Monday, May 30th - Miura Waffle Milk Bar - Accidental Addiction

Miura's Milk and Waffle Bar

D stumbled upon Miura's by accident whilst I was staying at St. Paul's a few months back.  He would come visit me and our lil dude everyday during his lunch.  Miura's was on his path from work.  We'd actually passed by that block numerous times and not noticed it, probably, because neither of us work in the area and so would not have seen it open.  As you may have read around March, we were exploring the near West End for food options as we were chained to the area for several weeks, so D was intruiged by the Miura's concept. 

Miura's Milk and Waffle Bar - Smokin Hot Waffle Irons on the go!

Funny thing is you wouldn't know what it is just by walking by.  The sign has a little sort of Hello Kitty feel and reads only Waffle and Milk Bar.  If I had seen that, and I think I may have, I would have assumed sweets.  Well, if not for the sandwich board sign on the sidewalk out front, D wouldn't have stoppped.  Miura's has taken the concept of Chicken and Waffles to another level.  They've brought it up to date and added a fusion flare that is very Vancouver.  These airy, crispy, made to order Waffles are the casing to a number of savoury Sandwiches!

Miura's Milk and Waffle Bar - Wasabi Salmon Sandwich

Some of the sandwiches, like my Wasabi Salmon, have the protein cooked right into the waffle.  Then the Waffle is used as bread for the rest of the filling of crisp Romain and a light creamy dressing.  And D's is more of a traditional Hoisin Sandwich, which is a Pork Sausage with Bahn Mi top accompaniments like Radish and Carrots.  D loves this sandwich and has had it a few times now and tries to go by on Wednesdays when it's the special of the day.  He would recommend though that you eat it on site, well all of them, because the waffles don't travel well. 

Miura's Milk and Waffle Bar - Hoisin Pork Sausage Sandwich

O, my sister was visiting this time and we knew she'd love it too, particularly the Korean fusion element.  She ordered the Bulgogi one.  The meat tasted right, and the filling items of Kimchee and Sauce we yummo!  Though, admittedly, it doesn't make a pretty picture :^P

Miura's Milk and Waffle Bar - Bulgogi Kimchee Sandwich

My Wasabi Salmon had a nice kick.  I felt it could have had a touch more Salmon versus the Romaine but I still enjoyed it and would have it again.  I can definitely see how D has become addicted to them and agree that the light crispy waffles should be eaten immediately rather than take away.

Cost: $$
Service: Prompt and friendly
Ambiance: Coffee shop

Miura Waffle Milk Bar

829 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z
(604) 687-2909
www.miurawafflemilkbar.webs.com

for simple Lunch Fare

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Tuesday, February 1st - Lunch in SOMA - 'Wichcraft - *Yawn*



Vegetarian Avocado and Goat Cheese Sandwich at Wichcraft

 (Jumping back to SFO catch up on my postings)

I am not a big sandwich person when eating out.  D is.  He loves a good sandwich for lunch.  I always think, if I had spent a few minutes in the morning, I could have made myself a sandwich, probably with more cheese, at home for about a 10th of the cost at a cafe.  D thinks it's worth the extra few minutes of sleep not to think about it.  Plus, we don't own a Panini press, which I would love to have actually but he doesn't like unitaskers.  We don't even own a rice cooker if you can believe it!  Me?!  No rice cooker!?  Well, I did manage to slip in a microwave cooker from my London days but I'm pretty sure, if I were to go away for more than a week, it would disappear.

Anyhoo, we were walking around in SOMA after seeing the Wine exhibit in at the MOMA when I hit my wall of walking/need for food.  We happened to be near Macy's at that point and I really hadn't the energy to think of an alternative and I know D and my sister O like Wichcraft.  D tried to get me excited about it by telling me it's owned by Thomas C from Top Chef.  I told him that as I have never seen him cook, but once on the show, his culinary prowess or his sandwich skills were not selling points. 

First thing I noticed on the menu (as I normally do) is that the Combo for Soup and Sandwich is actually not a deal.  So don't order it.  The half Sandwich and bowl of Soup is a better deal for the restaurant.  I'm the Rain-man of dubious combo deals.  Trust me. 

