Urban Vancouver

In the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen, we had a new member to demonstrate a Persian recipe.  Azar is an Iranian and she enjoys the community kitchen as she can learn about food from other cultures and also practice her English.  Azar is a beautician and I was told that she does a very good job in threading, an ancient method of hair removal which originated in India and gaining popularity in the Middle and Far East.

The Beef Stew has a very lemony flavour.  The flavour comes from the dried lime which can be found in Persian stores and is relatively cheap.  Minoo volunteers to get us some the next time she goes groceries shopping at a Persian store.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons tumeric powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup split peas
• 1 lb beef or lamb, cubed
• 3 dried lime
• 2 teaspoons lemon powder
• 3 cups water
• salt and cinnamon to taste
• 2 large potatoes, cut into sticks for making fries

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Fry the onion is a large frying pan with the olive oil until soft. Add the tumeric and tomato paste and mix well. Add the split peas and meat and stir to coat the meat with the sauce. Prick the dried lime with a fork to release it’s flavour. Add the dried lime and water and bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for approximately one hour or until the meat is tender.

Season with salt, lemon powder and cinnamon to taste. When the stew is almost done, fry the potatoes. Garnish the beef stew with the fries. Azar served the Beef Stew with Split Peas a la Lime with basmati rice.

Azar, thank you for sharing a dish from your culture.

When Polly and I first visited Mix the Bakery in Vancouver, we said we will return to try other types of cakes.  Surely, we did after a long time.  The bakery is very busy, just like our previous visit.  It was a rainy day and the rain did not stop people from coming for a cup of coffee and some great dessert.  Lots of people came to buy their bread.

Polly and I ordered 3 items to share this time.  We remembered our mistake of ordering 4 items to share the last time and it was way too much sweet treat for a day.

The first item we ordered was a Pumpkin Cheesecake as pumpkin is in season.  It is quite a dense cheesecake and just the way we like cheesecake.

The second item is a Lemon Passion Fruit Cake.  It is a cake layered with a lightly tangy custardy filing and top with whipped cream and lemon curd.  I like this too as the sourness cuts back the feeling of fullness or ‘lau’ in Cantonese.  The two slices of cake above cost $4.95 each.

The last item was ordered impromptu as we were about to pay.  It looks very delicious with the chocolate topping.  This is called Pienik Spice Cake.  It is made with apple, nuts and spice.  It tastes very much like Christmas fruit cake and it’s quite crumbly.  This slice costs less than $4.

The total bill came to $17.74 with 2 medium house brew coffee.

Geoff and Joy and our family took a drive to Langley to visit Whitney and Ken on a Saturday.  We wanted to introduce our new friends who had just landed in Vancouver from NZ recently.  It was a long drive but was glad to find that they had finally completed the upgrade to Route 10 which makes the drive much more faster and easier.

For dinner, Whitney recommended that we go to a Chinese restaurant.  The way she put it is as if there are hardly any good Chinese restaurant in Langley and Dragon Garden is about the best it could get.

Dragon Garden is more of a Chop Suey, Sweet and Sour Pork and Fortune Cookies type of Chinese restaurant, if you know what I mean.  Even the name tells you as much.  You see most of these Chinese restaurant are not quite creative in naming the restaurant and uses a combination of words like Golden, Dragon, Inn, Garden, Gate, Imperial, Pheonix, Silver, Fortune, Lucky, etc.

It was a Saturday evening and for the whole time we were about the only customer there.  If not for us taking up a table for 11 people, they would probably have almost no business for the day.

Let’s talk about table arrangements.  In Chinese restaurants, larger tables are ALWAYS round and NEVER long.  Most large tables will fit about 10 people.  I find this arrangement more practical as one gets to interact with one another all round this way.  Moreover, food are normally shared (i.e. formal dinners are not served individually) and it makes the sharing of dishes easier.

Dishes are not normally passed around but one unique thing is the “lazy susan” (see above).  Tell me … are the Chinese the only cuisine that uses “lazy susans” on the dining table?  I think they are.

Whitney did all the ordering.  Because of so many kids around, she ordered dishes that kids likes.

Do you know what is the heaviest food in the world?  It is called the 1-ton-soup.

Anyway, we had the large serving which has 18 pcs of wontons and costs $9.95.  This works to be about $1 per 100kg, give or take.  :-)

The Assorted Meat with Tofu Hot Pot was pretty good.  I felt the hot pot is somewhat small.  $12.95.

Everyone love the Mandarin Pork Chops ($10.95).  They had a very odd reddish color.  We asked the waitress what makes the color like this and she said “it must be coloring”!!  Beeep!!  Wrong answer!  LOL!

She should not have been so honest.  Saying “I don’t know” sounds more acceptable than “it must be coloring”.  Right?

The Szechuan Chicken is supposed to be hot but it was not.  This $9.95 dish was alright but I was not too excited over it.

The above is from the Chop Suey section and described as “Lo-Hon-Chai” and in brackets “(Very Special Chinese Vegetarian Dish)”.  $9.95 … and we had some left overs.

The kids’ favourites are undoubtedly the Yeung Chow Fried Rice.  I just don’t quite understand why fried rice are so popular with kids.

And the Beef with Rice Noodle was the final dish.  Whitney said that the skill of a chef boils down to the chef being able to “wok hei” this dish.  Is there an equivalent English word for “wok hei”?  Sadly, most of us said that this did not measure up … $8.25.

Overall, the food was quite OK and some of the dishes were delicious. The service was superb, friendly and attentive.

He he he … I feel sad for you, Whitney and Ken.  You guys should come back and stay in Richmond where real Chinese food are! Anyway, we do not know how much the whole meal was because Ken sneakily went to pay for the dinner and refused to take our share.  You see, this is a very Chinese thing … we often fight to have the honor to pay for the meal.  So … thanks a lot for paying Whitney and Ken … it was so generous of you as we had always known you to be.  We owe you one … next time you come back to the civilization called Richmond, I’ll bring you to a place where they don’t have Chop Sueys and Fortune Cookies.  LOL!  You’re such a pal!

