feeling special

It's saying a lot to have the dom as a pre-dinner drink. I mean, at least for someone in my position. We were invited to a birthday party, his 13th one this year. Just by looking at the guests, one can see that he is a pretty well-respected person.

The other drinks are all finely selected. The Chapelle Chambertin had a rosey smell to it, thought I do prefer the Griotte Chambertin. The 1955 armagnac de Montal, his birthyear, was absolutely magnificent.

For appetizers, we had fresh oysters imported from France, Iberico jamon melon wraps from Spain and assorted cheese. Yum yum yum...Oh, and mussles in little staub containers. The mussles were delectable. I counted, I had 17 mussles in here. Here are the before and after pictures.

For the main course, I chose steak over fish and duck confit. Looks delicious eh? The hawaiian salt was very unique. It's coarse and dark gray in color. It was a dash of heaven with the steak.

So here you go, delicious food, fabulous night.

butter flour milk sugar

aunt stella's handmade cookies & cakes.

A Little Treat

Friday afternoon, I'm sitting in a cafe reading a mag, sipping on coffee. Is this all too good to be true? How long will this last?

Keep it up folks. The world is your oyster.

A morning walk

I went to bed pretty late last night; however, I got up fairly early and decided to go for a walk. I started walking down 10th and was amused by how cute some of the houses were. It wasn't a good day for taking photos. It was a dark, gloomy day (at least in the morning). I still enjoyed myself though. 

Bottom Right photo: This house looked quite out of place. All the other houses were cottage-like little houses and this one was more modern looking than most. At the top window, a mannequin can be seen. Every time I walk or bus by, the mannequin is always dressed in a different garment. I wonder what the owner of this house does for a living? A designer? Perhaps. 

According to Ryan, I never shut up about this bakery. The thing is, it is so peculiar and inviting. It's extraordinary. It stands out from its surroundings. I have yet to try the bread there. My intention was to get the artisan peasant bread from there today, but it was closed today. It seems like most unique patisseries and boulangeries are closed on Mondays. One of my favourite places, Patisserie Bordeaux, was closed today as well. I was craving for an almond croissant...

I've gone to Transivania Bakery numerous times to try to get the famous, rustic peasant bread, but I was always 10 steps too late. They sell out very quickly. When I eventually get a loaf, I will write another blog. 

Folkart Interiors is a Canadian antique store located on 10th just before Alma. Like the bakery, the shop has character. Many stores weren't open yet when I was taking my walk so I could only peek in. It looked like a very fascinating store. It reminds me of a lifestyle in the country. It's soothing and relaxing. 

PS The weather seems to be getting better and better. Maybe summer is finally coming..

PSS 3 more exams.

Mmm mm mm

This is a Japanese Restaurant in White Rock Central. Jenny and Helen used to work here so they were responsible for the ordering since they know which dishes are the most popular. 

All the dishes are beautifully presented. Some dishes are quite unusual such as the deep-fried California Roll. I had been craving for Japanese food for the past two weeks and this ultimately satisfied me. 

Gomae: Spinach with Sesame Paste

Very nicely presented and the sesame sauce was absolutely delectable

Philadelphia Roll: Cream Cheese on the inside and salmon on top!

Sockeye Sashimi: mmm delicious

Other dishes we've ordered

Red Dragon: Very spicy but quite delicious. 

Similar to Dynamite Roll (with shrimp tempura inside) with spicy tuna on top

Spicy Tuna: Different colours of fish roe on top! Spicy!

I've only ever seen the orange and green fish roe, never the yellow and black. 

Deep-Fried California Roll: Very unique.

coco et olive - my new favourite place

I have been talking about going to coco et olive for the longest time. Today I finally did. Coco et Olive is located in Kitsilano near Alma. There is a 17 bus stop right outside of the cafe. If you take the B-line and get off at the Alma stop, you'll have to walk a little bit. It's roughly across from the Eatery.  

