June 2012

In Event

Fusion Kitchen: Bringing Back The Authentic Cultural Experience

June 14, 2012

Earlier last month, I was invited to Fusion Kitchen‘s event – A Taste of Pakistan. Fusion Kitchen is a start-up social venture that helps recent immigrant women develop their transferable skill sets, work experience, and self-confidence through teaching cooking classes focused on dishes specific to their cultures. Sonam Swarup & Chantelle Buffie from Simon Fraser University started up this project.

Sonam and Chantelle started Fusion Kitchen because they were both passionate about helping this particular demographic of women overcome the barriers they face to get in employment in Canada. There’s so many opportunities in Canada, and these women have so much to offer, but because of a combination of things, employers don’t tend to give them that “first chance” in the Canadian workforce. Having mothers both from ethnic background who came to Canada at a much older age also made the issue resonate more personally with them. Fusion Kitchen combines their love for community giving, culture, food, and travel into one.

During this event, our special guest – Shahnaz Afsar led us through the evening. She emigrated from Pakistan to Canada and has a background in the education sector. We have 3 hours to work in groups to create a whole meal.

As we arrived, we were greeted by Shanaz and given traditional Pakistan appetizers and juice. All the other attendees were able to mingle and have a snack before getting down and dirty.

Before we got into the cooking, we were given a quick lecture on Pakistani culture and quick steps for the recipes we were going to create. The audience is able to ask questions anytime.

All the ingredients were nicely laid out for us and it was a joy using spices and ingredients that were foreign to me.

Everyone was split up into groups. It’s a great chance to meet new people in the community. Plus team building is always so much fun! At the end of the class, the best group wins a prize!

We all had the recipes in hand and we begun prepping all the ingredients. I loved all the vibrant colors and smells.

You really gotta get your hands down and dirty when prepping.

One of the bes tricks I’ve learned is how to separate the yolk from its egg. You crack the top of the egg so there is a small hole. Then, you can easily pour the egg white out without getting the yolk or egg-shell in it.

You make everything from start to finish. These were our Lentils and Mint Kebabs!

There was a cooking area on the other side of the kitchen. I spent much of my time prepping, so I didn’t spend much time here. Our group left most of the cooking to Colleen.

After a while, everyone’s prep area would become a mess. hahaha. Sometimes the ingredients can look similar. There were times when we were just tossing things around trying to look for something. A great thing about a shared kitchen space is that everyone is willing to help each other out.

With all the hard work, we were able to enjoy the meal together as a class!! The food we cooked accommodated vegetarian as well.

Lentils and Mint Kebabs

Potatoes with Cumin

Squash Sabzi

Chicken Makhni (Spinach) was my favorite. I don’t know if it was the recipe or the awesome cooking abilities of the class, but it was so good. It was so good that I am even considering cooking it at home. (Me cooking?! I know right?)

Peas Pulao

Dessert!

You can grab as little or as much as you want…but keeping in mind others appetites too. It was really good!

My group didn’t win the prize for the best group, but it was very full to compete. The winning group got the ingredients for one of the recipes.

It was really fun and I had a great time! We all got a booklet at the end of the class that summarized the event and included all the recipes! I would suggest this cooking class to anyone who want to try to cook new types of cuisines, while meeting new people!

Check out their next cooking class: http://www.thefusionkitchen.com/our-next-cooking-class/

In Cafe

Food Adventure in New Westminster: Ki Sushi, Tre Galli Gelato, Karmavore, and Boathouse

June 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: The Food Adventure was paid courtesy of the Salient Group. The reviews are unbiased as the restaurants were chosen by the winner and no restaurants had prior knowledge of our presence.

A few weeks ago, I held a contest to have a reader join me for an all-day food adventure with me. Through the powers of Excel, @depotato got drawn as the winner. Since it was also her sister’s (@seapotato)birthday, we took her along on our adventure in New Westminster. She selected a few places to go to – Ki Sushi, Tre Galli Gelato, Karmavore and the Boathouse.

Since they have never been to New Westminster, we walked around checking out a few really cool stores like the retro video game store and a board game store. Clearly, we 3 were very nerdy and loved video games. The day was very fun despite some restaurants being a hit and miss.

Ki Sushi

At 11am, we went to Ki Sushi. Since they just opened, it was quite busy, but by 12pm there were definitely more customers. They sell the usual type of Japanese dishes. I’ve been here about 5 years ago and they have undergone some renovations.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi ($11.95) has about 5 pieces each and was a decent price. It tasted delicious and fresh. What I liked out the place is that they use Wild Sockeye salmon rather than the usual salmon.

Seafood Salad ($9.95) was very massive and had a good amount of seafood. It had ebi, hoki, tako, baby shrimp, avocado, shredded lettuce, and a citrus sauce. The salad was good, but we wished it was larger pieces of lettuce rather than the shredded lettuce. Also, there was way too much sauce.