I must admit.  It had been a horrid week at work last week.  Fresh from a successful roll out of one project, I had been plonked right into a distressed project which had been millions over budget, months overdue and the scope loosely defined.  That goes without saying that team morale is not particularly high.  I had to virtually reset the project plan and that resulted in 10-12 hour days.  At the end of the week, I was totally drained and what I wanted was just forget about work and go out for a drink and a meal.

Of late, we had quite a lot of recommendations for places to try.  Maria suggested that we check out Howie’s in Burnaby.  I checked Howie’s website and decided that this is exactly what I wanted.  Since Suanne was around Kingsway on errands, we made plans for a nice dinner and drinks … just the two of us.

Howie’s Bistro and Bar is located on Lougheed Hwy and Bainsbridge Ave.

We were there just after five and we found that we were the only customer there.  We love the setting.  It was really well maintained with everything arranged so carefully.  They even have a stage and a dance floor.  It was after seven that the crowds began to turn up.  Apparently, they have nightly events and tonight was a dance night.  Suanne and I are not into the dancing scene and we were quite surprised to see how many people actually come by for a dance.  They even have karaoke on Thursday nights.

My mind was fixated on a nice drink.  This was perfect because Howie had quite an extensive drink and wine menu.  We took our time and just ordered the drinks before we figure out the food.  For all I care, I wanted to take my own sweet time and forget about work!

I ordered the Howie’s Com’n Gold which is described as “alizé gold passion, peach schnapps, lychee liqueur, mango & raspberry”.  I had no idea what it is but were told that it is like Bellini … fruity and all but with a Howie’s twist.  It sounded good to me.  This one is $7.  This gave me a severe brain freeze when I took my first sip too fast.

Suanne does not (officially) drink alcoholic drinks.  So she tried to choose something from the puny 1 page non-alcohol section.  There were nothing quite exciting except for the “Nordic Non-alcoholic Beer” which is basically a Molson Exel.

The drinks came and Suanne took a sip of my cocktail and a sip of her “beer” and decided that she likes my one better.  She kept the drink.  Midway through the meal, she kept on asking me, like for a trillion times, if her face is red.  How can I tell, I told her … the place is not exactly very bright.  She also kept on telling me her heart is beating like mad.  Oh yeah … she likes it alright.

In my dating days with her, I would have gotten her a couple more of this … get her drunk … and then … oh … I digressed.  Back to food.  LOL!

We next got ourselves a couple of appys.  The $8 Coconut Shrimp was awesome.  The prawns were huge and very fleshy.  The orange marmalade sauce in the middle was the perfect dip for the shredded coconut battered shrimp.  I highly recommend this one for an appetizer.

We did not count on the second appetizer being so large.  When they brought it to our table, it smelt so wonderful.  We were told that this is coated with some Japanese ingredient called “panko” to make the batter lighter.

Although this is called the Hot and Spicy Calamari it is not hot except for the jalapenos which was quite mild.  This apparently is a popular one because we overheard the customer who sat behind us immediately ordered this even before they sat down.  For $8, it is quite a huge dish … more like an entree sized serving if you ask me.

The bread came next and it was warm and chewy, just the way we like it.  I wished that the butter they served were not so hard (perhaps just out from the fridge).  Thumbs up.

For the mains, I ordered the Chicken Oscar.  It consists of a chicken breast topped a very creamy hollandaise sauce …

… but what I love most is it is also topped with lots of crab meat. I enjoyed this tremendously and am glad I selected this.  This is $18.  For a cheap person like me, I find it a tad too expensive although I must say it did not disappoint me.

Suanne ordered the Linguine with Prawns.  It was beautifully garnished with green onions, don’t you think?  Suanne felt that the white wine lemon sauce is too light to her liking but I thought otherwise.  The thing we both agree is that the springy prawns were great with the pasta.  $16.

I wanted to resist desserts but Suanne insisted on it.  I know she is as full as I was but I also know she cannot pass on dessert.  You know, I think desserts are girl things … I am not sure why but most girls I know get very delighted with dessert.

We ordered the Banana Foster ($6) which has a delightfully crispy crepe wrapping ice cream with thinly sliced bananas on it.

It was sinfully awesome and we dripped the dessert everywhere (it was kind of hard sharing a dish across the table).

All in all, we totally enjoyed the meal and a total diversion from work.  If you are around Burnaby, I really think you should check this place out, especially if you are into dancing as it seems like a very popular event.

This is a good recommendation, Maria and exactly what I needed.  Thanks a bunch.

We just came across a new kid in the block, so to speak.  There is a new Vietnamese Pho place located on Granville Ave between No 3 Rd and Garden City.  It is actually just next to Value Village.  I had always thought that there is a dearth of Pho places in Richmond but speaking to Suanne now apparently, there are lots of them.  See if I can name all of them:

Thai Son • Pho Viet • Pho Lan • Pho 99 • Westlake • Green Lemongrass • Pho Hoa

We recall that this place used to be a Chinese Restaurant and we distinctly remembered that we did not go to that Chinese restaurant because it was once closed by the Health authorities for pest infestation.  But from the outside now, this place had a new fresh cleaner look.  This certainly looked like a Pho place unlike all others.

Walking in we went wow … this place is perhaps the cleanest Pho restaurant we had ever been to.  Everything is spanking new and very well organized.  It is also the brightest pho restaurant we had ever been to.  They even have several wide screen TVs placed all over the place.  We liked it immediately.

Arkensen ordered the Mix Beef Pho.  He had the large order.  Their menu had this as $7 for the large and $6 for the smaller serving.  I took a sip of the broth … it was good and flavourful.  It does look quite clear but it tastes good.  Arkensen liked this a lot.

