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.

Making Croissants at Bouchon in Las Vegas

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 25 Most Memorable/BEST Dishes Internationally:

At the 5th day of the opening for the first ever Ladurée in the United States in New York

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee on Blue Mountain, Jamaica

Food is undeniably a focus when I’m traveling. This year I was grateful to take Follow Me Foodie to Bowen Island, Seattle, Las Vegas, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, Montreal, Quebec City and Jamaica.  Here are some of my best international indulgences this year. So Follow Me Foodie to some of my favourite foods and restaurants abroad with just one click!

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Pine State Biscuits – The Reggie Deluxe Biscuit Sandwich – Portland, Oregon

2. Pambiche – Masitas – Portland, Oregon

3. Local 360 – Fried Chicken – Seattle, Washington

4. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Cafe – World’s Best” Mac & Cheese – Seattle, Washington

5. Nove Italiano - Shrimp Francaise – Las Vegas, Nevada

6. Bouchon – Truite Grenobloise – Las Vegas, Nevada

7. Traif – Crispy Pork Belly – Brooklyn, New York

8. The Spotted Pig – Gnudi – Manhattan, New York

9. Katz Deli – Pastrami Sandwich on Rye – Manhattan, New York

10. Jean-Georges – Manhattan, New York

11. BonChon Chicken – BonChon Chicken Wings – Manhattan, New York

12. Peasant – Cannolichi, Suckling Pig (Porchetta) – Manhattan, New York

13. Boqueria – Croquetas Cremosas – Manhattan, New York

14. Blue Hill – Chilled Corn Soup, Berkshire Pig - Manhattan, New York

15. Scotchies – Jerk Chicken – Ocho Rios, Jamaica

16. Blue Mountain Coffee – Blue Mountain, Jamaica

17. Schwartz’s – Smoked Meat Sandwich – Montreal, Quebec

18. Le St-Urbain – Coffee Glazed Sweetbread – Montreal, Quebec

19. Van Horne – Melon Canari (Canary Melon) – Montreal, Quebec

20. Le Bremner – Kimchi Snow Crab, Lobster Toast Au Gratin – Montreal, Quebec

21. Café Clocher Penché – Duck Confit – Quebec City, Quebec

22. Laurie Raphaël – Apple Crumble, Carrot Cake – Quebec City, Quebec

23. La Traite – Wendake, Quebec

24. Au Goût d’Autrefois (Dining at the Duck Farm), Quebec

25. North End Caffe – Kahlua Pig Egg Rolls – Los Angeles, California

Restaurant: Miksa Restaurant
Cuisine: Pacific Northwest/West Coast/Fusion/Tapas
Last visited: August 2, 2011
Location: Bowen Island, BC
Address: 449 Bowen Island Trunk Rd
Bowen Island, BC
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 2.5
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Pacific Northwest Cuisine
• Hungarian/Asian chef & owner
• Some Asian fusion
• Tapas/Small plates
• Daily specials
• Seasonal menus
• Mostly local ingredients
• Moderately priced
• Walkable from ferry
• Local favourite
• Patio seating
• Cocktails/beer/wine
• Lunch menu Mon-Sun 12pm-4:30pm
• Dinner menu Mon-Sun 4:30pm-9pm

**Recommendations: Indian Candy Potstickers, Fried Goat Cheese Balls, Pan Seared Seafood Cakes, Organic Steak & Cheese, Fried Chicken with Chipotle Honey

Finding dinner on Bowen Island was an adventure in itself, even though there were only a very limited amount of restaurants to pick from. It was about 5pm on a Tuesday and everything was either closed or closing. I had some pre-selected places on my dining itinerary, but it was an epic fail getting to them. There are only about ten restaurants on the entire island and 1/3 are small lunch time cafes and another 1/3 are pubs. I was left with about 3 choices.

I ended up choosing Miksa Restaurant. It’s the next “high end” restaurant after fine dining Blue Eyed Mary Restaurant, which is only open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday. I didn’t choose it for that reason at all, but it’s apparently a local favourite and I was given a couple recommendations to try it out. It’s supposed to be the “cool place to be”, and in the context of Bowen Island, it seemed like a place for their “downtown experience”.

The menu items and prices said casual fine dining, but the ambiance didn’t. It’s an old cottage and the inside looked like a diner especially with the booths. The bar looked even fancier, but the patio is probably the best place to sit.

Not really being an outdoor kind of girl, I chose to sit inside… and I still got bitten by mosquitoes! It must have been all that chocolate I ate back at West Coast Chocolatier (the chocolate suite I was staying at – see here). I must say I was quite a treat for those mosquitoes because I was pretty stuffed from dinner by the end of the night too.

Being that I’ve only tried a couple restaurants on Bowen Island, I will predict that Miksa is good for what’s available. The food was hit and miss, but it was creative and there was effort. Half the dishes presented itself better than executed, and I felt the menu was a mixed bag.

It had some good old comfort food and then some fine dining style dishes. There was a lot of Euro-Asian fusion going on and that was due to the chef and owner’s background of being half Asian and half Hungarian. The menu was a bit random, but as long as it tasted good I could overlook it. Personally I’d stick to the signature items and anything deep fried and more towards being comfort food.

I did find it quite pricey, but after visiting their supermarket I can understand. It’s expensive! Even more expensive than Whole Foods for the same stuff. Anyways, I guess it was unfair of me to assume that Bowen Island would provide affordable “fine dining” experiences.

I was on my own and of course I wanted to sample the most I could. Therefore I ended up getting a tasting course of small plates (available on request and out of my own pocket), and then also a few surprise dishes on behalf of the restaurant.

On the table:

Salmon Trio (Daily special) – 3.5/6

• Smoked Salmon, Gravlax Cured Salmon, and Indian Candy Pot Stickers $16-18 (?)
• It was salmon executed in three ways.
• Smoked Salmon – 3/6
• Citrus brown sugar rubbed smoked salmon
• This was good, but I felt like it was lacking a spread or an aioli for the crostini and salmon.
• The salmon was a bit plain and I couldn’t taste the citrus brown sugar rub, but it was quite smoky and it was good smoked salmon. It just didn’t match the description.

• Gravlax Cured Salmon – 2/6
• With pickled gherkins and cucumber salad
• This didn’t do anything for me and I thought the cured salmon lacked a bit of flavour.
• The texture was almost the same as the smoked salmon so I just wanted more of a difference with the two since it was a “Salmon Trio”.
• It wasn’t too salty, but it didn’t seem cured very long either. It had a little bit of a parsley and dill flavour at times.
• The cucumber salad had some salty tangy capers in it and together with the pickled gherkins it was very sour and it overpowered the salmon. I had to eat them separately.

• **Indian Candy Potstickers – 5.5/6
• Served with sweet sweet soy & ginger aioli
• These were delicious! I wasn’t expecting to like them at all and I thought it would be butchered Chinese food.
• It was crispy on the outside and stuffed with sweet, moist, and juicy ground candied salmon that was a bit smoky as well.
• The creamy aioli gave it a richness and I probably could have used a simple ponzu sesame vinaigrette instead, but it was still good as is.
• The filling was already quite rich in flavour and sweetness, so a lighter sauce could do.
• They also have Hon’s Potstickers (vegetable or chicken) with chili oil and sweet soy for $7 on the regular menu.
• Advertising “Hon’s” is never really a good thing, but they are famous for their potstickers which I do like!

**Fried Goat Cheese Balls – 5/6

• Caramelized onions, rosemary honey, warm baguette $15
• The regular size is served with 3 cheese balls. I still find it pricey though.
• This is the house favourite and most popular item.
• It’s a simple concept and recipe, and it sounded too typical, but it was one of the best of the night.
• How can you go wrong with deep fried cheese? I haven’t had it anywhere bad yet.
• This pretty much melted in your mouth and was the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.

• It was a very lightly battered goat cheese ball and I think it was mixed with ricotta and cream cheese.
• It was very light and very fluffy and the goat’s cheese wasn’t overpowering, but actually quite mild and more salty.
• I could have used more rosemary, which was faint and infused into the honey and mixed in with the onions.
• The stringy caramelized onions melted in my mouth like jam or onions in a French Onion Soup.
• Everything was just so creamy and required so little chew.
• I almost wanted some walnuts or something crunchy to give it more texture. A crostini instead of warm baguette would have worked too.
• It was incredibly rich and indulgent so I wouldn’t want more than one ” cheese ball” at one seating.