Gyoza ($3.50) was very sloppy and poorly executed. When you pick up the gyoza, it would fall apart instantly. I assume when they were making them, they probably didn’t seal it well enough.

Prawn Tempura ($8.25) was a good size and was crunchy on the outside.

American Roll ($12.95) has half a soft-shelled crab and seaweed on top of 8 rolls. The inside of the roll has avocado and crab. It is wrapped with tuna. This was my favorite roll, but it was a bit expensive.

Vancouver Roll ($9.94) is topped with avocado and eel on top. It was also a favorite of the table.

Maple Roll ($6.96) has wild sockeye on top and the inside has tuna. If you love sashimi, you’ll definitely love this.

Overall, the food can be a hit and miss. The service was ok, but we did notice some of the dishes were quite dirty so we had to swap them. The food came out fairly quickly which wasn’t too bad.

Words of Wisdom:

Hit and Miss dishes
Good sushi
Decent prices

We Rate Ki Sushi:

Address:
31 8th St
New Westminster, BC
Website:
http://www.kisushi.ca/index.asp

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River Market

We stopped by after our lunch to check out The River Market near the waterfront. They have the worlds tallest toy soldier, a good amount of shops and restaurants. It was moderately busy on the weekends. The busiest areas were inside River Market since there are some amazing restaurants there – Wallys Burgers, Re-Up BBQ, and some other places.

I use to come to this area quite often as a kid and this area has definitely transformed a lot!

Right by the dock, there was also the Samson V Maritime Museum. It’s free to enter and you can look into their engine room, captains deck, and their living quarters.

Tre Galli Gelato

As we were walking around River Market, gelato caught the eyes of @seapotato and she just had an urge for gelato. Tre Galli Gelato Caffe has a large selection of gelato and they serve coffee.

Guava Gelato / Espresso Gelato ($3.75) was a strange combination by @seapotato but she enjoyed it.

Espresso Gelato / Hazelnut Gelato ($3.75) was chosen by @depotato and she liked both flavours. She also said the hazelnut gelato was more dominant compared to the espresso gelato.

Hazelnut Gelato ($3.75) was what I chose. The flavour was very nice and strong, so it was nice for a hot day outside.

Overall, the gelato was a good price and the flavours were very delicious. It’s a good item to snack on if you are at the River Market chilling with a few friends.

Words of Wisdom:

You can sample the flavours
A good selection of drinks
Decent prices
Close to New West Skytrain

We Rate Tre Galli Gelato:

Address:
810 Quayside Dr
New Westminster, BC

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Karmavore – The Vegan Shop

Karmavore is a vegan shop in the heart of New Westminster. They have a eco-friendly retail shop on the main level and a grocery store/deli in the basement. They are 100% vegan. It’s the perfect spot if you are vegan.

They have a few tables downstairs, but the space isn’t too large. You can find some unique items here. We were drawn here by their root beer floats but it turns out they were not available. We were quite sad, but we decided to grab some other snack and drinks since we were there anyways.

We consumed the following:

English Breakfast Tea ($1.75)
Carob Peanut Butter Puck ($2.50)
Edible Flours Mini Red velvet Cupcake ($1.99)
Happy Planet Lost lagoon Mango Smoothie ($2.79)
King Island Coconut Water ($1.49)

Overall, we were a bit disappointed since they didn’t have the root beer float even though it was still written on their chalk board. As we ordered our pastries, they were quite hesitant to give us a plate since we wanted to eat it in the shop. It seems like it really was a “grab n go” deli. Nonetheless, it’s a good spot to go to if you work or live in the area to grab something.

We Rate Karmavore:

Address:
610 Columbia Street
New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://www.karmavore.ca/

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Downtown New Westminster

As we finished our snack, we walked around Columbia Street to see what was in the area. We stopped by the Trapp + Holbrook presentation center and had a tour of their apartments. It was very pretty and I was so amazed by their fridges since it was built into their cabinets.

We check out most of the stores on Columbia street and walked up a giant hill onto 6th st. We huffed and we puffed and then we went to Blenz to grab a drink before heading back down to the River Market for dinner. We also found some vegemite and marmite at Sherlock’s Cafe.

The Boathouse

For our dinner, we decided to get our fill of seafood by going to the Boathouse. It is located right by the River Market and is known for their steaks and seafood. As we arrived, we were really looking forward to oysters and lobsters. Unfortunately, they already sold out of lobster tails and Shrimp Kisses. We were very disappointed since it was very early in the evening, so there was no way they would have been sold out. It was a weekend, so it didn’t make sense they wouldn’t be prepared for the weekend rush of customers.

@depotato and @seapotato decided to get 3 course dinner set for $35 instead.

Complementary bread was very good. It was fluffy in the center and nice and nice and crisp on the outside. It also came with some herb butter to spread.

