VanFoodies

Dining out, cooking, wine & craft beer

[vanfoodies]

6 Additions to Vancouver's Michelin Guide, September 2023

Today, 6 more restaurants are added to the Recommended category of Vancouver’s MICHELIN Guide. According to the press release, the full 2023 MICHELIN selection will be announced on October 5, and these 6 new restaurants may earn themselves Bib Gourmand or Star awards then. Continue reading Untitled

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

10 Additions to Vancouver's Michelin Guide, July 2023

Just announced are 10 additions to Vancouver’s MICHELIN Guide and they are now added to the Recommended category. This brings the entire Michelin Guide Vancouver list to 70 restaurants. According to the press release, there will be a 2023 edition of the full MICHELIN selection, and these 10 new restaurants can earn themselves Bib Gourmand or Star awards come Fall 2023. Continue reading Untitled

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

[Recipe] New York Sour

So over the holidays Mr. got into cocktail making and we’re looking up recipes online to try. The tricky thing is, we don’t have a lot of ingredients readily available and we also don’t want to stock up a lot of liqueurs, syrups or bitters and clog up the shelves. Then I was given this New York Sour recipe and with some modifications, it’s just the perfect drink for us to make at home. (more…) “”

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

[Travel / Beer] 17 Spots on Vancouver’s North Shore Ale Trail

[Travel / Beer] 17 Spots on Vancouver’s North Shore Ale Trail

Mr. and I got a taste of our post-pandemic world while exploring Vancouver’s North Shore Ale Trail for three days in early July. That’s 16 long months after the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020! We checked out a total of 17 spots in North Vancouver, including 9 craft breweries. On our trip, we made a stop at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, kayaked for 3 hours in Deep Cove, explored the…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

directfood.store: Farm-Direct Grocery Delivery

directfood.store: Farm-Direct Grocery Delivery

Goat curry, fiddlehead Chinese sausage stir-fry, sea asparagus & broccoli microgreens salad, and goat milk yogurt with mint, dried date, pistachio and honey…how’s that for a dinner menu?! This menu was made possible with an interesting selection of products available at directfood.store, an online grocery platform that provides a digital marketplace for local farms. I recently ordered a…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

[Recipe] Plum & Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

[Recipe] Plum & Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I like stone fruits: peaches, plums, cherries and mangoes. What are stone fruits, you ask? Also called drupes, they are fruit that have a large stone, often mistaken as seed, inside. Think about what a peach looks like when you cut it open, or a plum, or even a cherry. What we usually call a pit is actually the stone, and the seed is inside the stone. I love the juicy flesh of stone fruits and…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

[#DineOutVancouver 2021] Social on Commercial Drive

[#DineOutVancouver 2021] Social on Commercial Drive

Life has been busy so I didn’t really look into Dine Out Vancouver until there were only 2 weeks left. There were a few interesting, attractive menus but many came from restaurants that I’ve been before. Since I don’t dine out very much these days, I wanted to use the opportunity to try some place new. Then I spotted a good deal at Social on Commercial Drive. Social has only been open for a few…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

Celebrating the Year of the Ox with a Lunar New Year Poon Choi 盤菜

Celebrating the Year of the Ox with a Lunar New Year Poon Choi 盤菜

Just a week ago we celebrated Chinese New Year, welcoming the Year of the Ox. And like every other CNY, it’s the perfect the opportunity for us to cook and eat a lot of good food and observe our cultural traditions. This year, Mama Lam made a Poon Choi / Pancai / Big Bowl Feast / 盤菜. According to Mama Lam, the concept of this giant feast was originated from the late Song Dynasty when Emperor…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

Would you agree that condiment sometimes is just as important as the dish itself? In fact, sometimes the condiment makes or breaks a dish. One day, Mama Lam whipped up this dipping sauce for some roasted pork jowl. It was so good, and I knew I had to share the recipe. It’s acidic, savoury, with a bit of heat. It’s surprisingly refreshing, and reminds me of Thai or Vietnamese flavours. All it takes is 8 simple ingredients that you likely have at home all the time.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Sugar

2 tablespoon Hot Water

4 tablespoon White Vinegar

1/2 tablespoon Soy Sauce

4 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 clove Shallot, chopped

1 Thai Chili Pepper, sliced

1 teaspoon Fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Fully dissolve the sugar in hot water.

