Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Octopus Garden–Top Japanese Cuisine in a Playful way

The infamous Octopus Garden. Hidden away on Cornwall street just blocks beside Burrard street. Words on the street says it has quality that can rival the might Tojo. On my Birthday Dinner, I finally has a chance to visit this tiny tiny shrine in Kitsilano.

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You can most certainly see the Owner/Head Chef’s playful heart as you walk into the store. There is a cute wooden boat right in the middle of the store. (I was fortunate to be sit there as well!! Woo Hoo, time to go out and get me some Sashimi)

Like the name Octopus Garden, you can see Octopus everywhere.  Air Vent on the Ceiling shaped like Octopus.  Octopus chopstick stand. Stuffed Octopus Doll on the boat!

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Hot sake in hand crafted pottery on iron stands has a very interesting touch to it.  Though we order the most common gekkeikan but it certainly brings out the elegancy to it. Everything looks so cute and perfect.. I can’t wait to dive in to the culinary adventure on my boat =)

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The Welcome Dish – Toro butter, with fish roe drizzle with very light soy sauce.  If you don’t get what Toro hype is about, it is probably because you weren’t eating the right stuffs. The fatty tuna melts instantly in my mouths like tasting delicate butter. Why does God made fat so tasty ><

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First Dish – Assorted Tempura. This Tempura is truly exceptional. Using unusual ingredient such as tofu skin, spot prawn, fish,and big shiitake mushroom.  The breaded batter was nice and crisp. The tofu skin is a truly innovation.  Crunchy batter on the outside and soft tender tofu skin in the inside. It’s quite special.

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Second Dish – Eel roll. The combination of eel cucumber and fly fish roe nicely balance.  The eel is of the freshest quality, lightly coated with Japanese bbq sauce and grilled to perfection. The sesame on top is a little overpowering to my taste.

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Third Dish – Uni Shooter. This is the greatest creation of all. Sea urchin with quail egg mixed with Perilla and some unknown sauce. This is the magical experience, imaging sitting by the farm that can gaze into the ocean, drinking a nice cup of tea. The urchin is the freshest I have ever tasted in BC, hack its in the top three in my book. (To be honest, BC is one of the major producer of sea urchin, but I rarely see them on sale and the one in store are always mediocre, I guess they all got imported to Japan)

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Third dish – Art of Sashimi.  This cute little Sashimi display is so cute and playful. Again harmonizing the atmosphere of the store.  The sashimi bento (lunch box) is perfect for my voyage on my wooden boat. The taste is also at the highest quality. I would say it is equal or higher than Vancouver’s best Sushi Bar Shiro. But you have to pay for the visual experience.  One thing to note here is the saba sashimi. Saba (Mackerel) is not a easy fish to do Sashimi.  Often time, the strong salted flavor Saba still seep lots of fishy smell. But not here, Saba is light in taste so the customer can fully endure its wonderful flavor.

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Fourth dish – Lobster on Vacation.  This dish is probably the cutest display I have seen in Japanese Cuisine. Plated in the banana leaf tray, I guess the lobster has went to somewhere near the equator and got captured.  I like the dish as it is very clean and to the point. It is all about lobster so there isn’t too much sauce on the roll. At this point, I noticed the chef doesn’t believe in mayonnaise. As often referred as dishonest way in Japan, I truly admire that. If you add mayonnaise to a roll, it most likely just kill the taste of the ingredient. But somehow the roll just lacks of something for me, maybe the lobster could be lightly grilled with a torch? I still like my lobster hot I guess. (I am being very harsh on this roll because hack it’s a 30 dollar roll)

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Fifth dish – Wagyu Beef.  Wagyu beef is basically beef raised Japanese style. The beef has extra marble so it taste nice and juicy.  The beef is definitely top of the top quality and the cooking device is quite interesting.  I truly enjoyed it but I would say it is a bit on the overpriced side.  If it is up to me, I will use the money to buy this funny looking grill and do it at home. That’s only because Canadian Beef are always top quality already.

