Edible Canada

I have been wanting to check out Edible Canada since they opened and the opportunity presented itself when my mom was in town. We brought my nephew and grabbed a table on the patio. My mom ordered the grilled cheese sandwich with maple bacon, brie and apple. I ordered duck confit hash with wild mushrooms and poached eggs. We both had a cocktail with tea and Okanagan Spirits Eau de Vie.
While the food was tasty, the service detracted from our experience. It took a very long time to place our order, our server lost our order and had to return to our table ten minutes later to ask us what it was again. The bacon was missing from my mom's sandwich so she had to send it back. I don't know if it was an off day or just the way it is there...
On a side note, food nerd alert

That is my mom in the background, Duck Hash in the foreground.

Lumiere

This is a brief overview of our meal at Lumiere. It is not an official review, but you should know that the meal did not disappoint. Okay, that is an understatement. The meal was phenomenal. I am still waiting on a confirmation of the actual wine pairings.

Tomato Amuse Bouche
tomato vol au vent, tomato consomme and some sort of a cream cheese topped with roasted tomato gelee and Pine nuts

This was the amuse of the night and each miniature bite packed a serious flavour punch. There was no wine pairing with this and we were finishing off our refreshing Hemingway Daiquiris.

Dungeness Crab with Champagne Mango
Pickled Papaya, Piquillo Pepper Coulis, Coriander

Paired with a spanish or perhaps brazilian white.

Qualicum Bay Scallops
with cornmeal crust, fresh creamed corn, crispy okra and a chicken and scallop jus

I had this dish instead of the foie gras course as the foie had hazelnuts on it. The wine pairing was a pinot blanc, but I also had a glass of the riesling served with the foie and it made an excellent match with the dish. I LOVED this and I am no fan of cooked scallops.

Foie Gras Terrine
Napoleon of Plum and Hazelnut, House Cured Duck Pastrami

BC Spot Prawn and Pork Belly

With Heart of Palm, Pickled Ramps, Radish, Smoked Hen of the Wood

Paired with a chenin blanc I believe. (too much wine, my memory is so foggy).

Oh, look...

Yeah, that would explain why I can't remember the wine pairings so well...

Uni Crusted Halibut

Green and White Asparagus, Buddha Hand, Black Garlic

paired with an amazing viognier from California


Pea Ravioli with a Champagne "veloute"
Sugar Snaps, Oyster Mushrooms, Pearl Onion, Mint

This dish was had by two out of the four at our table, paired with a chenin blanc although it worked with the mystery viognier as well, I got to taste one of the ravioli and they just exploded in the mouth, with a very smooth filling and an intense fresh pea taste.
Sadly, the pictures are starting to suck at this point. I blame the lighting in the restaurant. Or maybe I should blame the wine.

Seared Duck Breast
Glazed with Hennessey XO and other good things, served with spinach, a warm cherry and daikon with a cherry sauce.

Paired with??



Quail with Lentils
Pureed and whole french lentils, cubes of foie

I think that is what this dish is. It wasn't one that I got, and I didn't even taste it because there were hazelnuts in it. And yes, the picture is really bad. I did warn you...

Pistachio Crusted Lamb
Chickpea Panisse, "Cannelloni" of Braised Shoulder, Bulgur, Apricot and Pistachio

Paired with something red from Chateauneuf de Pape. So good, the lamb was perfectly cooked, but the ravioli made my night.

Duo of Beef
Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Potato Fondant and Rosemary Soubise
Seared Rib Eye with Braised Romaine and Shallot

This was the alternative to the lamb course. It was paired with a red from the Tannat grape. Very punchy, but worked beautifully with the beef.

Cheese Course

paired with Madiera
Sadly, I can only remember a few of the cheeses. There was a Morbier and a chevre and a fabulous blue.

Summer Strawberry Pavlova
Lemon-scented Strawberries, Vanilla Cream, Pink Peppercorn Meringue

It was the perfect summer dessert with an unbelieveably delicate meringue. Paired with a sauterne

Opera Cake

The alternative to the pavlova. I think pavlovas won this course....

Chocolate Fondant
with Peanut Nougatine Ice cream

Pavlovas have been knocked off the podium in the dessert contest with this one. It was a warm chocolate cake that wasn't too sweet and made for a very happy match with the Graham's port that we were served.

A selection of dainty desserts that followed our meal. The finger is to give an idea of scale.

After all that eating and drinking, a certain member of our group decided the party wasn't over and asked for some more beverages. We successfully polished off a bottle of Canados, a BC made apple brandy.
And then the aforementioned member of our group ordered one more drink for the night.
So we also polished off a bottle of the Blue Mountain Brut.
Five hours after we started, we rolled (or poured) ourselves into cab. What an amazing meal.

