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Thursday 31 July 2014

What Wacky Ideas Would Food Manufacturers Bring Out Next

Coco Glace is one of Time's 12 Tastiest New Foods.

Described as the coolest crafted coconut, it is basically slices of natural coconut meat and coconut water served in a natural coconut shell and frozen.

Once you defrost it (which takes hours), you can enjoy it like you are picking coconut off a tree in a jungle (provided you have the skills to open a natural coconut shell).

Too bad my camera battery died once I opened the package.

I have not tasted fresh coconut before, so it was an experience.

Personally, I'd rather stick to a white and creamy coconut cream pie.

For the rest of you, look for it at your supermarket.

More info HERE


 

Tuesday 29 July 2014

What Is Zaa'tar

Readers would have seen those Manakeesh lots of times on the blog.

Those are made with a Lebanese spice mix called Zaa'tar.

Many have asked me to describe Zaa'tar but it is always difficult to explain.

Until I stumbled upon this great posted at Greens Salad Bar (new Lebanese Restaurant in town - click HERE to read about it).

It is a simple and accurate description of Zaa'tar. Enjoy and bookmark this page in case someone asks you.

Monday 28 July 2014

Glad To See

A year ago I wrote about a beautiful small Lebanese restaurant called Beirut Bistro (Read Vancouver Welcomes Beirut). Sadly, it closed down.

But in its same location, we now have another quality small Lebanese restaurant. 



Greens Salad Bar may not be the most exciting name. But the place itself is very sweet. Ran by a Lebanese family, you sense the home made touch of the dough and fillings of the different fatayer and manakeesh.


They offer a series of warm dishes (including what I hear is the best Chicken Shawarma and Falafel in the city), daily specials and a Lebanese inspired salad bar that is sold by weight and you can add to it some fatayer or meats.


I skipped the salad bar and opted for a plate of humus, tabouleh and choice of 3 fatayer (I tried one of each of the meat, spinach and cheese). 


Somerville Kitchen Lebanese-authentic certified! Give it a try.


Mediterranean Greens Salad Bar
812 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC
604-694-1007

Mediterranean Greens Salad Bar on Urbanspoon

Sunday 27 July 2014

Saturday 26 July 2014

B & B

Today, B&B does not stand for Bed and Breakfast. It stands for My Dear Lovely Neighbours' Biryani and Blueberries.


The one pot chicken Biryani was better than excellent. Freshly made, cooking for hours on low heat, spicy, tasty. I ate most of this pot.


And dessert was fresh local blueberries. They may have been from My Dear Lovely Neighbour's garden, but there were no confirmation or denial to this rumour.

 

Friday 25 July 2014

The Apprentice

I've heard enough hype about Farmer's Apprentice that it was time to check it out.

Tucked on West 6th in a quiet area, it may take you a while to find it.

Once you do, you may question whether to go in given how small the place and its menu are.

It does not help that their servers are not necessarily the warmest.

But please do step in.


The menu is limited, the prices are not cheap given the size of plates. The chef is creative, but again many creative chefs are popping up throughout the city.

Where Farmer's Apprentice stands out is the taste of the food.

You can taste the freshness and taste what you are actually eating as opposed to having all covered with salt and pepper.

And they do use delicious salts and peppers but those bring the flavour of the food out as opposed to masking non-fresh produce and food.



And don't miss on the cheese platter. The brunch menu looks fascinating and so are the Sunday Series which I don't understand how they work, but are very intriguing.


Farmer's Apprentice
1535 West 6th Avenu
Vancouver, BC
www.farmersapprentice.ca

Farmer's Apprentice on Urbanspoon


Thursday 24 July 2014

Wacky Cereal - One




Remember those? I just picked up a pack. But given it is a fun pack, one cannot eat with milk only. Over the next month, every Wacky Thursday will be dedicated to a wacky way of eating those. Enjoy the first one.

If I did not question how those are coloured and their health value, I would have Froot Loops every morning. 

But back to the fun pack, how can one make Froot Loops even more fun?

Well, fruit was the first thing that came to mind. But given their size and colour, it has to be a fruit that mixes well and stands out in colour.

Solution: Blueberries.

Not only they looked good in the bowl, the eating of Froot Loops and blueberries combined and soaked in milk was a perfect taste and visual sensory experience.


Wednesday 23 July 2014

A Feast for the Eyes

My dear lovely neighbour, tonight I will let the pictures tell the story of this lovely meal of Thai inspiration, curry leaves and lots of mustard seeds. 

Never enough thank yous.



Tuesday 22 July 2014

It's All About The Mint

Not anyone can produce a simple yet glamourous dinner as what I was invited to on this beautiful patio.

Mediterranean marinade soaked the chicken prior to being grilled to perfection and elegantly presented.



Add to this a colourful mediterranean salad, excellent quality wine and I am in food heaven.

The simple glamour carried over to the dessert, which was a perfect ending to this neighbourly summer get together.


Thank you again HaJ!


Monday 21 July 2014

Longest Noodles on Fraser Street

Ho Yuen Kee is a Chinese restaurant that is known for its noodles.

And its noodles, which are hand made by the way, are so long that you have to stand up to be able pour them, so make sure you have a long-armed guy at the party.

At least their noodles come on the plain side so you don't splash neighbouring tables with sauce.

In addition to making their noodles, they make (and are well-known for) their own wontons and dumplings.

Their wonton soups are as simple and plain as their noodles, but definitely worth ordering given the taste.


And if you are a seafood lover, you can choose your (live) crab or lobster and they will prepare it in two sauces to choose from.

However, if you go for this, check the daily market price since this plate on its own may exceed $40.

The beef with green pepper in black bean sauce was very tasty.

The lemon breaded chicken was exceptional.

But what they served that was much better than any other restaurant I tried them at was their lettuce wrap - a huge portion that is freshly made.

A great place for big crowds, worth the visit (and you can discover the rest of the Fraser Street Finds along the way).


 Ho Yuen Kee Restaurant
6236 Fraser Street
Vancouver, BC
604-324-8855

Ho Yuen Kee Restaurant 何源記 on Urbanspoon

 

Sunday 20 July 2014

Great New Kitchen Toy

This new toy, made in Syria and sold in Iranian stores, is a Falafel maker; and I love it.

You see, it does not make Falafel from scratch but it helps you shape the falafel mix into equally shaped and beautiful patties and slip into the hot oil painlessly.

You push the lever down and fill it with the falafel mix. You use the plastic spoon included in the tool to pat the mix straight into the tool.


You then push the lever up and, using the plastic spoon included, slip the falafel patty into the oil. 


It worked perfectly well and produced a fine looking platter of falafel. The pieces are not as perfectly similar as you'd find in Beirut, but not bad for the first attempt.


Falafel party anyone? If you read this far, just invite yourself (seriously).


Saturday 19 July 2014

We Love You My Dear Lovely Neighbour

We love the brightness your dinner table and company always brings


We love the freshness of your salads and of your perspective on life


We love how you always manage to perfect the spicing of your food and spice up our lives along the way

 
We love how you are always considerate in your menu choice and in everything you do, always.

 
We love you my dear lovely neighbour!