I settled on what sounded like a hearty Vegetarian option of  Avocado, Pesto and Goat Cheese on Multigrain bread.  Appearance wise, it was disappoint on arrival.  It well and truly looked like a sandwich I could have made at home.  It was very tastey and a great combination between the greens, Avo and the soft/sharpness of the Cheese.  That said, it had no real oomph or sparkle.  The bread was so plain and boring.  It definitely looked better on paper.  Nice enough but I won't return.  I did appreciate the free bag of Tim's extra thick chips they throw in because I ordered a Tea. 

D ordered a pressed Pork and Provolone Sandwich.  It was a tad dry and skimpy on the meat.   Usually, when the sandwiches are this, well, run of the mill, it's because it's not the main star.  But ... well, it's in the name, so would have liked a bit more of something.... filling, interesting breads, lush ingredients or sides.  If you go to their website, they show you this luscious and decadent sandwich which is nothing like the ones we had.

I can see it as the yuppie lunch crowd joint.  Yeah. Bright two storey windows. White everything. Lots of seating.  Though, I'd probably have to admit falling into that demographic but it isn't my lunch scene. 

Cost: $$-$$$ (for a sandwich)
Ambiance: Light and airy
Service: Friendly counter service

'Wichcraft

(866) 942-4272
868 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94103
www.wichcraftnyc.com/LH-san-francisco

I would have given it a 3.  D's a 'nicer marker'. :^P

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Sunday, Sep 5th - Hiking Sandwiches and Chanterelles in Butter with Pesto on Capellini

Camping Breakfast

We took a leisurely time with breakfast today and had some lovely Eggs on Bread with Beans.  D had never seen that before.  Actually, he thought the whole concept of Beans at breakfast was just odd.  I did not really think about this.  When do North American's eat their Baked Beans.  I am a North American but I do not remember when I used to eat them as a child.  We did not really have them that often.  In England, they are n institution.  Beans on Toast is as a big a staple 'meal' as Peanut Butter and Jam here.  One of the more popular loaf bread brands in the UK has a photograph of Baked Beans screened onto the packaging.  I remember my flatmate would come home quite late, toast and Flora (margarine) his bread, place them flat on a plate and pour some heated Baked Beans over it.  That's pretty much it.  That's how they're eaten.  They are on the side of a Full English (aka Full English Breakfast).  I thought it was Yum and I bought this variety that had Chipotle flavouring.  It was quite stodgy though and I had forgotten how much so.  It was a good thing we were going to work it off.

I like hiking.  A good hike is nice.  You're outdoors.  You're excercising and challenging yourself.  The tough bit is that I am a goal oriented person.  I like to know what the destination is and the point.  We chose a trail based on the most vague of maps.  The ranger there gave us a few recommendations but they were also quite vague.  I mean, I need to know I'm going to reach a summit, a ridge, a lake or an awesome view.  We were told none of that and the maps were like a doctor's signature on a blank piece of paper.  Well, at least the ones available at the Ranger station and welcome centre were.  Some people we met along the way had hiking books with better descriptions.  So suffice it to say that I moaned most of the way.  We hike for over 4 hours and there was no view at the end since we were enveloped by thick clouds by that time.  As well D had told me it was going to be a moderate hike, since I was feeling a bit under the weather.  It was straight up hill on switch backs for the last mile.  Oh, wait let me explain the moaning.  The entire path was a razors edge cut into the side of a mountain the whole way along where we passed another hiker at least every 10 minutes.  There were no large growths or fields where a girl could find some privacy. It did not help that every once in a while I would see evidence that a gentleman did not feel the same reservation. Grrrrr!  And there's D insisting I keep hydrated.  I'd sooner have passed out from dehydration and have D carry me back than add to the existing pressure.

Hiking Sandwich

At the top, we stopped on a rock for some food.  Simple stuff.  We had bought some Smoked Salmon, the cooked variety in a foil vacuum seal pack.  We brought along some Cheddar and nice Wholewheat bread to add to the fresh Lettuce and Tomato we had picked up at the Farmer's Market in Port Townsend.  I can't believe I hadn't hung on to some Mustard packs from the cafeteria or take out.  That would have been awesome.  I don't have sandwiches too often.  I think of it as my last ditch option for lunch.  Dunno, I think I might have had too much 'Pret a Manger' whilst living in London.  They live on ready made Sandwiches there.  The exception being is Grilled Panini with too much cheese. MMMMM I haven't found a good place near work though. :^(  That digression being said, a nice big sandwhich is great after a gruelling hike.  My only reservation from complete enjoyment was that we had the full travel back!  If you are going to hike in Olympic National Park around Hurrican Pass or Khalahanie Ridge, bring your own guidebook.  The park Maps suck!