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Sixth dish – Nigiri rolls. At this time, the canucks is still 1 v.s 0 chicago on the 7th game. The owner is a die hard Canucks fan so I think it is really hard for him to concentrate now. Every nigiri is done to perfection here. To pick bone, I would say the toro nigiri is not looking that complete. (could be the intense game? haha). What is the most interesting dish here is the shiitake mushroom nigiri. Lightly breaded and fried. This is something truly different to have the beautiful shiikate mushroom with sushi rice. I really liked it.

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Seventh dish – Soba Maki Tempura.  This is a extremely innovated. The cooked noodle is wrapped seaweed then breaded and fried. The filling has spinach, crabmeat and fish roe.  I can only admire the skill of the execution. The cooked noodle is lined up perfectly. The taste – nice and light very refreshing. I am glad we ordered this last.

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Departing candy – Octopus gummy. This gummy octopus not just cute but surprisingly tasty. Because it has two different flavor that just blends together. I really like it.

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Thanks to my dear friend. I truly enjoyed the adventure at Octopus garden.  This tucked away Japanese shrine did not get the media attention that it deserved. But it seems like a lot of celebrities knows about it.  The creativity, execution, and freshness is incomparable. Although some of the dish may be a little bit too pricey for the most of us. But it nows open for lunch with ramen and sushi combo at very reasonable lunch price. Don’t hesitate to come out to the east end of Kits and have a taste of this exceptional culinary art.

Notes: Fun to dine. Freshness guarantee. Perfect execution. Very pricey.
Worth the drive? Yes!
Food: 27/30
Decoration: 24/30
Service: 24/30
Price: $60~$150

http://www.octopusgarden.ca/index.html

Octopus' Garden on Urbanspoon


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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

大混亂之成功菜色(二) - 誤打誤撞魚香茄子煲

冰箱有什麼用什麼法則 Continued. .
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講真的,吃真的是有一那麼一點點學問~ 常常去餐廳都還是有朋友認為魚香茄子裡面應該要有魚? 錯! 我記得我每次都解釋一次~ 喔是利用魚露來做到這一個所謂的魚香~ 但魚露這個東西我根本不會用 ~ 冰箱那顆在農夫市場買的茄子就快凋謝了~ 講真的我不太吃茄子, 我很怕茄子本身的味道, 但吸附醬汁的味道的時候還ok…當初有點中邪的買了它~ 怎麼辦怎麼辦~~
我記得魚香茄子就是辣辣的絞肉加茄子, 不然用豆瓣醬應該也行的通!? 不妨一試~ 記憶裡跟麻婆豆腐也沒有什麼兩樣~ 不過就茄子換豆腐而已!! 哈哈 躍躍欲試

公式如下
麻婆豆腐好吃
豆腐柔嫩很容易吸附醬料
茄子柔嫩很容易吸附醬料
麻婆豆腐 <=> 麻婆茄子

紅燒獅子頭多以白菜心提升甜味;以紹興增加香氣
魚香茄子煲既然也是紅燒那也可以白菜跟紹興酒調理.

