Follow Me Foodie to BC Tree Fruits 52nd Annual Apple Month!

Apple Recipes, Ideas, Tips & Tricks!

“I’m turning my head up and down
I’m turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just another apple-tree”
- Fools Garden, Lemon Tree lyrics

Well I guess the lyrics don’t really apply since it’s February, but who cares because it’s Apple Month! Apple Month was originally started by BC Tree Fruits to support local growers in the Okanagan and now it’s in its 52nd year. There are literally thousands of apple varieties and knowing which apples to use for what can really help improve your recipes. Besides eating and baking them there are other neat things you can do with them, and here are just a few apple recipes, ideas and tips! So if you missed my Foodie Friday segment on NEWS 1130AM radio this morning (11am every other Friday) here’s a quick recap.

What type of apples do I use for my pies?

Just to get it out of the way, I know everyone is going to ask “where can I get the best apple pie?” “The best” I’m not sure since I haven’t tried every single one in the city, but personally I enjoy the apple pie at Savary Island Pie Company, however they’re not too hard to make yourself.

I highly recommend trying your favourite apple pie recipes with various apples because every apple has a different flavour. If you like your apple pies more tart then go with a classic Granny Smith apple, but if you like it more sweet then try an Ambrosia, and even sweeter would be a Fuji apple. They all have different sugar contents and textures after they bake, so have fun and experiment beyond the Granny Smith, or even try a blend of apples. I would probably stay away from Cortlands and Red Delicious since they lose shape and get powdery, however they work for ciders and sauces.

If you’re just so done with “old-fashioned grandma-style apple pies”, then perhaps try my Maple Bourbon Apple Pie with a Bacon Pecan Crust Recipe!

Now if you want to try something really different you can also try a Grāpple. It’s an apple from Washington that looks like an apple, crunches like an apple, and tastes like a grape! They’ve been in the market for a while now and I discovered them at Whole Foods and specialty stores over a year ago and they’re pretty bizarre. It’s a natural and safe process using artificial flavors and the apples are bathed in grape flavoured water until they absorb the flavours of a grape. So if you hate the taste of apples, but want the health benefits, then maybe try a Grāpple?

Try Making Apple-Infused Vodka!

Speaking of infusions there are several other things you can do with apples besides baking them. Going the more adult root you can infuse vodka with them. I wouldn’t use an expensive brand since it would be a waste, but just go with something affordable.

Simply slice or dice 3-4 apples with their skins in chunks, and drop them in a container filled with 1 bottle of vodka until they are completely covered. Let them soak for about a week or so until your desired apple intensity is reached and then remove the apples and strain the liquid to rid any remaining sediments. The colour of the vodka will be yellowish brown.

You can try the same recipe with rum or add some cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans or pink peppercorns if you’re feeling a bit more creative.

Note: Before you toss out those old vodka infused apples, you can also puree them and cook them over low-medium heat with some cinnamon, vinegar and raisins and use it as a chutney or spread.

What else are apples good for besides eating?

Well I hope you don’t buy apples just for this reason because that would be a waste, but there are some neat tricks you can do with apples besides eat them. You may know some of these already, but apples speed up the ripening of avocados, tomatoes, bananas and pears. If you put an apple with any of those items in a brown bag they’ll ripen even faster.

Another thing you can do is use apples (or a piece of bread) to soften up brown sugar. Leave a piece of apple overnight in the dried up and hardened brown sugar and the next day it will be loose and back to normal.

Last but not least, is what apples can do with salt. You know how people say “you can always add more salt, but you can’t take it out”? Well au contraire! Believe it or not Ripley, if you over salt your soups or sauces you can throw in a few pieces of apple, allow it to cook for a bit, and it will remove salt content. Sure your sauce or soup may have a very mild and subtle apple flavour or sweetness, but you’re only using 2-3 pieces and not the entire thing.

Apple Pie In-A-Jar… ?

If you got all the way down to here, which you did because you’re reading this, then do you remember this? It’s my Canadian Pie In-A-Jar from Food Network Canada’s Recipe to Riches. Well I have some great news for those of you who wanted to try it. I’m actually reinventing it with BC Tree Fruit Apples and making an Apple Pie In-A-Jar! I’ll be having a sampling session for it soon so watch for my posts in the next couple weeks for the announcement!

Swallow Tail Secret Supper Soiree

Psst. The Swallow Tail Secret Supper Soiree is back. Five Courses. Four Wine Tastings. Two Secret Locations. That’s what it all comes down to, but it delivers beyond that. It’s one of the many Dine Out Vancouver food events happening this year and one that I was pretty excited to attend. I’m more enthusiastic about the Dine Out events rather than the Dine Out Menus for the reasons I wrote about here. Anyways on this occasion I was invited to attend the Swallow Tail Secret Supper Soiree which is a “pop up restaurant event”. I had no idea what to expect and I can only share so much of my experience without ruining the element of surprise, which is all part of the “Secret Supper” experience.

I’ve actually attended one of the Swallow Tail Secret Suppers in the past. It’s one of the few underground restaurants in Vancouver and this event was cleverly created and hosted by the same organizers. It wasn’t as intimate as their underground dinners, especially since this was intended for a much larger group, but it caters well to those who appreciate event style dining.

It all started at the meeting location where all guests were conveniently picked up and chauffeured to the two secret locations. The theme of the event is 1930′s so they encourage everyone to dress in 1930′s attire. They say “fancier the better”, but being that this is Vancouver, that translated to a clean pair of jeans. Personally I love dressing up so I was excited to play, but the event is rather casual so I wouldn’t sweat it, but I also wouldn’t wear sweats… although I never really wear sweats.

The first location totally caught me by surprise! As much as I want to tell you, I can’t, but I will give you a clue. We entered a room which featured this chalkboard and I actually thought this was the dinner menu. I guess that’s the “foodie” in me, but I honestly got a bit excited since I’ve never tried spleen or thymus before. I’m not sure how many of you think I’m joking, but I’m actually being serious. Anyways, the chalkboard ended up just being part of the unexpected venue.

The event kicked off with a cocktail (Pimm’s Cup a la Boardwalk Empire) and the first two courses which I considered more of an amuse bouche than actual courses. It was all enjoyed in the context of a standing room which I preferred since it allowed more opportunity for socializing.

First course: Beet Salad with blood orange granita, BB microns and pomegranate seeds. Yes, the beakers suited the venue.

Second course: Tomato Consume with pickled cauliflower and Hijiki seaweed.

The second secret location was my personal highlight for the whole Swallow Tail Secret Supper Soiree experience. Yes, it even beat out the food. I loved the venue. Being a born and raised Vancouverite who’s rather familiar with the food scene, I was rather shocked that I never knew about this place. Of course there’s always secret locations to discover, but this one really impressed me. Again, I can’t tell you where we went exactly, but I will tell you that those barrels were meant for wine and not for monkeys.

Although the dinner offers 4 BC wine pairings there are also wines available by the glass for purchase.

The dinner took a while to start and it can be assumed that it would be a bit “banquet style dining”. That being said, the meal was elegantly prepared and presented with colours in mind by Chef Andrea Carlson (formerly of Bishops, an award winning fine dining restaurant). The quality of ingredients were high and the menu was sophisticated, but at times it suffered slightly from being cold or room temperature. On that note, it was also food that could be still enjoyed at room temperature.

The third course, which felt more like the first course, was a Poached Hen’s Egg with forest mushrooms and a red wine reduction paired with a 8th Generations, Pinot Noir, 2010.

Put an egg on anything and I’ll be happy. It was a substantial salad with the added egg and the toasted baguette was a lovely mop for the bright orange runny egg yolk – another perfect addition to my Egg Yolk Series. The bread could have been more toasted and it was already a bit soft, but given the context, these hiccups were somewhat expected. The fourth course was the main course and there was a given vegetarian option. The meat course was standard and it was a Pitt Meadows Flat Iron Steak with potato pave, root veggies and a huckleberry & rosemary jus paired with Therapy, Syrah, 2008. It was a refined “meat and potatoes” which again could have benefited from being served hot, but it was still good room temperature. The meat was closer to medium rather than medium rare, which is what I prefer, but they made a flat iron steak and potatoes look $50, and that was appreciated.

The fifth and final course was the Riesling Baba with Orange Blossom SemiFreddo, persimmon puree and pistachios paired with Lang, Off-dry, Riesling, 2008. I usually find Baba Rum Cakes too sweet and it was no different here, however I loved the creative twists on it. They took a very simple dessert and elevated it with sophisticated flavours making it appropriate for fine dining standards.

It had a dominant floral and perfume like flavour and would cater to those who like rose water and lavender. The semmifreddo was refreshing and delicious, but the cakes were a bit over baked, cold and intensely sweet from being soaked in Riesling syrup, but I loved the concept and flavour combinations.

To top things off there was some fabulous swing dancing for entertainment to enhance the 1930′s theme. It was charming and enjoyable to watch, and of course the dance floor is open to guests, but next to these professionals I think everyone chose to remain seated.

Overall it was a very well organized event, with a few timing issues here and there, and if you look at the whole picture it was worth it ($129 w/wine, $89 w/o wine). On the other hand, if you’re in it for the food it feels more like a 3 course than a 5 course and most of us headed for drinks and snacks afterwards. The wines were local and the food was pretty good taking into consideration it’s being made for 50-60 people. I probably appreciated the unique experience more, but it would be nice to see a theme change for each soiree in the future. It’s a bit of a novelty, but it can be equally enjoyed by locals and tourists.

For dates and ticket info see here.

Restaurant: C Restaurant
Cuisine: Seafood/Fine Dining/West Coast/Pacific Northwest
Last visited: January 25, 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: #2 – 1600 Howe Street
Train: Yaletown-Roundhouse Stn Southbound
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try

Food: n/a (Dine Out Menu)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Kambolis Restaurant Group
• Fine dining
• West Coast/Pacific Northwest cuisine
• Seasonal menus
• Local ingredients
• Award winning
• Leader in sustainable seafood
• Specializes in seafood
• Executive Chef Robert Clark
• Oceanfront view
• Heated patio
• Award winning wine list
• Ocean Wise
• Weekend brunch – see here
• Dinner Daily from 5pm

**Recommendations: Pumpkin Soup, any Velouté, Spiced Chocolate Pudding, The Pickled Beet Salad is good and also if you enjoy caviar you should check out their Northern Divine Caviar Dinner.

Dine Out Vancouver menus and events are at their halfway mark and there’s still another week to participate in this annual food festival. I recently posted on my thoughts about Dine Out Vancouver (see here) and I’m personally more interested in the events rather than the price fixe menus. I just have my biases with Dine Out Menus and find them more or less samples of what the restaurant can do on a regular night. Therefore I strongly recommend people to go back on a regular night regardless of how impressed or disappointed you were with them during Dine Out.

I am quite familiar with the regular menu at C Restaurant and have been there on several occasions. In fact I even saw some of the regular dishes offered on the Dine Out menu. However they were slightly altered, simplified and made more approachable for the price fixe. On this occasion I was invited to try their Dine Out menu, which I expected would either confirm or even better convert my preconceptions regarding Dine Out. I respect those of you who do participate in Dine Out Vancouver, and if you’re looking for options then I’m pleased to share my experiences and what is available.

C restaurant is an award winning fine dining seafood restaurant and they’re offering a 4 course menu for $38 during Dine Out Vancouver (January 20 – February 5, 2012). Most restaurants in the $38 category are only offering 3 courses, and although the price fixe is a bit more limited at C, the additional course balances it out. I must say I was incredibly impressed with my dinner, however a big part of that was due to the added supplements and wine pairings. If I just had the regular $38 Dine Out menu, I would be content, but not necessarily full or as enthusiastic to go back.

I find this experience quite common with many restaurants providing a $38 prixe fixe menu, since cost margins are harder for those specializing in fine dining. That was also one of the points I brought up regarding my thoughts on Dine Out. With the added supplements and wine pairings (which was a great investment at only $26) it would have been about $100, which is more or less standard for 4 courses + wine at C Restaurant on a regular night ordering a la carte.