Boathouse original West-coast Chowder didn’t seem very hearty like how a chowder is supposed to be.

Crispy Calamari comes with Tzatziki. It was nice and tender. Very soft and chewy.

6 Kusshi Oysters + 6 Royal Miyagi Oysters ($17.99) tasted good and their tastes were a bit different, but Kusshi is definitely the better oyster. What I noticed when I reviewed by photos was how battered the oysters looked. Whoever shucked these were quite aggressive with them.

Thai Crab Cakes ($12.99) comes with 3 pieces and the taste was alright, but we did notice there was not a lot of crab meat compared to the amount of bread crumbs.

Mixed Seafood Grill has grilled sockeye, crab stuffed jumbo prawns, pan seared sea scallops and fire grilled prawns with tomato pesto orzo and vegetables.

7oz Sirloin Steak with stuffed prawns ($29.99) was asked to be cooked medium rare, but the cut of meat was very tough.It seemed to be cooked medium instead. I just left it since I didn’t want to be picky. They gave M a steak knife for his steak, but didn’t give me one for some reason. So, I just assumed I would use my regular knife. It was very hard to cut, I had to use a lot of strength to cut up my steak.

14oz Prime New York Steak ($39.99) was what M ordered and it was a huge steak. He ordered it rare and there are visible grill lines. On the menu it states “the top .2% of world class beef – the best quality available and exclusively cut for Boathouse”. M did not think the quality was there. He was quite disappointed as well.

Molten Chocolate Brownie ($8.99) is served warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries on the side. M said the brownie was very warm and the ice cream definitely balanced it out.

Famous Mud pie is also known as the mocha ice cream pie. It comes with a chocolate ganache sauce and maple almonds. It did taste good.

Creme Brulee was ok according to @depotato. She did say the crust was very hard and it made it a bit bitter.

Overall, I was not satisfied with the service or food at this Boathouse location. I’ve been to other Boathouse locations and the quality was not here. I would not return to this location again. Even though we told the server that it was @seapotato’s birthday, they did not provide a sparkler on her cake compared to the other customers in the restaurant. Also, they charged us for the cake when it was supposed to be complimentary. You can pay the same price at Black & Blue Downtown to get better quality…and pay less.

Words of Wisdom:

Quality is not there
Overpriced
Inconsistent service amongst customers

We Rate Boathouse:
Address:
900 Quayside Dr
New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://www.boathouserestaurants.ca/

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In Beacon Hill

Cheers Pub: The Two Pubs in Boston, MA

June 13, 2012

When visiting Boston, I knew I had to check out the Cheers Pub that was made popular by the TV show Cheers. I knew it was the ultimate tourist trap, so we decided not to get any food or drinks here. For all the die-hard fans out there, you know they didn’t film the show here. Nonetheless, they have 2 locations – one in Beacon Hill and another at Faneuil Hall.

Cheers Pub @ Beacon Hill

This location was formerly known as the Bull and Finch Pub, which opened in 1969. This location is most famous because the Cheers show used the exterior shots for the show. In 2002, it was renamed Cheers Beacon Hill.

The interior does have a replica bar. If you are a huge fan, I would recommend having a drink. If you are not a Cheers fan, just go to a normal bar for beer. They also have a gift shop and a few areas for some photo ops here. The interior was never used for filming.

Address:
84 Beacon St
Boston, MA

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Cheers Pub @ Faneuil Hall

In 2001, the Cheers in Faneuil Hall was created to capitalize on its popularity. It’s exterior is quite different from the first location and does have patio seating.

Since it’s in a tourist area, you know that there would be tourists here too. They also have a gift shop here too!

Address:
Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Boston, MA

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In American

Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers: Patties The Size of Baseballs in Boston, MA

June 12, 2012

Mr. Bartley’s began in 1960’s across the Harvard courtyard serving up delicious burgers. Since then it has become a Harvard Square institution attracting visitors from around the world. They have won several awards and have been featured in various publications. Some have gone as far to say that they serve the best burgers in the United States.

There is obviously lots of hype over this place, so, when CanuckGirl and I visited Harvard, we needed a taste of it. Around noon on a Monday, there was a line going all the way outside. An old man (who may or may not be Mr. Bartley) gave us menus as we waited in line and took our older. He really hustled everyone in line and we felt that it was quite rude as the menu is quite extensive. We also found it very weird how you had to put down your order before you even got a table. When we did get a table, the server asked us for what we wanted to order. CanuckGirl and I were so confused, so we said we gave our order outside. There seems to be a bit of a coordination issue right from the beginning.

The inside is indeed busy and all the walls have different posters, pictures, and other wacky items. Most of the people who were eating here are tourists (just like us).

Guy Fieri also featured them on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. He always leave his signature logo on the walls of restaurants he visits.