Hearts of Palm Fries - 2.5/6

• With a spicy yogurt dip $8
• They’re good, but I wouldn’t particularly order them again.
• I actually like hearts of palm fresh just because they don’t come around very often.
• These hearts of palm fries pretty much taste like deep fried artichoke hearts, in flavour and texture.
• They were panko crusted and deep fried until crispy yet tender and not mushy in the centre.
• The chipotle mayo was spicier than expected and it was also tangy so it just made for a tangy appetizer all together.
• I probably would have preferred a different dip, although it was still good.

**Pan Seared Seafood Cakes – 4/6

• Crab, shrimp, Indian candy, cabbage slaw, lemon herb oil $16 (Normally it would be two hockey puck sized crab cakes)
• After having the Indian Candy Potstickers I was looking forward to anything with Indian Candy in it.
• Apparently these are also one of the house favourites.
• The seafood cake was good, but I wasn’t keen on the salad which seemed like it was made from the inside of a Napa Cabbage.
• The salad was a bit wet and heavy on the mayo and not as tangy as I would have hoped, and with the added oil it just seemed a bit heavy.
• I preferred eating the salad separate from the seafood cakes because I found the dressing on the salad a bit rich for the seafood cake.

• These cakes were pretty good and surprisingly stuffed with what seemed like predominately flaky crab.
• There was some coarsely chopped frozen baby shrimp and some Indian candy, but it seemed like mostly crab, which is a bonus.
• The Indian candy gave it a slight sweetness, and the filling was moist, tender and flaky with a crispy lightly breaded exterior.

Ahi Tuna Ceviche (Daily special) – 1/6

• With cured pork cheek $16 (?)
• The presentation was impressive, but serving it on a heavy slab of Himalayan Pink sea salt was not the greatest idea.
• The slab was melting and it just made everything served on top of it extra salty.
• The salt was just seeping its way into the food and I had to rush eating it to stop it from absorbing so quickly.

• I definitely wouldn’t call this a “ceviche”, and it almost seemed poached.
• It was pretty much cooked all the way through with the marinade of limes and lemons and that’s essentially the only flavour I tasted.
• It needed a spice or just more flavour because it was a bit one dimensional.
• Something crispy like garlic chips or even some chopped avocado would have been great, and as ceviche I thought it was going to be chopped up too.
• Even the daikon got really really salty and I couldn’t eat any of it.

• The cured pork cheek I was excited about, but being that it was already salty bacon, it was made even saltier by the salt plate.
• It was crispy and good, but just too salty, and the asparagus was too
• At the end the table was wet from the melting slab of sea salt and I was really thirsty.

Seared Scallops with Baked Beans (Daily special) – 3.5/6

• Seared scallops with heirloom & orange baked beans, shaved Asiago and baguette $18 (?)
• I think the baked beans were supposed to be a gourmet version of maple baked beans and pork, or a play on succotash. I’m going with the prior.
• The components were really random and it almost felt like something you’d make at home with whatever you had on hand rather than something that was thought out.
• I could really taste the difference of using Heirloom tomatoes over regular tomatoes in the beans. It was more sweet than tangy and it brought less acidity to the beans.
• The beans were excellent and made from scratch. They had a firm texture and weren’t mushy and the salty bits of bacon gave it an extra salty and slightly smoky bite.
• The beans were quite creamy, but not too rich and I really liked them, and they made for a very hearty side to seared scallops.

• It really bothers me when scallops aren’t seared on both sides. It’s a pet peeve of mine.
• This one was quickly seared on the other side, but not enough to make an impact.
• The seared side also wasn’t crispy, but at least the scallops were almost rare so they maintained their buttery creamy texture and sweetness which I loved.
• The baguette was good to sop up the leftover bean sauce, but otherwise they were very random and I could have used without.

**Organic Steak & Cheese – 4/6

• 6 oz Blue Goose Cattle Co. top sirloin steak with gorgonzola cheese & red wine honey reduction $18
• This is a local favourite and will always be on the menu.
• It’s a classic combination of ingredients that easily “fancy” up a steak.
• Again there was honey in this, but I don’t think it needed it and the natural juices released from the dried figs during the sauteing process would have made it sweet enough. It was a bit too sweet and overly syrupy.
• The sauce was still okay though and I could taste the beef renderings in it and the wine was cooked out, but its flavours didn’t work into the sauce.

• The steak was medium and I would prefer it medium-rare. It was a bit chewy and it had a slight crust of I think rosemary and thyme.
• The generous slab of gorgonzola was creamy, rich, salty and buttery and with the sweet juicy figs, it was a perfect balance of flavours and textures.

• Miksa Salad – 3/6
• Mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green onions, toasted almonds, goat’s cheese, served with basil oil & a balsamic reduction.
• The red wine honey reduction got mixed into the salad and the salad was wet.
• It already had enough balsamic glaze, so overall it was a very soggy salad and almost seemed like a cold sautee of vegetables.
• The carrots I wish were shredded because they were crunchy raw carrots instead of sweeter baby carrots or bunch carrots.
• I loved the crunch of almonds, but overall the dressing came across as teriyaki sauce.
• I actually expected more Asian influence with maybe edamame, bean sprouts or a sesame ginger dressing.

**Fried Chicken with Chipotle Honey (Daily special) – 5.5/6

• $10-12 (?)
• This was delicious! Yes, fried chicken is usually a shoe in, but in this case he nailed it!
• It definitely had some Asian influence and it wasn’t only in his choice of ingredients and sauce. It was in the execution.
• The fried chicken was executed like deep fried honey garlic spare ribs so it had the extra crunch and crispiness that was undeniably amazing!
• The skin slipped off the meat, but it was quite thin and certainly edible like chips.

• The meat could have fooled me. It was so tender and juicy and tasted like Chinese “crispy chicken”. It was likely pre-treated in a brine first to keep it so moist.
• The sauce was almost like a Thai sweet chili sauce, but way sweeter and way spicier.
• I could taste the honey at first and 1 second later the spice kicked in and also lingered and intensified.
• It was actually a very spicy sauce and although I can handle my heat, I wouldn’t have minded a notch less spicy.
• It had my nose running and the spice lingered even after dessert. It was all over my lips and tongue.

Bowen Island Wild Berry Sorbet (Seasonal special) - 4/6

• $4-5 (?)
• It was home made sorbet with hand picked berries off the island. This is the kind of thing I come to Bowen Island for… and chocolate.
• Upon serving it they top it with a shot of liqueur. I’m not sure what it was, but I couldn’t taste it and if anything I would have guessed a very standard vodka.
• It was very light, cooling, refreshing and tart with just enough sweetness to make it a last course.
• It was very icy and almost seemed like a slushy or palate cleanser.
• It was mainly made from raspberries and perhaps some strawberries.
• It would have been nice to have the mint chopped up and mixed into the sorbet rather than used just as a garnish too.

Follow Me Foodie to Bowen Island & Cocoa West Chocolatier

It was my chocolate escape to Bowen Island, BC. I know, I’m jealous of myself! It’s not often that I want to vacation in or around Vancouver, which is a shame because there’s so much to explore, see, and experience. Being surrounded by beautiful mountains, water, nature and scenery, is something I take for granted on a daily basis. But things were about to change… and I was easily swayed by the sweet calling of chocolate. I can’t deny my sweet tooth.

My quick getaway to Bowen Island was arranged by Vancouver, Coast & Mountains British Columbia (VCMBC), and the invitation to stay at the Cocoa West Chocolatier‘s one and only chocolate suite accommodation on Bowen Island was an easy draw. I’ve never heard of this “bed and chocolate” accommodation before and it was one I was ecstatic to experience!

I’ve actually never been to Bowen Island and the assumption of it being so far away created a mental block from ever having any desire to visit it. Little did I know, it was only a 20 minute ferry ride from downtown, Vancouver. Well hey, that isn’t so bad! So with the help of BC Ferries I was off to my chocolate escape!

Cocoa West Chocolatier Cafe was a 5 minute drive from the ferry dock and I would recommend taking a car because it’s not a walkable trail or distance. For me, it would be probably impossible, and I’d need to buy a pair of runners first and learn how to pack light. I’m pretty sure there’s no taxi service on Bowen Island, however pick up arrangements with Cocoa West Chocolatier is something I’d inquire about if you need.

I approached the small family owned chocolate shop, Cocoa West Chocolatier Cafe, and was greeted by the friendly husband and wife owners Carlos and Maitre Chocolatier Joanne Mogridge. The chocolate boutique and cafe opened in 2002 and the chocolate suite was an idea they introduced in 2007.

