, banana stuffed french toast, breakfast, cheese scones, coffee, eggs benny, food, french toast, granville street vancouver, hash browns, joey tribbiani, restaurants, smoked salmon, twisted fork