Mr. Bartley’s Famous Bottled Root Beer ($1.95) Can you believe they make their own root beer?

Fresh Lemonade ($2.99) is one of their specialties. It was sour and sweet. It comes in a very large cup, so it does take a bit of effort to drink it all. It’s probably because I am not a huge fan of lemonade.

The iPhone Burger ($12.45) has boursin cheese, grilled mushrooms & onions. It comes with a side of sweet potato fries. You are able to choose how you would like your burger done! CanuckGirl decided to have her burger medium rare. It was spot on! The sweet potato fries were delicious too.

The Guy Fieri Burger ($10.15) has Muenster cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion, and russian dressing. It comes with french fries and a pickle. There’s nothing too amazing about it. I got my burger medium well done. The fries tasted alright. I did enjoy their patties!

Overall, their specialty burgers are what lures most tourists, but whats interesting is that their regular type of burgers are way cheaper. I would recommend you to stick with their regular menu. Their burgers are definitely good, but I would not say it’s the best .

Words of Wisdom:

Lines long at peak hours, but seats become available quite quickly
Service is quite mediocre
Around $10 – $15 for lunch

We Rate Mr. Bartley’s:

Address:
1246 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA
Website:
http://www.mrbartley.com/

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In Back Bay

Au Bon Pain: It Came From Boston, Not Paris

June 11, 2012

Au Bon Pain is a chain of cafes that originated in Boston. The cafe can be found all around the world from Taiwan to Kuwait with over 250 locations. The idea came about at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in 1978, where founder Louis Kane wanted to bring fresh-baked goods to the people of Boston.

While I was visiting Boston, I would constantly bump into this cafe. At first glance, I would not think it originated in Boston. After Ange bugged my to try something besides Starbucks, I decided to check it out.

The interior remind me of a cafeteria. It’s layout is a little bit strange for my liking, but it’s layout is supposed to resemble a marketplace. They have an assortment of baked goods, soups and a bunch of other items.

There is also a counter to order freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that can be highly customized.

As I was just needing a snack, I grabbed a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.

Cappuccino was quite bad. It was very heavy and it seemed more like a latte instead. There was barely any foam and was not representative of the calories indicated on their menu.

Chocolate Croissant was a bit disappointing too. It didn’t have a flakey texture that a croissant is supposed to have. It has powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle on top.

On the inside, the croissant has a bread-like consistency and hollow is the center. It was quite mediocre and nothing too special. You could tell it was sitting out for a while. It might be good to heat it up in their microwave for a few seconds.

Overall, Au Bon Pain is good if you want something quick and decent. It’s not good if you have high expectations. Service is also quite mediocre.

Words of Wisdom:

Complementary Wifi
Quick and fast

We Rate Au Bon Pain:

Address:
26 Park Plz
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.aubonpain.com/

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In Four Beakers

Schwartz’s Deli: Montreal Smoked Meat At It’s Finest

June 10, 2012

Schwartz’s Deli is an iconic restaurant in Montreal and is known to have huge lines! As I was in Montreal, I knew I had to have a taste of their smoked meat. People around the world have been raving about this place, so I had to see for myself if it lives up to all that hype. PLUS, Celine Dion and her husband own a portion of this restaurant.

As I left CanuckGirl to hike up Mount Royal by herself, I headed over to Schwartz’s. Exercising is good and all, but I can exercise in Vancouver too. I know, I’m horrible…I just love food.

There was a huge line outside and it would probably take 30 mins to an hour to get a seat. I decided to bypass the line by ordering takeout. If you do get takeout, you just walk through the door and no one in the line should bother you.

The restaurant is very narrow so no wonder they can’t fit too many people here. For takeout, just walk up to the right of the restaurant and order, then pay on the left side of the restaurant near the door.

I got my sandwich and found a park to eat at, I was sad that the sandwich was so small. FYI, when eating at a park, you will probably attract a few birds and squirrels….so guard your sandwich.

Mmm… look at that meat.

The meat was very thickly cut, fatty and very tender! The cross-section of the sandwich does look quite amazing, but it’s still not that large of a sandwich. Since it was only $6.15, it was a decent price. I have never seen any other restaurant have such thickly cut smoked meat. Any smoked meat needs mustard, but it sucks how it had to be the usual yellow mustard.

Overall, I loved it and I would go again just for their meat. If you have no patience for lining up and just want that sandwich fast, do takeout and you will save yourself lots of time.

Words of Wisdom:

A must-go spot for tourists
Under $10
Long lines
Must get the smoked meat

We Rate Schwartz’s Deli:

Address:
3895 Boulevard St-Laurent
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

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In Sandwich

Insomnia Cafe: Food Worth Sleeping Through in Toronto, ON

June 9, 2012

In the Annex of Toronto, I saw Insomnia Cafe and it seemed like a super cool place to have food. It’s quite popular for brunch, but I didn’t have time to have brunch here, so I opted for dinner.