The bean sprouts that came with the Pho was very fresh.  How can I tell?  Firstly by the color as it has to be perfectly white, especially the roots ends.  They serve the bean sprout cold.  Does anyone know why some places serve them cold while other serve them blanched?

For me, I had the Grill Pork and Spring Roll with Vermicelli.  I find that this is a bit too bland to my liking.  The fish sauce in particular did not impart much of a taste to it.  But what I really liked is the spring roll which had the rougher skin … you know … sort of dimpled type … you know what I mean?  What is the word for it? *shrugs*

The Grill Pork was awesome especially as it was served with with some crushed peanuts.  I really liked this and I think you would too.  Again, the vermicelli is kind of bland … to bad or else this would have been perfect!  This one is $7.50.

Suanne was a little bit more adventurous this time and ordered the Vietnamese Pan Cake.  It was like crepes and was filled with pork, prawn, and bean sprouts.  On the side there were the assortment of greens.  We could not figure how to eat this.  It was huge.  Do we stuff the greens into the pan cake?  Put the greens on top of the crepe or what?

Suanne ended up making a mess of this but still it was good.  The soft warm and meaty crepe went well with the cold crunch of the greens.  This one costs $8.50.

An Nam takes only cash and does not accept credit cards yet.  We like this place and will certainly come back again next time.  You should check this place out and I think you will appreciate how clean this place is.

Suanne and I met up with Ed and Christina of Doesn’t Tazte Like Chicken for a weekend dinner.  This time it was them who chose the location.  We enjoy having going out with them because they are as real a foodie as it comes.  We learn a lot from them and most of all we enjoyed their stories … like $200 sashimi and having Kobe Beef in Japan.

We went to Phnom Penh located in Chinatown.  Although we had heard so much of the place we had never been there before.  I was kind of surprised to find that it’s located in such a quiet street.  In the evening when we were there, Phnom Penh was about the only shop opened on the whole street.

I was taken aback how popular this restaurant is.  It was utterly packed.  Ed made reservation prior to coming but it was quite useless because even with reservation, we had to wait quite a bit past the time.

I can imagine how popular this place is judging by the many awards and newspaper clippings they had accumulated throughout the years.  I even see that one award was dated back 12 years (1992!) … so they must have been around for ages.

Even Anthony Bourdain ate here before and signed a copy of their takeout menu.  Gosh … if I were them I would frame it up instead of leaving it pinned on the board.  That signed menu is a huge bragging right if you ask me.

I actually had half a mind of doing one for them too … you know, “Fantastic Meal, Many Thanks … Chowtimes, Ben and Suanne”  LOL!

Suanne and I shared a drink called Soda Egg.  I am not exactly sure what this is but does remind me of the Egg Cream (which has neither egg nor cream) I had in New York.   It was very sweet and we like it.  $3.95 was how much it cost.

We left the ordering to the experts since they had been to Phnom Penh many times before.  We like the way the bean sprout was served with garlic chilli.  I think it is supposed to go with the noodle but since they served it on the same plate, I mixed some of the chilli with the bean sprout, and it was great …  the chilli gives that extra kick to the bean sprout and does somewhat goes together well.

The Dry Egg Noodle (six bucks only) was great.  The egg noodle was delicious and springy.  I could just eat this with the sweet soya sauce alone.  I understand that this is one of their more popular dishes.  We like pork liver especially and how it was lightly cooked and tender.

The Phnom Penh Curry Chicken Hot Pot was the priciest item we ordered at $13.50.  Considering the size of the hot pot, it was more than enough for two persons.  We ordered this with two large baguettes.  The curry was light and was quite mild.  I wished it was a bit more spicier.

This one goes equally well with either rice or bread.  It would be better if we had BOTH rice and bread … bread to dunk into the curry and rice to eat it with the chicken and other stuff on the hot pot.

The baguette was crispy and very light and so it was perfect for dunking into the curry.

I think their numero uno dish is the Deep Fried Chicken Wings.  99.99% of the tables ordered this and I can see why.  The looks itself made me drool.  It was lightly battered and came with some vinegary-peppery dipping sauce.  Awesome!  This costs $12.50.  If we come back again to Phnom Penh, it will be because of the wings.  One more time … Awesome!

For desserts we ordered the Durian Sticky Rice.  It was creamy and rich but they only have a very thin layer of durian on it.  Have you guy ever tried durians before?  it is often called the King of Fruits.

The meal costs $66 with tips included.  I must say that this is a place you cannot hang around and chat.  They were trying to shoo us away because there was quite a lot of people waiting for a table.

Their menu was really extensive.  Suanne counted about 130 items in all — not bad.  Phnom Penh is named after the Cambodian capital but I really doubt they are authentic Cambodian.  This is because the workers here speaks Cantonese.  Despite all that the food was really good.

Ed and Christina blogged about this meal more than a month ago h-e-r-e.

Since I was already in Atlanta, I organized a pre-Go-Live celebration with the team located in Atlanta.  The Project “ONE” system was not supposed to go-live for the next two weeks but at the rate things are going, we were pretty confident nothing will go wrong.  So, we felt safe celebrating ahead of time!

I always wanted to go to a Brazilian Steakhouse which the folks in Atlanta always rave about.  The best place is Fogo de Chau but it was too far from the office in Buckhead.  So we decided to go to a nearer one called Sal Grosso.

Sal Grosso is located on 1927 Powers Ferry Rd SE.

I had the same stuff for the drinks … the “Southern Table Wine”.

I had been to the Brazilian Steakhouse before in in Vancouver — Samba’s the name I think.  The one in Vancouver was sort of disappointing to me.  I hoped that this was better.  The table setting includes an extra item … a tong of sorts.

The salad bar was nothing to shout about really.  I just went one round and that’s it.