I’ve become a fan of their sommelier, Sarah McCauley, who does fantastic wine pairings that really enhanced this meal. The $38 Dine Out menu is enjoyable, and a deal, but the supplements (which are more representable of the regular menu) and wine pairings is what impressed me most and what I would return for.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread & Butter

• I look forward to the bread here, specifically the seaweed bread, but they serve it differently each time.
• This time it wasn’t served warm, but they still had their three daily varieties.
• The seaweed bread is standard and also my favourite. It’s always good, but that tastes different each time too.
• It’s a buttery seaweed bread that’s somewhat sweeter and more like a loaf.
• It was super tender, soft, crumbly and moist with chewy bits of seaweed throughout and white sesame seeds to give it texture and nutty flavour.
• It was almost like cornbread and it’s fine without butter, but even better with it.
• The smoked sea salt butter adds a savoury smoky flavoour which I love.

First Course

North Arm Farms Beet Panzanella Salad - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• Harissa dressing, shaved ricotta salata
• Jackson Triggs White Meritage 2009
• This was the standard first course.
• I had this before for brunch (see North Arms Farm Pickled Beet Salad) and I must say I enjoyed that version even more.
• On the regular menu it’s served with shaved ricotta silata, scotch pearls and olive oil sorbet $13
• It was a very fresh and clean salad with shaved watermelon beets, baby golden and red beets, frisee and arugula.
• Beet salads are quite common, but the quality and types of beets is what made this one unique.
• It was served with two dollops of harissa dressing which is a North African dressing made with paprika, chili, garlic, and coriander.
• There was a nice sweetness and tang from the pickled beets and the dressing added bold flavour as well as complementing sweetness.
• This Harissa dressing almost tasted like a spiced Middle Eastern molasses, but not as thick and with a nice sweet and smoky balance without being spicy.
• There were a couple large crunchy homemade croutons on the plate for texture and I would have loved more shave ricotta salata since it was very subtle.

Second Course

Seared Albacore Tuna - 3/6 (Good)

• Winter minestrone, parmesan pistou and crisp basil
• Add burgundy truffles shaved tableside $12
• Wine pairing: SYL Ranch Nelly 2009
• This was the standard second course and although good, it wasn’t as memorable as the sauteed spot prawns (+$9 supplement).
• The tuna was seared rare, but I was looking for that charcoal grilled flavour to come through.
• It sat on a winter minestrone which was almost like a tomato orzo meets a ratatouille.
• The winter minestrone had butternut squash, carrots and tomato and it wasn’t soupy, but more of a sauce or side with the added orzo.
• The Parmesan pistou seemed more like an herb puree and I think a pesto would have worked better giving it more flavour.
• There was a slight cheesiness that showed up for short moments on random bites, but otherwise I was hoping for a bit more.
• It reminded me of the ahi tuna I had at Federico’s Supper Club – see Ahi Tuna Special.

Sauteed Spot Prawns – 5/6 (Excellent)

• Kale, chilli, lime and romesco sauce +$9 supplement
• Wine pairing: Jackson Triggs White Meritage 2009
• This was a new dish for me and I really enjoyed it, but again it was a supplement.
• It’s the first BC Spot Prawns I’ve had this year and it made me miss them even more.
• I couldn’t help to think what they did with the heads, and I was hoping they would be deep fried and served alongside.
• There was a very strong acidity to this dish with vinegar braised juicy kale, fresh lime segments, and a slight kick of chili that left a bit of heat, but wasn’t spicy.
• Romesco sauce is one of my favourite sauces and it’s a Spanish sauce made from fire roasted tomatoes and ground almonds.
• The sauce almost looked like pureed uni (sea urchin) and it was very creamy, rich, smoky and nutty and played well as a sophisticated “cocktail sauce”.
• The prawns were seasoned and cooked well without being mushy and the bursts of lime segments kept the dish fresh and bright.
• The crispy parsnip chips made for texture and there were also pieces of toasted pistachio nuts which I loved for crunch and flavour.

Poached Lobster - 4/6 (Very good)

• Lemon herb risotto, cognac cream +$12 supplement
• Add white truffles from alba shaved tableside $40
• Wine pairing: SYL Ranch Nelly 2009
• It’s ambitious offering risotto during Dine Out when it’s usually extra busy and dishes need to be sent out quickly.
• Everything about this was a time sensitive dish, but it was actually quite perfect and the risotto was cooked with care although I wouldn’t mind the Arborio even a bit firmer.
• It was rich and creamy with a hint of parsley, but I did miss a little more cheese because it was more buttery than it was cheesy. It wasn’t very cheesy at all.
• The lobster bisque was a wonderful addition except I couldn’t taste the lobster crustaceans and it just tasted a little like a tomato bisque, but not as acidic and more sweet.
• I could have used a hint of saffron in the risotto or bisque to give it another layer of flavour.
• The cheese and lobster bisque was rich in texture, and unusually subtle in flavour although not bland.
• The only real downfall was that the lobster was a bit overcooked and chewy, however there was a whole piece of it which was better than having it all cut up and mixed in the risotto.
• The lobster is pretty much the most important part to this dish, so it’s harder to forgive.

Third Course

Seared Lake Babine Salmon - 3/6 (Good)

• Squash puree, almond tapenade
• Wine pairing: NK Mip Pinot Blanc 2010
• I’m a bit biased with this dish because I’ve had the original from the regular menu – see here.
• On the regular menu it’s served with roasted North Arm Farms vegetables, creamed leeks, caviar-lobster hollandaise $35
• I’ve tried the Lake Babine Salmon Tasting Menu before and it is quite delicious – see here.
• This is kind of one of my issues with Dine Out and I was hoping they would serve things from the regular menu and just leave all the ingredients as is. I know caviar-lobster hollandaise is hard to give with a $38 price fixe, but that’s kind of the catch 22.
• Had I not been given the down low for why the Lake Babine Salmon isn’t served with the skin I would have been disappointed, but since I already knew I could let it go.
• The Lake Babine Salmon skin is hard to cook and make taste good so they just leave it out.
• I do wish there was an effort to replace the texture of the crispy skin though like they did for the same dish on the regular menu.
• The salmon was cooked medium and it was quite firm, but not dry. I do like Lake Babine Salmon, but it’s definitely not an oily or buttery breed of salmon.
• The almond tapenade was potent with olive, almond and I think pumpkin seeds which I love.
• The fish needed that texture and flavour of a heavy sauce and the sweet and creamy squash puree balanced out the saltiness of the tapenade.
• I liked the brussel sprouts, but would have like a couple crispy brussel sprout leaves and/or deep fried capers for texture, especially since there was no crispy salmon skin.
• The best salmon I’ve had at C (and one of the best in general) was the Seared Hawkshaw Salmon.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin - 5/6 (Excellent)

• Walnut polenta, tarragon butter, confit portobello mushrooms +$12 supplement
• Add spot prawns $8 Add poached lobster $18
• Wine pairing: Petales d’Osoyoos 2008
• A steak is a steak and I normally order steaks only at steakhouses. I wouldn’t think to order steak at a seafood restaurant either, but this was a very pleasant surprise!
• Everything on this plate melted in your mouth like butter, and the only thing that didn’t really melt was ironically the butter.
• The steak was excellent and it has a great crust and dry rub and I could taste the charcoal flavours. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare and it was a great steak.
• It was topped with a terragon butter which was very herby and not salted, but it didn’t really melt into the steak so I wish it was served a bit hotter.
• Even better is if that butter was a blue cheese mousse/butter… together with the walnut polenta I might have cried happy tears.
• The walnut polenta was probably one of the best polentas I’ve had and I could taste the freshly ground walnuts. The texture of that and the cornmeal was enough for me to remember for a long time.
• The polenta was creamy, nutty, buttery and rich and the au jus just folded nicely into it. It was better than a pommes puree and I love pommes puree.
• The sauce could have been a bit thicker and more reduced, but this was a sign of the restaurant getting busy, which it was since it was Dine Out (even busier).
• The confit portobello was incredibly oily (not greasy) and meaty in flavour, but not in texture. It pretty much melted in my mouth like silk and it seemed almost sous vide in duck fat, not just sauteed in it.
• I would have loved some actual toasted walnuts as a garish, but I still found this excellent.
• The wine was an amazing wine and I could drink it with or without the steak. It was smooth and well aged and I’d be interested in just buying a bottle for the weekend.

Spiced Chocolate Pudding - 5/6 (Excellent)

• Vanilla chantilly, crisp caramel puffed rice
• Wine pairing: Sumac Ridge Vintage Pipe 2006
• Again, I’m a bit biased with this dessert because I’ve had the original from their regular menu – see here.
• The original is actually one of the best desserts I’ve had at C.
• The chocolate pudding tasted like a mild chocolate gingerbread pudding.
• It was creamy, rich and in between a pudding and a mousse. It was almost smoother and creamier than a pannacotta if possible.
• It had nice warm spices of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves and a hint of vanilla bean seeds.
• It was creamy and smooth and not too sweet and the crunchy caramelized puffed rice on top gave it great texture. It would have been great as pecans too.
• The vanilla chantilly didn’t have the vanilla bean seeds and I wish it did.
• This was excellent, but the original was just out of this world (as cliche as that sounds).

Petit Fours

• Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti and candied ginger
• This was more like a soft and tender and slightly chewy lemon poppyseed shortbread than a biscotti, but it was good.
• I actually enjoyed eating it with a little candied ginger sprinkled on top.

Restaurant: Xi Shi Lounge – Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea
Cuisine: Tea/Pacific Northwest/West Coast/Fusion/Desserts
Last visited: January 24, 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 1128 West Georgia Street (At Shangri-La Hotel)
Subway stop: Burrard
Price Range: $20-30+ ($34 Afternoon Tea)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 4 (for Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Inside Shangri-La Hotel
• Euro-Asian/Fusion menu
• Tearoom/Lounge/Restaurant
• Aafternoon Tea Service
• Lunch service
• Great for snacks
• Elegant/posh
• Cocktail/wine list
• Afternoon Tea with live classical piano
• 11.30am – 1am (Seasonal Patio from 11.30am – 11pm)
• 11.30am - 5pm (Saturday and Sunday)

**Recommendations: Afternoon Tea

Adding to the growing list of Chinese New Year menus in Vancouver is Xi Shi Lounge’s Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea (limited time). I’m loving the enthusiasm for the New Year and the various restaurant choices and menu options are more than welcome in a multicultural city.

Xi Shi Lounge opened late last year at the Shangri-La Hotel just underneath Market by Jean-Georges. It features an Euro-Asian fusion inspired menu with a focus on chilled and hot snacks, limited lunch items and a traditional Afternoon Tea. Yes, Afternoon Tea, not High Tea, there’s a difference (see my post here). On this occasion I was invited to their Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea which is offered from January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.

One of the things I valued most at the Xi Shi Lounge Afternoon Tea service was the live classical piano performance they had for entertainment. I’ve been to Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Vancouver, The Secret Garden Tea Company, The China Cup Tea Company, Applewood Country Gifts, Tearoom & Bakery, Tracycakes Bakery Cafe, and The Urban Tea Merchant, but this is the only one that featured live entertainment which really made it an elegant and upscale experience. This is featured on a daily basis even with their regular Afternoon Tea service.

It was nice to see Xi Shi continue the Asian theme with the Nikko chinaware rather than the English brands. When it comes to Afternoon Tea I can get quite particular because there are a certain set of expectations and traditions that come with it. Ambiance is a big part of it. It was an elegant, stylish and posh tearoom, and I found it carried more of a cocktail atmosphere fit for after work drinks.

I recently tried the “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea at The Urban Tea Merchant a block away. It featured a standard version of Afternoon Tea, but with some playful Asian influences. It was definitely still more Westernized, and if you’re looking for something more traditional to the Chinese culture, that isn’t quite authentic as dim sum, then I would suggest trying this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi. Personally, the “foodie” part of me enjoyed the food, value and overall experience at Xi Shi more, but the “tea lover” (not connoisseur) in me appreciated the luxury teas and tea culture at The Urban Tea Merchant. They both offer very different experiences and each have their strengths and clientele so it depends on what you’re looking for.