CanuckGirl, BaguetteGirl and I headed over for dinner.

There is a good amount of seating and some lounge seating in the back of the restaurant.

The front of the restaurant looks great and is most beautiful during the summer as they open the doors and windows.

Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus ($10) is garnished with asiago cheese and a honey pear vinaigrette and tomatoes. It tasted good, but not justified for $10! I would not order this again. Very disappointed.

Avocado Grilled Chicken ($10) has melted brie and red onions on top of the bread. You also get a side of fries and salad. CanuckGirl enjoyed it!

8oz. Black Angus Beef Burger ($9) has lettuce, red onion, tomato and garlic aioli. You can also add additional ingredients on top too. BaguetteGirl added mozzarella and sauteed onions on top. It also comes with the fries and salad.

Quesadilla ($9) contains house made refried beans, avocado spread and monterey jack cheese. You also get some mayo and sour cream to dip the quesadillas into. Just like the other dishes, you get the fries and salad too. I thought it was ok, but wasn’t anything amazing.

Overall, Insomnia Cafe was ok for sandwiches, but their dinner and appetizer menu is a bit overpriced for what you get. It’s a good place for drinks and late night chillaxing.

Words of Wisdom:

Filling sandwiches, but taste alright
Mediocre service
Nice relaxing decor
Good for drinking
Lots of drink specials

We Rate Insomnia Cafe:

Address:
563 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://www.insomniacafe.com/

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In Faneuil Hall

Boston & Maine Fish Company: Lobsters at Quincy Market

June 8, 2012

Quincy Market is an awesome place to check out when you are in Boston. It’s located in the Downtown area and is a few minutes from the center of Downtown. It has lots of stores and it’s a great place to EAT.

After our walking tour of the Freedom Trail, CanuckGirl and I decided to get a bite to eat. She decided to get clam chowder and I was on the hunt for a lobster. Ange kept telling me to eat lobsters, so I just had to find one without killing my wallet.

As I walked inside, I saw that Boston & Maine Fish Company was selling tons of lobsters and there was a huge line up. The lobsters looked good, but I decided to walk around the whole market to see if there was a better deal. It seems like they were the only place serving steamed lobster.

They were offering a steamed lobster with corn and butter for $17.99. It was alright, so I decided to get one.

We sat in the 2nd floor seating area. There are a few seats open during peak hours, so you really gotta keep your eyes open for a spot. You can also eat outside if it’s a nice day.

Once the lobster is chopped up it doesn’t look too big. It was probably around a pound in weight. Most of the meat is in the tail and claws. I still was full eating it all. The meat was nice and tender.

You get the whole lobster, so you have to stare at its face. Some can tolerate it, some just get scared. I tend to play with my food so I wasn’t squeamish.

After eating all of the meat in the lobsters tail and claws, it was time for the best part… THE BRAINS. I normally never eat the brains since I leave it to my mom to enjoy the fatty goodness. CanuckGirl told me to suck it out, but it don’t think it works for lobsters (it works for prawns), so I just used a fork to scoop out the brains. I took a photo because sometimes I like to be stupid.

Overall, it was a decent size for a lobster for $17.99 , but it’s the cheapest. I got it here since I didn’t want to pay $40 for a lobster at a restaurant. I got my lobster fill in Boston…and yes I even bought a lobster plushie too from a nearby store.

Words of Wisdom:

Decently priced lobsters
Very crowded on weekends
No free wifi, but just stand near the Starbucks in the building

We Rate Boston & Maine Fish Company:

Address:
200 Fanueil Hall Marketplace
Boston, MA

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In BBQ

Rotisserie Romados: Top 50 Restaurants in Canada

June 7, 2012

Rotisserie Romados is located in Quebec near the Plateau Mont-Royal area. It was recently named one of Canadas Top 50 restaurants. When looking at the list, it was the only one that was under $10. I just had to check this little place out since I was in town for a few days with CanuckGirl. They are best known for their chicken rotisserie!

During peak hours the lines can get quite long. Nonetheless, don’t let any lines discourage you because it is quite quick to get to the front. At the back of the restaurant is where you order the chicken and on the right is where they have pastries and baked goods.

The menu is in all french, but you can use your iPhone is translate what is says. Majority of items are under $10, which is awesome. If you don’t know french, they speak english too.

1/4 Chicken Breast with Fries and Salad ($7.09) is basically a mound of salt and peppered fries. I asked my chicken to be spicy. It also comes with a large bun.

The fries tasted good and the chicken was succulent. The only let down was the salad because some of the leaves were not fresh and a bit wilted and turning black.

1/4 Chicken Leg with Salad and Fries ($6.29) CanuckGirl said she enjoyed it.

The bread that comes with it is good, but it’s gonna make you super full. CanuckGirl and I couldn’t finish ours with our meals, so we just took it back to the hotel room for later.