Each of us has a card … green on one side and red on the other.  They had people coming around and if they see you had the card flipped to the green side, they’ll come by and ask.  Problem is almost everyone of the servers are Spanish and some of them don’t even speak English.  They sort of grunt and I nod if I had enough.  And they are so mechanical, so you better remember to flip this to red if you want time to finish off what you have on your plate before asking for more.

Frankly, I think some of the offerings were quite sorry looking.

Some were good.  I had a lot of meat and was surprised that the folks stopped eating quite fast.  This meal is, I believe, $40 per person … just for the food and salad bar alone.

Desserts were extras.  Like the meal I had at Pappadeaux the day earlier, they brought long samples to tempt us into getting the dessert.  This one is even more “gua jiong” … they had seven samples and presented one at a time.  Needless to say, EVERYONE got dessert even though some of us were quite full already.

I don’t even know what this is called but I got this from the looks.  I remembered it was rich, creamy nice.

The bill came to over $1000 for just the 12 of us who attended.  Whew!  Good thing I did not have to pick up the tab and expense it.  This is because the company entertainment policy is to have the most senior person pay and expense.

I am quite disappointed with the offering, frankly speaking.  The setting and interior decor was great but the most important part … the meat … were just so-so.

Actually I am not quite reviewing the hotel I stayed in while in Atlanta.  I am actually wanted to share with you this almost new technology from Microsoft that I recently discovered.  So, I am doing two things in a same post.

Our company’s travel services will by default book me in the Courtyard by Marriott.  The reason is simple … the Marriott is on the same building complex as our Atlanta office.  It’s is just a 30 step from entrance to entrance.  Nothing beats this hotel convenience wise.

The Courtyard by Marriott is a business hotel and caters a lot to people of our company.  I like them because they have all my records on file and some of them even recognizes me.  So, checking in and out is really fuss free and more often than not, I get a nice room with a better view.  I like their breakfasts which I had blogged about here before.

Here is where I show you the room … but first I think you need to install Photosynth on your machine to view it. You can install it from http://photosynth.net.

What do you think?  I find it kind of neat.  Photosynth is a technology acquired by Microsoft which basically takes a bunch of photos and then process them into a 3d arrangements.  I took a whopping 74 pictures from all angles in the room to create this synth.

Have fun zooming in and out. Particularly zoom down to the table where the phone is. There are many really nice synths out there and you will be able to appreciate it more with some outdoor examples.

I got to the hotel in the nick of time when Ryan and Mick was just about to head off to dinner.  Good thing I managed to bump into them in the lobby of the hotel or else it would be a lonely dinner.  I hate having a dinner in a nice place on my own.

We got a cab and had a 10 minutes ride to who knows where.  I can never get used to the neighborhood names in Atlanta.  What I do have is the address of the place we went to 2830 Windy Hill Rd, Marietta.

We went to a place Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen which came highly recommended by the gals in our Atlanta office.  From the outside it sure looked like a great choice.

From the inside, it too looked very much like a businessy kind of place.  There were mostly people in working attire and I did not see any families in there.  There were a few couples having a romantic dinner (I know because they were holding hands over and under the table).

I had the “Southern Table Wine”.  It is a very southern thing, I understand.  And the only good way to have this is SWEETENED.  I am a creature of habit … on flights, I have Bloody Mary Mix … in Atlanta, I almost always have Iced Tea … SWEETENED.

The people in the Atlanta office recommended we try the Crispy Fried ALLIGATOR!  It came with crispy potato sticks and Creole Dipping Sauce.  Know what it tastes like?  Well, to me, it looks like fried chicken, tastes like fried chicken and if no one told me, I would have thought it was fried chicken.

It was unique, that’s all.  $10.95 for a large serving.

The Mussels Gratin was much much better.  It is described on the menu as “Jumbo PEI Mussels baked on the half shell with Garlic Butter and Fresh Breadcrumbs with Grilled French Bread”.

Jumbo PEI Mussels?  What is that?  PEI as in Prince Edward Island?  Whatever it is I love this.  $9.95 … and I had most of it.

For the mains, I had the tendency to choose the dish with the most’est.  I would choose the dish with everything in it … so it would have to be items with the words “platter” or “combination” or something to that effect in the name.

Since this is a “seafood kitchen”, I ordered the Pappadeaux Platter which incidentally is the most expensive item on their seafood section of the menu ($24.95).

The Pappadeaux Platter is the mother of their seafood items.  It has Fried Shrimp, Fried Oysters, Fried Catfish Fillet, Fried Crawfish, Stuffed Shrimp and Stuffed Crab.

Was it good?  Urgh!  It was too dry … too much fried stuff.  Some of the items were good but as a whole it was too dry for me.  I ended up leaving it half finished … see above.

But dessert was awesome.  They came by the table with samples of their dessert … real samples arranged nicely in a platter.  I like the way they presented it.  Instead of giving us a dessert menu, they brought everything they have to our table to choose.  How could one resist this right?

I told the waiter I want the TALLEST item.  I don’t even know what it is called but I vaguely recall it was some bread pudding of sorts.  I only remembered I enjoyed this one.  Ryan and Mick were talking work the whole night but me, I was only thinking about the food.  It was a good dinner for me especially just having got off the long flight.

I felt very relaxed this time because this is the only time in Atlanta where I had only one single mission … just to attend a 2 hour meeting and I don’t even have to prep for it.

Here I go again.  The bad news is I am embarking on a new Travel series.  The good news is this will be the last travel series for this year.

A couple of months ago, I was requested to attend a 2 hour meeting.  For just a 2 hour meeting, I assumed that this will be done through voice or video conferencing.  But to my surprise, I was requested I attend the meeting in person.  Oh well, I am OK if the boss deems it important that I spend two days traveling just for a 2 hour meeting.

I put in my travel request to Atlanta and was routed through Chicago.  Seeing I had never been to the third largest city in the US before, I made a quick change of itinerary to include a few days stop in Chicago.