Even though I am very familiar with traditional dim sum, I still appreciated this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi, but on another level. I didn’t have expectations for authentic dim sum, but I was expecting a general understanding of the East meets West concept since the menu was developed by Chef Wayne Harris of Market by Jean-Georges upstairs. Jean-Georges is notorious for Asian fusion, so I was quite confident in the Chinese New Year menu even though the chef is of non-Asian decent. The selection of dim sum was more traditional than I expected from a place like Xi Shi, and if it can introduce or warm people up to traditional Chinese food via a modern context, I’m more than happy.

Now for the “stick to tradition” readers, I wouldn’t compare this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi Lounge to authentic Chinese dim sum. However, they actually did a good job replicating dim sum dishes making it more approachable for Western tastes. I would say the food was probably more Westernized than a place like Wild Rice (where the chef is non-Asian, but culinary trained in dim sum), but I do respect the extra effort they went on creating an entire menu just for the New Year and it was representable of Chinese food. Food authenticity aside, I would recommend this for anyone who values ambiance and style and it plays well into the Chinese New Year celebration.

On the table:

**Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea - 4/6 (Very good)

• $34/per person (Includes choice of loose leaf tea)
• Available January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• It was Western style dim sum, but again they did a respectable job with it.
• I was very impressed with what was delivered and the value was certainly there, especially when you factor in the provided classical piano performance.
• The menu featured great variety and every item was handmade and actually representable of traditional Chinese food.
• If you compare the items to the real deal, this doesn’t really do it justice, but it also wasn’t disappointing and I really did enjoy it.
• It’s supposed to be an Afternoon Tea, but with 9 hors d’ouevres, it’s definitely substantial enough as a lunch, and that’s coming from me! (I eat a lot.)

Choice of Loose Leaf Tea – 5/6 (Excellent)

• It was a premium brand of loose leaf tea from England, and I would have loved if they offered an Asian brand to suit their Asian theme.
• I have to admit, The Urban Tea Merchant is my shrine for luxury teas and it’s hard to compete with that quality.
• **Shangri-La Blend
• A black tea blend with pineapple, kiwi and plum.
• This is the signature tea. It was a fruity tea, but it smelled fruitier and sharper than it tasted.
• It was floral, with a hint of citrus, but I couldn’t pick up the kiwi although I enjoyed it overall.
• **Classic Chai
• An assam tea with exotic spices – India at its best.
• How can I resist “India at its best”?
• This was an excellent Chai and it was heavy with the cinnamon with a hint of cardamom and even spicy ginger notes.
• The spices were quite apparent and well rounded after adding cream.

Barbeque Pork and Puff Pastry, Vegetable Spring Roll, Shrimp Dumplings

• The items on this plate is representable of Cantonese style dim sum.
• It had something baked, fried and steamed and there was good variety.

The tier of hot appetizers were served with a soy and rice wine vinegar, Hoisin sauce, and lemon plum sauce. Traditionally the only item that would come with a sauce is the spring rolls, but this was the Westernized version.

Barbeque Pork and Puff Pastry - 4/6 (Very good)

• This is more or less an Asian inspired “sausage roll”, but it does exists in authentic Chinese dim sum. See BBQ Pork Pastry.
• This was meant to be eaten with the Hoisin sauce, which is the modern take.
• It was a soft and flaky buttery puff pastry that wasn’t dry and it was well stuffed with sweet and salty barbeque pork and green onions.
• The barbeque pork was lean, but not dry and although I prefer the authentic version, I still easily enjoyed this one.
• It was less saucy than the traditional version and since it had the Hoisin dipping sauce, it was understandable.
• If you like BBQ pork style buns, I would highly recommend these Baked BBQ Pork Buns.

Vegetable Spring Roll - 4/6 (Very good)

• A spring roll is a spring roll, but for a vegetarian spring roll, this was very good!
• It was well stuffed with carrots, cilantro and sweet Shiitake mushrooms and a bit of cabbage and celery.
• They were very crispy and the vegetables still kept their flavours and textures and it had a great crunch.
• There was a very subtle heat, but it wasn’t spicy. This was meant to be enjoyed with plum sauce and I was surprised that I even liked it at all since it was just a spring roll.
• A traditional Chinese style spring roll would be stuffed with prawns and the dipping sauce would be Worcestershire sauce. As for their vegetarian versions, I actually don’t think it’s as good as this one.

Shrimp Dumplings - 2/6 (Okay)

• It’s ambitious to take on the shrimp dumpling.
• This is what dim sum chefs and restaurants pride themselves on and it’s one of the hardest things to master. You judge a Chinese restaurant based on their Shrimp Dumplings.
• This requires a lot of technique to make so it almost holds too much significance for me to enjoy unbiasedly.
• The skin was actually quite chewy and nice, but it was too thick and classically it should be very thin and transparent, but not breaking.
• The prawn was a Side Stripe (?) and it had a mild infused ginger flavour, but it was on the dry side.
• It just didn’t carry that desired juicy crunch of an authentic prawn dumpling – see “Har Gow“.
• The effort is commendable, but if you’ve had a great version of the real thing, this was tough to appreciate.
• It was served with a soy and rice wine vinegar which is very modern, but it actually made it taste better. Traditionally soy and vinegar sauces are served with fried meat dumplings.

Green Onion Pancake, Steam Buns, Crunchy Sesame Balls

• This was the starch tier that was in between sweet and savoury. It led up to the top tier of sweet desserts nicely.
• The items on this plate is more traditional of Shanghainese dim sum.
• Green Onion Pancake – 1.5/6 (Poor – Okay)
• Next time I would start by eating this one first. It hindered from being eaten cold. That being said, I’ve had cold versions of the green onion pancake that have worked better.
• Usually there is more green onion and it should be all crispy and flaky.
• This one was quite dense and chewy, but it tasted better with the Hoisin sauce, which is not an uncommon method to enjoy together.
• I prefer it fried, but traditionally Shanghainese cultures tend to deep fry it – see Grilled Onion Pancake (it’s not actually grilled).
• Crunchy Sesame Balls – 2/6 (Okay)
• I loved that they served these, but the only thing is that they under baked/fried them and the inside was still doughy and stretchy. The flour flavour was cooked out, but they were still under cooked.
• This is very traditional to Chinese New Year – see my post on Chinese New Year Food.
• Traditionally they’re known as “Laughing Sesame Balls” and they’re enjoyed as a dessert or sweet snack.
• The sesame balls have a crack or dent in them which represent a smile and the seeds are symbolic for “having kids” (procreation) so you’ll get pregnant after one… just kidding.
• It’s actually a deep fried sweetened pastry and usually it’s crusted with white sesame seeds.
• I actually liked the black sesame seeds better and it made it even nuttier and more aromatic.
• They’re supposed to be crunchy throughout, but these were crunchy just on the outside and then soft and bready in the middle and unfortunately still doughy in the centre.
• I really loved the flavour of these (even more than the traditional ones) because I think they used all butter rather than lard/shortening (which Chinese people use). It was richer, a bit sweeter and not as greasy or dry as the traditional ones – see traditional Laughing Sesame Ball Cookies.

Steam Buns – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• Wow. This was impressive. They did a great job with this and I was surprised to even see them. It was almost the “scone” on the tier.
• It’s traditionally a Shanghainese dish and they’re basically deep fried buns known as “Mantou buns”. Terracotta Modern Chinese actually uses them to make amazing Short Rib Sliders.
• These tasted very authentic and perhaps even better than some traditional ones.
• They’re meant to be dipped in condensed milk (in the centre) and enjoyed as a dessert.

• It’s deep fried, but it’s not a doughnut and it’s only the outside that is meant to be crispy.
• The inside was soft, somewhat spongy and fluffy as it should be, and the bread is a sweeter type of Asian white bread.
• The larger versions of mantou (loaves) are rolled like cinnamon buns before being deep fried and it creates a noodle like inside that Asian kids often enjoy. You can peel them like cheese strings.

Lychee and Osmanthus Flower Shooter, Red Bean Mochi Ball, Egg Tarts

• Oh gosh. Chinese desserts. Desserts is not the forte in Chinese cuisine and usually it’s just fruits, which I kind of expected, but this was still appreciated.
• I eat everything, but Chinese desserts and Indian desserts are hard for me to love.
• Indian desserts I find often too sweet and Chinese desserts often not sweet enough, and it bothers me that they’re usually served warm.
• Anyways, they took the “better” of Chinese desserts and I didn’t fear getting to the top tier.

Red Bean Mochi – 2/6 (Okay)

• Alright, so I kind of feared this so I ate it first. Save the best for last…
• If you know this blog, you all know how I feel about red bean. Basically, it’s something I think I’ll appreciate when I’m older.
• Red bean mochi is more of a Japanese thing, but Chinese people still have their own version and so do Koreans. I prefer the Japanese kind – see here.
• The mochi skin was a bit doughy, dense and starchy and sprinkled with coconut, the coconut I liked!
• The inside was filled with sweetened red bean paste that was smooth and sweeter than traditional Chinese red bean paste.
• This was very rich and pasty and it’s just not my thing. That being said I still swallowed my bite and it wasn’t bad for what it was.
• A mochi that is my thing that I love (since it has no red bean) is the one from Hapa Umi that’s filled with ice cream – see Passionfruit Mochi Ice Cream.

Egg Tarts – 3/6 (Good)

• They did a good job with the egg tarts and they’re made in house too.
• It was a sweetened, crumbly, soft and moist shortbread like tart and the egg custard was also smooth and well made.
• It wasn’t a flaky or crispy egg tart shell, but they were very tender and even better than some Chinese dim sum places.
• There are some amazing ones at authentic Chinese dim sum, but these were still good.

Lychee and Osmanthus Flower Shooter – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• When I heard “shooter” I expected a drink, but this was actually jello.
• Jello shooters at Afternoon Tea was new, but of course non-alcoholic… boo. Just kidding.
• This was a version of the traditional Longan & Wolfberry Pudding or Lychee and Gogi Berry Jello.
• The bottom was the Chrysanthemum(?) flowers and I’m not sure if they meant them to sink to the bottom, but traditionally the flowers float throughout the jello.
• The gogi berries usually float throughout the jello too, but they just had the one dried one on top. This is perhaps a bit “exotic” so I understand the interpretation.
• This lychee jello was probably the best lychee jello I’ve had to date. It was full of fresh lychee fruit flavour (how? I don’t know since it’s not in season), but I loved it.
• It was fragrant and fruity and definitely sweeter than most Chinese desserts, and as sweet as most American jellos.

Restaurant: The Urban Tea Merchant – “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea
Cuisine: Tea/Pacific Northwest/Sandwiches/Desserts
Last visited: January 18, 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 1070 West Georgia Street
Subway stop: Burrard
Price Range: $30-50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 3.5-4 for Afternoon Tea (6 for tea)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Family owned/operated
• Flagship location in downtown
• Original location in West Vancouver
• Cafe/tearoom/gift shop
• Popular for afternoon tea
• Tea sampling welcomed
• Tea education classes
• Sophisticated, but kid-friendly
• Limited wine/champagne list
• Brunch 10am-1pm
• Afternoon Tea 12-5pm
• Mon-Wed. & Sat.: 10am – 7pm
• Thurs-Fri.: 10am – 8pm
• Sundays & Holidays: 12pm – 7pm

**Recommendations: Any of their teas. Freshly Baked Scone, Petit Tea-Infused Chicken Salad Cone, and “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea

On the third day of Chinese New Year my true love gave to me, the “Year of the Dragon” Afternoon Tea! Well that’s something different! It’s the second day of Chinese New Year and I mentioned The Urban Tea Merchant’s Chinese New Year menu in Follow Me Foodie to the Chinese New Year Kick Off & Chinese New Year Menus! It may not be traditional, but it’s something new, modern, fun and still festive to the New Year.

The last time I came to The Urban Tea Merchant was for their Holiday Afternoon Tea, and this time I was invited to their “Year of the Dragon” Afternoon Tea in honour of Chinese New Year. These special feature menus are festive twists on their standard Signature Afternoon Tea Service, and the “Year of the Dragon” Afternoon Tea is available from January 16th to January 31st. Even if you don’t come for afternoon tea, they do have a tea boutique as well as some Chinese New Year teas at their gift shop.