_________________________________________________________________

Chanterelle Mushrooms from Pacific Crest Foragers

Dinner was quite posh for camping, if I do say so myself.  I mean there wasn't anything to complex about it bu there's something to be said for adding Chanterelles into the mix.  Come on!  I even found some Chives and Thyme growing in the planter by the Ranger station.  I used some on the Eggs at breakfast too. 

Cilantro and Cashew Pesto on Capellini with Chanterelle Mushrooms

The Chanterelles we bought from Pacific Crest Foragers in Port Townsend were quite mild and meaty.  I quite liked them.  Last year, they went on sale on Commercial and we bought a few kilos.  There were large and beautiful and had quite a pungent floral quality to them.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to face them again ever. I'm glad I'm over that.  We added them to our Cilantro and Cashew Pesto and Capellini.  Capellini is great for Camping because it is the quickest cooking pasta so you can save on fuel and fading sunlight.  It's easy enough to pack Pesto for a short trip.  It is not overly perisable and volume and weight-wise, it is not as big a 'burden' as a jar of red sauce.  And the added mushrooms made the meal more substantial which we earned with all that hiking. :^D


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July 26th - leftover BBQ Salmon Wraps

My Leftover Salmon Wrap with Baba Ganoush

Nothing glamourous about dinner tonight.  After our dinner party last night with the Whole Sockeye Salmon, we had quite bit of yummo herbed Salmon to spare.  As well, we had loads of sides and condiments.  As sensible people like me do, and my mother taught me, we do not abide tossing leftovers.

We made BBQ Salmon Wraps with Soft Wholewheat Wraps.  It was doubly a good idea since it was warm so a cool dinner was just what was needed.  Warm by Vancouver standards really.  It never really gets humid or muggy.  It was a balmy 25.  Still too warm for the stove to be on.

Leftover BBQ Salmon Wraps

2 Wholewheat Wraps per person (well, it was a lot)
100-125 g of Leftover Salmon per Wrap

Condiments in the fridge:
Prewashed Baby Greens
BBQ Roasted Baba Ganoush
D's Diabolical Salsa Verde
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
1 random BBQd Sweet Potato
Sour Cream
Fresh Basil

Let your imagination go wild.  I used quite alot of the fresh Basil.  We munched the Cucumber on the side.  I do not know why but I find Cucumber clashes with cooked Salmon or Tuna.  I do not know why.  D did not believe me and he tested it.  He agreed.  It's tinny and unpleasant.  It did not go into my wrap. 

D through a half of the Sweet Potato with some Sour Cream into his.  We don't normally have Sour Cream in the house but we had bought it to marinade some Prawn for a Curry dish but we might not get to it this week.

No sides just two wraps, it was quite filling and felt light and healthy.  And after two lunches we are almost through the Salmon.  Hoorah!

D's leftover Salmon Wrap with a Sweet Potato

June 13th - William's Landing, Gibsons - Wedding Brunch

Who's wedding?  Ours of course.  Well, actually, we were married a couple of months ago in Porto Morelos with our Family and Friends.  As far as we are concerned and our rings as well, that was the day.  That said, the government of Canada would not recognise that so we had to trot down to London Drugs pharmacy's insurance department and buy a license and call up a celebrant from the registry.  Seriously, you can buy a marriage license from the pharmacy.  They have an expiry date as well.  So they are much a kin to milk which you can also by at a pharmacy.  Anyhoo, D is all Quebec liberalism and could do with or without this pomp and circumstance.  I certainly did not need the pomp but I wanted it legit.

To be clear, I am not entirely sure which came first... the Bowen Island sail race or idea of a beach wedding.  Let's not speculate.  It'll just end in frustration and eating an entire tube of pickle chips.  :^0

Luckily, there were two celebrants registered in the area.  I called the one with the more authoritative sounding name. I could not really envision being married by anyone with the name of a family member or say, Lulu or Joey or Benny.  'Who married you? Oh, Toby Smith.' Nope. Can't do it.  No offense.  GS could not have been more BC that he had to hike from the road to the cottage and came in dress shoes with no socks.  Our friends B and H agreed to be our witnesses and have the ceremony on the beach in front of their cottage.  We brought bubbly and a check and there it was.  Our friends, the glory of the surroundings, sounds of B and H's kids playing and us.