It’s the only chocolate suite on Bowen Island and it was just around the corner from the cafe. Thank goodness there was no secret hallway connecting the cafe and the suite, because I could have possibly been found passed out on the chocolate making table the next morning from an overindulgence of chocolates.

It was certainly off to a good start with a lovely box of Cocoa West assorted chocolates which await for your arrival. This comes standard for all guests. With a chocolate coloured theme of rich and light brown shades, it kind of made me tempted to eat the furniture. If this was the house of Willy Wonka, it probably would have been possible too!

However the in room movies and entertainment provided were a bit more sophisticated than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and watching Chocolat in the Chocolate Suite while eating the finest chocolate is something I couldn’t leave without doing.

Being that I’m not so much of an outdoor girl, Bowen Island was a different experience for me. Cocoa West Chocolatier, the Chocolate Suite, and a couple restaurants were my main attraction. There are lots of beautiful hikes, scenery, kayaking and outdoor activities, but calling it in and indulging in chocolate with Johnny Depp was more suitable for my tastes, figuratively and literally.

Cocoa West Chocolatier’s Chocolate Suite is a quick and easy romantic getaway from the city. The room is quaint with chocolate themed books and romantic movies, and the bedside chocolate was also a cute initiative. The experience continues the next morning with a complimentary hot chocolate or coffee and biscotti or cookie. It can be enjoyed at the cafe or arranged to be delivered to your room.

A bedside Milk Bar (solid Belgian milk chocolate in festive foil) is placed on your night table.

I can’t deny that the foodie in me was hoping that there would be a chocolate making class or some kind of chocolate activity to enhance the chocolate experience. That just would have really made it a chocolate escape and ideal for chocoholics and food enthusiasts. I’m crossing my fingers for it to happen and hope that some day it does, because I think it would make an unbelievable local and tourist attraction.

There’s no doubt you’ll get your daily dose of chocolate during your stay, but even if you don’t stay in the Chocolate Suite, I would still suggest trying Cocoa West Chocolatier for their exquisite hand made organic chocolates. For more information, rates and availability for the Chocolate Suite at Cocoa West Chocolatier see here.

Restaurant: Cocoa West Chocolatier
Cuisine: Chocolates/Desserts/Gelato/Coffee/Organic
Last visited: August 2-3, 2011
Location: Bowen Island, BC
Address: 581c Artisan Lane
Bowen Island
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 3
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Husband and wife operation
• Small cafe
• Handmade chocolates
• Organic, all natural
• Artisan chocolates
• Made in small batches
• Fresh, high quality ingredients
• Creative flavours
• No preservatives
• Gluten free
• Dairy free options
• Nut free options
• Local ingredients where possible
• Limited indoor/outdoor seating
• Online ordering
• Chocolate suite available

**Recommendations: Eden’s Harvest, Unbelievably Good Egg, First Place Pie, Himalayan Sea Salt Caramel, Cinnamon, Dulche de Leche, Bombay Truffle, Strawberry Black Pepper, Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Cocoa West Chocolatier specializes in one thing, and that’s chocolate. They offer a small selection of gelato from Mario’s Gelati and a few home made biscotti and cookies, but the chocolate is where the magic and passion lies.

The cafe is very small with a cottage like ambiance, however the chocolate speaks higher than the setting. I’d say it’s the finest food establishment along with fine dining restaurant Blue Eyed Mary’s on Bowen Island. It is a local favourite and although I only tried 3 of the 10 restaurants on Bowen Island, Cocoa West Chocolatier was easily my top pick.

Maitre Chocolatier and owner Joanne Mogridge trained under Maitre Chocolatier Greg Hook from Chocolate Arts in Vancouver before opening her own chocolate shop in 2002. Using raw chocolate produced in France by Cacao Barry, the chocolate is not single origin chocolate, but a blend. This isn’t a bad thing as blends often incorporate the best qualities from a variety of cocoa beans.

Joanne makes her chocolate in small batches with 100% certified organic and all natural ingredients. Therefore these chocolates expire within 10 days due to the fresh ingredients, although I’m sure they won’t even see the third day once you get your hands on a box. Some of the chocolates may contain a little alcohol to act as a natural preservative and those will last 18 days, and her dairy free chocolates will last 3 months.

Just like any chef, chocolatiers have their own unique style, and the art of chocolate making extends further than starting with good quality cocoa. She uses local organic fruits, organic herbs from her garden, home made fruit purees, and freshly ground spices to create these world class chocolates. Her style is very subtle in flavour, with a focus on the quality of the chocolate, so most of them are non-offensive and easily accepted by any age and palate.

I found them a notch less sweet and more simple than Maitre Chocolatier Thomas Haas’ chocolates. They were less intense with the flavourings of Thomas Haas, Xoxolat, and Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France chocolates, and it just depends on what you like. I liked that they were less sweet, but I do prefer them a bit stronger, but nonetheless these were not difficult to appreciate and devour.

From what I tried she seemed to use infusion as a technique rather than using the ingredients as a whole or as is. Everything was really incorporated and mild so there were no obvious fruit gelées or intense spices. At times it was hard to figure out what it was unless I knew.

The inside of a Himalayan Sea Salt Caramel

They’re clean in presentation and offered in simple solid or double layered chocolates. The double layered chocolate truffles I’d say are her signature and the creamy rich fillings, especially her caramels, are noticeably different from other chocolatiers. Her truffles are definitely some of the best I’ve had and it’s no doubt due to the freshness of the ingredients. The texture and flavour of the soft velvety creamy centres were perfect. Just look at the picture!

Photo above: The Unbelievably Good Egg (soft caramel with chocolate centre rolled in toasted organic almonds) is their signature and #1 best selling chocolate.

The chocolate ranges from simple to artisan, with creative West Coast flavours and twists like like Bombay Truffle with Chai and Strawberry Black Pepper. Personally I gravitated to more of the unique sounding chocolates, and overall I found these chocolates to be the most memorable part of my Bowen Island dining adventures.

Price List

Organic chocolates (selected) $1.70 each, Small box 7 pc $12, Med box 14 pc $24, Large Box 28 pc $44

I won’t deny that these chocolates are pricey, but it comes with the quality and labour. I was in the company of several locals who would tell me it was their favourite place on the island besides their own business, and that was without me asking or knowing my reason for being there.

If you just care to try the chocolate without making the trip to Bowen Island, you can order them online (here) for the same price, but they will come pre-selected with your choice of mostly dark, mostly milk, or assorted milk and dark chocolates.

On the table:

**Himalayan Sea Salt Caramel – 6/6

• It was the first one I started with, and I almost fainted.
• It was a soft chocolate shell and then out oozed this thick and creamy caramel filling that was buttery, not greasy, not sticky, chewy, or overly sweet.
• It would make non-caramel lovers fall in love with caramel. I’m not huge on caramel and I wanted to marry it after this.
• The crunch of sea salt on top just enhanced the caramel flavour and the caramel filling was almost like a pudding. See the filling in the image above.
• It’s one of the best chocolate caramel truffles I’ve had to date.

Left to right: Bombay Truffle, Cinnamon, Strawberry Black Pepper, Signature Truffle, Perfect Marriage, Shell

**Bombay Truffle – 4/6

• Chai & black tea-infused milk chocolate.
• It’s very aromatic in the beginning with some cardamom and cinnamon or clove flavour. It’s not sharp in spices, but very rounded out and subtle.
• It has a creamy rich centre and the tea flavour is quite light and the bitterness comes from the chocolate and not the leaves like it should be.
• My favourite Indian inspired chocolate is still Xoxolat’s Cardamom Creme Brulee Chocolate.

**Cinnamon – 5/6

• Chocolate & cinnamon liqueur, such a lovely couple!
• I like cinnamon, but I don’t love it, and this was one of my favourites.
• The cinnamon is very light, freshly ground and dusted on top.
• I couldn’t taste the cinnamon liqueur and the whole thing just melts in your mouth with a gush of cinnamon infused caramel in the centre.
• It’s aromatic and not spicy, but warm on the tongue at the end. It was amazing.

**Strawberry Black Pepper – 4.5/6

• Strawberry puree spiked with cracked black pepper.
• It was creamy and fruity and the flavour was interesting and hard to pinpoint if I didn’t know what it was.
• It’s not spicy and I couldn’t taste the texture of strawberry or crackled black pepper, but I got the aromatics of them.
• If you don’t like fruit filled chocolate, you would likely still like this because the fruit puree was lightly infused into a cream and you could hardly tell it was there.
• It wasn’t that sweet or tart, and the black pepper heat came at the end, but the flavour was not as obvious and even kids would like it.
• As good as it was, I did want the texture of the ingredients.