And this is my favouite part of The Urban Tea Merchant. They carry about 200 kinds of TWG Tea which is a 100% natural, high end luxury tea from Singapore and they’re the exclusive distributors for it in Canada. I could probably spend a day here just smelling all the various teas and it’s definitely a place for tea lovers and tea connoisseurs. If you’re neither, no worries, they have tea sommeliers to assist you.

Obviously this is not going to be a traditional Chinese New Year menu. Traditional dim sum is often compared to Afternoon Tea, and in this case it was still very much a Western version of Afternoon Tea, but with slight influences of Chinese and Asian ingredients. This is the first year The Urban Tea Merchant has introduced a Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea Service and I was ecstatic at the idea. We live in a multi-cultural city and it’s just another option to celebrate food and ring in the Chinese New Year.

Although I enjoyed my Holiday Afternoon Tea Service here last time, I wasn’t necessarily keen on the food. I found it pretty good with some unique tea-infused twists, but I didn’t really see the full value and I did expect a bit more. However on this occasion I felt like I did get more and my experience and food was even better, although still pricey. Perhaps it was because I already knew what to expect, but even so, there were improvements to the menu that I could see and taste. I just felt like there was more creativity and effort and maybe that was due to the theme. The “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea was generally well played and presented.

Now heads up! Xi Shi Lounge at the Shangri-La Hotel nearby is also hosting a Special Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea Monday, January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. $34 per person. Compared to The Urban Tea Merchant the items are more traditional Chinese with dim sum inspired bites like BBQ puff pastries, shrimp dumplings, egg tarts, mochi balls and more. My post here.

On the table:

Tea Sommelier’s Choice of Chilled TWG Tea Jasmine Pearls Tea & Sorbet

• I didn’t get this last time, but they start you off with a little amuse bouche or palate cleanser.
• The chilled tea was the White House which was very mild, light and refreshing with rose notes and fruity flavours of berries.
• The mango sorbet is delicious! It tasted like pure mango pulp and it was smooth, creamy, rich and thick and full of natural mango flavour without being too sweet.

**TWG Tea Selection – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• TWG Tea is a 100% natural, high end luxury tea from Singapore.
• It’s a premium quality tea at a premium price, but if you appreciate tea, it’s easy to see the value.

• Jade Dragon Tea – 50g/$58
• This is a very rare green tea and although it appears mild, it has a strong finish that’s slightly dry and bitter. It’s reminiscent of a traditional Chinese tea and it goes with everything.
• It’s very expensive due to its unique qualities, and it’s an included option in the Year of the Dragon Signature Afternoon Tea at no extra charge.
• Dragon Gate Tea - 50g/$11
• This was a mix of white, green and black tea and there were hints of ginger and mint.
• There was a natural sweetness and the mint was mild, but almost a flavour that went away quickly.
• The ginger was more aromatic and not spicy, and I could taste it without it being dominant.
• This went well with sweet and savoury food.
• Timeless Tea – 50g/$11
• This was perhaps my favourite and it was incredibly fruity in aroma and flavour.
• There were strong notes of Hibiscus and sharp flavours of red berries in a black tea base.
• It was naturally sweet in flavour and would even taste great chilled.
• Earl Gray Chocolate Tea – 50g/$9
• It tasted more chocolatey than it smelled and it worked well with a bit of cream.
• It wasn’t particularly sweet or bitter and I found the chocolate quite mild.
• It was a good tea, but I probably wouldn’t choose it to pair with an Afternoon Tea.

“Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea Service - 4/6 (Very good)

• $48 per person
• Chef’s selection of savouries and sweets and tea of your choice.
• It was still very much a Western style Afternoon Tea Service, but there were some playful Asian influences and ingredients used here and there.
• It’s not meant to be traditional Chinese and I appreciated the effort and variety of savoury and sweet selections.

Savoury Tier

• From top: Open faced smoked salmon, wasabi mayo & soy jelly, Tiger Hill Tea-infused egg salad sandwich, Cucumber, watercress & cracked black pepper sandwich, Traditional wrapped Peking duck & plum sauce, Wagyu beef carpaccio with horseradish foam, Petit tea-infused chicken salad cone & petit savory tart, Boursin cheese mousse with crisp endive & candied walnut, Baby shrimp & chopped apple served in Chinese spoon.
• I loved the variety this time and I was so happy it wasn’t all tea sandwiches.
• It seemed like there was more effort and higher quality ingredients
• Sure there were some standard things, but there were also a few surprises and I never got bored which is key.

Traditional Wrapped Peking Duck & Plum Sauce – 3/6 (Good)

• This was the most traditional the menu got and I didn’t even expect it to get this traditional. It was nice!
• It was a home made parsley and garlic crepe wrapped with a little piece of duck, carrots and green onion with Plum sauce.
• Of course this is a modern take of the authentic Peking Duck wraps, so it was in its own category and I wouldn’t compare them.
• It was served cold and I could have used a bit more duck and I was hoping for crispy skin, but the crepe was thin and there was good texture and balance of sweet and savoury.

Open Faced Smoked Salmon, Wasabi Mayo & Soy Jelly – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• So it’s definitely more Japanese than it is Chinese, but regardless of the origin, it was good and it wasn’t just the typical “smoked salmon sandwich”.
• I liked the open faced concept much more than the sandwich because the salmon was a bit hidden as a smoked salmon rillette sandwich. 
• I would have loved if the bread was toasted for texture and extra nuttiness, but I could taste the salmon, hint of lemon zest and kick of wasabi.  
• They really didn’t hold back on the wasabi and I loved that! It wasn’t burning at all, but it was obvious and it worked with the freshly cracked black pepper.
• I would have loved more from the soy gel because it added a desired saltiness. The squiggle on top was unusual, but I appreciated the effort.
  

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Horseradish Foam – 4/6 (Very good)

• Using a high quality ingredient like Wagyo beef are the things that show value to the afternoon tea menu. These are things I wanted in the previous menu, but I’m glad they’re doing it now.
• Again, more Japanese than Chinese, but as long as it’s good, I’m okay.
• It was on a crunchy piece of toast with a layer of roasted garlic tapenade and black pepper Wagyu beef on top.
• I was surprised the horseradish foam was so mild considering the wasabi in the salmon was so strong, so if anything stronger horseradish would be great because I would have never guessed there was horseradish.

Selection of Tea Infused Sandwiches

• Tiger Hill Tea-Infused Egg Salad Sandwich - 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)
• $15 a la carte
• It was good, but I thought it was just a regular egg salad sandwich with alfalfa sprouts on multi-grain bread, but this time it wasn’t dried out.
• It was easy with the mayo, but the tea was unnoticeable even though it was infused for 24 hours.
• Had there been more egg salad I might have been able to tell, but the nuttiness I was getting was coming from the bread more than the tea infusion.
• I almost wanted the Chinese Soy Sauce Tea Leaf Eggs, but that’s something entirely different.
• Cucumber, Watercress & Cracked Black Pepper Sandwich - 2/6 (Okay)
• This was quite standard and expected with a little cream cheese, but I wouldn’t mind more crunch of cucumber.

**Petit Tea-Infused Chicken Salad Cone & Petit Savory Tart – 4/6 (Very good)

• $15 a la carte as a sandwich
• It was a thin, crisp, and lightly sweetened mini waffle cone stuffed with chicken salad. I had this last time and my feelings haven’t changed.
• I almost wanted dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, or nuts in the chicken salad for texture and flavour, but it was just a basic chicken salad with some celery, although it was good!
• I can’t say I tasted the tea in the chicken salad and it was perhaps a bit smoky, but I wouldn’t have known unless I was told there was tea in it.

Petit Savory Tart - n/a

• I think they forgot this…

Boursin Cheese Mousse with Crisp Endive & Candied Walnut – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• I was really happy they replaced the Celery Confit with Gorgonzola Mousse with this! I liked this much better!
• It’s not hard to do and expected, but it was still good and I could taste the Boursin cheese.
• It would have been great with the Gorgonzola, but endive leaves are more costly than celery.

Baby Shrimp & Chopped Apple served in Chinese Spoon - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• I really enjoyed the baby shrimp salad in a spoon more so than a tea sandwich. I just couldn’t taste the shrimp in the sandwich as much.
• It was creamy and sweet and savoury with crisp fresh apples and I wouldn’t mind having the dill in the salad rather than just as a garnish.
• It was pretty literal, but it had texture and it was still good.

Cheese Petit Quiche – 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• This wasn’t made in house before so I loved that they started making it in house. It adds more value to the menu and shows that extra bit of effort.
• It was a standard quiche in a thin soft tart with a little cheddar cheese melted into it.
• It’s quite basic, but as a one biter, it was fine, however as a full quiche I would expect more.

**Candied Ginger Scone with Devonshire Crème & Tea-Infused Jelly – 5/6 (Excellent)

• $4 a la carte
• I loved this scone! It’s actually from Savoury Chef a great catering company in Vancouver.
• It would have been even better warm, but it was excellent regardless.
• It had a nice crunch on the outside and the inside was almost cakey and not dry.
• The crunch was the best part though. It was like a cookie!
• It wasn’t that buttery or really flaky, but it was delicious!
• There were some candied moist ginger and it wasn’t too sweet or rich, and it was indeed a scone, not a biscuit.
• It was served with strawberry jam instead of tea-infused jelly though.
• The Devonshire creme was the real deal too and not whipped cream with creme cheese or creme fraiche etc.

Sweets Tier

• Tea-infused macaron, chocolate dipped dragon fruit, chocolate truffle, petit fours, fresh exotic fruit, Matcha tea-infused fortune cookie

Petit Fours - 4/6 (Very good)

• The Petit Fours are made by TWG Tea and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• I love marzipan cakes and petit fours, but the fondant is usually too sweet and sugary, or just not good.
• In this case the fondant was more like a semi-soft white chocolate shell and it was very sweet, but good compared to the usual fondant.
• The cake wasn’t dried out like last time, and I enjoyed it much better. This probably varies with shipment and the you happen to get it.
• Personally my favourite marzipan cake is from Market by Jean-George – see Marzipan Layer Cake here.

Fresh Exotic Fruit

• Chocolate dipped dragon fruit, dragon eye, star fruit, pineapples and oranges.
• I wasn’t expecting the star fruit, dragon fruit or dragon eye so I was quite impressed with the details.
• I don’t even know where to buy Dragon Fruit right now, but they were actually pretty sweet.
• It would have been even better if the dragon fruit was dipped in Matcha white chocolate to continue the theme, but this was still good.

Chocolate Truffles – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• I tried the 1837 Black Tea (Signature tea with berries, anise and caramel) and the Singapore Earl Grey truffles.
• As mentioned, the chocolate truffles are made by Chocolate Arts in Vancouver and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• The truffles are all infused with teas which again I’m a fan of.
• The truffles are great quality and made with 70& dark chocolate.
• They had nice creamy tea infused ganache centres and thin shells, but the tea was quite subtle for my tastes.

TWG Tea Infused Parisian Macaron (Raspberry Tea Infused Macaron) - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• $4 each
• As mentioned in the intro, I do find them very expensive, and it’s because they are flown in from Singapore on a weekly basis.
• They are made by TWG Tea with TWG Teas and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• The pastry chef who made these trained with the Mecca of macarons Ladurée, which I tried in New York – see my post here.
• I wrote a post called The Perfect Parisian Macaron so that just shows where I’m coming from.
• It was well made and it actually tasted just like a Ladurée macaron, but even better assembled.
• However I wasn’t huge on the Ladurée macarons because they didn’t have a crisp shell and this one didn’t either.
• The macaron was good, but it was missing the crisp shell and I do find them overpriced and I couldn’t taste the tea.

Matcha Tea-Infused Fortune Cookie - 4/6 (Very good)

• I really didn’t expect this either! So cute!
• A homemade Matcha Fortune Cookie was another detail that just added to the effort of the menu.
• I suggested selling these separately, but unfortunately it’s only available with the “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea.
• They were made with real Japanese TWG Tea Matcha powder and it was really strong and high quality which I loved.
• It wasn’t bitter or that sweet and it was very crunchy and almost brittle. I really enjoyed them.