Overall, it was a very filling meal for cheap! It’s not the most healthiest meal, but it’s worth the price. Definitely check it out!

Words of Wisdom:

Limited amount of seating, most people do takeout
Under $10
Friendly staff
Must get the chicken!!

We Rate Rotisserie Romados:

Address:
115 Rue Rachel Est.
Montréal, QC

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In 24 hours

Resto la Banquise: Epic Poutine From Montreal, QC

June 6, 2012

Resto la Banquise is located in Plateau Mont-Royal and is known to have very good poutine. It is open 24 hours, so University students can go any time to chow down on delicious poutine. They have tons of variations of poutine and are known to satisfy all the crazy poutine lovers.

CanuckGirl and I came here since we heard it was a must-try place for poutine. It’s not the most healthiest, but at least there is a park nearby.

We had the option of sitting inside or on the patio. We chose the patio since it was a very nice day outside. In case it rains, there is a tent above the seating.

Obelix Poutine ($8.25) is topped with Montreal smoked meat, cheese, and gravy over a bed of fries. The cheese was slightly squeaky as it rubs against your molars when chewing. It was quite good, but I am not used to eating a large amount of fries.

Classic Poutine ($5.95) has cheese curds and gravy over a bed of fries. CanuckGirl also liked it and is the most authentic! She ate everything off her plate, so I am sure she enjoyed it.

Overall, it’s a great place to get poutine. It’s open 24 hours, so you can go anytime without worrying it will close. They also have other items on the menu, so you don’t need to get poutine.

Words of Wisdom:

Classic Poutine is always good
Open all the time
Indoor and outdoor seating
Service is a bit spotty since they have so many customers

We Rate Resto La Banquise:

Address:
994 Rue Rachel E
Montréal, QC

Website:

http://www.restolabanquise.com/

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In French

L’Express: French Cuisine in Montreal, QC

June 5, 2012

L’Express is located on the plateau in Montreal. The serve authentic French dishes and it’s usually packed every night. It’s best to make reservations because most people in Montreal rely on reservations. CanuckGirl and I decided to go to L’Express without reservations and got a seat at the bar fairly quickly. Even though people will make reservations, not everyone shows up, so there is hope for those with no reservations.

As we sat down, we were given complementary bread with butter. The bread was quite hard and the butter was solid too, thus making it hard to spread.

You also get a jar of complementary little pickles. I love pickles so I naturally ate them up. I didn’t eat the whole jar, but I was very tempted to.

Octopus Lentil Salad ($16.55) the lentils is hidden under the thin slices of octopus. The sauce around it gives it a it of acidic taste which compliments the dish nicely. THe octopus has been well prepared and very tender.

Shrimp Risotto ($20.30) had lots of shrimp for the portion size and very creamy. CanuckGirl also said it was a good portion for dinner too since other places can give you less.

Duck Confit Salad ($24.40) had lots of warm duck on top. Since duck is naturally oily, it made the bed of salad quite oily. It’s still pretty good. Duck is delicious and tender.

Overall, it was good French Fine Dining experience. The only disappointment was over the service. Our main server ignored us most of the evening, so we had to always resort for asking questions to an alternative server. We had a hunch that the server was acting snobby because we did not order wine. We were quite bitter over the service since it was clear our server was treating all of the other customers much better and having long conversations with them.

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations to have a seat at a table
You’ll usually get a bar seat without reservations
Fine Dining
Decent prices

We Rate L’Express:

Address:
3927 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.restaurantlexpress.ca/

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In Brunch

Le Gros Jambon: Consuming Lots of Cheese in Montreal, QC

June 4, 2012

BraisedandConfused suggested we give Le Gros Jambon Diner a try when we were in town. CanuckGirl and I went when we were in the area for Cirque Du Solei. They serve simple diner style food such as mac n cheese, burger, pizza, hotdogs and salad.

All seating is in rows, so you can’t really sit down with a large group. It’s best to come in small groups. Even if you are eating alone, it won’t feel awkward either.

Since it is a diner, they have some cool retro posters all over the wall.

Bottled Coca-Cola gives it a nice look in the diner. I love bottle Coca-Cola! It taste slightly better than in those plastic bottles.

Duck Confit Mac & Cheese ($11) was ordered by CanuckGirl and she just loved it. Its has a good amount of duck confit and is oh so cheesy!

Four Cheese Grilled Cheese ($8) has a side of fries and coleslaw too.

The fries are a bit limp, but they have a bit of a sweet taste to them for some reason. They do look quite brown, but don’t let the color discourage you.

The grilled cheese was VERY CHEESY! The cheese wouldn’t stop oozing out. I would suggest a napkin if you don’t want it accidentally getting on your clothes.