What I had not anticipated for our low key day was that lovely H had planned such a lovely brunch.  Originally we had thought... or rather I thought, we departing immediately on the 1pm ferry.  H suggested that perhaps in future we should not let the sailors do all the communication for weekends like this.

I have to say, for a 4 and 6 year olds, little J and K have quite sophisticated tastes.  I do not think I would have liked Caprese Salad at their age.  Well, lil K loves it anyway.  J admits on his own that he is not ready for salads.  He will try to eat his vegetables but something lettuce really turns him off.  Not me!  The big leaves of fresh Basil and Ripe local Cherry Tomatoes were bite sized and kid friendly (no knives) but no break of flavour.  I could eat Caprese any day of the week. 

That was only one piece of the grand spread she put out.  We took the kids out on the canoe and came back to more food than I thought we'd be capable of eating so soon after our Croissants and endless pile of pancakes.  There were Bagels, Whipped Cream Cheese, Capers, Smoked Salmon, Tomato and Avocado slices, Fruit, and Yogurt... oh the Yogurt.  Liberte Citrus Yogurt.  It was like a Creamsicle but healthier.  I am buying that again!

What a day! They are off to a grand sebbatical in France for nearly a year next week but I cannot wait to make it up to them.

April 19th - Cafe Babylon - Stale Turnips

You can smell the Babylon Cafe for four square blocks in the middle of Downtown Vancouver.  You can see the line from a few more than that.  To call it a cafe is a bit of an exaggeration except that I think they sell coffee.  It occupies a space of slightly more than 10 sq ft.  The space that is not occupied by the cooking area and the large counter, is just wide enough for patrons to shimmy along it to select their toppings.

In the UK, these are called Kebab Shops.  They specialise in Falafal Wraps, Chicken and Lamb Gyros/Kebab/Schwarma Wraps. They are insanely popular.  This type of business is so big in Germany, that there is an annual conference of several tens of thousands of shop owners get together.  I do not go that often because I miss the places in Montreal that have the big french fry sized pink-dyed pickled Turnips.  There are few places in Vancouver that have them in the condiment bar.  D said he had a craving for Falafel and talked me into it because the sign outside the Babylon Cafe had the turnips.  In the end, he got a Chicken Kebab and I got a Falafel.  The turnips ended up being stale, shavings rather than fresh fingers.  Blech.  At least they offer 3 plump Falafel balls.  Some of the guys down Granville have small dry balls and Nuba down on Davie only gives 2.

They have a fair selection of toppings and are very efficient in loading and wrapping.  They only do wraps, no plates.  They have to be efficient.  The line snakes down the block every day.  The Falafel itself had good flavour, on the dry side but held together.  The peppers, and vegetables were good but those stale Turnips were just sour note.  They did not even originally put them on. I had to ask.  Wish I had not.  D liked his Chicken.  Moist and good flavour and quite loaded.  I thought most of the meat looked over cooked, particularly the lamb.

Chicken Schwarma

 Falafel Wrap with Stale Turnips

Cost: $ (6-8 bux)
Ambiance: Ambi-what?  It is a closet.
Staff: Curt and all about the throughput. If you have a special ask, make it fast.
Location: smack dab in the middle of downtown shopping district.

Babylon Cafe

105-1610
Robson Street
Vancouver
(604) 568-6324

Maybe a Two Maple at most. If you want lots of Chicken or Lamb, go fer it but the stale turnips left me ...well, stale. 

Mar 1st - Curried Parmesan Tuna Melt and Tomato Basil Soup

Tonight was all about comfort food. No. I need an additional refinement on that. It was all about lazy comfort food. I have had an unsated tuna craving for a few weeks now. It's come and gone and morphed from regular sandwich to a casserole and back. D does not like tinned tuna. He goes into this diatribe about the unecofriendly nature of most tinned tuna. Also, for many people, it dances on the border of junkfood. Not for me. I did not grow up with tuna sandwiches or tuna casseroles or tuna salad. It was what I used to call 'white' food. I had my first tuna sandwich well into high school and I was hooked. That's why Spain was a great place to live for me. They love their tinned or jarred tuna. It's on their pizza and it is their 'standard' table salad. YUMMO!

Actually, one of my favourite pizzas has tuna and is a staple in the UK but not in Canada. I speak of the Tuna and Sweetcorn pizza. It's awesome and much better than it sounds. Tuna on pizza in Spain is rather cooked down with red sauce but still tastey. The Tuna and Sweetcorn is brighter and fresher. It is a red sauce pizza with tuna, cheese corn niblets and white onion. YUMMO!