Restaurant: BREAD
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch/Italian/Sandwiches
Last visited: September 11, 2011
Location: Manhattan, New York (Nolita)
Address: 20 Spring Street
Subway: Spring St
Price range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 4 (Based on items I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Modern Italian menu
• Italian paninis
• Home made bread
• Organic eggs
• Pasta/Mains at dinner
• Homemade desserts
• Local favourite
• Busy at peak hours
• Casual/cozy/quaint
• Cocktails/wine
• Online ordering here
• Brunch Sat. & Sun. 10:30am-5pm
• Daily Lunch Specials until 5pm
• Lunch/Dinner menu
• Sun-Wed 9am-12am
• Thurs-Sat 9am-12:30am

Recommendation: BREAD Tomato Soup, Prosciutto di Parma Panini

The three kitchen staples: milk, eggs and bread… and maybe butter. So I had my taste of Milk and Egg, so now it was time for BREAD. Unfortunately I didn’t get reservations for Butter, so I’ll have to save that for Follow Me Foodie to New York round 2!

I discovered BREAD as I was waiting for my table at Lombardi’s Pizza. It was dinner time and the place was packed, but all the restaurants in the Nolita area are almost always packed with expected line ups. The name BREAD caught my attention, but the style of the restaurant is what really kept me interested. I was easily charmed by the porch like seating area and modern cottage like atmosphere, so I put it on my “hope to try” list.

Well that “hope to try” list came sooner than I thought! It was coming to the end of my New York food trip and restaurant selection was getting crucial. It was time for another brunch spot and I had narrowed my list down to Prune, ABC Kitchen, Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant, and BREAD. By process of elimination I decided on BREAD and that was due to the extra bit of convincing from some locals. On a side note, doesn’t that guy kind of look like a young Ashton Kutcher?

Anyways I was hoping to check out their dinner menu, although it looked more like a brunch spot. The night time crowd was perhaps even bigger and they do offer a full bar and separate dinner menu. It’s a cozy and quaint restaurant, but it’s still quite spacious with group dining in the back.

I came in expecting a menu full of different kinds of homemade breads, and almost just bread, but that wasn’t really the case. The bread is well known here, but it’s not a bakery and more of a neighbourhood restaurant. The lunch menu is rather limited and simple, but the food is fresh and homemade. The menu is Italian inspired with a focus on paninis for lunch and pastas for dinner, but it’s American in style. The place is trendy, the portions are fair, and the prices are reasonable and affordable for the area, which makes BREAD an easy local favourite. Personally I would value it more as a local than I would as a tourist, but I still loved the vibe and enjoyed my brunch and BREAD experience.

On the table:

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice – ($3.50 a la carte) It was the simple details of freshly squeezed orange juice that I appreciated. It was really good orange juice, but of course this varies depending on the season. I prefer pulp, but this was pulp free and it was naturally sweet and not very tart at all.

Complimentary Bread

• At BREAD, they start you off right with of course bread!
• It was served with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.
• They called it a Ciabatta bread, but I actually wouldn’t have guessed it.
• It almost looked like a sourdough, which would have been random.

• It was served cold and it was super moist, stretchy, fluffy, but still dense and not crusty.
• It was very soft, doughy and chewy and not salty, sour or floury in flavour, but it almost seemed half baked it was so moist.
• The bread almost peeled in layers and there were no apparent large holes like a traditional Ciabatta bread would have.
• I really loved the bread, but it was very different from most Ciabatta I’ve had and it was unexpected.

Eggs Normandy – 3/6 (Good)

• With Smoked Salmon. All brunch served with any juice and coffee, or tea $15
• It was served with roasted potatoes and a Mesclun Salad.
• The brunch menu is very limited to about 3 options of eggs benedict and this one came recommended.
• Being from the West Coast (Vancouver, BC) I’m spoiled with smoked salmon, so this just didn’t do it for me. It was good, but it’s hard for me to be unbiased about it.
• The salmon was very salty and it had a couple bones in it, which is pretty taboo.
• It was almost like toro (tuna belly) and it wasn’t smoky, but just salty.
• I could have used a lot more hollandaise sauce which was very tangy with lots of lemon. I prefer mine creamy, buttery, thick and rich too and not just lemony.
• The best part for me was the crispy thin toasted English muffins which were chewy and spongy and they seemed homemade and good quality.

There was a nice runny egg yolk sauce, but an excellent eggs benny needs and excellent hollandaise.

• The potatoes were crispy with tender, creamy and moist centres and well seasoned with chives. They had great flavour.
• The Mesclun salad was fresh and simple and easily dressed with super fruity olive oil and lemon.

**Prosciutto di Parma Panini – 4/6 (Very good)

• With Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato on Ciabatta $11 a la carte
• Lunch special: 1/2 sandwich and soup $11
• This was the most recommended panini.
• It was a thin crispy Ciabatta bread that was still a bit spongy and not hard or tough.
• It seemed different than the complimentary Ciabatta, but I couldn’t tell because it was panini pressed.

• The sandwich fillings weren’t generous, but they were fair.
• The quality of ingredients were fresh and good, but I was hoping for Heirloom tomatoes over cherry tomatoes and perhaps a few added basil leaves.
• The prosciutto was salty and buttery, but not too salty and there was enough to give the panini a meaty bite.
• The buffalo mozzarella is actually hand made mozzarella and it was springy, spongy and a bit chewy and it was done pretty well.
• It was simple, but the ingredients were good with a balanced ratio and I really give credit to the home made bread and cheese.

**BREAD Tomato Soup – 4/6 (Very good)

• $6 a la carte
• The soup is a house favourite and popular choice.
• It wasn’t rich or creamy and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was no dairy or flour, but I’m not sure.
• I could taste the infused onions and garlic, but it made for aromatics more so than flavour because it wasn’t necessarily garlicky.
• It was really fresh and I could taste the fresh pureed tomatoes, pulp and skins which is what I prefer.
• It was quite acidic and tangy and topped with a fresh Parmesan Ciabatta crouton and basil leaves.

Restaurant: House Guest
Cuisine: French/West Coast/Pacific Northwest/Eclectic
Last visited: January 12, 2012
Area: Vancouver, BC (Gastown/Downtown)
Address: 200 – 332 Water Street
Train: Waterfront Skytrain
Price range: $20-30 ($15-20 mains)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• West Coast cuisine
• Eclectic comfort food
• Seasonal menu
• Moderately priced
• Hipster/hip vibe
• Spacious
• Late night hot spot
• Good for groups
• Cocktail/wine list
• Restaurant/Lounge/Bar
• Reservations recommended
• Thurs. 5pm -  Late
• Fri. 5pm – Late
• Sat. 5pm – Late
• Sunday Brunch

**Recommendations: Duck Donair, Crab Tater Tots & Tarragon Remoulade

4 times! FOUR times! Actually no, 6 times! I tried twice without a reservation too. It’s also closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and only open for dinner Thursday-Saturday, with a Sunday brunch, so it’s not the most convenient or accommodating restaurant.

I’ve been trying to make reservations to try House Guest since mid-December and I finally got my foot in the door. Mind you it was Christmas so they were busy, but still; and to top things off they only accept reservations by e-mail. They have a phone number, and it rings, but that’s as far as you’re going to get. Hard to get. Yes, they play that game very well, but as one of the newest and hottest restaurants to hit Gastown, they can, and I was persistent.

Finally. A restaurant that can hopefully hold the spot! It took over the old McLean’s which was previously So.cial at Le Magasin. Although the location is huge and on the main strip it still remains very hidden and discrete. With tinted windows and the tiniest signage, which is essentially just a symbol “NXG”, or I mean “HXG”, I don’t even know if it’s called “House X Guest” or “House Guest”?

With the opening hours, reservation/phone system, ambiguous website, and now the name(s) of the restaurant, I could smell “hipster, but don’t call me hipster” from across the street. I couldn’t even call you “hipster” even if I wanted to though because you don’t pick up your phone! I’m half kidding and half hoping they sign up for opentable.com (unless that goes against hipster rules?).

Anyways the inside wasn’t as dark and mysterious and actually quite stylish and refined. In a nutshell it was for the hipsters that have a little more money and prefer dining on the second floor rather than the basement. I mean that quite literally too because the basement here seems more like the unused lounge.

The vibe was night and day with a slow start and a loud finish. It started off feeling more like a restaurant, but by 8pm it quickly transformed into a packed night club with a DJ. It felt like Montreal or New York, and it didn’t bother me since I expected it. The food didn’t come secondary, but I would say it could be more impressive if you think about it coming from a nightclub context.

It got to a point where I didn’t know who was serving and who was dining. The staff and the customers looked the same and I couldn’t tell one pair of black rimmed glasses to the next. Someone would pick up a plate and I didn’t know if they were cleaning it or wanting to sample it. It was all quite quirky and the theme continued to the ladies washroom. If you use the right sink the hot water comes from the right handle and the cold water from the left. It might have been like that before the restaurant change, but it added to the overall quirkiness.

I knew about House Guest when it opened in October last year and the menu sounded right up my ally. It was a more unique interpretation of “comfort food with a twist” and everything sounded innovative and indulgent which is what I like. However the menus are seasonal and I missed out on the old menu which sounded more catered to my tastes. The new menu is a bit more tamed and not as decadent, although still rich.

I was slightly more inspired by the concept and menu descriptions than I was with the outcome of some of the dishes, but I did appreciate the creativity and intention. Everything is made in house except for the macaroni noodles and Israeli cous cous, but I was still expecting a bit more in flavour and execution, and sometimes the ideas were ambitious for the price. Occasionally there were sacrificed ingredients and a few dishes tasting too simple and feeling slightly overpriced, but generally it’s a fun place with a playful menu.

At the end of the meal I learned that the chef is Kayla Dhaliwall, who I actually met at the 12th Annual Healthy Chef Competition last year. She was on The Well restaurant team and she is now running the kitchen at House Guest. It was an unexpected surprise and on that note she did bring out a couple complimentary dishes at the end of the meal (which I’ve noted), but otherwise everything was paid for and I came unannounced.

On the table:

House Guest’s Bait - 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• Gin, orange bitters, lemon, egg whites, cointreau, rhubarb bitters $10
• You can ask for it sweeter or more tart and I don’t think there’s an official bartender so it may vary.
• It was strong with orange and it tasted quite simple for $10. It was more or less like an orange and lemon juice with gin.
• I was hoping it would be a bit more foamy with the egg whites and it was good, but for $10 it was okay.

PMC - 3/6 (Good)

• Pimento mac‘n’cheese croquettes / red eye ketchup $9
• They were served with a Red Eye Ketchup which basically tastes like a BBQ sauce.
• It’s actually a mixture of Ketchup and coffee and I think this one had some HP sauce, BBQ sauce or Worcestershire sauce because it had a nice kick and depth to it.
• The coffee grounds are completely dissolved so you can’t taste the texture of coffee, but there was an intense smokiness and earthiness.
• There was a well rounded bitterness in the aftertaste, which I really liked.
• As much as I liked the sauce, it ended up overpowering the mac and cheese croquettes.

• I love deep fried mac and cheese, but I expected these to be much richer and cheesier.
• They were hot with a crispy and thin panko batter and that was good, but the mac and cheese was a bit buttery more so than cheesy in flavour.
• It wasn’t stringy or creamy and the noodles were a bit soft, but that’s usually the case for deep fried mac.
• I could only taste orange cheddar cheese and I was hoping for a richer cheesier sauce even if it required a thicker rue or maybe just additional cheeses.
• A smoked cheddar might have worked to stand up to the Red Eye Ketchup.
• The Parmesan shavings would have benefited more from being melted into the filling rather than used as a garnish.
• They were well seasoned with a gentle heat from the pimento seasoning on the panko crumbs, but more cheese please!
• Black & Blue actually used to make a really decadent deep fried mac and cheese croquette with a truffle & white cheddar cream sauce for dipping. The sauce really made it!