This place is absolutely adorable. It's owned by a French couple. There is wireless internet and a wonderful place for studying and for people to meet up and snack. I got myself an americano, a pain au chocolat and a (I don't remember what it is called) almond macaroon. They are so delicately made that it was absolutely worth every penny I paid for.  

The almond macaroon was unlike anything I've tasted before. I am usually not a fan of macaroons because they are exceedingly sweet, but this one was perfect. It's moist inside and has got a lot of almondy flavour.  

The pain au chocolat was equally good. The dough - is that what you call it? - or the pastry part is very very tasty. Unlike some other ones I've tried, this tasted fresh and delicate. I could taste that the chocolate inside is of pretty good quality. It was "oh my!" so good.  

There were so many different things I wanted to try but I've decided to save it for another day. I stayed there for a couple of hours and was very efficient with my studying. I also saw some unsalted organic peanut butter that looked very tasty. I will definitely go back again - maybe soon than expected - and try some of the other delicious treats!

A very unique restaurant: East is East

Today I was feeling very out of it and needed some comfort food. I called Ryan and asked him if he wanted to go out for lunch. We met up by the village and took the 99 out to kitsilano. We first thought about going to Calhoun's and when we got there, I really didn't see any comfort food. It is a very nice place to study though and it's got wireless internet. So we decided to go somewhere else for lunch and come back to Calhoun's to study. 

I had a place in mind: East is East. I've never been there but have walked by numerous times. It looks exotic from the outside and I thought we'd be adventurous and give it a shot. We finally got there with our empty stomaches and went inside. It's got the most unique atmosphere and smell and I loved it. The tables were all made from wood and there were Eastern style rags and carpets and pillows. The candle holders were made of some translucent rock and the flickering light from the candles gave them a very natural look. Instead of one of those ugly napkin holders, the square napkins were neatly placed on each table with a rock on top to act as a weight. Each table had different rocks and were carved to say different things. Ours said 'PEACE' in English and Chinese. I really liked the decorations in the restaurant. They provided a very authentic look. 

Once we were seated and got our menus, Ryan and I looked at each other, a little overwhelmed by the atmosphere and the intense music. The server brought us water and two cute little cups of green chai. I like chai but have never tasted something like this. It had a lot of spice and the taste was quite new. 

This is what we ordered.

$15.00 Eastern Plate (served with Dhal soup, salad, roti, afghan and coconut rice) and two choices from the list. 

I got organic lamb kebab and mango butter squash

Ryan got organic lamb kebab and Saag Paneer

The lamb was very tender and simply delicious. I didn't expect the mango butter squash to be paste-like, but it was still really good. I love the taste of mango and it really stood out in this dish. The Saag Paneer consisted of whipped spinach and paneer (Indian cheese) with mushrooms. This tasted very different in a good way. The spinach just sort of melts in your mouth. Note, the Dhal soup was absolutely amazing. 

The portion was not that big but enough to make you satisfied. I thought $15.00 was on the medium-high price range for what we got. The server came back and asked how everything was. We told her that we were very satisfied. She then told us about the "complimentary refill." We were quite confused because it did not say anything about that on the menu. Apparently we could get more of what we just ordered. I asked her what were my choices for refills and she said whichever ones I wanted or all of it. Was I every surprised! So Ryan and I ended up having a whole second plate of what we just ate. Now we were full. 

Very delicious food. 

I think Ryan like Chai now. We went back to Calhoun's and he got Chai latte and I got Chai tea. Calhoun's is always busy and it is a great place to study. The prices are quite reasonable. I've never had breakfast there, but Ryan said breakfast there is pretty good. Reasonable price. The lighting isn't that great in there so it is ideal to sit at a table with lights on top or close by. It's a neat little place and sells all sorts of different dinner foods and desserts. 

It is most unfortunate that I did not bring my camera with me today! Maybe next time!