Signature Truffle – 3/6

• Our signature hot chocolate in a single decadent bite.
• It was a bittersweet soft ganache and I could taste the subtle hint of ginger or nutmeg and it was a bit bitter.
• It was a bit thin and tender and not as clean in presentation, but it’s the signature so I was curious.

Perfect Marriage – 3.5/6

• Blueberries, cranberries, rice crisps, almonds & hazelnuts in blissful harmony.
• This one was a bit harder and nutty without the creamy centre. I thought I would like this more.
• It was more like a nougat with a bittersweet chocolate shell and bits of dried blueberries and cranberries.
• It was more tart than fruity especially since the fruits were dried, and I tasted more cranberry than blueberry.
• I couldn’t really get that nuttiness or rice crispies and it wasn’t that chunky or as textured as the description suggested.

Shell – 3.5/6

• Rice crisps in dark chocolate in a mottled shell.
• I’m a fan of crispy rice in chocolate, and this was more chocolate focused.
• It was harder than expected and I thought it would be more delicate and crispy.
• It was reminiscent of a Crunch bar, but much thicker, harder and crunchier, like baking chocolate, and I think I would have liked it a bit thinner.

Left to right: First Place Pie, Eden’s Harvest, Unbelievably Good Egg, Lemon Fresh, Dulche De Leche, 70% Dark Solid, Heaven & Earth, Bowenberry & Espresso Bar

Lemon Fresh – 4/6

• White chocolate ganache infused with lemon and hint of thyme.
• For white chocolate it wasn’t too sweet and the centre is filled with a white chocolate ganache, but it’s only a lemon scent and not actually citrusy.
• It has a touch of alcohol, but it’s not one I could taste at all.
• I would haven’t minded a stronger lemon tang and some zest.
• I did get the wonderful aromatics of the lemony thyme in the beginning although it was quite subtle and only noticeable if you looked for it.
• If you didn’t know the flavours, it would likely take you forever to pinpoint what it was, but that “je ne sais quoi” almost made it more addicting.

**Dulche de Leche – 5/6

• Sweet liquid caramelized cream. Single bite only!
• This must be another favourite. I usually find dulche de leche too sweet and I wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as I did.
• It was ultra creamy and rich with caramel and it was sweet, but not hurt your teeth sweet.
• There was a bittersweet contrast with the dulche de leche and it wasn’t as sweet as most dulche de leches are.

70% Dark Solid – 5/6

• For the chocolate afficionado – the darker the better.
• This is actually my “chocolate test”. It’s the purest, simplest form of minimally altered cocoa and it represents the base of all the other chocolates.
• For me, the darker the better for sure.
• It was hard, dark, rich, bold, deep and earthy and the sweetness never really kicked in.
• It coats your mouth with flavour and fruity end notes and it was excellent quality of bittersweet chocolate.

Heaven on Earth – 4/6

• Raspberry dark ganache layered with vanilla dark chocolate.
• It had a mild raspberry flavour, but lots of real vanilla bean flavour and I could see the seeds.
• It had a creamy centre and I’m usually not big on raspberry and chocolate, but again this was subtle, but there.

Bowenberry – 3.5/6

• Local blackberry puree in a sugar-topped dark shell.
• It was a bit tart initially from the berries and it had a creamy ganache centre and a bold bittersweet accent.
• There were no seeds and it was an infusion of berries and the sugar crystal topping gave it some textural contrast.

Espresso Bar – 4/6

• Crushed organic espresso beans in semi-sweet dark chocolate.
• It was crunchy with good quality crunchy chopped espresso beans that were freshly toasted.
• There was enough sweetness to balance out the bitterness and the espresso was quite strong and bold.

Top row: Dulce De Leche, Lemon Fresh, Heaven on Earth
Bottom row: EmpowerMint, Domino, Starfish, Bombay Truffle

**Dulche de Leche – 5/6

• Sweet liquid caramelized cream. Single bite only!
• Described above.

Lemon Fresh – 4/6

• White chocolate ganache infused with lemon and hint of thyme.
• Described above.

Heaven on Earth – 4/6

• Raspberry dark ganache layered with vanilla dark chocolate.
• Described above.

EmpowerMint – 3/6

• A refreshing infusion of real mint leaves – just like nature intended.
• It’s a creamy ganache filled chocolate and I could only taste a little mint in the beginning and it’s quite faint.
• I’d actually barely notice it was mint, which I didn’t mind because I’m not a huge mint chocolate person anyways, but if I was, I’d want more mint.
• I love mint and chocolate when it’s fresh mint and high quality bittersweet chocolate though, so I did want more in this case.
• It finished with a bitter sweet chocolate flavour,

Domino - 4/6

• Canadian Maple caramel layered with dark ganache.
• It was another one of her caramel specialties!
• It’s rich buttery caramel that oozes out like liquid and it’s not too sweet, sticky or chewy. The Maple was actually a bit faint.
• There’s some vanilla bean flavour in it and the dark chocolate makes it less sweet and gives it the bitter after notes.

Starfish - 3/6

• A Bowen emblem in solid milk or dark Belgian chocolate.
• This was probably the most plain, and it was a milk chocolate version.
• It’s soft creamy milk chocolate and it’s less sweet than standard milk chocolate.
• There’s no waxy or greasy feel afterward and it’s not oily.

**Bombay Truffle – 4/6

• Chai & black tea-infused milk chocolate.
• Described above.

Left to right: First Place Pie, Eden’s Harvest, Unbelievably Good Egg

These were undeniably my favourites. Save the best for last. I think I had these first and last.

**First Place Pie – 5/6

• Pear & apple puree, caramel in a toasted cashew crust. A winner!
• I love pear, so I found the pear a bit faint for me and I tasted it initially, but it could have been only apple if I didn’t know.
• It was almost like an apple caramel pie in chocolate form and the cashew coating was like a pie crust. It was a bit soft than crunchy.
• The fruit was pureed into a creamy chocolate ganache surrounded by a caramel centre.

**Eden’s Harvest (on the right) – 6/6

• Apple, vanilla, toffee pecan. Seasonal special.
• This is named after her daughter and it was my favourite chocolate out of everything.
• It’s one of the best chocolates I’ve had period.
• This was even more like a caramel apple pie compared to the First Place Pie.
• It oozed out a layer of caramel and creamy chocolate ganache with an intense apple puree that was white, unlike the chocolate filling in the First Place Pie.
• It was also fruitier with stronger apple flavour and I think the vanilla bean seeds throughout really did the trick.
• It was richer and nuttier with the pecan toffee crunch on the outside and it was just the most flavourful and obvious of all.

**Unbelievably Good Egg (on the left) – 6/6

• Soft caramel and chocolate centre rolled in toasted organic almonds.
• This was my second favourite of all the chocolates I ate. It is their best seller.
• It’s not surprising because the caramel here is stellar and perfect. The almonds were a bonus!
• It was the sweetest of the three, but still not sickly sweet, and this one poured out a liquid caramel wrapped around a creamy chocolate ganache.
• It was buttery, sweet, rich, and easily melted in your mouth with the accent of vanilla bean seeds. I loved it!

Organic Hot Chocolate – Seville – 3/6

• Thick, velvety dark chocolate. Inspired by the drinking chocolate of the Spanish city. Small $4.76 Regular $5.23
• Made from solid organic Belgian chocolate, fresh organic milk, and organic spices.
• This is the hot chocolate (or coffee if you like) that comes complimentary the next morning if you stay in their chocolate suite.
• They have a few varieties of hot chocolate to select from, I went for the darkest.
• It’s not served boiling hot as to not overcook the chocolate. However it seemed cocoa based more than melted chocolate based to me and it was heavy on the milk or cream.
• This wasn’t as thick or creamy as hot chocolates in Spain and it was much lighter than many sipping chocolates I’ve tried, which are really just purely melted chocolates.
• This was very frothy and barely sweet and actually quite light in chocolate flavour.
• It was good, but I would probably make a richer more chocolatey version at home.
• It wasn’t creamy, heavy, waxy or greasy at all, and I couldn’t taste many or any spices really.
• I would have liked it more bitter and richer as their darkest hot chocolate variety, but the texture and flavour was so mild it made it easy to finish a glass.