So … this is the series on my trip to Atlanta (again) and the Windy City, Chicago.

As usual, the flight to Atlanta means a very early start.  I normally opt for the first flight of the day which is about 6AM.  I like early morning flight because by the time I land in Atlanta, it will just be 5PM’ish and that leaves me a lot of time to settle down and prep for the next day.

This time, I flew with United Airlines.  I vividly remember flying United Airlines the only one time before.  You see, a few days before I started work in my company, I had a phone call asking me not to report to work in the Vancouver office but instead get in the flight to Atlanta on the first day of work.  It was one of the most stressful thing I had ever been put into … I was supposed to meet my project team in Atlanta.  I hardly know the company, the processes, the people, the products, the airline industry … zilch.  And they expect me to say something smart to the team?!?!?

Bad thing about United Airlines … the legroom is non-existent.  Some of you know I am not a tall guy and my knees are touching the back of the front seat (OK, OK, I am short but I have you know that many great people are not tall … like Napolean and Hitler for instance).  To think that someone of an average height finding this a squeeze too.

It is impossible to use the notebook to do work and type on the seats.  So, I ended up flipping the notebook screen all the way up and do reading instead … and watching a movie which I brought along.

Good thing about United Airlines … they provide free headsets.  Some other airlines charges $5 for the crummy plasticky ones which you end up throwing away after the flight.  These are free and so I cannot complain.

My trusted travel companion is the noise-canceling headset I bring it along in all my travels.  I simply love this.  The noise-canceling feature while not the best does its job in drowning out the engine roar.  I am not sure how this works but it works.

I like also the fact that it is very comfortable and fits my head well.  Moreover, it folds neatly into a lump and comes with a felt pouch.  If you travel a lot, you should get one of these things.

Cookies are free but I got the United Airlines Snack box.  They have a variety of to choose from, four I think.  I opted for the one called the SmartPack.  The last time I travelled United I had the MiniMeal which I blogged about here .. almost three years ago.

I must declare that United Airlines Snack Boxes are simply the best I had ever had.  It is laden with goodies packing in the box you will never believe.  And all this for only $5.

The cover of the box doubles up as a receipt … a simple and neat idea.  This helps me claim travel expenses easier … having paper receipts attracts no question from accounting.

For drinks I had … what else … Bloody Mary Mix.  I simply love this drink on my flight.  The beauty with United Airlines is that they drop a couple of wedges of lemon into it too.  What a nice touch.  Other than the size of the seat, I like United Airlines.

I took an awfully long time to finish off the snack box as I documented every item in the box.  There were about seven different items in the box alone.  I used to be self-conscious taking pictures of the food but not anymore.  Some people might think I am a country bumpkin taking the first flight in his life but … he he he … I don’t care!  Generally, people do not care what I do and pretend not to notice.

I had a 1 hour stop in Chicago.  I could see the Chicago downtown very clearly from the plane.  The Sears Tower and the Hancock Tower was clearly imposing with its black exterior and sheer height.  In just a couple of days, I will be heading that way.

The leg from Chicago to Atlanta was shorter and they only serve snacks for flights lesser than three hours.  I had coffee and it was pretty good.

Ginger Ale is another of my favourite inflight drink.  I love the refreshing smooth color of the Ginger Ale … certainly looks more refreshing than Coke.

I landed at the Atlanta airport at about five in the evening.  This is just in time for me to get to the hotel and have a nice dinner somewhere nearby (the hotel is 30-40 minutes from the airport).  I had been in the airport many times and I know this airport as well as I know YVR!  Ask me about any food outlet here, I could probably tell you which terminal it is on … almost.

OK, this post is too long.  So, if you want to see what is in the SmartPack snack box from United Airlines, click on “read more” below.

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For the good three quarter of this year, my work life had been consumed with what is called Project “ONE”.  It was an important cornerstone for a series of ambitious projects that will put in place the world’s largest system that will manage and distribute “fares”. You probably have no idea how archaic existing aviation systems are — many of which are still done on mainframes with green-screen monitors.  This is because aviation systems are one of the early adopters of computers and it had been that way for generations.  So the so-called Project “ONE” goal is to move systems out of mainframes to an open system — sounds easy but it’s not.

The eight months of hard work were filled with daily voice, web and video conferences because the various teams are located in many parts of the world with the project managed centrally in Vancouver.  There were quite a bit travel when face-time is required especially when it comes to plannings.  Anyway, this blog entry is dedicated to the “boys and girls” who had so successfully rolled out a swanky new system which is getting rave reviews from airlines all over the world.

To the team members of Project “ONE” — this blog entry is for you.

We had a little celebration for the successful execution of the project by having a lunch at Vassilis.  Timing was bad such that we had been given directive that cost cutting is to strictly enforced because of the expected downturn in the aviation industry viz the meltdown of the financial sector in the US.  Going to an Asian place is out of the questions because the white blokes would end up eating nothing.  So, we eventually settled for Greek.  It narrowed down to either Minoas or Vasssilis.

We eventually decided on the Vassilis Souvloaki Greek Taverna.  Vassilis is located on 6558 Kingsway in Burnaby.  That is at the almost eastern end of Kingsway.  Parking is plentiful in front of the building and you will not miss it along Kingsway.

Question for you all … does anyone of you know why the Greeks like blue and white so much?  I mean, I know the colors on their flag is blue and white but why blue?  Just about EVERY Greek restaurant I know paints their restaurant blue and white.

Inside, it is really spacious with many sections and rooms.  This is because this restaurant used to be a mansion of sorts eons before Kingsway became commercialized.  All over the place … there are these little plants hanging all over the place.  Geez … I was thinking how much time they had to spend watering them.  Despite this, the interior were very bright because they installed sky lights (?) that allows natural sunlight into the dining rooms.