East is East

3243 W. Broadway

604-734-5881

Croissants!!

I have forgotten how much I love croissants. 

I have decided to take exploration trips all over Vancouver to try to find the best croissants. I made my first short trip between my classes today to Patisserie Bordeaux. Their almond croissant is their specialty. I've never had an almond croissant before and I was more than excited to try it. The croissant itself looks smaller than any other croissants I've ever tried before, but the amount of sliced almonds on top and the almond paste buried within the flaky dough is generous. The dough has a lot of texture when you chew on it. I was snickering like a fool as I sat on a stool by the window by myself in Woodward, savouring this delectable treat. Unlike the stale-tasting croissant I had this morning from the cafeteria, this one satisfied my day.

Vancouver Croissant has an attractive website that tells me that their croissants are something special. They have 29 different types of croissants and 4 certified organic croissants. The Burnaby location is where they manufacture the croissants and sell frozen ones by boxes. Capers carry their fresh croissants. I can't wait to make a trip down to 4th Ave. 

William Sonoma sells croissants made by pastry chef Jean-Yves Charon. I think you have to order them and then they get mailed to you. These are frozen ones as well and they are supposedly really really good. 

It is most unfortunate that I do not have a freezer, a kitchen, or an oven. With frozen croissants, they can be taken out the night before and leave in room temperature for proofing. They will double in size and teasingly say "poke me, poke me." Then you poke them and say your ooooo's and ahhh's. You then put these fellows into the oven and when they are golden on top, it is time to enjoy a freshly baked croissant!

Maybe next year...

In the mean time, there is more croissant hunting to do. 

COBS vs Terra Breads

Vancouver's most well known bakeries are COBS and Terra Breads. I must admit, even though there were COBS on the island, I've never tried it until I came to Vancouver. COBS started in Vancouver in 2003 and has stores all over Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the first store in the States opened in 2007, located in Bellevue, WA. Of all the different types of bread I've tried from COBS, I love Cape Seed the best! When Ryan and I go out to Kits to get groceries, we always stop by COBS to pick up some Cape Seed Loaves. The smell of the sesames and poppy seeds always lured us into eating slices on the bus. Like all breads, they are best eaten fresh. Just last months, we tried their scones. I think the one with chives is really good. During the Christmas holiday, my family bought one with jalapenos in it. My parents are huge fans of jalapenos so they absolutely loved it. 

It was recently that I've come across Terra Breads. I have always heard about it and have been told that I would like it better than COBS. I guess it is because I take the 99 B-line more often than the 4 so I don't go down to 4th avenue very often, which is where the closest Terra Bread is located. When I finally went down there, I was blown away by the huge selection of baked goods they have. I didn't even know where to begin. I didn't know which one to try first!

One of Terra Breads' characteristics is that they use the method of sourdough culture. It is defined as "a mixture of flour and water which attracts the natural yeast from the air and from the flour" (Terra Breads). This makes the dough rise slowly and eventually the bread will have a beautiful crust and be moist inside. When I saw the different types of bread they have, all the loaves looked super hard on the outside. The lady at the store told me that a crisp crust with the inside being soft and moist is the most preferable. I guess I just had bad experiences with really really hard crust. 

The first loaf I bought at Terra Breads was the green olive loaf. It's delectable. I preferred it over the Pane di Casa Olive Loaf from COBS, which was made with black olives. I don't know if it is because black olives are saltier than green olives but the Pane di Casa Olive loaf was a little too salty for me. I was astonished by the amount of olive used in the bread though. I haven't tried enough of the loaves from Terra Breads to be 100% certain of my preference of the two bakeries. Right now I'm still leaning towards the buying loaves from COBS - probably because of my hesitance with hard/crisp crust. However, Terra Breads is the winner of the two for pastries!!