**Cranberry & Almond Biscotti – 4.5/6

• $1.90 each
• This is the biscotti (or cookie if you like) that comes complimentary the next morning if you stay in their chocolate suite.
• Apparently this is a favourite and what most people would get in the morning with their coffee.
• It’s quite a soft biscotti and not those crunchy double baked ones. It’s very nutty with lots of ground almonds and no cornmeal and it’s quite tender and crumbly.
• They’re not dry but surprisingly quite buttery although you can’t tastes its richness.
• It was packed with lots of crushed almonds and a few cranberries and I actually really liked them.
• It’s not too sweet and very easy to eat and enjoy… and dip in hot chocolate.
• It kind of reminded me of those Dainty Two Chinese almond egg cookies.

Restaurant: Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop
Cuisine: Tacos/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 3, 2011
Location: Bowen Island, BC
Address: 400 Bowen Island Trunk Rd
Bowen Island, BC
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2
Service: 4
Ambiance: 2 inside, 6 outside on the patio
Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Since 2002
• Locally owned
• Home made tacos
• Simple food
• Limited menu
• Vegetarian options
• Healthy recipes
• Right by the ferry (walkable)
• On the dock
• Very casual/fast food
• Patio seating only
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Family friendly
• Cash only
• Mon-Sun 11am-6pm
• Closed Tuesdays

Recommendations: n/a

Before I headed on my chocolate escape at West Coast Chocolatier on Bowen Island I did a little restaurant research. There were only about 10 restaurants on Bowen Island to select from, but when I saw that Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop had 100% rating on Urbanspoon, I put it on the list! Sure the ratings were based on only 10 people (at the time), but I was still curious to see for myself.

I had actually tried to visit this random little taco hut for dinner the night before, but realized it closed on a Tuesday. I had asked some locals about it and everyone knew what it was, but nobody really said anything beyond that. Regardless I made my way down here the next day for a quick snack before my departure from the island.

It’s actually more of a take out place and there’s no seats inside, but most people would chose to sit outside anyways. It’s been around for 9 years and it’s the only restaurant located right on the dock. The owner and cook Nancy was actually sitting outside with a few locals and I would consider it a locals hang out, or “quick bite on the dock”, before I would a “foodie” destination.

The menu was incredibly simple which made ordering very easy. Essentially it’s one kind of ground beef, or one kind of beans, and then the size of taco you want. Part of me thought that the limited menu meant a stellar taco with a tried, tested and true recipe, but it was really just a basic taco. The prices looked very affordable, but for the size and what it was, I actually considered it pricey.

The best part was the view from the taco shop, and the owner Nancy was friendly. I’d say it’s a great place to just sit, talk and relax with the locals that have lived on Bowen Island for probably a long time. It’s just more about the ambiance than it is about the food. It is a quick and casual taco joint and good for families if you’re looking for a fast non-greasy bite on the dock before the ferry ride as well. It depends what kind of experience you’re looking for, but personally I found it more of a convenience choice.

On the table:

Beef Taco on Soft Corn Tortilla – 2/6

• Hard or soft with beef or beans $4
• This was small. It’s snack size and bigger than the authentic Mexican tacos, but smaller than Taco Bell tacos.
• It’s a basic taco in terms of ingredients and flavour.
• It’s not a Mexican style taco, but a very American style taco.
• There was a good amount of ground beef, home made tomato salsa, lettuce, crumbled marble cheese, and sour cream.
• It had no spice or any noticeable additional seasonings and it was basically something you might make at home as a quick weekday snack.
• It was a “healthy” take, so the beef was lean and less oily, yet not dry and still moist which I liked.
• I actually couldn’t taste the salsa, but it seemed like chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro. I think it was sauteed rather than fresh too.

Restaurant: Sara’s Ice Cream
Cuisine: Desserts/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 3, 2011
Location: Delta, BC
Address: 4857 Elliott St.
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Ice cream shop
• Served at Nancy’s Taco Shop
• Location in Delta, BC

Recommendations: n/a

The “Ice Cream” portion of Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop is actually outsourced from Sara’s Ice Cream. I’m not quite sure if it’s the Sara’s in Delta, Richmond, or White Rock, because they’re all called “Sara’s Ice Cream”. It could be under one brand as well. I’m not going to lie, but a big part of me was hoping it was going to be home made ice cream.

Anyways Nancy used to sell Breyer’s Ice Cream, but now she carries Sara’s, which I respect since it’s local. On the other hand there’s better local ice cream brands than this and from what I tried I didn’t see the hype. I know people really love Sara’s Ice Cream, and this was actually my first time trying it, but I wasn’t that impressed and I didn’t even really have any expectations for it.

The most memorable and cutest part of the whole experience was that one of the locals sitting with Nancy came inside and said he was doing random acts of kindness and treating everyone to ice cream that afternoon. So being at the right place at the right time I was generously treated to an ice cream! Things like that never happen in the city, and just seeing this kind gesture made me get a sense of the people on Bowen Island. However I think it was an experience that might only happen at Nancy’s Taco & Ice Cream Shop.

On the table:

Sara’s Maple Walnut & Vanilla Ice Cream - 2.5/6

• 1 scoop $3 2 scoops $4 + $.50 for waffle cone
• Maple Walnut Ice Cream – 2.5/6
• The flavour looked rich, but I actually couldn’t taste any maple in this. It was very faint, but I liked that it wasn’t too sweet.
• There were also hardly any walnuts in it, which for me is the best part of Maple Walnut ice cream.
• The ice cream was somewhat hard, yet creamy and the texture was good, but I just felt the flavour was lacking as well as the main ingredients – maple and walnuts.
• Vanilla Ice Cream – 2.5/6
• Vanilla is the standard and how I usually “judge” an ice cream because it’s the purest flavour.
• It really bothers me when vanilla ice cream has no vanilla bean seeds in it, however there are brands without the beans that I still like.
• This just tasted like plain ice cream and I couldn’t taste any vanilla.
• Again it was creamy without that greasy texture and the cream was good, but the flavour wasn’t there.
• I prefer Island Farms vanilla ice cream or Mountain Dairy vanilla ice cream if I’m sticking to a local BC brand.

Win Tickets to Liberty Wine Merchants Taste of BC 2011!

Contest is now CLOSED.

What better way than to kick off the new year with a contest! On behalf of Liberty Wine Merchants, Follow Me Foodie is hosting it’s first contest of the year for 2 tickets to attend the anticipated Taste of BC 2011 event.

Liberty Wine Merchants is hosting their 17th annual Taste of BC charity event on January 18, 2011 from 4:30pm-7:30pm at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown, Vancouver.

Attendees are invited to taste and sip the finest fare from the best local restaurants in BC. Along with food, wine, beer and spirits, and of course cheese, the event also features live music, door prizes, and a silent auction with luxury items, local experience packages, destination packages and delicious products made by British Columbia’s own. This is not to be missed by any food or wine enthusiast.

The fundraiser is for the Children’s Hospital – Oak Tree Clinic which specializes in providing care and services to those with HIV/AIDS. Taste BC has raised a total of $170, 216 since it started 17 years ago and hopefully it will continue to grow with your support.

Even if you don’t win through this contest, it’s a great charity event to attend. Tickets can be purchased at all Liberty Wine Merchants locations for $49.99 each. For locations see here.

How to enter:

1) “LIKE” the Follow Me Foodie Facebook Fanpage

OR

2) Comment on this post and RT the following:

I entered the @followmefoodie #contest to win tickets to Taste of BC 2011 http://bit.ly/g0lsRW

Winner will be selected at random. Contest closes January 5, 2011.

Restaurant: Hastings House Country House Hotel
Cuisine: French/Pacific Northwest/West Coast
Last visited: October 19, 2010
Location: Salt Spring Island, BC (Gulf Islands)
Address: 160 Upper Ganges Rd
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6

I mentioned in my previous post yesterday (see here) that I was invited to the Hastings House Country House Hotel in Salt Spring Island BC for their Chefs Across the Water Series. Dinner featured a 5 course menu with wine pairings from Hastings House’s very own Executive Chef, Chef Marcel Kauer.

The Hastings House Country House Hotel is a luxury country resort, spa, and restaurant. It’s an cozy and quaint estate with historical cottages where guest stay.  The resort is named “Top 20 International Hideaways”, “”Top 3 in Canadian Hotels” and under “1000 Things to See Before You Die”. I felt like Anne of Green Gables on the set of a Little House on Prairie…. except I’ve read neither of the books, but can only assume.

It’s hard to believe Vancouver was just 2 ferries away. It’s really an escape from the city (my phone didn’t even work there) and an incredible place for nature lovers. I’m not really the outdoor type, and that might be an understatement, but the place is remote and relaxing and the experience is unforgettable. On the other hand, I am a food and wine lover, although I can eat more than I can drink and the Hastings House Country House Hotel is great for food and wine enthusiasts.