A Teaser

 

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

That was the motto that greeted us as we stepped into Cascade on Main St. I think I may need to adopt that for my own personal use...
I was having a catch-up/birthday dinner with M and Cascade happens to be so close to her place, we ended up there by default. The cocktail lists were impressive, lots of old school cocktails, lots of creative new cocktails, I went with a Clover Club (gin, raspberry, egg white lime and something else delicious) and M had a hemingway daquiri.

 

 

I want to go back just to drink my way through the cocktail menu!
After much deliberation, I settled on the oxtail and M went for the veggie burger.

 

The oxtail was decadent... lots of bacon, tender oxtail. I also loved the little pot they brought it in. I picked a glass of red to drink with it and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Of course, when I sat down to write this post, I couldn't actually remember the name of the wine. I fired off a quick email to the restaurant and received a prompt and detailed reply with a link to the liquor store listing. I will be scoring a bottle of this for nice dinners...

 

I tried a bit of M's burger patty and I found the flavour/texture to be interesting and appealing, but I am not sure I would like it in a bun - too much starch on starch. Of course, I am not a vegetarian, so perhaps not the best choice to judge a veggie burger...
All in all, an excellent dinner and I am sure I will find myself back there sometime in the future. I was also happy with the service and will be recommending this place to others.

Boneta

Restaurant: Smoking Dog

I continued my solo culinary exploration of vancouver with a trip to the Smoking Dog. Years ago, Rob took me here for a birthday ~ it was overpriced and over rated. Having heard it recently changed hands, I thought I should give it a try.
My reservation was for 6:15. Apparently I didn't need to make one, as the restaurant was almost totally deserted except for the owners and chef costing out the menu at a corner table. My table was not comfortable and I immediately started to feel the awkwardness of dining solo so I whipped out a book, trying not to eavesdrop on the meun costing (impossible by the way). As I waited for my food, a few more tables trickled in. The owner moved on to the dessert menu.
I ordered Mussels and Frites. The mussels were delicious, the broth so flavourable. I was glad that I had saved my pre-dinner bread to soak up all that flavourful juice. The frites were very generic (go fish has spoiled me for life) but that was okay as I didn't particularly want them anyway. I also enjoyed a glass of Viogner with my meal.
Eavesdropping on the menu planning made me want to give their bread pudding a shot "The bread pudding is good.. It was not so good at first, but I think the kitchen has got it know, so we should keep it on the menu." It was okay except for one burned corner of bread, but I found it a little dry for my tastes.
All in all, a pleasant but not exciting evening. Won't be going there on my own again, but could forsee a casual dinner out with Rob or lunch with friends...

Fuel: Redux

Let me preface this by saying you will never see photos of the food from Fuel. I enjoy my time there so much, all thought of picture taking flies out of my head.
I had a mixed experience last visit ~ a Sunday Lunch, but I really wanted to give it another shot. I made a reservation for 6:15 (the only way to get in, BTW is with a reso ~ I watched them turn away at least a dozen people tonight) and requested a seat at the kitchen bar when I got there.
What a great place to sit, watching everything as I sipped an Elderflower Collins (so good). My server was gracious and helpful without being overbearing or obsequious. A surprise offering of a smoked albacore tuna amuse bouche had me loving them long before my meal even hit the stove. I had gone in planning to give the pork belly another chance, but the special won me over; Heirloom Chicken Leg with Foie Gras Stuffing and poached Heirloom Chicken Breast, Celeriac Puree, Celery. It was wholly over the top ~ decadent, rich, flavourful (no salt issues this time), I wanted to lick the plate clean. A glass of Chardonnay was recommended and the pairing worked well, although the wine was not one I would choose to drink on its own.
I opted to follow the over-the-top theme of the evening and ordered dessert; a pear beignet with jasmine sabayon as well as a cup of coffee.
As I enjoyed my delightful dessert, I overheard a group of diners come in... the voice sounded familiar. I heard a "we will put Margaret right here". Turning, I saw the server usher my BOSS to the seat at the bar beside me. Awkwardness ensued on my part (why did I feel like I was intruding on her evening when I had been there first?). Finishing my coffee as rapidly as I could without looking like I was eager to leave, I gathered my bill, plunked down more cash than I usually lay out for dinner for two and left feeling happily filled.

Review: Flying Tiger

Disclaimer: I know the chef and a portion of meal was a treat from her.