Add vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, shallot and chili pepper. Mix well and let it cool.

Add parsley just before serving.

Tips

If you don’t have fresh parsley, you can use Thai basil. Or dried parsley, but put double the amount as the flavour of dried herbs is more subdue.

Instead of soy sauce, you can use fish sauce.

Use a jar to make this sauce. All you have to do is shake the jar to mix it well. It is also perfect for storing any extra sauce.

How to Enjoy this Sauce?

Dipping: It went well with the roasted pork jowl, but it also paired well with steamed spot prawns. It should also work with fried fish or fish cakes.

Dressing: This would be perfect as a salad dressing. Mix greens, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots tossed in this sauce. If you like, topped the salad with some roasted peanuts for texture. You can use this sauce to marinate your cold noodles or vermicelli.

Marinate: BBQ season is upon us, so use this sauce to marinate some shrimp or scallops for your next grill dinner.

[Recipe] Easy Thai-Inspired Dipping Sauce/Dressing/Marinate Would you agree that condiment sometimes is just as important as the dish itself? In fact, sometimes the condiment makes or breaks a dish.

[vanfoodies]

Chatime Canada: Durian Milk Tea Review

Chatime Canada: Durian Milk Tea Review

Durian – yay or nay?

This tropical fruit has a hard, spiky exterior. Inside, you would find pieces of soft, creamy fruit meat embedded in several segments. Growing up in HK, I watched market vendors went to the extent to use a screwdriver to ply it open. And fresh durian smell is more pungent than frozen ones. We could only find frozen durians here in Vancouver and the smell is nothing…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2020 - Chez Christophe

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2020 – Chez Christophe

Another hot chocolate stop I’ve made was Chez Christophe in Burnaby. I remember meeting Christophe at a work conference years ago when he was doing cooking demonstration. That was before he opened his shop in Burnaby. Since then, I’ve been there a few times for pastries, but this was my first time trying their hot chocolate fest creations.

Both of Chez Christophe’s creationsare inspired by…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

[Dine Out Vancouver 2020] Restaurants Extend Menu Dates #DOVF

[Dine Out Vancouver 2020] Restaurants Extend Menu Dates #DOVF

The official Dine Out Vancouver may be ending on Sunday, but some restaurants have decided to offer the Dine Out menus just for a few more days.

Here is a list that I curated. I will continue to update this list as I hear more about other restaurants.

(more…)

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2020 - 1931 Gallery Bistro

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2020 – 1931 Gallery Bistro

While Dine Out Vancouver is happening, did you know there’s also Hot Chocolate Festival? In fact, this is the 10th annual Hot Chocolate Festival. 44 different locations offering more than 110 flavours over a 4-week period, up until Valentine’s Day. Of course, I take this opportunity every year to discover local chocolatiers and find whimsical, creative hot chocolates.

First stop this year is the…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

Where have you booked for Dine Out this year? If you are still deciding, I’m going to start sharing my experiences, whether it’s an invited dinner or out of my own pocket. I was invited as a media to preview the menu at PiDGiN. Their food is a fusion of Asian and French cuisines, and they decorate the interior by rotating artworks by local artists.

They have designed their $45 DOVF menu to be as close to their regular prix fixe menu as possible, which is a 6-course menu shared family style for a minimum of 2 people. You have the option of a omnivore menu, or a vegetarian one. You can also order drink pairing for an additional $40-50 per person. The Dine Out website didn’t include the vegetarian menu, so I suggest you to visit PiDGiN’s website for the menus, and I’m posting them here as well. Note that the following plates are all meant to be shared by 2 people – they will adjust the portion based on party size.