Prawn Guac – 3/6 (Good)

• Chilled prawn guacamole / smoked tomato / blue corn chips $13
• I usually wouldn’t order guacamole at a restaurant because it’s something I can make at home, but I heard good things about this one.
• The guacamole was just okay and quite literal, but the real highlight was the smoked tomato emulsion underneath the guacamole. That’s what really brought the dish to life and made it good.
• The guacamole was creamy with pureed and roughly chopped avocado, chopped prawns, and a bit of tomato, and I found it quite ordinary. It wasn’t heavy with lime or cilantro and it was missing some acidity, brightness and overall flavour.
• The tomato emulsion ended up being the acid and it was also really smoky and a bit garlicky with perhaps some chipotle mayo because there was also some heat. I really liked this!
• The guacamole just tasted really simple and it was a bit small for $13.
• I know there are prawns to justify the price, but the prawns were just cold prawns and they kind of took a back seat.
• I would have loved grilled prawns and an avocado dip, but that would be even pricier.
• Currently the blue corn tortilla chips are also being made in house too.
• If you like this idea I do have a recipe for a Pistachio, Avocado, Sour Cherry & Black Sesame Dip with Prawns.

Lobster & Waffles – 2/6 (Okay)

• Bacon wrapped lobster sausage / pretzel crust / lemon mascarpone waffle $16
• This jumped off the menu, but for $16 I questioned how much lobster there was going to be. I didn’t expect much, but it sounded delicious!
• I’ve had the notorious Fried Chicken & Bacon Waffles at Hash House a Go-Go and it’s a real Southern treat that has made it’s way to Vancouver… finally!
• I loved the idea, but I expected something very different.
• The waffles were really flat, thin and crispy throughout and I couldn’t taste the lemon or the mascarpone in them.
• I would have preferred the waffles more traditional, fluffy and airy light, with a crispy outside and cakey soft inside.
• I thought there was going to be lemon zest in the waffles and a mascarpone dollop on top, but it was much more of a savoury dish than a sweet one.
• Even so, I was hoping to taste the rich creamy mascarpone with a slight tang in the waffles.
• I found it kind of a waste to deep fry lobster and turn it into a sausage, so it probably would have worked better with just the typical chicken.
• I did enjoy the salty crunchy crispy pretzel crumb crust, but the inside could have been crab and I wouldn’t have been able to tell.
• The lobster was quite hidden and the filling quite mushy with what seemed like minimal lobster flakes.
• There was a nice piece of thick bacon wrapped around the lobster before it was deep fried, but it didn’t really do anything or help the lobster shine.
• The bacon might have been better just candied and crumbled on top of the whole thing.
• The waffles were crunchy and so was the lobster sausage so I was just hoping for a bit more texture overall.
• The sauce tasted like a house made mayo and having it with waffles didn’t really do anything for me although it was okay with the lobster.
• I think a maple brown butter sauce, lobster hollandaise or a mint crème fraîche would have been suitable if it wasn’t going to be a dollop of mascarpone. I just saw the dish going in a different direction.

**Duck Donair - 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• Duck Confit OR White Beans & Truffle Falafel / sheeps Feta / herb & citrus tabouli / “tatziki” $15
• Duck confit of course! I love duck confit and it’s a must if it’s on the menu.
• It’s not big and it’s a bit pricey, but it’s duck confit so I get it. It was also really good though and not comparable to a $5 donair on Granville Street, although those are good too!
• It was wrapped in a very soft homemade grilled naan and there was a good amount of duck.
• The duck wasn’t too salty and it was moist, juicy, tender and well shredded.
• The wrap had actual pieces of fresh orange segments in it which really helped contrast the rich duck giving it a bit of juicy zing and freshness.
• Orange and duck also go hand in hand so I loved how it was played here.
• It was a very fresh wrap and I could taste all the components of the salty rich sheeps feta, a little tabouli (which used Israeli cous cous instead of the traditional bulgur) and the fresh tzatziki yogurt.
• If anything I wouldn’t mind some raisins for a bit of sweetness.
• I could also taste some whole toasted fennel seeds being used for a slight licorice aroma and I loved the French meets Middle Eastern theme.
• The salad was well dressed with duck fat dressing (brilliant), some sliced radish and topped with lots of crispy salty fried onions and duck cracklings (more brilliant) which was the best part… the fried onions and cracklings with the wrap was even better. The salad was delicious though!

Charred Cauliflower Flat Bread (With Added Braised Shortrib) – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• Charred cauliflower / potatoes lyonnaise / nicoise olives /cauliflower puree / grana padano $14
• I told you I had a decadent palate! I love braised short rib, so I requested short rib for an additional charge.
• It was a toss up. Short rib flatbread or duck confit flatbread? I had the duck confit donair so I decided to go with the vegetarian flatbread and add the short rib!
• The braised short ribs were in pretty large chunks and the flatbread was made in house which I liked.
• The short ribs were moist, but not juicy and they used to be offered in sliders and in a short rib poutine, but unfortunately they’re both taken off the new menu.
• I really don’t know if I would like this Cauliflower flatbread as much without the short rib.
• This would have been even better with a drizzle of tzatziki from the duck donair, and with the added short rib the tomato emulsion would have worked too!
• I was hoping for more texture and everything was quite soft so I wanted something crunchy or crispy like fried capers, fried onions or toasted pine nuts since the flatbread wasn’t crispy.
• It was pretty hearty with the slices of buttery Russet(?) potatoes on top of the flatbread and I couldn’t taste the cauliflower puree or grana padano.
• It wasn’t a cheesy or saucy flatbread and I was hoping for more cauliflower puree or perhaps a hummus spread for more flavour and texture.
• I love the pieces of charred cauliflower which gave a nice nutty flavour and the bite of salty olives and sprinkle of basil was also great.
• It was still pretty simple and the interesting part would have been the cauliflower puree, but I couldn’t really taste any.

**Crab Tater Tots & Tarragon Remoulade – 5.5/6 (Excellent!)

• $7
• Oh god. Thank goodness chef brought these out!
• I can’t believe I almost left without trying them, although I would have ordered them had they been on the menu.
• These are from the old menu and not on the new menu, but they still make them so you just have to ask.
• They’re made in house and likely the best tater tots you’ll try. Bacchus also made good Saffron & Tomato Taters as an amuse bouche, but these were fantastic!
• They were crispy, salty and well seasoned and the inside was creamy and smooth with what seemed like a mixture of melted mashed potatoes and minced potatoes.
• The potato filling was so creamy and rich and it almost seemed like a pommes puree.
• I think there was some pimento in them for a bit of heat, but I enjoyed these more than the PMC (deep fried pimento mac and cheese appy).
• To be honest, I couldn’t taste much crab although there were minimal flakes of it in each tater tot, but for $7 it doesn’t really matter and they’re still delicious.
• The tarragon remoulade tasted like a lemony tartar sauce (that’s essentially what remoulade is) and it kind of tasted like dill mayo too. It was good with or without the dip.
• Personally I would have dipped these in the tomato emulsion from the prawn guacamole appy.

Churros – 4/6 (Very good)

• Fried churros, spiced sugar, dolce de leche, red velvet sauce
• It’s usually a choice of 3 sample sized desserts for $12, but the dessert menu wasn’t it full gear yet so chef brought these out complimentary.
• I loved the presentation and I’m a sucker for anything served in miniature dishes. The mini paint pails tempted me to paint the wooden plank… but I didn’t.
• I like churros, but I’m not crazy for them. They’re super easy to make, but for what they are, these are very good!
• The churros were fried completely crunchy, which is actually authentic. I do like the ones with the soft doughy centres as well, but those are a different style.
• They were nicely dusted with sugar and cinnamon and the added chili was a great touch!
• They weren’t too sweet or spicy, but the heat came in on the second bite. It was very subtle although noticeable even if you didn’t know it was in there.
• The caramel sauce was delicious! It was a homemade dulche de leche and it was thick, creamy, sweet and rich and fluid enough as a dip for the churros.
• The red velvet sauce was too thin and drippy, but the flavour was good. It tasted more like espresso than chocolate though and I was hoping for more chocolate.
• I’m excited to see the new dessert menu, but this type of restaurant would be a great place to introduce Vancouver to Chocolate Potato Doughnuts or even PB&J Bon Bons.

Follow Me Foodie to the Taste of BC 2012!

It’s the first Follow Me Foodie contest of the year! Welcome to the 18th annual Taste of BC 2012 food and wine event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver, BC. On January 24 from 4:30pm-7:30pm guests will be invited to sample some of BC’s wineries, beers and spirits accompanied by nibbles from local restaurants.

I had the pleasure of attending Taste of BC 2011 so I’m excited to see what they have planned this year. It’s definitely a wine focused event so I hope there’s a bit more balance with food this year to form a proper bed for absorption. Regardless, it’s a charity event and all proceeds go to benefit BC Children’s Hospital Foundation to support the Oak Tree Clinic, which provides services for those struggling with AIDS/HIV.

If you don’t win this contest you can always still purchase tickets. Tickets can be purchased at all Liberty Wine Merchants locations for $49.99 each. For locations see here.

Enter to Win 2 Tickets to Taste of BC 2012!

How to enter:

1) “LIKE” the Follow Me Foodie Facebook Fanpage

OR

2) Comment on this post with your favourite wine.

OR

3) RT the following:

I entered the @followmefoodie #contest to win tickets to Taste of BC 2012 http://bit.ly/yN7h9V

Winner will be selected at random. Contest closes January 20, 2012.

Restaurant: L’Abattoir
Cuisine: French/West Coast/Pacific Northwest/Eclectic
Last visited: December 18, 2011
Area: Vancouver, BC (Gastown/Downtown)
Address: 217 Carrall Street
Train: Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain
Price range: $30-50 ($25-28 Mains)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• French-West Coast cuisine
• Innovative/creative cuisine
• Seasonal/local menu
• Casual fine dining
• Sophisticated, but not stuffy
• Moderately priced
• Award winning
• Popular for cocktails
• Full wine bar
• Nut free restaurant
• Late night hot spot
• Reservations recommended
• Monday – Saturday 5:30pm – 10:00pm
• Bar service until midnight
• L’Abattoir – Post/Visit 1

**Recommendations: Poached Egg with Burgundy Truffle, Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads on Toast, Hanky Panky Cocktail, Confit of Albacore Tuna, Raw Pacific Oysters, Poached Egg, Caramelized Bananas

If you’re invested in Vancouver’s food scene, it’s likely that you’ve tried one of Gastown’s favourite and most raved about restaurants. L’Abattoir opened July 2010 and was recently named one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants of 2011 by EnRoute Magazine. I don’t know what their definition of a year is… but, sure. Joining this Top 10 list is also  Hawksworth Restaurant and Van Horne in Montreal which I checked out a couple months ago – see here. Anyways I paid a visit to L’Abattoir earlier last year (see here), and it was time for a revisit and an update.

In a nutshell, L’Abattoir is basically the restaurant Yaletown wished they had, Main Street secretly wished they had, and Gastown is pleased to have. For non-locals that just means it’s a happening, independent, hipster, but not so hipster restaurant that is somewhat disguised as non-pretentious, but is somewhat still a bit pretentious.

It’s a nice neighbourhood restaurant for those carrying a bit of extra cash, or for those living paycheque to paycheque, but enjoy the fancy things in life. Welcome to Vancouver! Memberships are free.

It’s casual fine dining with West Coast inspired French cuisine that is more or less appropriately priced for the area and style. It’s rich for West Coast standards, but not for classic Northern French standards. The portions are slightly on the small side as expected, but it’s fresh, creative, local and well delivered.

There were a few risks and exotic meats, slight variations on similar rich sauces and creamy melt in your mouth textures in most dishes. The circular presentation and simple use of vegetables were usually used as delicate decor or pretty confetti, and I can’t help but to to think there is a slight disinterest for fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The nuts I get because chef is apparently deathly allergic, but everything is somewhat catered for a carnivorous appetite. It’s food for the metrosexual man disguised under a subtle prettiness that women would awe at and men would find sexy. Pretty sexist comment, but… yeah it’s just a pretty sexist comment.