As if this wasn’t enough of an incredible view to wake up to, but I was also overwhelmed to wake up to freshly baked banana muffins and Chamomile tea waiting for me in an insulated tote outside my hotel room door. This isn’t just for me either, this is for all guests. This is the kind of service and quaint details that make Hastings House Country House Hotel such a unique experience.

They really make sure that every guest is taken care of and the treats continue with complimentary breakfast in the dining room of The Manor. The service was exceptional and I wasn’t given special treatment either. Salt Spring Island is a really small town so no matter where you go you’ll be approached by a friendly stranger that’s eager to strike up a conversation. I walked into what I believe is the only grocery store there and was asked 6 times with “can I help you find something?”… all within 15 minutes. You can’t get bad service anywhere on this island.

No, that isn’t the lamb I had for dinner yesterday. I asked as well.
The lamb is local, but not this local. They just have a bunch of lamb roaming around the estate.

On the table:

Crabapple Jelly, Raspberry Jelly and Blackberry Jelly to accompany fresh baked bread and toast.
The jellies are all homemade and organic from fruits that are hand picked from the Hastings House Orchard located just outside the restaurant.

Breakfast was a choice of continental (cereal, fruit etc.), traditional (2 eggs, 2 bacon etc.), or the special of the day which was an Eggs Benedict. My decision was easy.

Poached Eggs Benedict in Puff Pastry

• With sauteed garden veggies and roasted tomatoes.
• This was delicious and the eggs were perfectly poached with nice and soft runny yolks and a creamy buttery hollandaise sauce to top it all off.
• All the ingredients were very fresh, natural, local and organic.
• The purple flowers are organic and edible and from the Hastings House edible garden.

• The puff pastry was a nice change from the traditional English muffins and it was almost like a French country style breakfast.
• The puff pastry cups were filled with sauteed carrots, bell peppers and zucchini grown in their organic edible garden.

This is where afternoon tea time takes place, in the living room of The Manor. From 3:30-5pm guests are invited to enjoy freshly baked scones, cookies and pastries along side tea.

Afternoon tea – Freshly baked scones, pecan bars, chocolate ginger snaps and shortbread cookies.
The tea time goodies change daily so there’s always something new to try.

Sshhh… it’s quiet time. (And don’t worry… I tried one of everything)

Event: Chefs Across the Water Series – Featuring Chef Marcel Kauer, Hastings House Country House Hotel
Event Date: October 18, 2010
Restaurant: Hastings House Country House Hotel
Cuisine: French/Seafood/West Coast
Location: Salt Spring Island, BC (Gulf Islands)
Address: 160 Upper Ganges Road
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6

The Hastings House Country House Hotel is definitely reaching out to the foodie market as it introduces the first ever Chefs Across the Water Series 2010. It’s a series of dinners that took place over the summer at the Hastings House Country House Hotel in Salt Spring Island, BC. Each month features a prominent Executive Chef from one of Vancouver’s finest and best fine dining restaurants. The Executive Chef is invited for one exclusive day to prepare a 5 course dinner in the Hastings House kitchen that is open to locals and tourists to enjoy. The ticketed event and formal dinner promotes the use of fresh, organic, and local Salt Spring Island ingredients along with optional wine pairings featuring BC wines.

Thanks to fellow food blogger and good friend Sherman from Sherman’s Food Adventures, I was invited to the last Chefs Across the Water series. This evening featured French and Pacific Northwest cuisine by the Hastings House’s very own Executive Chef Marcel Kauer. Known for his Salt Spring Lamb, his dishes were also carefully prepared and presented. What’s extra special is that Chef Kauer uses vegetables, fruit, herbs and edible flowers from the Hastings House’s kitchen garden, which is basically the restaurant’s backyard. I was very pleased to attend this night since it would be a rare opportunity for me to try it on any other day, considering it’s on Salt Spring Island.

To be honest, I had no idea where Hastings House Country House Hotel was before this event. When I heard the event was at “Hastings House” I imagined some super sketch area in East Hastings, however when I realized it was referring to Hastings House Country House Hotel in Salt Spring Island, everything was much better. Coming from Vancouver it meant either 2 ferries or a short plane ride, but believe me, it was definitely worth the trip.

Hastings House Country House Hotel is a luxury country resort, spa and restaurant. It’s named one of the “Top 20 International Hideaways”, “”Top 3 in Canadian Hotels” and under “1000 Things to See Before You Die”. I probably would have never discovered this hidden gem and gorgeous vacation getaway if it wasn’t for this event.

The ambiance is that of an old English country resort and the sit down dinner takes place in the Hastings House dining room. Although it feels a bit pretentious, it is cozy and quaint and the service is incredibly friendly. The dinners are intimate with small or group table seating and personal catering. Just because I was invited I honestly believe that everyone will be treated like royalty. I felt like I was on the set of Gilmore Girls having dinner at Emily and Richard’s house.

The Chefs Across the Water series is definitely a “high brow activity” for any food and wine enthusiast and it’s a perfect event for a romantic weekend getaway that is unlike anything you’ll find in Vancouver. From the personalized menus, to the description of each plate and wine pairing, and even the traditional English serving manners, it was truly a memorable experience that was well… worth documenting.

See my post on breakfast as Hastings House Country House Hotel here.

Ticket price: 5 course dinners: $100 (Optional wine pairings: $50)
For more details/reservations: Chefs Across the Water 2010 or 250.537.2362/1.800.661.9255

On the table:

Amuse Bouche: Vol-au-vent with Goat Cheese Camembert

I’m not really a fan of goat’s cheese especially if it’s extremely gamey in flavour. This was a super creamy and pungent goat cheese that was way too gamey for my palette. The vol-au-vent is a layered, crispy and hollowed out puff pastry shell that holds the filling. It has a touch of jam or sweetness to it, but the goat’s cheese is just so intense it’s all I can remember. For me it was a “thank god it was only a bite” appetizer.

Wild Pacific Salmon Tartar, Parsnip Chips, Fir Tree Honey and Parsley Oil – 4/6

Wine pairing: 2005 Blue Mountain Rose Brut

The presentation was gorgeous and all the flowers and the fir tree honey are actually from the Hastings House’s edible garden. The salmon was creamy with salty bites of capers and it was finished off with a little strawberry sauce. I couldn’t taste the strawberries as much as I could taste the fir tree honey, which had a sweet and earthy in flavour. The parsley oil and honey were a unique combination and it brightened up the flavours of the tartar which was quite basic otherwise.

Caramelized Onion and Apple Bisque, Goat Cheese Crouton – 6/6

Wine pairing: 2009 Salt Spring Vineyards, Blattner White

This was my favourite dish of the night and probably the most well prepared bisques I’ve ever tried. It’s actually one of the best soups I’ve ever had. This was a contemporary bisque made with French execution and it’s one of Chef Kauer’s famous specialties. An authentic French bisque is made with seafood, so this was an interesting switch up.

This was a very rich, creamy and thick bisque with a smooth and even texture. It’s sweet from the sweet onions and apples and there was a perfect balance of both. It also has a slight tang coming from perhaps the wine or the apples and it was enhanced with the creamy goat’s cheese. The goat cheese crouton just melts into the bisque creating and even richer texture and the slight cheesiness was not overwhelming nor was it gamey.

Seared Local Pine Mushrooms, Bright Farm Leek, Orchard Pear and Smoked Albacore Tuna Ragout – 3/6

Wine pairing: 2006 Mission Hill S.L.C. Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon

Oddly enough this Albacore tuna ragout reminded me of Thanksgiving. It almost tasted like turkey or ham with a sweet leek and pear stuffing. The pear was a bit hidden, but it did add the sweetness which was quite obvious. Everything tasted fine, but it didn’t showcase the flavours of the tuna or the tuna as a ragout. It was well prepared and presented, but it didn’t do much for me and the description didn’t match the flavours. I think it was perhaps the simplicity of the dish and ingredients, it also didn’t build on top of the previous course, which was an extremely flavourful bisque.

Marinated Sable Fish, Lemon Polenta, Black Truffle Beurre Blanc – 3.5/6

Wine pairing: 2008 Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay

I ordered the Sable Fish as my main although Chef Kauer’s Salt Spring Lamb is the most famous must try dish at the Hastings House. Whenever possible, I will order and try everything on the menu, and since everyone else at my table ordered the lamb, I decided on the Sable Fish. I also strategized with Victor from Ho Yummy so I got to try his lamb and he got to try my fish. I love dining with fellow food bloggers.