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食材:
辣豆瓣醬 1/4 罐
大蒜 2 瓣 (我沒用因為我用的是蒜味辣豆瓣醬)
洋蔥 1/2 顆
薑 1片
蔥 1把
絞肉 200 gm
茄子 1顆
紅蘿蔔 瘦瘦的1根
紹興酒 1湯匙
醬油 1湯匙
白菜心 隨便
鹽 適量
紅糖 適量
麻油 適量
做法
1) 茄子切塊. 茄子滿容易爛的而且會縮. 大塊點
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2) 茄子要好吃而且看起來不可怕一定要稍微炸過. 定個型,顏色也會更亮.DSC_0891DSC_0892 <- 更黑更亮
3) 茄子準備完後, 開始很基本的炒配料.
4) 熱1大匙油
5) 先放入洋蔥做一個焦化
6) 等洋蔥透明以後加入蔥白. 加入 2 pinches of salt
7) 炒了大概1分鐘後 加入絞肉 (之前備好的)
8) 絞肉又會出油, 這時候加入紅蘿蔔稍微過個油.
9) 把食材稍微撥開, 倒入豆瓣醬燒得熱熱的鍋上. 這樣豆瓣的香氣才會出來.DSC_0894
10) 翻炒所有食材讓它們沾附辣豆瓣醬.
11) 加入炸好的茄子.
12) 鍋邊倒入一湯匙醬油跟紹興酒. 嗆香!
13) 翻炒完成!
14) 接下來把小白菜心舖在鍋下( 家裡砂鍋都打破了 ><)
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15) 倒入炒好的所有食材
16) 放上四片薑. (薑為什麼不炒在裡面呢? 因為絞肉是跟薑一起炒的, 太重的薑味會讓口感不太協調)
17) 3茶匙的紅糖.
18) 加150 cc 水
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19) 開始用中小火悶煮
20) 滾了已後放上蔥段,用最小火再燉5分鐘.
21) 最後上一點薄芡.
22) 用些許麻油點香!
Da Da 完成!
好笑的地方來了! 為什麼叫誤打誤撞呢? 因為我為了blog這篇特別收尋了一下什麼是魚香! 懂的人應該早覺得我是笨蛋~
Baidu knowledge: “魚香,是四川菜餚主要傳統味型之一。成菜具有魚香味,但其味並不來自"魚",而是泡紅辣椒、蔥、薑、蒜、糖、鹽、醬油等調味品調製而成。此法源出於四川民間獨具特色的烹魚調味方法,而今已廣泛用於川味的熟菜中,具有鹹、酸、甜、辣、香、鮮和濃郁的蔥、薑、蒜味的特色。”
哈. . .哪有魚露~ 它就是做魚的配料嘛~
那我這一道, 除了多了"豆瓣"的香氣~ 配菜跟所謂魚香絲毫不差! 天份阿天份…..=p

C Restaurant–Superb Seafood execution with Amazing views.

 

I always hear raving reviews about C Restaurant about its exquisite seafood execution from papers, news and critics.  But no offense I never really believe in eating seafood in western style.  I feel that the execution lacks of creativity and often if it is done right I feel no difference than eating the live seafood at the best Chinese restaurant at freckle of the price or even at home.

2011 my family was in town for Chinese New Year and it coincided with the Dine Out Vancouver events.  Perfect combination!  This year I took the liberty of booking early on many dine out occasion.  I finally get to taste the controversial contemporary  C Restaurant.

The Restaurant is situated at the end of Howe Street which is right across Granville Island. If you are lucky and get a window table. Then you could enjoy the spectacular view of Fraser River and the gazing into Granville Island.

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The breads were first served in a basket carried by the waiter. There were at least 5 bread selection, which is what I always enjoyed, you get to pick a couple or just try them all. The breads were quite delicious with the butter. The picking bread procedure is quite standard in French restaurant, to be honest I have grown quite fond of it. In many cases restaurant sometimes only serve one types of bread. (What if I don’t like sourdough?)

 

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The dine out looks a little bit on the smaller portion size. So we have decided to see if the restaurant is up to speed with their freshness. This can be immediately observed with their oyster.  C Restaurant is big on sustainable seafood. (I have no idea what it is about). But I do know they are very big on local catches as well.  The kushi (well not local) were wonderfully processed, look at them glow on the ice.  By the way, KUSHI is the best tasting oyster EVER!!  I strongly recommend it for anyone who doesn’t like raw oyster. But for people that love oyster it sorta lacks of the SEA flavors.