How did I get on Pizza? Oh right, Tuna. The otherside of this dish is the curry mayo. I became hooked on curried mayo or flavoured mayos in general whilst living in Montreal. There was a Belgian Fry place that served freshly cut french fries in a paper cone with a variety of flavoured mayos. I loved it so much that when I would buy a jar of mayo, I would just add the curry powder directly to the jar and keep it in the fridge that way. UM, it does not work for low fat mayo. Please do not waste your low fat mayo in this way. It is fine when you do it a la minute when you're going to eat it right away but not if you're going to store it. Whatever 'stuff' is used to stabilise low fat, 'fake' mayo, does not like the hydroscopic nature of curry powder and it falls apart if you let it sit too long. It becomes watery and lumpy. It made me sad. You can whisk it to recover but it was still sad.

The combination of these two guilty pleasures was a logical evolution of comfort food. One I wouldn't inflict upon D so I indulge if I'm eating on my own. It is delicious.

Curried Parmesan Tuna Melt

1 tin tuna, drained
1/4 c mayo
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t chili flakes
1/4 t ground ginger
1/2 T curry powder
fresh ground pepper
NO salt if you're using tuna in brine.

1 pumpernickel bagel sliced in half
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan, real!!!!

Mix all the ingredients above the bagel and let sit for at least an hour. You don't have to but when you're using dried spices, you should let them come out. Aromatics do penetrate better in fats so mix in the mayo and let it turn on while you do the rest.

Heap on top of your bagel halves on an oven safe, not necessarily oven proof, plate. Sprinkle your grated cheese on top or grate right on top. Place under a high broiler for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot.

I also sliced up some bell pepper for some freshness and I had forgotten to get a tomato.

The Tomato Basil Soup was out of a can. It was from the Wolfgang Puck series. They used to be limited to specialty shops but now you can buy them just about everywhere. We have several different types stocked for tired nights like this. I didn't need a hearty one to go with my melt though. Funny how tomato soup can have such a range but this is not your Campbell's!! It has a complexity of flavour. Interesting soft, velvety mouth feel. There were also chunks of tomato as well. Really nice.

I married the whole comfort meal with a Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2007. It is bigger than other pinot gris. It is less acidic as well. It had an interesting structure. It was nice and paired well with the spicy, rich tuna.

Monday, June 1st - Rundown and REAL tuna loin wraps

Lunch was soooo good today. We had the left over Wasabi Tuna Loin from the weekend http://365vancouvereats.blogspot.com/2009/05/saturday-may-30-babaganoush-and-wasabi.html in a wrap.

Tuna and Slaw Wrap ('kay so pay attention, this is very complicated. :-P)

Take a whole wheat wrap.
There are two portions of tuna left for a decent meal.
Slice into 8 slices.
Pile about 1/4 c of coleslaw (recipe on the same day above) along the centre like a hotdog, leaving 2 inches on each end.
Place two slices on top.
Fold in the top and bottom and then roll, like a burrito.
You should have 4 wraps.

I was so stuffed after the two but they were so good. One and half would have been perfect for lunch with nothing else for me but who leaves half a wrap.

Dinner was the Rundown which I made yesterday because I knew I had to work late. I was on a conference call until 8pm and then had to walk home. All I could think was, at least dinner is done and will not be pizza.

Make 1/4 - 1/3 (uncooked) jasmine rice per person.

Salt Cod Run Down is here. Reheat in the microwave for 90 s or in a small sauce pan on med heat. If you're eating on new rice, the rice will be quite hot too so you don't need it super heated.

Tomato Salsa

2 c diced tomatoes
2 chilis
1/4 c minced red onion
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1 1/2 limes juiced
1/2 t ground cumin
salt and pepper

Toss and let sit.