The Sable Fish was moist, juicy, and cooked perfectly, although it is a very forgiving fish to prepare. I loved the brown sugar crust (which I could have used more of) he used to replace the crispy texture of the skin, however I do like the skin. I also which I could taste the brown sugar, because it added more in terms of texture, but not in flavour.

The Black Truffle beurre blanc was the perfect sauce to match this buttery fish, but I wish there was more because without it the dish was quite ordinary. I could taste the truffle but I could have used more truffle oil because the flavour was a bit inconsistent throughout the sauce.

The creamy polenta was quite tangy with lots of lemon juice and although it did lighten the dish up, I would have preferred it to be more savoury. Minus the fact that it was a beurre blanc sauce, the ingredients seemed to be used so sparingly that the flavours were a bit too light.

Grilled Salt Spring Island Lamb, Rosemary Rosti Potatoes, Grainy Mustard Jus – 6/6

Wine pairing: 2004 Osoyoos Larose

The lamb was superb and it is really a must try. It’s available on the regular menu and it’s Chef Kauer’s famous dish. I’m not usually a fan of lamb, because I fear it will be too gamey, but a well prepared lamb will come off as the texture and flavour of filet mignon with a slightly gamey aftertaste of lamb. This one was incredibly tender, buttery, not gamey and perfectly prepared. It was melt in your mouth delicious and it was matched with a grainy mustard sauce that was savoury, tangy, and slightly sweet from perhaps some reduced red wine. I could have used a little more spice, or perhaps a bit of a crust on the lamb, but the grainy mustard did add some contrast to the soft texture. I did prefer this main over the sable fish.

Hot Hastings House Garden Quince Souffle, Grand Marnier Creme Anglaise – 4/6

Wine pairing: 2008 Elephant Island Apricot

The 5 course dinner ended with a light souffle dessert. I love a good souffle, and this was a perfectly prepared souffle. It was definitely sour more than sweet and the use of the quince came off tasting like an orange more so than a cross of an apple and a pear. The quince was actually hand picked from the Hastings House orchard so it was a lovely Autumn dessert.

A well made French souffle is supposed to hold it’s shape, and this one held from beginning to end. It was a beautiful fluffy, soft, light and airy sponge like cake and it tastes like eating clouds if it’s made properly. Yes, I’ve tasted in a cloud, and it’s delicious.

They slit open the souffle and pour in the Grand Marnier creme anglaise upon serving it.

I could definitely taste the orange flavour from the Grand Marnier creme anglaise and I found it a bit overwhelming for such a delicate dessert. The liquor also wasn’t cooked out as much as I wanted it to be. I would have rather had less poured in because the flavour was intense that a little goes a long way. The creme anglaise absorbs into the cake and it becomes sponge like, extra moist, and the texture of foam. The sponge cake is eggy and the dessert ends up being quite creamy. There were little pieces of quince fruit throughout but it ended up tasting like oranges. The idea of cream and sour for a dessert isn’t my preference, but nonetheless I still finished it. The 2008 Elephant Island Apricot was the perfect wine pairing for this dessert because it added the sweetness I was looking for to balance out the rather tart souffle.

Restaurant: Auntie Pesto’s
Cuisine: American/Italian/Cafe
Last visited: October 17, 2010
Location: Salt Spring Island, BC (Gulf Island)
Address: 2104-115 Fulford Ganges Rd
Price Range: $10-20, $30-50 (for dinner)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 5
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Family owned
• American/Italian cuisine
• Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
• Very fresh, home made
• Cozy/quaint
• Local favourite
• Freshly baked goods
• Ocean view
• Patio seating available
• Catering available
• Mon-Sat. 8am-9pm

Fall Hours:

• Breakfast: 8am-11am
• Lunch: 11am-4pm
• Dinner 5pm-9pm
• Closed Sunday

**Recommendations: Salt Spring Mussels, Smoked Turkey Sandwich, Pasta Carbonara

How cute is the name?! So cute! And it even has a little take out window.

I was in Salt Spring Island for a couple days for the BC Chefs Across the Water Series hosted at the Hastings House Country House Hotel. I had intentionally arrived a bit early from Vancouver just so I would have time to squeeze in a lunch before tea time and a very anticipated 5 course dinner by Chef Marcel Kauer at Hastings House (see my post for that here). I was given 2 recommendations by 3 different people and they all suggested the same two restaurants: Auntie Pesto’s Cafe and Tree House Cafe. From that, I assumed that both cafes are truly local favourites or that there’s a lack of selection… in this case it’s both.

Auntie Pesto’s is a small cafe and it’s definitely the local favourite. I guarantee I was the only tourist in there and since it’s a bit “off the strip” (the “downtown” takes 15 min to explore) it’s really a place you wouldn’t consider unless it was recommended. It’s located on the waterfront so there’s a beautiful ocean view and patio seating in the summer.

It’s a casual and cozy cafe by day, but the food is gourmet and very well executed. Most of the dishes are American or Italian and it’s all made in house and upon order with fresh ingredients. It seriously tastes like fine dining standards and I’m not surprised that the prices and menu change to casual fine dining levels at night. Auntie Pesto’s offers excellent food, quality, service, atmosphere, portions and price if you come for lunch. I can only base it on lunch since it was my first time dining here. However based on this experience I would most certainly come back if I was visiting Salt Spring Island again.

The owner was friendly and I think she does a bit of everything. She actually took my order and when I asked for recommendations she said “everything”. So I rephrased… “if I was to never come back, what should I try?” She responded with….

On the table:

**Salt Spring Mussels – 6/6

• In a white wine, shallot and herb broth $12 (I think they’re $17 for dinner)
• Salt Spring Mussels IN Salt Spring Island? A must try appetizer. That was a no brainer, but it was also highly recommended. Coming from Vancouver, this moment doesn’t come around often.
• These are definitely one of the best mussels I’ve had. The sauce was great, but the mussels themselves were just so fresh, plump, juicy, savoury yet sweet and perfectly cooked.
• The broth was drinkable and more like a soup. It was salty and tangy with a slight tomato and seafood taste, and then there was a buttery sweetness from the sauteed garlic and shallots.
• The bread was perfect as a dipper to soak up the broth. It was simply delicious!

**Smoked Turkey Sandwich – 5/6

• Layered with tomato, lettuce, onion & cheddar cheese lightly grilled on sourdough with cranberry mayo $9
• This was a delicious sandwich and it was more like a perfectly grilled panini.
• This was actually a bit pricey considering the side was a very tiny bowl of cole slaw… but at least the sandwich was excellent.

• The sandwich was layered with the perfect ratio of ingredients and it was so well balanced and executed.
• It was thin shavings of layered smoked turkey, salty bites of prosciutto, creamy melted cheddar cheese, juicy fresh tomatoes and wilted lettuce all in a thin and crispy warm sourdough bread. I only wish I could taste more of the cranberry mayo, because I could barely see or taste any and it would have added a perfect sweetness.
• The best part is that the bread is so thin and crispy, and it allows all the ingredients to shine through.
• It’s the kind of sandwich that leaves you wanting more, especially with the portion.

**Pasta Carbonara – 5/6

• Cream, white wine, proscuitto, egg & parmigiano $12 /$15
• Each pasta dish is a choice of penne or spaghetti and are served in ½ order or full order sizes.
• I can’t imagine what a full order is like, because the half order was a full size order in most higher end restaurants in Vancouver.
• Auntie Pesto’s is popular for their pastas. I don’t order Carbonara often, but this one was delicious, unique and one of my favourite versions of it.
• It’s not a traditional Italian Carbonara, but it was almost even better. It was very fresh and loaded with ingredients.

• In the middle, under the bed of noodles was a very soft almost poached egg and it was very delicate with sponge like egg whites. I broke the yolk and mixed it altogether although some of the pasta was already coated with creamy bits of egg white. The hot noodles are tossed in a mixture of butter, egg, cream, and cheese so the eggs are almost the sauce and they semi cook from the noodles.
• It’s a very rich, creamy and buttery pasta with salty bites of prosciutto, which is traditionally supposed to be fried and almost like bacon.
• The noodles were thin and they were a bit overcooked, but it was so good that I really didn’t care.

I didn’t get to try any of her freshly baked scones or cookies and I’m kind of regretting it now. However I was headed back to the Hastings House Country House Hotel for afternoon tea time so I didn’t want to overindulge… I know, how untypical of me.