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The first course is standard for the dine out menu – Oxtail consomme. (Dungeness Crab, Lemon Chorizo, Gremolata) The soup was served in a very fancy way. With the dry ingredient in the bowl, the server poured the soup into the bowl as he explains in fine details of the aroma and ingredient of the soup. The soup was the most elegant soup I have in Vancouver. Completely captured the essences of the Oxtail with nice mix flavours from the dry ingredient. The soup was not overpowering the taste buds, a very elegant way to start everyone’s appetite…

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The second course – Seared Trout. It was executed perfectly as how Japanese would have done it in Izakaya. The twist is lemon sauce and almond.  The fatty oil of the fish burst out as you bite the crunchy skin. The oil is why Japanese are so into Toro. I wouldn’t say the lemon and the almond goes perfectly with the fish. But it does give it a very nice interesting twist.

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I had the steak for main. I am not surprised that a such highly praised seafood restaurant did their steak to perfection. Nice rare in the middle with lots of flavours on the outside. The mash potato that was compliment the steak was done perfectly. Nice and silky mashed potato + steak = perfection.  The spot prawn on the top give it a nice delicately finish, a very elegant surf and turf.

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My brother and mother had the scallop with lobster addition. I am a little disappointed with the size of the lobster. After all it says HALF lobster. But oh well, this is an pricey fine dining restaurant with spectacular view. You kind of expected this. The scallop and lobster were very very fresh. This is also why I don’t like to go to fine dining for seafood, as long as the ingredient is fresh. It is really really hard to be surprised by lobster or scallop. (They are so easy to deal with). The most interesting item on the plate however is the crab apple. Basically it just make the plating looks so much interesting. I was told that it was a very nice treat as well. 

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My brother, who doesn’t enjoy raw oyster, was so impressed by KUSHI. He decided he wants more. However, they ran out of it. The server recommended Royal Miyagi which is cultured on the beach of British Columbia.  IT was light and clean with a kiwi like finish. But it is no kushi ><.

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Last but not least. The dessert – Dark Chocolate Brownie with Hot white chocolate. It is not a very fancy dessert. But I totally enjoyed it. The size was enough for people who is watching the weight and it hits the point. Nice dark chocolate brownie washed down by the sweeter hot white chocolate. It really goes together. Surprisingly, chocolate on top of chocolate was not overwhelming at all.

I really enjoyed this Dine Out experience. The service was pretty good through out except at the very end when the restaurant become crowded and busy. Then all is lost. We couldn’t find our server in 20 mins after we finish our dessert. But with the spectacular view in eyes..who cares…

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I am really surprised by the score at urbanspoon when I started writing my blog! The food was wonderfully executed. The totally expected the overpriced factor when there is view in play. I believed they really try to impress their customer even with the lower dollar set menu limits. That says, I never try their regular price item. Maybe it may very well be over priced. But hack what isn’t in Downtown dining these days~    

Notes: Perfectly executed food! Wonderful views and walkabout – Perfect for dates! Can be pricey on your pocket.
Worth the drive? Yes
Food: 26/30
Decoration: 25/30
Service: 21/30

Price: $60~$150


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C Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sawasdee–Authentic Thai done right!

visited, 01/2011

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Thai cuisine is something Vancouver really lacks off. Despite the popularity, there is nothing really extraordinary. If you want anything that’s out of extraordinary for Thai, I am afraid Vancouver has limited to offer.  Maenam offers a special insight to the Thai cuisine, however the menu is quite limited. However, for a casual Thai affair. Sawasdee offers authentic Thai that’s done right!

Sawasdee is located on Main street. A house style restaurant that spues out amazing dishes under amazing speed. I don’t know how they do it, in a crammed house kitchen how can they make so many different wonderful dishes in so little time. And in fact this is the second time I have seen this. In a little town Kent, WA. There is a shockingly amazing Thai called Grandma’s is like this too!

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Chicken Satay

The chicken was nice and tender with lots of grill flavors. The preserved cucumber is a wonderfully refreshing treat companying the meat. The nice citrus flavors wash away the heaviness of the meat and peanut sauce. Very nice combination.

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Crying Tiger Beef

This is my favorite dish here. The marinated beef was full of flavors, the sauce is what give it the best kicks.  I highly suggested ordering the hotter version of the sauce.  Give your taste buds some wild rides!