I didn't know, when I settled on Flying Tiger, that I knew the chef. I glanced at a menu as I wandered by and a pork belly dish grabbed my eye; I decided to come back from dinner.
I have always found dining solo slightly intimidating, but I was made comfortable as soon as I walked in. A seat at the bar was offered and as I walked up, I spotted a familiar face; Chef Tina Fineza, the Asian Cuisine instructor from my days working at the culinary school. Then another familiar face, a woman who had been a student when I worked at Dubrulle. She was one of the best and I wasn't surprised to see that Chef Tina had snapped her up
The bar looked into the tiny open kitchen, an ideal spot in my opinion! I ordered a cocktail while I contemplated the menu and watched dishes come by me at the pass. Flying Tiger was offering a Dine Out menu, but the pork belly was not on it. I opted for an appetizer from the dine out menu and the pork.

 

The appetizer turned out to be the size of a main: toro tuna sushi encased in a tempura batter. This dish was so rich, I almost had to throw the towel in early on. I think my favourite part were the mushrooms served with the dish. They had an acidity that helped to cut the richness of the tuna and the next thing I knew, my plate was empty

 

The pork belly. This is what all pork belly should aspire to be. The meat was perfectly cooked, tender, decadent. The broth was rich and flavourful. It was served with a shredded mango pickle and garlic fried rice, both of which complimented the dish very well. I managed to eat every ounce of pork, but just had no room for all the rice. I asked for an appropriate pairing of wine and the Klein Zinfandel I was poured was delicious (so much so, I ordered a second glass!) Chef Tina offered a sample of the duck crepes (which look amazing,) but (insanely) I turned her down. I had seen coconut soup on the dessert menu and I was really hoping I would be able to find some room for it..
We chatted a bit, I watched the action in the kitchen, mesmerized. I felt warm and comfortable. The chef chatted with other patrons at the bar, making everyone feel at home (if home included a chef and a kitchen like that!).

 

A plate appeared over the top of the bar, Leanne presenting me with an unordered dessert sampler. The picture is terrible and really doesn't do it justice. The first dessert was a Cassava coconut cake ~ cassava shredded and cooked with sugar and coconut milk, I think. It was delicious, light, not too sweet, loaded with flavour. At the end of the plate, deep fried bananas with chocolate sauce ~ rich, rich, rich. At this point, I was well past the edge and I could only eat one bite. I wanted to save all my energy for the center dessert, coconut soup. I devoured every single drop of that soup...

I walked home from the Flying Tiger, a good half hour walk, half of it uphill in the damp cold. I didn't care. I was warm and delirious with food joy.

Restaurant: Fuel

I have been dying to check out Fuel since well before they opened ~ it just looked so cool inside! Then I heard the news around work that it was the work of Tom Doughty and Rob Belcham (C, Nu). I don't usually talk restaurants, chefs and gossip here, because I figure it will bore most people, especially the Non-Vancouverites. Lets just say these are some culinary heavyweights.
The restaurant opened, the menu could be perused online and my coworkers were raving. My wallet not so much (this place is really out of my league!). But wait; there is a lunch menu. So today, I took Rob to Fuel for lunch as Phase II of birthday action.
We walked in and were greeted warmly, seated quickly in a terribly uncomfortable not cosy environment. Oh, the chairs were comfortable enough, but they were packed in there so tight, the only really intimate feeling about the whole place was how intimate you could get with your neighbours! No pictures because of this AND the table to my right was irritating me with their snobiness and general expectancy of premium treatment while still being rude to the waitstaff.
We were served efficiently, but I noticed another couple that didn't get their bread until we were on our main course and they were there before us.
I ordered a lemon-thyme soda and a braised lamb sandwich. Rob ordered crispy pork belly. We were served cute little miniature epi on slabs of polished (granite?) with whipped butter and Maldon salt. Delicious.
My soda was also impeccable and I was tempted to order a second. For the 3.50$ price tag, it was worth every cent.
The food arrived. My lamb sandwich was huge, the pile of red onions rings still managed to dwarf it. The sandwich itself was tasty and extremely filling, but the seasoning was lacking (read salt). I could not stop eating the onion rings though! Lightly battered, almost tempura like, well salted, crispy but soft and sweet...yum**.
Rob, well I could tell he was annoyed as soon as he tried to cut a piece of the pork belly. It was served in a bowl with a dashi, shiitake mushrooms and julienned red radish. The dashi broth, while adding a wonderful flavour element to the dish, completely negated the crispiness of the pork belly. The presentation bowl was shaped in such a way that it was extremely difficult to cut the pork neatly as well. The flavour was good, the dish was rich and meaty, but the presentation left a little to be desired.
Am I glad I went there? Absolutely! Would I go there again? In a word ~no.
**technical culinary term

Wait! Can I change my mind?? I have been sitting here thinking about it... I think next time I will go by myself and sit at the dining bar in front of the kitchen...