I served it along side the rundown with one of the leftover artichokes. MMMMM. I couldn't, for the life of me remember what vegetable side S, my old roommate use to serve. I thought about sauteed spinach to simulate Calaloo but we used it all yesterday in the pasta. The acidity and spice went well. D thought I added too much chili though but didn't render it inedible for him. That's the right amount for Jamaican night :-)

Friday, May 28th - Starbucks Wrap, Meeting Pizza Hut and FUSE

Ug, Friday was horrible at work. Simply horrible. You'll notice how lame I have been on catching up on my journal here on my food habits. Why? The nature of my job hits serious time demands in peak periods, particularly at quarter ends. It reaches a Fever Pitch simulating Hell at the half year. When D is around, I have more discipline about my time and eating. When I'm left to my own devices I stray to bachelorette of eating comfort food and working until the wee hours of the morning. D was away this whole week so I found myself working until midnight several nights this week. I had pizza like 3 times this week. BLECH.

I woke up earlier than normal to go out to the Burnaby office. I had a mini Oatmeal Raisin Clif bar for breakfast and a Starbux coffee while walking to the Skytrain. Then I sat in a conference room glued until 3pm. At noon, I had full sized Peanut Butter Clif bar that was about 6 months over due. It tasted okay but a bit stale. I washed it down with tap water. Man I hate May / June at work. So at 3:30, right before a big meeting, I had had had to go out and get a coffee. I grabbed a Soy Latte for the protein and a Thai Tuna wrap. I bought a pumpkin scone for later, knowing that the meeting would run long.

The Starbucks Thai Tuna wrap was pretty good. It had a bit of a kick and had carrots and rice mixed into the tuna. Though, surprising for quality for Starbucks, the tuna was of a catfood consistency. Really mashed up with no recognisable chunks of tuna. The soy latte was nice though.

(2.5 Maples really)

Then, at around 7pm ... this is a FRIDAY, they brought in Pizza Hut pizza and soda. Grrrr I flipping hate it when a guy orders meeting food. Two things will invariably happen, without fail:

1. Vegetarians are completely forgotten, in fact, all the food will be extra meaty.

2. All sodas will not be diet. Full sugar!

They ordered a Meatlovers and a Hawaiian completely swathed in ham. To wash that down, 7Up and Pepsi, full fat. I went for the Hawaiian and peeled off the ham. It really was the only option and I was starving. I even had half a 7Up, I was so desperate and didn't want to seem rude that someone thought to at least recognise the fact that we shouldn't be working so late on a Friday!!!!

I couldn't have darted faster at 8pm. We were off to the Vancouver Art Gallery monthly Fuse night. The Art Gallery opens its doors for the evening until 2am. They have several performance artists throughout the evening. It's wonderful. The only downsides were that I had a splitting headache. I was in a quite a bit of pain but after such a left brained week, I needed some artistic reprieve. It did work a bit. The other downside was that the wine at the bar was a HORRIBLE Mission Hill Merlot Cab. As I twitted, it was like a pair of hipster jeans, like the ones all over the place that night. It was too tight, pulled in the wrong places, tarty and too short.

Sunday, May 17th - Tuna Sandwich and the REEF

Breakfast was banana bread and oatmeal. MMMMMM I really like camping breakfasts because I think deep down I really like oatmeal but for some reason, I don't eat it enough during my normal life. Weird.

Lunch was on the hike from Heck up Bear Mountain. I put some Sirah in my sealable travel mug and had tuna sandwich with the second foil pack of tuna loin we packed. No more blue cheese though. We used aged cheddar. MMMM it was so nice with the sirah and especially from the climb that would never end. You can see the tuna loin we used. It was lovely and we got it on sale at TNT. It's normally quite expensive so we'll keep our eyes peeled. It so much nicer than canned.

Dinner was at one of my favorite restaurants. We really struggled with what to do with the Monday of the long weekend. We were going to stay in Harrison for dinner and then drive back after but I really had a craving for Ackee after seeing someone's twit about their Ackee recipe. I couldn't shake it. I was pretty sure I wanted to be back in town for Monday. It was meant to rain and it did. So it was a matter of pack in the rain first thing or sleep at home. So we took off around 7. Got in town for about nine, missed end of the long weekend traffic and hit the REEF....WOOOO Reef. It happened to be their ten year anniversary so draft beer was on sale and so were their jerk wings. Well, we didn't have their jerk wings but D did have some beer.

We got their ever popular plaintain chip starter. I was facing the kitchen so I saw them keep coming. I forgot to take a photo because service was slow and so I dove in. Of course, (eventually) we had their YUMMERIFFIC, johnny cakes that now come with coconut butter. They serve them instead of bread. They've grown. How often does that happen nowadays.... it is 30 percent biggery AYAYAYYYAYA. They're fried, cornmeal like bread. SOOOOOO good.