Food

In addition to the 6-course menu, you can also order snacks a la carte. The Beef Tendon Chicharron was addictive. It’s crispy, and it wasn’t greasy. There was just enough seasoning, and the gochugaru citrus spice reminded me of sour plum flavour, with the tiniest hint of heat.

They use different vegetables to make their Daily Pickles. On this day, it was cucumber, ume-infused daikon and shitake mushrooms. They were just slightly pickled, so they weren’t overly briny or vinegary.

Before we started with the first course, we also cheered each other with an Oyster Shot. I liked the addition of celery lime granité, which not only brought flavours, but also a refreshing note. This was a cleaner, lighter version than the typical tomato-based oyster shot.

Moving into the six courses. First, I could smell the delicious scent of Brussel Sprouts as soon as I stepped foot into the restaurant. You can never miss the smell of fried brussel sprouts. I was worried that the miso would be too strong and salty, but it was just right. The pickled turnips, to my surprise, was more sweet than sour. Having a little bit of everything to form the “perfect bite”, it was a good balance of sweet and savoury.

This was paired with the Masseria Li Veli, Fiano 2018. It’s quite aromatic, citrusy and easy drinking. It helps cut through the grease in the brussel sprouts.

The next course is different between omnivore and vegetarian. The Tuna Tartare was my favourite of the two. It’s more complex in flavour and texture, with the additional pickled napa cabbage that wasn’t on the beet tartare. There seemed to be more going on in the tuna tartare than the beet one.

I’m a big fan of beets, so I was quite looking forward to the Beet Tartare. By looks, it was on point. It looked like a beef tartare. However I thought it’s a bit one note in flavour and texture. The marinade of the beet was a bit too strong for my liking, so it’s taking away the delicate flavour of the beet. Both tartares were served with crispy lotus chips, and they were so good. Great complement to the tartare.

The tartare course is paired with one of PiDGiN’s pre-batched cocktails, Park Meadows. It has gin, juniper syrup, yuzu and sage. It’s fruity yet herbaceous, with lots of citrusy note. I’m usually not a fan of gin but I would order this again. It comes in a little bottle and a key as bottle opener. Each bottle’s label showcases a different artwork by artists whom have been featured inside the restaurant. This little bottle serves two.

Next, the Cultivated Mushrooms use baby king oyster mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. The highlight for me was the ramen egg – the yolk was in just the right consistency, and the marinade was a perfect sweet-soy combination. While the baby king oyster mushrooms were tasty, the oyster mushrooms were too salty. The truffle celeriac puree was creamy and fragrant, exactly what you would expect from a truffle puree.

PiDGiN is known for its extensive list of sake on the menu. For the mushroom course, they pair it with the Tengumai Yamahai. Interestingly, it has an earthy, mushroomy note on the nose. At first sip, there’s actually a savoury flavour to it. It’s not my favourite sake, but it certainly went well with the dish.

The fourth course also serves up different dishes for omnivore and vegetarian. For omnivore, it’s the Seafood Dashi with sablefish (the website says halibut but it’s sablefish) and side stripe prawns. The sablefish was so good; silky, buttery, flavourful. We had to share the plate among 4 people and I don’t think I had enough. The side stripe prawns were also cooked well – you can still taste the sweetness in the prawns. Another positive in this dish was the mashed potato. It was rich and creamy; and it thickened the broth just a little.

The Vegetable Oden was also very good. There was an abundance of tofu, cabbage, squash, enoki, wakame, potato and daikon. It’s a hearty bowl of vegetables and felt very much like comfort food. The shoyu-based (soy sauce) dashi broth in both dishes were very good. Given we just had our first snow, it’s perfect for this weather.

This course was also paired with a sake. The Taiheizan Kimoto. It’s more floral, smoother and sweeter on the palate. I don’t know much about sake, but personally I prefer this one.