We went on a Friday afternoon.  I expected lots of people but no, it was just half full the whole time we were there.

Most of us took a lot of time figuring out what to order.  Other than Souvlaki, many of us knows next to nothing about Greek cuisine.  You know, hardly anyone ordered drinks at all.

Surprisingly, they have a really tiny 2-page menu only.  It makes the selection easier. I was not very sure but the menus we were given were perhaps just their lunch menu.

Most people will just order the most expensive item because the project is paying!  I had planned for $40-$50 per person but according to the menu, $30 will cover it quite nicely.

We got a couple of their Hot Appetizer Platter.  It has spanakopita, kalamari, artichokes, “fektethes” and tzatziki.  This one is $29 each which I thought was quite expensive and the most expensive item on the menu.  It was great but I would think that this should not have costs that much.

The above is tzatziki, I think.  I said “I think” because this one looked prettier than the blob I normally had with Souvlaki in the food court.  How does one normally eat this?  I use it like a spread on items like bread, the spanakopita and such.  I sometimes apply it on top of the rice too.

The bread was just so-so but it was served warm.  At first glance, the bread looked dry, don’t you think?

I ordered the Paidakia which is described as “charbroiled loin of lamb chops marinated with fresh herbs and spices, served with Greek salad, rice pilaf and potatoes”.  It was quite good.  I wished the lamb chops have more meat because about 1/3 of them are bones.  Although I am not much of a salad person, I must say I really enjoyed the Greek salad on the side.  $16 for the dish above.

I did not go around taking pictures of the team members’ plates because it was quite impossible to move around.

I think the one above is called Saganaki, pan fried cheese ($9).  I wanted to share with you the rusted through plate they served this in and that for some strange reason we all accepted that it was kind of great it was served on this.

Frank, Paul and June teamed up to make a side dish called Carrot, Orange and Poppy Seed Bake in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors.  This recipe requires lots of cutting.  While Joan and Joyce teamed up to make the Cranberry Fruit Compote, Joyce decided to help this team to do some cutting as her recipe is fairly simple and Joan can watch over it by herself.

The poppy seeds add texture and flavour to this recipe and counteract the slightly sweet flavour of the carrots.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice
• a handful of raisins, optional
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• salt and pepper to taste
• orange rind to garnish

Variation:

• You may substitute cumin with 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice and 2 teaspoons chopped thyme.
• You may substitute orange juice with lemon or lime juice and garnish with the respective fruit rind.

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Soak the leek in a big bowl of cold water to wash away sands if there is. Peel and cut the carrots into thin strips. Mix together the orange juice, honey, garlic and cumin in a bowl or measuring cup. Cook the carrots and leek in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish until required.

Top with raisins if desired. Pour the orange juice mixture over the vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the ovenproof dish with foil and cook in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the foil and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Garnish with orange rind or thyme sprigs (if using thyme) and serve.

For the main course, Minoo and Mona made Fettuccine with Roasted Pepper and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors.  This is kind of a vegetarian pasta dish.

Although the sauce for this Fettuccine has no meat in it, it is still very flavourful and satisfying.

Ingredients

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (dry or oil pack)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 lb fettuccine pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cip half & half
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Core, remove seeds and cut  the bell peppers into quarters. Place the pepper pieces and onions onto separate cookie sheets.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Put the cookie sheet in the oven about 4″ from top of broiler flame.

Broil until the skins of the peppers are charred black.

Remove from the oven, place the peppers in a brown paper bag.  Close the bag up tightly and let it sit to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag and slip charred skins off. If you are using dry pack sun-dried tomatoes, place the sun-dried tomatoes into a bowl.  Add boiling water and let soak for 20 minutes.  Drain water from sun-dried tomatoes.

Place peppers and onions into a food processor or blender.  Add sun-dried tomatoes and process until smooth. In a large pan, melt butter on low heat.

Add the peppers and sun-dried tomatoes mixture and stir fry for a bit on low heat.

Gradually add the half and half. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well and cook on low heat for 3 minutes. Cook the fettuccine as per instruction on the package. Drain the pasta and place into a large pasta bowl.

Add the sauce. mix and serve.

The South Arm Community Kitchen was in the local newspaper a week and a half ago.  The article was published on 30th Oct.  The article covered both the South Arm Community Kitchen and the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors.

In this week’s Cooking Club for seniors meet, Hugh shared with us a Lentil Soup recipe.  He made this Lentil Soup for his son at home.  The Lentil Soup is rich with vitamins and fiber from the vegetables and the lentil is a rich source of protein and fiber too.  Karen and Santosh helped Hugh with all the peeling and chopping for this recipe.

Regional seasonings can change the character of this Lentil Soup.  The variations are:

1. Arabic Lentil Soup: add 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger with other seasonings.
2. North African Lentil Soup: add 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or powder with the onion and 1 (8oz) can whole tomatoes, crushed with the broth.
3. Persian Lentil Soup: add 2 tablespoons orange juice or 2 teaspoons grated orange peel or lemon peel just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 can lentils, rinse several times, drain and set aside
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1 small turnip or parsnip, if desired, peeled and diced
• 8 cups beef broth (2 qts) or vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 parsley sprigs, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add onions and garlic.  Saute until the onions are tender. Add carrots, celery, turnip or parsnip.  Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. Add broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover.

Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until broth is slightly thickened. Add chopped parsley. Add the drained canned lentils and bring back to boil.

Add lemon juice or vinegar just before serving.

Hugh, thank you for sharing this recipe.

He he he … I just found out that we had posted our 1000th blog posts yesterday.  This calls for a little celebration of our little milestone.  I thought this milestone warrants a little post entry of it’s own.

Ade made a wonderful dessert with Japanese squash and tapioca pearls.  Japanese Squash is also known as Japanese Pumpkin or Kabocha.