Personally, my feelings haven’t really changed since my first visit. The food was great, but I still wouldn’t mind the envelope being pushed further especially with the name L’Abattoir which means slaughterhouse. There is still somewhat of a safeness and I just wanted it to commit even more and introduce me to new things that I’ve really never had before. It’s new and creative, but also not really a “step ahead” and I kind of expect that result at a restaurant like this. On the other hand I’d still recommend it, support it, and I appreciate it for being consistent and “pretty”.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread Basket

• It’s everyone’s favourite bread basket!
• It’s also due to the fact that there are hardly any restaurants in Vancouver making their own bread and giving it away free.
• It was pretty much just as I remembered, the same variety, served warm and still complimentary.
• Anchovy Twist: This was still my favourite and most interesting for me and the anchovy flavour was much stronger than last time. It was a soft, flaky, very buttery and savoury puff pastry twist with a prominent salty anchovy flavour.
• Bacon Brioche: It’s a soft brioche with diced bacon rolled into it and the bacon tastes more like ham since it’s not crispy. It was okay, but I still don’t find it as light, buttery or fluffy as a traditional brioche should be.
  
• Sesame Crisp: The flatbread crisp tastes Indian or Middle Eastern and it was spiced with lots of smoky cumin, sesame seeds and poppy seeds, but the cumin is strongest. I liked it then and I like it now!

**Confit of Albacore Tuna – 5.5/6 (Excellent!)

• Smoked pork fat, egg, crispy bits $13
• Personally, that description translates to “order me”.
• This is one of their permanent menu items and I’ve had it in the past too.
• I stopped reading after I saw “confit”. Anything “confit” is usually on my table.
• If salads were this exciting all the time I would order them a lot more often.

• It was an ultra buttery, rich, creamy and savoury melt in your mouth piece of tuna.
• The whole piece of tuna was marinated with a lemon herb sauce on top, which I didn’t take too much notice of last time, but it was more apparant this time. It helped ease the richness of the fish.
• There were salty crispy cubes of airy light juicy pork fat that played their role as croutons! This idea is also being used at Hapa Umi too now – see their Tonkatsu Caesar.
• The pork cracklings held their oils so eaten with the tuna it gave juicy salty bites that enhanced the smokiness in the tuna.
• These crispy cubes of pork fat aren’t as intense or as the crunchy as the “cracklings” from Meat & Bread, but they’re different style and they sure do its job in this dish regardless.
• The flavour was so well developed via cooking methods and the textures were fantastic.
• There was a thick tangy lemon aioli on the side that just added to the tuna’s buttery texture and the tang just helped bring out the fish’s natural flavour. The dish didn’t even really need much of it though.
• The egg was actually interpreted as white cubes, and the texture was like marshmallows.
• It could have been made with egg whites and they were a bit spongy like soggy bread, but in a good way.
• I think a quail’s egg would have been nice, but I also think the yolks may have been used to develop the richness in the lemon aioli it was served with.
• As rich as it was, it didn’t feel heavy and the wild arugula and tanginess helped balance it out.

**Poached Egg with Burgundy Truffle - 5.5/6 (Excellent!)

• Potato gnocchi, leeks, pecorino $18
• If there’s a poached egg being served at dinner, it’s likely it’ll be on my table.
• Last time I had their Poached Egg - Smoked potato, red onion marmalade, potato granola which I preferred even more than this one, but this one was still excellent.
• It’s a hot appetizer and the size isn’t enough as a main, but the flavours, textures and components certainly are.
• The description sounded rich and hearty and so did the presentation. This was comfort food.
• I’m a lover of rich foods, but even this was hard for my heart.
• The concept sounded almost over decadent (if there’s such a thing) with potato gnocchi, a rich, creamy, thick sauce, and last, but not least topping it all with an egg.
• It was serious business and heavy food.

• Oh god yes. The poached egg seemed sous vide and it was perfect with the white part being bubbly and fluid the pool of yolk being ultra runny giving the dish another layer of sauce. It could join my Egg Yolk Series.
• The gnocchi was topped with a super creamy thick sauce that was almost like a hybrid of hollandaise, béarnaise, pommes puree, and truffle mayo. It was heavy and as thick as pudding.
• The egg yolk actually helped thin out the creamy sauce, so that just tells you how thick it was. It wasn’t thick enough to hold up a fork, but it was almost like melted mashed potatoes.
• The gnocchi was such a heavy choice of pasta to use and it was more of a creamy gnocchi than a fluffy one. A gnocchi is needed to hold this sauce though.
• They were lightly pan fried, but not really crispy and they were moist and good, but just super rich with the sauce and runny egg.
• It would’ve been nice if the gnocchi was made with some nettle or basil to give it that freshness.
• It didn’t have the authentic fork ridges which is an aesthetic I appreciate, but can overlook.
• As for the gnocchi itself, the best gnocchi I’ve had is still from Federico’s – see Gnocchi Pomodoro.
• Thank goodness for the crispy leeks to give it some texture and I actually wouldn’t mind some deep fried capers, a drizzle of balsamic, or something tangy to help break up the textures and flavours even more.
• I’m a bit curious to see how that sauce would have turned out had it been a silky smooth cauliflower and celeriac root puree with a bit thinner texture.
• There was a hint of truffle oil (I think), and then shaved Burgundy truffle on top.
• For $18 it would be nice to get the truffle shaved at table side, but this was still good.
• I wouldn’t mind more of the pecorino since I totally forgot it was in there and couldn’t taste it.
• If anything I would say it had a cheesy texture, but not flavour and it’s such a strong cheese to start with.
• It was no doubt a delicious dish if you have a palate for creamy rich foods.

**Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads on Toast – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• Sauce gribiche with veal tongue $14
• Well hello there. There is a major lack of love for sweetbreads in Vancouver, so I was pleased to see these on the menu. Yes please!
• This was probably my favourite thing of the night.
• It was a thin and crispy grilled brioche toast spread with a layer of sauce gribiche (an egg salad, pickles and smashed caper spread that almost tastes like egg salad and tartar sauce) mixed with minced veal tongue, topped with pan fried sweetbreads, shallots, chives and drizzled with a syrupy sweet and tangy demi glace or pan jus.
• There were so many things going on and it was again quite rich and heavy so I wouldn’t want any bigger than this.
• The egg salad spread (sauce gribiche) made this even more filling than it already was with 3 sweetbreads laid over top.
• The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the execution of the sweetbreads.
• The sweetbreads weren’t very crispy and they were quite meaty rather than pillowy, creamy and light.
• I loved the crunchy textures and creamy spread and there was a nice pickled flavour going on and the sweetness came from the demi glace.
• Everything was just super saucy and it had a good amount of fresh parsley to give it aromatics.
• The veal tongue was almost a waste though because I couldn’t taste it and it just felt a bit pointless.
• The veal tongue I tried by itself, and alone it was ultra tender like tofu but I just wanted more presence from it.
• If the veal tongue was shaved and placed on top of the toast, that might have done it. With the egg salad it would almost be a bit Russian.
• I was imagining this with a mini sous vide quail’s egg on top of each sweetbread… oh god, see I told you I had a rich palate.
• Not comparable, but if you like sweetbreads, the best one I’ve had to date is the Coffee Glazed Sweetbread from Le St-Urbain.

Steak Diane – 5/6 (Excellent)

• Charred onions, potato fondant, peppercorn condiment $27
• I rarely order steaks unless I’m at a steakhouse. It takes 10 minutes to make and if you have a good supplier it’s something I can make at home.
• On the other hand, this steak was impressive for what it was and I could see it’s value.
• Steak Diane or sexy Diane? The sleek black slate it was presented on just made the dish look even more stylized than it was.
• The way it was plated almost looked like it was meant to be shared, so I took half.
• The filet mignon was sous vide and the fat was well marbelized, but it was still a bit chewy and not as tender as it tasted or looked. I think it might have been just the quality of the filet mignon.
• It was bright pink and since it’s sous vide it comes medium rare.
• It was good, but not an excellent quality steak.
• So instead of a traditional salt and pepper crust, or steak rub, there was a pile of peppercorns. It had to be executed this way since it was sous vide.
• The pieces were topped with a variety of crunchy and nutty deep fried peppercorns so it was very aromatic, fruity from the pink peppercorns and then spicy with a flavourful peppery heat.
• It would be great if there were some fried juniper berries as well because I always find that to be an amazing match with all red meats.
• It came with a syrupy well reduced demi glace or red wine reduction. It was sweet, tangy and savoury and it tasted the same as the one drizzled on the sweetbreads.
• I prefer potato fondant to frites and onion rings, so I was on board.
• The potato fondant was exactly how a potato fondant should be.
• It had a shallow cut which allowed it to get crispy and creamy during the confit process. It was creamy and buttery and not dry or noticeably pre-made.
• It would be interesting to have a bit of deep fried panko crumbs or crispy onions to mimic a deconstructed onion ring though.
• The grilled onions were caramelized and charred and they sat on top of a creamy and rich onion and thyme gel which tasted like an herby bechamel.
• The onion and thyme gel almost tasted like a sweet velvety smooth pommes puree meets a creamy rich bechamel and it was one of the highlights of the entire meal.
• It had that je ne sais quoi since the thyme was infused and not actually visible, but when you knew it was thyme, you really knew it was thyme.
• The onion and thyme gel just neutralized the peppercorns and it was almost the “mashed potatoes” to the steak. They added a richness which couldn’t and wouldn’t want to be denied.
• I would have loved another vegetable like green beans or golden beets for colour as well.
• The last component was a bone marrow croquette.
• The croquette had a crispy panko exterior and the inside was almost like a very finely minced rice pilaf with what seemed and tasted like rice, mushrooms, parsley, onions, and chestnuts.
• I was hoping for more of the meaty marrow flavour to come through and I would have preferred a bone marrow risotto croquette instead. It wasn’t dry, but it was mealy and I think creamy would have been great.

Boneless Quail and Crispy Chicken Sausage Roll – 4/6 (Very good)

• Roast foie gras, mushrooms, cauliflower $27
• The portion for this looks quite small, but it is quite rich. Foie gras? Yes please!
• I had a hard time figuring out what direction it was going in even though it was presented in a streamline.
• I’m quite  indifferent about this dish because parts of it worked and parts of it were hard to understand.
• It showcased 3 types of birds which included chicken, duck, and quail.
• I almost wanted 3 types of duck, like a confit leg, rillette or pate, and foie gras. I would have been all over that!
• The veggies were pan fried chanterelles and simple cauliflower florets and I was hoping for a bit more colour from maybe fava beans and love for the veggies in general. I do love golden chanterelles though and I appreciated them there.
• I just couldn’t find the thread with all the components and it just seemed slightly random and separate.

• The quail was executed like their Loin of Rabbit Stuffed with its Legs dish.
• It was cooked medium rare and the inside was a bit gelatinous and chewy, but I still enjoyed it more or less.
• The quail was very tender, but a tad fatty and it was drizzled with the same demi glace, or slight variation of the ones served with the sweetbreads and Steak Diane.
• Again I saw another rich, creamy and velvety bechamel like sauce, but this time it tasted like a cauliflower puree with a bit of lemony tang. It was slightly different, but almost the same as the onion and thyme gel from the Steak Diane.

• Foie gras should always be the star of the show if it’s on the plate, so I found it a bit under appreciated as a “chopstick holder” for the cigar wrapped chicken roll.
• The foie gras was a fair portion and it was simply pan seared, which I think is fantastic!
• However I wanted it served with either some sweet fruit puree or over a bed of sliced pears or apples.
• I was also looking for something acidic to help cut the richness of it, so something pickled would have been great.
• The foie gras was good as it normally is, but I just felt like there was more room for it to be showcased in a better light.
• The chicken sausage roll was my least favourite of the trio, and I wasn’t keen on this component.
• It was almost like a pureed chicken meatball and it seemed steamed and almost the texture of spongy tofu or a light omelette and it was perhaps heavy on the egg.
• It didn’t taste like chicken and in the context of a crispy spring roll I was quite lost.
• If it was stuffed with duck sausage, duck rillette, or some veal chicken and pork sausage that might have done it.
• I’m not sure if they wanted a light component to go with the rich and buttery foie gras, but I just found it a bit out of place.