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Tom Yum Soup

A Thai meal is never completed without Tom Yum Soup.  The Tom Yum soup at Sawasdee has wonderful balance of sourness and sweetness with full of lemon grass flavors. The straw mushroom was firm and chewy.

DSC_0154Phad Priew Wan Gai (Sweet and Sour Chicken)

Sweet and sour was a dish I think that was only ok here. The dish shares much similarity with Chinese cuisine. I don’t really get where is the “Thai” style comes from? However, it is a very balanced dish. Wonderful pineapple flavors with lots of healthy vegetables.

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Lastly, the stir fried spinach is also highly recommended. The garlic sauce is exceptional on those vegetables, making you stuffs bowls and bowls of rice down without noticing. It is a little bit too salty to my taste. I really can’t eat that much rice as I was younger.

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Notes: Everything is executed nicely!
Worth the drive? Yes
Food: 23/30
Decoration: 20/30
Service: 22/30

Price: $15~$30

Sawasdee Thai on Urbanspoon
http://www.sawasdeethairestaurant.com/zgrid/proc/site/sitep.jsp

Au Petite Chagvinol–The Power of Cheese

Visited 7/7/2010, 01/10/2011
(中文)
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The power of cheese! If you are one of those people, and yes I mean you! Always stunned by the selection of the cheese freezer in the super market! Always couldn’t resist the cheese platter. This is the place for you! DSC_0348
In honestly, the first time I visited a wine/cheese bar was when I visited Shanghai. My friend being one of the cheese maniac, recommended at tiny little place in SH. I was stunned by it completely. Apparently, wine/ cheese bar is pretty hip in Shanghai. The cheese and prosciutto were just mediocre over there but the atmosphere is superb. Come to think of it, we always have access to the one of the best selection of cheese in the world. Why didn’t we have something similar in comparison? Shortly after my visit to SH, I start digging places in Vancouver. How can the best place to live doesn’t have a nice and relaxing place to enjoy Wine and Cheese???!!! Au Petite Chagvinol is IT! Hidden on East Hasting Street in the middle of no where. I have driven pass it three time and still couldn’t see its obscured red neon “cheese” sign. There is nothing showing the name of the restaurant. Except the red neon cheese sign. But I guess that’s all it matters!
 
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Tonight we are having end of the night desert after dinner @ Les Faux Bourgeois. (Perfect date combination if I may suggest) With a bottle of German Riesling and Cheese platter… let the chilling begins~ Three cheese tasting was priced at $11… very reasonable price compared to all the fancy “fine dinning” restaurants. We have ordered
1.la sauvagine (from cow)
2.bleu des basques (sheep)
3.aged goat gouda (goat)

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All three cheese were outstanding, La sauvagine’s texture is very similar to Brie Cheese, soft and silky full of milk flavor with hint of grass. On tops of the hot plate it started melting away, perfect with the crunchy croutons. It totally melts always your tognue.  The bleu des basques is a kind of blue cheese, a nice unique salty flavor without overpowering smelly shoes smell. So even if you are not that adventurous in blue cheese. This one might be your entry course. The cheese has very deep depth, every taste is slightly different. Don’t take my words for it! Try it your self~. Lastly, the aged goat gouda has a very sweet goat cheese flavor, as the server described it is very thick. To be honest, I don’t think it’s good for tasting, but I could imagine how good it is if you spreads on tops of pizza or pasta. It will make your dish rise into the next level.

The best part about this restaurant is that it is also a Cheese shop. If you like any of the cheese that you tasted it. Simply go to the store next to it!

The only bad thing about it is that it closes at 10pm. Come on~~ With such environment, it is such a good place to unwind during the weekend. I wish it open later for night owls like us~

Worth the drive? Yes
Food: 25/30
Decoration: 23/30
Price: $20~$40

Notes: Please see my review on meals in the later post!

Au Petit Chavignol on Urbanspoon

Reference: http://www.aupetitchavignol.com/