The last savoury course also brought two different dishes. I was quite excited about the Magret Duck Breast. It was tender and cooked perfectly — well seared on the outside and still pink inside. The use of five spice and hoisin glaze added asian flare, so did the Chinese radish cake on the side. My mom makes some great Chinese radish cake for Chinese New Year, with lots of Chinese sausage and daikon prominently in every bite, so I do have pretty high standard for radish cakes. Unfortunately, our piece here was just a bit too salty.

Being red meat, the duck breast is paired with the Origine small-batch Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc 2017. It’s fruity, well rounded, full body, but doesn’t have a lot of tannin. I quite enjoyed this wine with the duck.

The Carnaroli Risotto demonstrated the precision in the PiDGiN’s kitchen. How they’re going to manage a perfect risotto on every plate would be the ultimate test for them. The rice was cooked well, it was creamy. It’s nice to see sunchokes prepared two ways here. My mother-in-law grows a lot of sunchokes in her garden, so I really enjoyed its earthy flavour, and it paired well with the risotto. The sunchoke chips also added crunchy texture. I especially liked the spruce tip oil, which added some freshness and herbaceous note to the otherwise heavy dish.

On the contrary, and thankfully, this isn’t paired with the same red wine as the duck breast. This goes with the Nk’mip Chardonnay 2017.

Lastly, the dessert course. The Yuzu Crème Brulee was a great ending to our meal. Lots of citrusy flavour from the yuzu and just the right amount of sweetness. I loved the creamy texture, and the brulee gave the perfect crack on the spoon. Castelvetrano olive is Mr.’s favourite olive, but I’m not sure about its place in desserts. While I like the idea of sweet and savoury together, the candied olive pieces were a bit too briny for my taste.

With the dessert course, the Toffee Coffee should be a dessert on its own. It is a miso salted caramel espresso martini. It’s delicious, creamy and rich, and the salt level was just right. A good night cap.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think PiDGiN’s menu is solid and of great value for $45 per person. Some are hit and miss, but they are minor things that can be adjusted easily. Given that the menu stays true to their regular offering, Dine Out does serve as a good opportunity for you to experience what PiDGiN has to offer. Being a meat eater, I can see myself enjoy the vegetarian menu just as much.

PiDGiN 350 Carrall Street, Vancouver 604-620-9400 pidginyvr.com

[Dine Out Vancouver 2020] PiDGiN: 6-course menu shared family style #DOVF Where have you booked for Dine Out this year? If you are still deciding, I'm going to start sharing my experiences, whether it's an invited dinner or out of my own pocket.

[vanfoodies]

[Dine Out Vancouver 2020] Menus are out: What looks good? #DOVF

[Dine Out Vancouver 2020] Menus are out: What looks good? #DOVF

Dine Out Vancouver is back! Running from January 17 to February 2, the prix fixe portion of this year’s program is the same as last year, with 4 price points at $15, $25, $35 and $45. There are also lunch options, usually at a cheaper price than dinner. Menu may not be the same as dinner, though, so the value for money is a bit debatable.

The menus are now live and reservations are open. As I was…

View On WordPress

[vanfoodies]

I cannot believe Christmas is only a couple weeks away! I, for one, was shocked by how quickly the year flew by and was not prepared for Christmas at all. Luckily, many Christmas festivities have popped up across Lower Mainland to help getting into a festive mood.

Of course, the iconic Vancouver Christmas Market has returned for its 10th year. I still remember when it was back at Queen Elizabeth Plaza and how much it’s grown since. Same as the last few years, the Christmas Market can be found at the Jack Poole Plaza. I was invited to its media event and have returned a couple of times since. Here are some food and shopping suggestions for you.

Food

Obviously there are some must-haves at the Christmas Market but they have new vendors this year too. Here are some highlights.

Mulled Wine

You can’t go to the Christmas Market without a cup of mulled wine (Gluhwein) to warm your cockles.

Every year the market releases a different collectible mug and for its 10th year they have this white frosted mug. It’s so pretty! I have a collection of almost all their mugs over the years and this year’s is definitely my favourite.