Overall, great diner concept and delicious food! I’m sure it’s not the most healthy for you but isn’t comfort food done right.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited seating
Good decent prices
Mac and Cheese is a must

We Rate Le Gros Jambon:

Address:
286 Notre Dame O
Montreal, QC

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In Event

EAT! Vancouver 2012: Rob Feenie, Bob Blumer, David Rocco, and Dale MacKay

June 3, 2012

EAT! Vancouver is an annual food and cooking festival. It has been going on for several years and always attracts a large crowd. There are tons of vendors promoting their products. Also, seminars and shows to attend! They also have a good amount of celebrity chefs doing demonstrations, so if you are a Food Network addict, this might be the place for you. In a way, its similar to a trade-show where there are booths selling/promoting products. If you’ve previously been to EAT! Vancouver, it’s very similar.

It costs $16 for an adult to enter and it goes on from June 1st – 3rd. Saturday is the most busiest day and gets a lot of visitors around noon. There will be crowds and there can be lines/waits for certain booths or shows. If you have a bit of patience, you should be alright.

A lot of vendors provide samples of their new products. These companies can be large corporations or even small independent businesses. McDonald’s was there near the entrance giving out samples of their 3 fruit smoothie drinks. They even give you $1 off coupons too.

One of the cutest booths I saw was Binh’s Lollicakes. They sell cake-pops in very unique shapes. Not all booths have samples, but some booths you are tempted to purchase their products. I totally got a cake-pop from this place! It was delicious too!

From all the samples at all the various booths, you can get full. If not, just go do a few rounds of samples at your favorite places.

I think at certain booths, I got greedy too. In my defense, there were others that grabbed way more than me. Remember, it’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet here, so do remember your manners and not fight others for samples. You would be surprised at how pushy some people can get over samples.

Not all items at EAT! Vancouver are free, so at some booths, you require some tickets to buy food or cooked dishes. For $10, you get 20 tickets or $5 for 10 tickets. Essentially, it’s $0.50 per ticket.

At the DWAY Foods Inc, they do have a few dishes that require tickets. I highly recommend this booth!

For 2 tickets, you get 3 pieces of their tuna sashimi with 2 of their sauces that they sell at their table – Yuzu pepper sauce and soy sauce. It was very delicious and worth the 2 tickets.

At Blenz Coffee booth, they were giving out complementary matcha lattes and hot chocolate. You can get a free coupon book that’s valid for a few days.

The matcha latte wasn’t good, but the hot chocolate was very delicious.

You can also get a latte for 1 ticket. Its a good size and definitely worth it if you are in need of some caffeine.

Boylan’s has been at EAT! Vancouver for several years now. They are always promoting their signature sodas.

They offer samples on all their sodas and you have an option of purchasing a bottle for 4 tickets/$2. If you don’t have tickets, they take cash too. I chose the ginger ale since it’s not too sweet and it’s a good item to calm the stomach after lots and lots of samples.

Mochikas sells Peruvian food and if you ever get a chance to go to their restaurant, I would highly recommend it.

I got the pork belly slider for 8 tickets and something just didn’t look right or taste right. It was quite oily on the inside of the slider…and outside on the bun. They were probably rushing and missed a few steps because I’ve had this before and it’s nothing like this.

Salmon n’ Bannock bistro was here too.

The pickled salmon for 2 ticket was so delicious. It was sooo good…I got it 4 times within 2 day at EAT! Vancouver. SO GOOD! It was my favorite item of the entire event.

I saw Goldilocks and I had to try this also! They have Phillipino dishes and desserts. I’ve heard lots of positive feedback from this place so I had to check it out.

I had the Chicken Adobo and it comes with some tofu and 2 pieces of chicken over rice. It’s a filling item to get, but it tasted quite average.

Then I got the Turon, a deep-fried banana fritter coated with caramel.

The banana was delicious on the inside of the phyllo pastry coated in caramel. I wasn’t a huge fan of it since I found it was way too sweet and had way too much caramel coating.

Organic Lives serves up heathy food!

For six tickets, I got the pizza. It was quite large and not as small as you would think. I really enjoyed it.

The alcohol area is for 19+ and you must show ID and pay a deposit of 2 tickets for a glass. You get your deposit back once you return your glass as you leave the area. The alcohol tastings can range from 1 ticket to 4 tickets.

The cheapest beer tasting that we found was at the Granville Island booth. You pay one ticket to get a sample. They have a few of them on tap that you can choose from.

I chose the Hefewaizen since its one of their lighter beers. It tasted ok, but it did have a bitter after taste. You can definitely taste the hops.

I stopped by at Forbidden Fruit Winery to try some of their wine.

I tried the Caught Apricot Mistelle dessert wine. I have never had dessert wine, but it is way sweeter than normal wines.

To get the most out of your ticket to EAT! Vancouver, go to some of the seminars and shows. They are all included in the ticket, so do try to spend some time and learn something new!