I got their famous ackee and saltfish.. Now let me explain where my opinion comes from. I lived in Kingston Jamaica for five months. I ate it in restaurants, had a friend make it, made it myself there. I had a jamaican flatemate in gradschool, S, who made it and swore by his nan's recipe, had other jamaican friends in grad school make it. Bought it in tins to make it myself S's way while living in London. Bought in old skul places in Brixton in London. I know good ackee... except for the small amount of ackee in it. It is the Shizza. They do put a decent amount of ackee. I know this place on Yonge near Wellesley in Toronto. You'd be hard pressed to find any ackee in their ackee and saltfish. Oh and the REEF, puts a lovely amount of saltfish too. YUMMMMMMMM

Oh important food-footnote, I am a suck for heat. I love the hot sauce at the reef. It is old skul scotch bonette pepper. They also have their own sauce which is cool with some pineapple. But the Matouk's is the best. But I've been known to over do it. I'm in a good place now:-D. I temper my temptation:-D

D got goat curry. He thought it had more potatoes than curry but still quite nice. That's why I stick with the signature. I've fallen for their Mahi mahi and their specials in the past but I have learned... ackee, that's the way, ackee. I did not care for their rumpunch and their wine list is horrible.

 

I may winge about the winelist and the slow service but their Plaintain Chips, Johnny Cakes and Ackee keep me coming back every few months.

 

Cost: $-$$

Ambiance: Dark and slightly, collegial

Staff: Friendly but slow

Winelist:  not worth a mention but it is Jamaican-mon

 

the Reef

4172 Main St
Vancouver, BC
604-874-5375
 

Saturday, May 16th - Picnic on the lake and Gnocci in Vegan Bolognese

Breakfast was banana bread D bought a bakesale outside the roundhouse. It was amazing. Moist and banany but not mushy. I also had a flax and multigrain oatmeal. Oatmeal is SOOO perfect for camping. All you need is a lite little envelope of oatmeal, a travel mug, and boiling water. Combine and stir. MMMMM Warm and comforting.

Lunch was foil packed whole tuna loin on a whole grain loaf with organic beefsteak tomato and blue cheese. With it we had an Artazuri Rose 2007 http://bit.ly/artazur

Dinner was Gnocci in Vegan Bolognese

The Vegan Bolognese was home made from a couple of weeks ago. We jarred it and put it the back of the fridge. I normally wouldn't have kept home made sauce in the fridge that long in the fridge without freezing but D is braver and reckoned that all the acid in the tomatoes would keep it okay. It was fine but we made sure it came to a boil on reheat. The sauce was:

1 onion, 1 tin of tomatoes, 4-5 sliced button mushrooms, 1/4 marinated eggplant, 1 package italian soymince, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sautee all the veg and stew. The veg mince should be the last thing that needs to go in because it only needs heating through.

Boil the Gnocci (vacuum packed) about 8 minutes, drain most of the water off. Toss with the sauce. Top with shaved parmesan.

We had an AWESOME rich, intense, PLUSH Domaine de Cristia Cote du Rhone. I would buy a case of this. http://bit.ly/cristia

Thursday, April 9th - Steamrollers and Saravanaa Bhavan - Vegetarian South Indian

Breakfast was Activia. You know, this stuff is for real but what they're not letting you know in the ads where people eating it's mid-sections are belly dancing is that to keep your insides healthing, the insides have to keep moving. Well, then maybe the belly dancing ads are right on then? I have a friend who won't go near it because of that very reason. The intestinal activation, not the belly dancing. We'll call him Dark. Dark jumped when I grabbed a tub of it for a camping trip a bunch of us were going on. I guess he's just your typical regular Joe and doesn't need fancy pro-biotic yogurts. I am back on the stuff since coming back from holiday a couple of weeks ago, my metabolism and other stuff have been way off kilter. I went from over eating at breakfast and eating ALLLLL LOT of fried foods and eatfood combined with virtual inactivity because of the heat to home. So my body is revolting against me. It's decided it's gonna hang on to what 'normal' amount of food I allow it. Activia with Natures Path High Fibre Slim cereal it is.