By the way, if you are not sold on the idea of hot, spiced red wine, order the Feuerzangenbowle, which is mulled wine with rum-infused sugar. The rum flavour and sweetness from the sugar will definitely get you into this holiday drink.

Turkey Leg

New this year is the smoked turkey leg. You have the option for regular or jumbo and we totally went for the jumbo size even though it’s a few bucks more. It looked dry at first glance but only because it’s smoked. We had asked for BBQ and herb sauce drizzled on top. Inside was moist and meat was very flavourful. Totally worth the extra bucks for the meat!

Raclette

Stinky cheese anyone? Bubbly hot cheese scraped off the wheel over some potatoes. This pungent raclette cheese is a must-have at the market.

Chimney Cake

Tried it for the first time several years ago at the food truck festival in New West and really liked it. The dough has a hint of orange in it and it’s so much fun peeling off pieces of the wound-up chimney cake.

Mushroom Soup

One of the few things I look forward to every year at the market. It’s creamy, earthy from the wild mushrooms, and it totally warms you up on a chilly night.

Pretzels

This, is probably one of the best pretzels I’ve ever had. Soft and chewy and it’s brushed with butter and sprinkled with salt. It’s so good I finished it rather quickly.

Dutch Mini Pancakes

Also new this year are these cute little Dutch mini pancakes Poffertjes. Nice and fluffy and you can choose from various toppings and sauces.

Shopping

Buying Christmas presents for the important someone(s)? Here are some suggestions.

Lights

Many people know I’m fascinated by lights so I was totally drawn to this store where you can build your own right here. Each pack comes with 20 pieces and you can mix and match from different colours and patterns. Apparently it comes with a manual on how to build it.

Saving the Environment

There are a few stalls where you can items either made from recycled materials or will help you reduce the use of disposables. You will find reusable straws, beewax wraps, lunch bags made with recycled materials, etc.

Ornaments

Are you always on the lookout for a new ornament? This is the perfect place. In addition to the famous ornament shop Kathe Wohlfahrt Shop from Germany, some other vendors also carry ornaments made of wood, glass, even linen.

Gift for Foodies

Of course, don’t forget the foodies in your life. You will find charcuterie, candies, mustards and pickles, sauces, chocolates, macarons and more at the market. They even have a dedicated aisle for foodie gifts.

Clothing

Lastly, if you are looking for clothes, you will find fun socks, hoodies with cute print, alpaca scarves, etc. There will be something for everyone.

Photo Spots

The Vancouver Christmas Market also has a lot of photo spots. Don’t forget to snap a picture through the Lover’s Lane, walk-in Christmas Tree, the Pyramid, carousel, Santa’s sleigh, the #VanChristmas frame, the giant 10th anniversary mug, and more.

WunderBAR

For the second year, you can purchase additional admission to the hideaway bar. The reserved seating includes a cocktail, charcuterie board or dessert, and a Fast Season Pass for the rest of the season.

Final Thoughts

Remember to visit the Vancouver Christmas Market before Dec 24. They are running different promotions such as Date Nights and $10 Tuesdays. Online tickets are also cheaper and you can upgrade to a Season Pass or even a Fast Pass to skip the line.

Sip, Savour, Snap & Shop at the Vancouver Christmas Market #VanChristmas I cannot believe Christmas is only a couple weeks away! I, for one, was shocked by how quickly the year flew by and was not prepared for Christmas at all.

[vanfoodies]

Tocador - Cocktails and Cuban Inspired Eats in Mount Pleasant

Tocador – Cocktails and Cuban Inspired Eats in Mount Pleasant

Cuban inspired restaurant in Vancouver? You don’t see many of them around, but there’s one right in Mount Pleasant. Tocador opened just last year and it’s all about the cocktail menu and share plates. I actually had the pleasure to interview one of its co-owners, Guy, a few years ago. This time, I was invited to sample the menu at Tocador.

Cocktails

First of all, let’s talk about its cocktail…

View On WordPress