Japanese Squash is rich in beta carotene (as in all red-orange colour fruit), iron, vitamin C and potassium. It also has small traces of calcium, folic acid and minute amounts of vitamin Bs.

The Japanese Squash and Tapioca Dessert is very similar with ‘Sei Mei Lo’ (in Cantonese) which is made with honey dew instead.   Everyone in the community kitchen loves this dessert.  It is a sure keeper.

Ingredients

• 1 Japanese Squash, about 2lbs
• 1 liter water (4 cups)
• 3/4 cup tapioca pearls
• 3/4 cup crystallized cane sugar

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.

Add the tapioca pearls and keep stirring to prevent the tapioca from sticking together until the tapioca pearls become transparent. Drain the tapioca pearls into a sieve. Rinse the tapioca pearls under cold running to stop the cooking and to prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking together. In another big pot, bring 1 litre of water to a boil.

Peel the Japanese squash, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes.

Add the Japanese squash into the boiling water.

Cook for about 30 minutes or until the squash softens. Mash the Japanese squash with a masher.

Add the sugar and simmer until the sugar dissolved.

Add the tapioca pearls and stir to blend well.  The dessert soup will thicken.

Bring the dessert back to a boil and it’s ready to serve.

Ade, thank you for sharing this recipe.

We had another great cooking session in the South Arm Community Kitchen. Membership has risen this year from just a few people to more than ten people now. Minoo made a Turkey Chilli and a Cranberry Fruit Compote while Ade made a Japanese Squash and Tapioca Dessert. I had blogged about the Turkey Chili here before.

The lunch was great.  It would be great if we have some crusty bread or spaghetti to go with the Turkey Chilli.  What I enjoy most is to have two desserts in a meal.

The Cranberry Fruit Compote is great dish for Thanksgiving, to go with the turkey.  It can be served as a dessert alone or to be topped with vanilla ice-cream.  It is also great as breakfast or brunch when served on yogurt.

Fruit compote is also good for people who cannot eat fresh fruit for some health reason.  You can make fruit compote with fresh fruit too like pear, apple, etc when they are in abundance.  It is much easier to consume a cup of cook down fruit compote than eating 3 fresh fruits.  When you make fruit compote with fresh fruit, you will need much less juice to start with since the fresh fruit will have a lot of juice in them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried mission figs
• 1 cup dried Turkish apricots, pitted
• 1 cup dried prunes, pitted
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 cups apple juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 12 oz fresh cranberries

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Measure the dried fruits and place into a bowl. Measure the juices and place into a medium pot. Add the dried fruit and cinnamon stick into the pot  with the juices.

Cover and bring it to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cranberries.

Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Remove the cinnamon stick.

Chill except if serving as a dessert with ice-cream.  It is best to serve the compote lightly warm over the ice-cream.

Minoo, thank you for sharing the recipe.

We met up with Angie and her kids for lunch over a weekend … oh … more than a month ago.  You can see how behind I am in my dining out blog posts.

Angie is to us a really good cook.  You should check out her food blog which mainly focuses on recipes with a bit of dining outs.  Her site is called Sea Salt With Food.

We decided to meet in a Malaysian restaurant.  We hem’d and haw’d between Chili Padi and Prima Taste and finally forced to decide on Prima Taste because Chili Padi was closed for the Muslim holiday.  Prima Taste is located in downtown Vancouver (specifically 570 Robson Street).  Locating this place is easy but, whew, parking is expensive in downtown isn’t it?  We managed to get a spot on the street parking which is much cheaper.

Prima Taste is very much more a Singaporean restaurant than a Malaysian one.  For all intents and purposes, Singaporean and Malaysian cuisines are not only similar, they are one and the same.  Did you know that Singapore was a state in Malaysia in the 1960’s?  Anyway, Prima Taste refects every bit of Singapore … from huge posters of the Singapore city to the modern and clean decor and lines.  It is definitely a very comfortable restaurant for sure and certainly one of the best looking Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant in Metro Vancouver by far.

Prima Taste’s origin started off as manufacturer of Ready-to-cook mixes and is based in Singapore.  The Prima Taste brand is popular around the world when it comes to these mixes.  Suanne tried using their Singapore Chilli Crab mixes before and had blogged about it here.  We like Prima Taste’s mixes.

But before I continue, can I ask permission from you readers that I be honest here?  I get lambasted sometimes for expressing my personal opinions especially in areas which is deemed as negative.  It is just my opinion and yours may differ … and I accept that.  So here goes …

We ordered mainly from their single servings section of the menu — you know, noodles and rice dishes.  All their dishes looked OK to good.  On the taste department, I know I am measuring this to authentic Malaysian and Singapore food, I am sorry to say that they are pretty bland to just OK.

I think they might have tried too hard to tone down the flavor to cater for the downtown crowd.  If so, I understand why.

The Laksa Fried Rice above looked yummy.

The Char Koay Teow is simply too wet.  It was so wet that it was almost like a KL Hokkien Mee already.  Maybe Singaporeans makes Char Koay Teow like this but Malaysian ones are certainly not like this.  What is really missing is the fried pork lard bits and cockles … LOL!  Tough luck finding these here in Vancouver.  I am sorry to say it is just disappointing to me.

The above is the Seafood Mee Goreng (mee goreng means fried noodles in Malay).  It looked pretty amd colorful especially with the reddish tomato and green peas.  But … tomatoes and green peas in a Malaysian dish?  If they had called this something else, like Seafood fried noodles with peas and tomatoes, it would have been OK.  My puny brain just does not connect “Seafood Mee Goreng” with peas and tomatoes.

The Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle (which we assumed is Hokkien Mee) was ordered by Suanne.  When it came all of us looked at each other and collectively said … “What?  Is this Hokkien Mee?”  Where we came from Hokkien Mee is supposed to be black or brown but never white.  LOL!  And the noodles too, they where the thin types and all cut up.