I went to Terra Breads with my mum earlier this week and we bought three baked goods: Peach tart, apricot oatmeal cookie, and their most popular blueberry (with chunks of white chocolate) bread. We had them for dessert that night when we had dinner at Ryan's. We all loved the blueberry bread. I've had similar ones from Blue Chip Cookies from the SUB at UBC. The one from Blue Chip is called the fruit scone and had all sorts of different types of fruits on top with little chunks of, I think, cream cheese. Don't get me wrong, the fruit scone from Blue Chip is quite good but after trying the blueberry bread from Terra Bread, the difference is significantly noticeable. The dough is absolutely to die for. It's chewy. It's moist. It's Wow. 

The day after I've tried the blueberry bread, I wanted to try the grape bread that I've been eyeing. Mama and I went to Granville Island the next day because she needed to go to Maiwa, which is a crafts store that sells yarns, knitting tools, dyes etc. PS. My mum weaves and is recently very interested in dying yarns. Anyway, we were at the public market where another Terra Breads store is located. I took the opportunity and purchased the grape bread. It is absolutely amazing, I think I like it even better than the blueberry bread! I love grapes. 

I told my friend Alexis about it and she found it weird to use grapes in baked goods. I encouraged her to try it because a lot of times we are used to what we like that we are hesitant to try things that sound strange to us. An example would be zucchini bread, which is one of my favourite things to make. 

Terra Breads also sells homemade granola. I ate it yesterday with vanilla yogurt (it was also the first time I've eaten granola with yogurt; I usually eat it with soy milk) and I have to say that it was the best granola I've ever had! I could really taste the honey in the granola and the taste of all the nuts was deliciously present. There are so many ingredients in the mix that I was completely satisfied after eating it. Terra Breads uses organic ingredients in most of of their breads, as well as in the granola. Terra Breads first opened in 1993 and has been a peanut-free bakery since 1996.

Both COBS and Terra Breads do not sell day-old breads. At the end of the day, they give their leftover breads to charity and community kitchens. 

I will continue to go to both bakeries because both are equally superb. Terra Breads originated in Vancouver as well and has three locations:

Kitsilano Bakery and Cafe (the original location) - 2380 West 4th Avenue

False Creek Bakery and Cafe - 53 West 5th Avenue

Granville Island Bakery - Public Market

As for COBS, which stands for Canada's Own Bread Store, it is everywhere. The closest ones to UBC are located at:

2837 West Broadway

2320 West 4th Avenue (just a couple of stores down from Terra Breads)

Images via COBS et Terra Breads

Ottavio Cafe in Oak Bay

Last weekend when I was back in Victoria, mother and I decided to visit this cafe in Oak Bay that we've heard so much about. Ottavio is an Italian Bakery and Delicatessen located in the Oak Bay village. I must admit, I never go to the Oak Bay village. It's quite a ways away from where I live and it would require many transfers to get there by public transportation. 

We had grilled panini that were very delectable. I love the atmosphere and the things they sell there. There's bread, cookies, baked goods, salamis, cheeses, imported crackers and sauces, freshly made dips and spreads. I love everything about it. I like it almost as much as pure vanilla. Pure vanilla is a little smaller and doesn't sell as much stuff, but it is cozy. The food there is delicious, especially there panini, soup and salad. The selection for baked goods is smaller but all the baked goods are absolutely beautiful. The patio at the back and the interior both look very inviting. I haven't been for awhile, but I'll make sure to take some photos next time I go. 

 I should try some sometime

they look absolutely delicious

The brioches they sell looked absolutely yummy but I was way too full to eat another one. And when I've decided that I'm going to buy one to bring home, they were all gone...

Families bring their children to the cafe, each with their own toques and scarves. They were adorable. It was these little angels who were munching on the brioches that I wanted!

I liked the crow

This little store besides the cafe looks equally inviting

There is another cafe that I want to try in Victoria called Cascadia Bakery, which I heard it one of the best! I don't know when I'll go back to Victoria again, but I intend to discover more delicious places in Vancouver, which I am sure there are many.