Lunch was Grav Lox with sourdough. D had Steamrollers. It's a chain of burrito fast-food restaurants. The glass windows are always steamed up. Seriously, and probably not on purpose. It's the way they make their burritos. D however, lived in San Fran for several years and spent a great deal of time in the Mission and wants it perfectly understood that Steam Rollers don't make Burritos. If you go in with that attitude, you may enjoy it. Think of it as a warm wrap and not a Burrito. He had the veggie and not the veggie deluxe. He said it was pretty good this time but of course he had gone in with the newly modified, this is not a burrito outlook. Be aware, they are not as big and filling as your traditional burritos. If you need a belly ful you might want to go to Red Burrito. It was fresher that Red Burrito though.

Steamrollers
Davie and Homer
(rating graphic coming)
(for fast food that is)

Dinner was Vegetarian Southern Indian. I am going back to this place for lunch. As we were finishing dinner, they were setting up for lunch tomorrow. They had over a dozen 'trays' and they were ALL veggie. How cools is that???!! D started to laugh telling me 'It's a vegetarian restaurant.' I've spent years going to Indian buffet, fuelled by my penchat for buffet's and curry. I'd come to accept that in a typical line up, I'll have the choices of 3 maybe 4 things, and that's excluding the rice and salad. So this was awesome. I'm coming back for lunch.

The dinner started off badly. They handed us laminated menus. I do mean plural because there were four different menues for each of us:

-Saravanaa southern indian regular line up.
-laminated Insert alcohol line up
-laminated Insert Norther indian full menu
-laminated Insert Chef's specials (mostly Northern)

Then there was the southern menu it's self. It jumped around and unless you knew what southern indian food was, you would be confused why there were donuts in the appetisers. Best not to over think. My theory is that non-indian people would walk in looking for mutter paneer or Gobi Aloo and be disappointed to find out that they were northern dishes and then head over to Maurya's or summat, so they added the Northern fayre, more known to the general public. So we set the two northern menus aside and though D was tempted to order some paneer stuffed Naan, I said No! We are going to have southern indian because these menus are going to make my head explode. I was half tempted to walk across the street to Banana Leaf. I'm glad I didn't. We ordered a Frontera Sauvignon Blanc. It wasn't very good. I would suggest you don't go there for the wine. Have a beer. If you don't drink beer like me, have a water or cola.

As a starter we had the PLANTAIN BAJI. Plantains fried in a chickpea batter served with lentil chutneys. They were like puree's based on lentils. One green was herbal and the other one was white, which was coconut. It comes with your traditional mini bowl of delicious lentil soup. I will have to find this recipe. The plantains were hot and yummy. A bit greasy though.


For a main, we were going to order a special pancake but apparently we thought it was friday because of the long weekend and they didn't have it. We order a southern indian sampler. It comes on a round stainless steel tray about 1.5x the size of a frisbee (we didn't have a camera). In the centre is basmati rice (the rice wasn't good but thankfully, the rest was. It comes with two papadums (lighter and crispier than others and I don't know if that is a southern thing) and two parathas. Parathas are the bread of that region. They're about the size of a tostada, 6inches in diamater and cooked so that it puffs up and the it looks like a miniature helium balloon, the foil ones you get for a child with a message on them. They were great. I would have ordered more but we were getting pretty full. Surprisingly. Around the bowl of rice in the centre were ten mini bowls the size of mise en place prep bowls with different southern curries, 1 soup, 2 yogurts and a sweet.

Special Meal (in the southern menu) - 9.95, great value
Poori (2), channa masala, rice, sambhar, rasam, special kulambu, two vegetable curries, raitha,
curd, appalam, pickle & sweet.

and we got a pancake, we were going to get a Dosa which is also typical but we thought we'd try something new.

Tomato, Onion & Chilli Utthappam 7.50
Thick rice & lentil pancake topped with tomatoes, onion & chillies.

It is light and delicate and they'll offer you a knife but you don't need it. It came with the same dipping sauces and a pickle and another little shot of the lentil soup. Very nice, crispy and good size.


Saravanna Bhavan
955, West Broadway, (At Oak Street)
Vancouver
V5Z 1K3
http://www.saravannabhavan.ca/
(drinks menu aside)

Thursday, March 26th - Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Breakfast was cereal and slightly sour soy milk. We just got back so there is very little in the fridge. D had a bagel with apple sauce. Who puts apple sauce on toast? I chuckled and he didn't see the joke. Apparently, he's been doing it all his life. I told him usually, it's apple jam.

Lunch, leftover pizza from yesterday.

Dinner, Tomato and Basil Wolfgang Puck's soup and grilled cheese with old aged cheddar. No big whoop. Still pretty jet lagged.