Restaurant: RauDZ Regional Table
Cuisine: Contemporary/West coast/Seafood
Last visited: August 14, 09

• To locals and tourists it’s one of the best restaurant in Kelowna
• Reincarnation of a 4 diamond, award-winning fine dining restaurant – still same owner/chef
• All time favourites from Fresco are still on the menu
• Focus on organic, fresh, natural, all regional food
• Everything is from local bakeries/farms etc. in Kelowna
• Homemade sauces/condiments/dressings
• Very unique flavours and chef creations – but everything was missing a little salt and came across as a tad bland – yes, fresh ingredients, but when it all came together it was missing that punch
• Simple ingredients, but unique recipes and combination of flavours
• Excellent presentation with really decent portions – not huge, and not small
• Very reasonable prices for what you are getting – a gourmet bargain, however overall experience impressed me more than the food
• They offer a sample menu, but they don’t advertise it and you need to ask your server
• They don’t take reservations and open 5pm daily
• Drink specialties: Fresh fruit martinis
• Complimentary gourmet housemade lollipops when you get your bill eg: Tangerine & Thyme lollipop

**Recommendation: Crab Cappuccino, BLT, Arctic Char, Signature dessert, fresh fruit martinis

How I discovered this restaurant was completely by chance, luck was on my side…so I’m glad I fell upon it. If I were in Kelowna again I would go back to this restaurant to try other things are their menu.

I walked by the restaurant at around 5pm and stopped to take a look at their menu posted outside. There was a couple from Seattle waiting outside the restaurant for it to open and they strongly recommended us to try this restaurant. They said it was their favourite and that they dine here everytime they are in Kelowna. They said they come especially for their Crab Cappuccino which enticed my immediately. I took a quick look over their menu and saw the most creative dishes eg: hot dog with lavender mustard – right then and there I knew I had found my dinner spot for the night.

I went in to put my name down for a reservation but the hostess said it was so busy that reservations were not accepted…as if I wasn’t convinced enough; now I knew I had to check out what the hype was all about. We basically ordered everything that was recommended on their menu, but I’ll discuss the best out of those.

Overall, the experience was better than the food, although the food was by no means disappointing. It’s comparable to great restaurants in Vancouver.

On the table:

• **Crab Cappuccino 4/6
  • Dungeness crab, milk froth

• • One of the most popular items on the menu. It actually originates from the old Fresco menu, the restaurant that came before RauDz…it’s such a favourite it had to stay on.
  • The presentation was lovely. It was good, but lacked a little bit of saltiness, it wasn’t sweet either though…it was just a bit bland. The texture is not thick and creamy, it’s the texture of a cappuccino made with whole milk, so it’s not heavy or filling.
  • It came with 2 larger pieces of dungeness crab which is a bit disappointing because I expected more. The dungeness crab flavour wasn’t brewed into the cappuccino broth…it was more just 2 pieces of crab found in the broth. I found they should have chopped it up a bit more rather than just putting in 2 big chunks. I understand that they did this because it’s called a “cappuccino” not a “soup”…but still.
  • A nice subtle hint of cappuccino flavour and I think I tasted a little saffron which was great. It came with a nice frothy foam on top, and it’s actually good as an appetizer or even order it for the end of your meal.
  • It is a must try because it’s unique and you can’t find it anywhere, but I wouldn’t need to order it again or anything. For $12 I found it on the expensive side, but because everyone orders it they can afford to keep it there.
• Calamari 4/6
  • Another favourite item from the Fresco menu.
  • Fresh calamari stuffed with sundried olive stuffing on a bed of roasted cauliflower salad.

• • This calamari was very fresh and not the deep fried kind that you typically get served when you order a Calamari. You could really taste the freshness of these beautiful squids. Eat these little guys in one bite otherwise the stuffing oozes out and your ratio of calamari to stuffing is off. The stuffing is fabulous! Nice and salty, a great texture where you can taste the olives and the hint of sundried tomatoes. The squids don’t taste salted, you get the saltiness from the olive stuffing. The olive stuffing was almost a spread – I would love to eat it with crostini or warm baguette.
  • The cauliflower salad was very nice. Small pieces of roasted cauliflower, I think it could have used some capers in there because again it was a tad bland.
• ** BLT 5/6
  • Grilled salmon, pancetta, fig anise toast, baked fries

• • The fig anise toast made this sandwich! They order this fig & anise bread from the local bakery in Kelowna called The Bread Company – see my review on this bread and on this cafe because we tried it the next morning.
  • Nice piece of fresh and moist salmon, you get a bit of saltiness from the pancetta and the sweetness of the figs. The taste is in the quality of ingredients.
  • Fries – the fries they use made of Yukon Gold potatoes, and they aren’t cut in house but they do bake them in house with their special infrared oven – these fries are really good and taste deep-fried…but they’re not!
  • I liked the little dish of salad it came with – that was actually not bland
• Fish & Chips 3/6
  • Baked chickpea batter pacific rockfish, fennel spiced chips, cucumber tartar
  • The picture for this was too blurry, so I didn’t realize it at the time…so I apologize for having no picture.

• • Nothing too spectacular, big pieces of fish and the fennel spiced chips are fries
  • I’ll repeat my fry message above – it’s made of Yukon Gold potatoes and they’re baked and are genuinely as good as deep fried ones.
• **Arctic Char 6/6
  • Oat crusted, maple butter, potato, bacon & spinach sautee

• • This was my favourite entree of the bunch. Another signature entree form the Fresco menu.
  • For me the feature of your entree also known as the protein should be the stand out of your entree, for this dish – it was! The oat crust was amazing – I would order this again for sure.
• Halibut 4/6
  • Raudz spice rub, grilled potato, and walla walla onion salad, blueberry and nectarine salsa

• • Very good, but not excellent. What made this dish was the blueberry and nectarine salsa – I wish it was the halibut…but it wasn’t. The Arctic char was better. The halibut was on the dry side for me and because it was such a thick piece and it was coated in this dry rub it became even more dry. I had to enjoy every bite with the salsa, and I think you should be able to enjoy your protein with or without condiments if it’s done really well.
  • Blueberry and nectarine salsa was excellent! Fresh local fruit, very well composed and great texture. You can see the quality and freshness. Could have used a squeeze of lime or maybe some lime zest to really bring out that fruity flavour. I’d ask for lime and do it myself next time. But I may not order this again, I would rather try something else.
  • Best presentation out of all the entrees
• Lamb 5/6
  • Bbq double chop and tenderloin, homemade gnocchi, oyster mushroom and arugula saute, tomato and molasses BBQ sauce

• • This was better than the halibut, but not as good as the arctic char. Really decent sized portion and the lamb was very tender.
  • The stand out of this dish was the homemade gnocchi, you could really taste the potato in it – best part of the dish, and one of the best gnocchi I’ve tried. It’s easy to get the oyster mushrooms confused with the gnocchi though because they look the same and are same in size. The BBQ sauce was more tomato based, and it did have a unique homemade flavour – can really tell they put care into their sauces and the texture was perfect! – Not too runny and not too thick and bold enough to stand up to lamb, but subtle enough to not overpower the main ingredient.

Dessert

• **Signature 6/6
  • Double chocolate mashed potato brioche, raspberry sorbet, warm chocolate sauce

• • Holy crap…this was soooo good! We literally consumed it in under 45 seconds. This is a dessert I would dream about and what to go back for. This is SO their signature dessert and SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
  • It was $10 and I’d pay more for it.
  • This potato brioche is amazing, it’s so moist and decadent. The raspberry sorbet is made in house and was the perfect accompaniment to this dish.
• Blueberry Tart 4/6
  • Apricot salad and sour cream ice cream

• • This was good, but not the best tart I’ve had. The apricot salad was 2 apricots cut in half and I think they should have really chopped it up into smaller pieces. It would have been better and the apricots would have been more tender. The blueberries and apricots were all from local farmers and were fresh – so I think they wanted to let them stand out on their own…but they didn’t. If I order it as a dessert I would prefer them to be used more creatively and then have them fresh as a garnish.
  • Sour cream ice cream – homemade…and a great choice to match with this tart. This was my favourite part, you could tell that it was sour cream ice cream but it wasn’t too sour or too pungent. Quality ice cream that was a perfect match for fruit.
  • Hands down the Signature dessert was better

Drinks

• Must try their fresh fruit martinis – they have an extensive drink/wine menu, but their specials are their fresh fruit martinis.
• We tried their Blackberry martini made with a fresh blackberry puree and aloe – great texture and you can taste the aloe – brilliant ingredient to use with fresh fruit I have now discovered