I think they cut it up because it makes it easier for the people to eat this with a spoon.  Sorry (again) to say this but I think cutting up noodles is a bad idea … just like cutting up a burger to spoon sizes to make it easier to eat with a spoon is a bad idea.

Angie and us debated this whole issue about the WHITE Fried Hokkien Mee for days.  LOL!  We just can’t understand this.  We finally settled on “maybe Singaporean’s Fried Hokkien Mee are white”.  Any Singaporeans out there who can give us guidance?

I say that the Prawn Noodle Soup looked bland because I expected it to be like a Penang Prawn Noodle Soup which is reddish and spicy.  Technically, this is correctly termed as prawn noodle soup because it has prawns.

The Laksa Prawns looked creamy enough with a good amount of coconut milk.  Again, this was not a dish I tried and does not know how it was.  It sure looked respectable … raw cockles would have made it better, right?

The (Fried) Chicken Rice looked very good and tasted real good too.  They could do with giving a few more pieces of chicken meat though.

The Fried Chicken Rice came with Yow Fan (translated as Oily Rice?).  Again, this one is good and full of flavour … and good enough even eaten on its own.

Angie’s kids ordered Cendol as dessert.  We miss cendol here.

So … we all were quite disappointed with the meal.  It is because we might have unfairly measured this meal with the type of Malaysian food we are accustomed to.  They are not bad food, far from it but we are just commenting from the standpoint of authenticity.  We also fully understand that because of the location of Prima Taste right smack in the middle of downtown, perhaps they thought it wise to cater more to the tastes of their main customer.

Despite the comments above by me, I must say that we had a great time meeting up for lunch.  Prima Taste is a good place and has the right kind of setting for chatting (they don’t rush you off even when you had finished your meal).

The bill came up to $95 in all.  We find it on the high side and again understandable because Prima Taste is in downtown.

One thing for sure, we love Prima Taste mixes … as for the restaurant … well … YOU should go and try and let me know your thoughts.

We met up with Kim Ho for dinner last month.  Kim Ho had been a prolific commenter on chowtimes and he also had a blog which he calls it Words of Wind.  He recommended a Japanese restaurant Tenhachi which apparently is one of those places that had been blogged about many times by local Vancouver food bloggers.

Tenhachi is located in the ground floor of a bed-and-breakfast place unlike the B&B that most people are accustomed to.  Firstly, despite the name Shaugnessy Village it is not anywhere like the tony Shaugnessy neighborhood.  Shaugnessy Village is more like a cheap hotel more than it is a B&B.

Tenhachi comes across to us as a pure Japanese restaurant.  Decor-wise, there is no hint of this being a Japanese restaurant but we were greeted in Japanese.  We tried to tell them we don’t understand Japanese (in English of course) but they kept on talking to us in Japanese.  Hmmm … if anything, Suanne and I do not look like a Japanese at all.  But service was great and have all the hallmark of Japanese politeness.

I had absolutely no idea what I was ordering.  So I ended up ordering something that sounded good.  The above is Beef with Ponzu Sauce which costs $14.

I did not know what Ponzu Sauce (it’s soya sauce with lemon) was but now I know.  That is because Kim Ho is like a walking encyclopedia!  Ask him any obscure question, he is able answer!

The beef was thinly sliced and served cold … just like a beef salad of sort.

It also came with Pine Mushroom.  It was quite good.  I am not familiar with these mushroom … is this Japanese?

My Beef with Ponzu Sauce came also with “organic” miso soup.  It was certainly one of the best tasting miso soup we ever tried and it has “stuff” in it.

Oh yeah … Suanne pointed out to me that Japanese do NOT have soup spoons unlike the Chinese.  You are supposed to slurp LOUDLY direct from the bowl!!  He he he … to the Chinese that is rude and frown upon as uncultured.  **shrugs** … to each their own!

Suanne was less adventurous and opted for their Spicy Chicken Teriyaki from their Dinner Plate section.  This one costs $10.  There is nothing spectacular about this dish and despite the name, it is not spicy at all.

The rice is served with a sprinkle of something like black sesame seed.  What is this supposed to do?  Is it just for garnishing or is it supposed to impart flavor and texture to the rice?  We could not tell the difference frankly.

Arkensen ordered the Assorted Nigiri Sushi.  Ohh … expensive … $16.  But it sure looked good but I think it’s a bit too expensive.  Is there anyone particular item here that makes this expensive?  They all looked pretty common to me.

Nanzaro had the California Roll and Fish & Chips and Sunomono.  This is definitely NOT Japanese except perhaps the “Sunomono” which I have absolutely no idea what that is.  This one is $11 and is more western than Japanese.

Since it is more western and Nanzaro had ketchup with his sushi … yew!

We also ordered Mushroom Tempura (or at least I think that is what it is).

Hey, what exactly is this thingy up there?  What does it go with?  They gave us so little of this … it’s like no bigger than your fingernail.

We were too full but Kim Ho got some desserts — definitely not Japanese  :-)

The bill came up to $90 including tips.  If you ask me it was expensive because it was just only for three adults and two kids.

I am so sorry to say this but both Suanne and I had diarrhea after the dinner.  I had to get to the washroom in the middle of the meal but Suanne had it worse … she spent the whole night in the washroom at home!  We think it must be either the cold beef or the miso soup because it is what both of us had and not the boys who were fine.  So, I guess we had just bad luck here.

Despite the good reviews we find in the net, I am afraid it is not a place we would go back to again.  But we want Kim Ho to know that it was a great pleasure to have met you.  We’re looking forward to meeting up again in the FoodBuzz dinner on the 20th this month!

You know, our boys used to think the world of their dad.  To them there is nothing that Dad does not know.  They trusted Dad’s judgment in everything.

However, of late, they are beginning to feel confident of their own opinions and that means that there are a lot of disagreement that they