Pork Shoulder Cooked in Milk – 4/6 (Very good)

• Turnips, salsa verde $25
• See! Again! The pretty confetti of simply treated veggies. In this case it was with baby turnips and a couple pearl onions.
• It was a fairly large portion, at least out of the mains, but I felt like it was missing a component or extra ingredient.
• I was told it was a rich and hearty dish… well then, that’s pretty much perfect.
• However it wasn’t as rich as I was imagining and it didn’t have a rich creamy bechamel like sauce like everything else had.
• It did have an herb oil and syrupy sweet, salty and tangy pan jus or demi glace again though.
• One of my favourite parts of this dish was actually the kale.
• There was some sauteed kale and they were super juicy! They completely absorbed all the sauce as if it were bread.

• I ditched my knife with the pork.
• The two chunks of pork shoulder were extremely tender and I was curious what would happen if they used coconut milk. This was just regular milk though.
• It doesn’t taste like milk or anything, but milk just helps with the tenderization of the meat.
• The pork didn’t have a particular flavour, spice, or herb besides the sauce it was served in and the salsa verde.
• The pork was melting as I shredded it with my fork and it was a beautiful thing.
• It wasn’t too fatty or lean and it was incredibly moist and juicy.
• It was topped with a significant amount of salsa verde which was strong with tangy smashed capers, cilantro, mint, vinegar and onions.
• The salsa verde was really sharp and acidic and I found it a bit too acidic and strong.
• I almost wanted an avocado puree or compressed yogurt to help neutralize the tangy salsa verde.
• There was a bit of chili flake in it too, but it wasn’t spicy and very mild in heat.
• It ended up really overwhelming the pork and I kept just tasting salty capers and tangy vinegar and the pork wasn’t that rich to need that much contrast.
• The pork was great, but the salsa verde was only okay with the pork.
• I wouldn’t mind swapping some shaved turnips for a few shaved radishes for the extra spice too.
• Personally, my favourite pork dish of the season (probably the richest too) is the Pork Confit Shoulder at Hawksworth Restaurant.

Desserts

What!? Where are they? I know. I know. They sounded amazing and the table next to me had this pear tart for 2 that looked heavenly, but I had reservations at CinCin for dessert. I planned on making a major dent in their dessert menu since they recently got a new pastry chef after Thierry opened Thierry. So no worries, I passed here, but I didn’t forget to balance my diet.

Restaurant: Locus Restaurant & Lounge
Cuisine: Pacific Northwest/West Coast/Eclectic/International/Brunch
Last visited: December 19, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Riley Park/Little Mountain)
Address: 4121 Main Street
Bus: SB Main St FS E King Edward Av
Price Range: $10-20 ($15 sandwiches, $20+ mains)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 3.5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Pacific Northwest cuisine
• Restaurant/Bar/Lounge
• Sandwiches/Pastas/Mains
• Neighbourhood favourite
• Popular for brunch
• Daily features
• Eclectic menu
• Extensive menu
• Extensive drink list
• Cheap drinks
• 10pm daily (3.25 Singles / 5.25 Doubles)
• Mon-Fri. 10am – 2am (Kitchen closes: Mon – Sat 1am)
• Saturday 9am – 2am *Kitchen closes: 1am
• Sunday 9am – 1am  *Kitchen closes: 12am

**Recommendations: Hot Pulled Wild Boar Sandwich, Yam Gnocchi

It’s been around for probably about 10 years and I always wanted to check it out, but it’s taken me a while… at least 10 years a while. It’s really popular for brunch, but it also attracts a late night crowd since drinks are cheap after 10pm everyday. I would say it’s one of the Main Street classics. It has somewhat of a dark hipster vibe and eclectic menu that’s supposed to feature local and seasonal ingredients.

I came here after watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which made the experience even more gloomy and creepy. The red lights brought me back to memories of the Narrow Artist Lounge, which is another very hidden gem on Main Street. It’s a very casual and laid back atmosphere and the menu is more impressive than what I would assume.

Based on what I tried the food was good, but at times bordering on pub food. I’m not sure if there’s an absence in chef, but it just seemed to deliver a bit more on the menu. I have a feeling it really depends on who’s making your food and I came pretty late at night. Everything was still home made with pretty decent quality ingredients and eclectic flair, but what I tried wasn’t necessarily memorable.

I wasn’t really impressed or disappointed and I’m still interested to try their brunch. For this type of food in this area I personally prefer Habit Lounge or Crave on Main, but this was still good. The menu is pretty extensive and the mains get surprisingly pricey for the type of restaurant. I was more inspired by the intention of the menu than the actual food, and I just wish it committed more because it had a lot of potential.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread

• I really didn’t expect house made complimentary bread, so this was quite impressive.
• It was served cold and it was soft, fluffy, moist and seasoned with herbs, salt, black pepper and maybe paprika (?). I was biting into actual spices in the bread.
• It almost seemed Indian spiced and I thought the heat was coming from the butter, but it was from the bread.
• I thought the butter was a creamy whipped sun-dried tomato butter, but there was no sun-dried tomato and it almost tasted like paprika or an Indian spice again.

Organic Hot Chocolate – 3/6 (Good)

• $4
• It was topped with whipped cream and a Pocky Stick which I thought was cute.
• It was made in house, but it wasn’t indulgent, or that chocolatey or very sweet for that matter.
• I thought it was going to be really rich and creamy, but it was quite light and milky which also made it easy to drink.
• It wasn’t a dessert or a sipping chocolate and I was hoping for more chocolate, but it’s still good.
• For a really decadent and chocolatey hot chocolate try the mocha or hot chocolate at Mink Chocolates.

Feature Pizza – 3/6 (Good)

• Grilled flat-bread made in house with roasted tomato sauce, genoa salami, red onions, spinach, Quebec cheese curds & feta cheese $13
• This was definitely more of a flatbread than a pizza.
• It looked really “pub food”, but it actually tasted pretty good. Of course, anything covered with this much melted cheese would be though, so it was bordering on munchies good.
• It was more or less something you could do at home, but they didn’t skimp on the ingredients and it was quite heavy.
• The tomato sauce was regular and the genoa salami quality was okay and more like ham, but it covered the whole flat bread in one even layer.
• The Quebec cheese curds were completely melted like mozzarella so they weren’t that fresh or they would melt and squeak in your teeth. On the odd occasion I had a squeak, but I would barely call it a cheese curd.
• It was pretty salty with the added feta and tomato sauce and I would have preferred basil over spinach, and it was a basic 5 minute flatbread pizza.
• I personally prefer the flatbread from Joey’s like the Tandoori Chicken Flatbread and the Pesto Shrimp Flatbread which are great.

The flatbread was grilled, but it wasn’t crispy and it was just soft and chewy.

**Hot Pulled Wild Boar Sandwich - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• Mushroom gravy, spinach, roasted garlic aioli, & jalapeno jack on house made whole wheat Kaiser $14
• The pulled boar is one of the signature items.
• I’m a huge fan of pulled pork and pulled wild boar sounded even more exciting.
• I loved the pulled wild boar, but the sandwich as a whole could have been better.
• It came with a salad and roasted herb potatoes which were really good!
• The potatoes had crispy skins and they were tender, creamy and well seasoned, but at the same time they seemed like they were under a heat lamp, although not dry.

• It was a heavy sandwich and I appreciated the home made bun, but the kaiser was dry and not crispy and it just didn’t seem very fresh.
• I could have used more meat and it ended up being too much bun. I was hoping for a crispy, lighter, fluffier and softer bun.
• Wild boar is more tender but also leaner than pork, so I was a bit nervous it would be dry.
• The pulled boar ended up being incredibly moist and juicy and even fattier than expected.
• The meat is naturally sweeter and nuttier than pork too and there were some delicious crispy charred bits.
• This one was also very smoky and tasted like it was made in a smoker and it didn’t taste like liquid smoke.
• There was no BBQ sauce but it was still saucy from a rich mushroom gravy.
• I really wish there were actual mushrooms in the gravy because it had none and it didn’t taste that mushroomy at all.
• I liked the creamy roasted garlic aioli and mild kick of the jalapeno jack cheese which added to the richness, but the bun really kept it from shining.
• I also missed the textural contrast and crunch of a cole slaw and the spinach just didn’t carry the sandwich.
• The pulled boar was fantastic, but I just wish the rest came together for it.

**Yam Gnocchi – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• With caramelized onions, wilted kale, and goat cheese, tossed in sage brown butter $18
• This was actually pretty good and I liked that it didn’t skimp on the goat cheese. It was quite a substantial dish.
• The gnocchi was pan fried and semi-crispy, but I did find it on the doughy side and a bit dense and chewy rather than soft and fluffy. I wasn’t keen on the gnocchi, but I am a bit picky with gnocchi.
• The fluffy goat’s cheese wasn’t that strong and gamey, which I prefer, but due to the amount the dish ended up being quite salty.
• It was very lightly sauced with a simple brown butter sauce and the kale gave it a nice earthiness, but I couldn’t really taste the sage.
• I was getting the sweetness from the caramelized red onions more than the yam gnocchi, but the onions were great especially with the salty cheese.
• It would be nice to have the kale sauteed in a bit of balsamic for a contrasting tang too.
• It was missing some texture and some added nuts or one more ingredient would have been great.

Gingerbread Creme Brulee – 3/6 (Good)

• $7.50
• All the desserts are from Sweet E’s in Vancouver.
• The caramelized creme brulee crust was a bit thick and uneven.
• It was a pretty firm, creamy and eggy creme brulee and it was very mild with the gingerbread spices.
• It almost tasted like Chai with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (?).
• It was very light and not that sweet, but I was hoping for more gingerbread flavour.
• As a side note, for a local restaurant the garnish would be better as a gingerbread cookie instead of non-seasonal fresh fruit.

Cranberry Cherry Chocolate Mousse Tart – 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• $7.50
• All the desserts are from Sweet E’s in Vancouver.
• This was really rich and a 1-2 biter for me even though I really like desserts.
• The chocolate was bittersweet and good quality, but it was just way too much.
• It was more like a stiff and dense chocolate ganache torte and I was hoping for more balance and layers with all the ingredients mentioned.
• I was expecting a thinner chocolate layer and the top to be covered with plump Amerena cherries and cranberries.
• The crust was a bit hard, crumbly and dry, but it eventually got soft when the chill came off.
• There was a thin layer of tart cherry puree with dried cherries/cranberries in between the chocolate and tart shell, but not really enough.
• I couldn’t taste the mousse at all and I’m not sure if it was supposed to be thawed from the fridge before enjoying because it was almost like a chocolate bar.
• It’s only because it’s supposed to be a local restaurant that it bothers me, but it probably shouldn’t have strawberries and blueberries as a garnish since it was winter.

Chocolate Ganache with Cashew Brittle Tart – 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• $7.50
• All the desserts are from Sweet E’s in Vancouver.
• This was almost the same as the Cranberry Cherry Chocolate Mousse Tart.
• It was a 1-2 biter and it was really rich, dense and heavy with chocolate and more like a chocolate ganache. It would hold a fork.
• Again it was good quality bittersweet chocolate, but just too much of it and I was hoping for more components and texture.
• I really couldn’t taste much cashew or cashew brittle and I thought the top would be covered with it.
• Again the crust was a bit hard, crumbly and dry, but it eventually got soft when the chill came off.
• I can’t help but to notice the garnish again… non-seasonal. I wouldn’t mind if there wasn’t an emphasis on local.

White Chocolate & Chestnut Rum Mousse Tart - 3.5/6 (Good-Very Good)

• $7.50
• All the desserts are from Sweet E’s in Vancouver.
• This was the best dessert of them all and the best of the tarts for sure.
• I always prefer dark chocolate to white chocolate, but this just worked better as a whole.
• It wasn’t as rich, dense or heavy as the other tarts.
• It was very light and fluffy with a nice moussey layer that was apparent.
• There was very little rum and very little chestnut, but I could taste a bit of that chestnut texture and flavour whipped into the white chocolate.
• Some actual chestnut pieces or an actual chestnut puree layer would have been nice too. I was hoping it would be like the one in Chinese style fresh fruit and chestnut cakes.
• It wasn’t that sweet and more dominant with white chocolate flavour, so I still could have used more layers and components.
• Again the crust was a bit hard, crumbly and dry, but it eventually got soft when the chill came off.
• There was a nice tart raspberry sauce to contrast the sweetness, and the non-seasonal fruit garnish should be changed for maybe roasted chestnuts.