They also have barista competitions throughout EAT! Vancouver too. Latte art is serious business!

At the Food Network Canada Celebrity Stage, they usually hold some cooking demos and competitions between some celebrity chefs. The seats are usually full by the time each show starts, but you can always stand up near the sides.

On Friday June 1st, Erin Cebula of ET Canada was hosting the EAT! Vancouver Celebrity Chef Throwdown between David Rocco, Rob Feenie and Bob Blumer. If you watch Food Network Canada, you will recognize these faces.

All the chefs were interviewed prior to the competition, so it might appear on ET Canada!

The 3 chefs were given 20 minutes to create a lunch dish with the secret ingredient – Kale. I didn’t stick around to figure out what they made or who won, but it was pretty awesome seeing all 3 of them in real life.

On Saturday, I caught a glimpse of Dale MacKay! He was the winner of Top Chef Canada (Season 1) and the brains behind Ensemble and Ensemble Tap.

In the afternoon on Saturday, Rob Feenie was back and was showing the audience how to make Vietnamese inspired sandwiches with pulled pork. He gave a quick demo on how to prepare the roast.

He also spent a large amount of time talking about his Iron Chef experience against Morimoto on Battle Crab. He went into detail about the process of taping the episode and the certain things they don’t show on camera.

At the end of the demo, everyone get a taste of the pulled pork sliders with a Vietnamese twist. People in the audience was basically rushing the table to get a piece of this creation. It wasn’t anything too amazing, but it tasted alright.

After devouring the sandwich, I had to get picture with Rob Feenie!

In Dessert

Les Givres: Artisan Ice Cream in Montreal, QC

June 3, 2012

After meeting up for dinner with BraisedandConfused, she took us to Les Givres for some post-dinner treats! Les Givres specializes in artisan ice cream. It is all made in-house and made with the best ingredients. They always try to come up with some crazy flavour combinations that tastes great.

Once you enter, there is the counter on the left and seats on the right. It’s really a great spot to just chill after dinner.

They have a good amount of flavours to choose from, so I am sure you will find something that tickles your tastebuds.

If you aren’t into ice cream, they have other desserts such as chocolate mousse cakes and macarons.

We grabbed a few and just stole a little bit from each other so everyone could try a bit of the flavours. There is coffee, pistachio and green tea. These all had strong flavours and were very enjoyable, the downside is that each scoop is about $3, so it’s not cheap at all.

Green Tea (matcha) Ice Cream

Apple Pie Ice Cream is another one we got after our initial 3 types. The taste is very subtle and you can start tasting the flavours once you stumble upon the apple pie pieces inside.

Overall, great place to just chill and catch up with friends or just anything.

Words of Wisdom:

Made in-house
Can be a bit expensive for ice cream

We Rate Les Givres:

Address:

3807 Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.lesgivres.ca/

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In Specialty Shop

Jean Talon Market: Fresh Produce in Montreal, QC

June 2, 2012

Jean-Talon Market is located in Villeray near Jean-Talon Station. It is a market full of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants. The local farmers come here to sell their goods. They open daily at 7am! CanuckGirl and I headed over here one day as we heard this place is pretty cool to walk around and try some produce.

On one end of the market, it’s a bunch of shops selling food and there are a few tables to sit down.

A majority of the market is outdoors under a roof and many tents. It’s a great stroll in rain or shine.

There are rows after rows of amazing smelling produce. I honestly think this place is so much better than a grocery store. $1 for a box of strawberries!!

What I love most about the market is how you are able to sample the produce before purchasing. Even if you don’t intent to buy that product…you may be tempted to after tasting how sweet and fresh the items are.

Overall, it’s a great place for locals and tourist to shop. There is a ton of produce and makes for a good stroll.

Address:

355 Rue Jean-Talon E
Montréal, QC

Website:

http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/English/Jean-Talon/

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In 24 hours

St. Viateur Bagel & Cafe: Awesome Montreal Bagels

June 1, 2012

St. Viateur Bagel and Cafe is known best for their freshly made bagels. It is a family owned business since 1957. They are open 24 hours and sell about 1000 bagels each day! This isn’t their original location, but they still make fresh bagels here too.

CanuckGirl and I were passing by and we just had to have a taste of their famous bagels!

Right at the counter of the cashier, you can see them make all the bagels. They are very fresh! If you look into the oven, they have a few dozen in their making. It’s really fun seeing them work their magic.

Their mascot is called sesame and he can be seen depicted on their bags, murals and interior decor.

Sesame Bagel ($0.70) was still very hot when we got it. We decided to get this flavour since the mascot is a sesame bagel. It was the most mazing bagel I’ve ever had. 1000000x better than anything in Vancouver. We ate this bagel right away and it was crunchy on the outside and super hot and chewy on the inside.

Words of Wisdom: