A few months ago, I went to Burdock & Co for the first time and had an amazing meal. But...I FORGOT my Phone! So needless to say, a repeat was necessary...can you imagine a food blog post without pictures, and just rather decent writing? No, neither can I! And they added new items so that made it even better! Since it's Spot Prawn season, it's a no-brainer that I would be getting some. And of course, the heads are essential to the whole experience. Just flash fry them and you can eat them just like chips! I've never tried Knotweed before but here it is, Roasted Knotweed with White Prosciutto and a Duck Hollandaise. It had a texture like hollow asparagus, but chewier. (In fact, one of the botanical names is Fallopia japonica named for Gabriello Fallopia, an Italian anatomist who “discovered” fallopian tubes. Creepy, I know. *Source: Eat the Weeds) The hollandaise was on the lemony side and gave it a refreshing flavour. And who can say no to Prosciutto? The next dish was amazing, a Miso Caramel & Garlic Mirin Glazed Duck Leg. This was amazing. It had a slightly crispy skin, and the glaze was deep and complex. But the meat inside stole the show, it was falling off the bone and so juicy and tender. The three of us polished this off, so so good. I'd definitely have this again, and again, and again.
For just a touch of carbs, we tried the Fettucini with Sea Urchin Butter Sauce with some shiso green plum topped with a cured yolk. The sauce was creamy, and when you pop the yolk, it just gets even better, so rich. The portion again was perfect for three people sharing. The pasta was cooked to an al dente and holds the sauce nicely for a perfect bite. Our final savoury dish was their Striploin. It's not on their menu currently, but if it's available as a special the night that you go, please do yourself a favour and order it. The meat is so well-marbled and the each slice is juicy. It's not exactly "melt in your mouth, but it has a good chew to it. You know you're eating meat.
So with the main dishes done, it was time to ponder dessert. Since there were three of us, and there were three desserts, the choice was easy. One of each! This was the Kumquat and Messor's Olive Oil Cake with Coconut Cream. I don't think I've ever actually tried an olive oil cake, the thought just didn't appeal to me. They always looked dry and crumbly, not like a moist cake made with butter. But this one was different. The texture was so moist (ugh, hate that word), and the kumquat flavour was subtle enough to let the Messor's come through. The nuts and coconut gave the dish some needed texture. And for you chocolate lovers out there, I'd recommend the Chocolate Pot de Creme, with caramelized cocoa nib and a gingerbread cookie. It was velvety smooth and bursting with chocolate flavour. The cocoa nibs have a nice crunch and the gingerbread cookie was a perfect addition to the dish. And talk about saving the best for last, this is their Meyer Lemon Curd Shortbread Meringue, with a silky smooth Milk Gelato. Think of it as a deconstructed lemon meringue pie, one of my all-time favourite desserts. The curd was tart, the meringue was sweet and the milk gelato was chilled. Everything came together wonderfully. If you put the lemon curd on my arm, I'd chew my arm off... All in all, this was a great meal. Their sommelier has developed a well-balanced list and anything from the digestif list is a great way to end your meal. Oh, and they are also open for brunch on the weekends. And I think I'm going to give it a try soon!
Now I realize I'm a little late to the Zest fanclub, but I have to consider myself a card-carrying member now! We checked this neighbourhood favourite last month, during spon prawn season. This picture needs no introduction as these Spot Prawns are well known to all of Vancouver during the month of May. Super sweet and with a firm texture, these prawns are a favourite of mine. Just a bit of wasabi to bring out the sweetness is all you need. Another treat of the spot prawn is the Deep Fried Spot Prawn Heads. They are crispy little nuggets of golden prawn heads. They are crunchy and pretty tasty. You can eat almost the entire thing, almost like old school prawn chips. We also tried the Sashimi Salad, which is a load of greens and seaweed, accompanied by salmon, tuna, surf clam in a light ginger soy dressing. This was a great blend of textures and flavours, with the salmon being the standout for me. We also decided to get a "hot" dish, and settled on Wild Sable Fish. The fish is perfectly cooked and flakey, while the seared skin has a hint of smokiness and a touch of crisp. The kale and beets are all there to highlight the sweetness of the fish. It was my second favourite of the night and I highly recommend this. Perhaps the most disappointing dish of the night was the Zest Roll. The contents are albacore, sockeye, salmon skin (a la BC roll), along with some cucumber & one of my favourites, tobiko! What ruined the roll for me was the soft (almost chewy) seaweed, and the lack of flavour overall. The salmon skin was soft too, and just added to the general sogginess of the whole thing. The fish was fresh enough, just the execution of the roll was a bit lacking. They are also affiliated with Shu Raku in downtown Vancouver, which I have yet to try as well!
Take Note:
It's situated in a strip mall along with a Starbucks but the prices defy this humble settling.
Courses are served one at a time, so you can enjoy each dish as it comes.
Get a seat at the sushi bar and chat with the chefs!
Last night, I had one of the most memorable Spot Prawn dinner of the season. Chef Thomas Heinrich of Mosaic at the Hyatt created a 5-course Chef's Tasting Menu that is nothing short of spectacular. For $45, you get spot prawns in a variety of presentations. We got two extra courses, so this was truly a decadent meal. Once seated, we were served warm Savoury Biscuits with a small pat of butter, but to be honest, these are so pillowy that you really don't need to add anything to them. Slightly garlicky and laced with smoked sea salts, these are a great way to start our meal. **Note** This is not part of the 5-course tasting.** We started off with the Beef Carpaccio. Thinly sliced rounds of Spring Creek Beef from Alberta, with garlic scapes, some horseradish cream and fried capers. Competing with beef for MVP is the 64 degree egg. It is slow cooked via immersion for hours and gives the yolk a creamy warm centre. Break the egg and voila, you've got your sauce! The first course of the tasting is a Spot Prawn Terrine. There are about 12 prawns in this terrine, and the slice isn't skimpy either. You really appreciate the flavours of the prawn, and you get a bit more of the sea from the balls of ikura on top. There are also few fiddled head ferns (hidden beneath the terrine), and the two sauces you see are a fermented black garlic emulsion, as well as a tart and tangy meyer lemon gel. A refreshing way to start the spot prawn love! Our next course was the Spot Prawn and Arugula Salad. The bitterness of the arugula really heightens the sweetness of the spot prawns. The citrus gel on the side serves as the dressing, making it as light or as saucey as you prefer. There are also some slightly spiced and seasoned almonds for additional crunch. Buried within the tower of arugula were three perfectly cooked spot prawns. **Note** This is not part of the 5-course tasting.** Our next dish of Skuna Bay Smoked Salmon arrived with a bit of pomp and circumstance, complete with a glass cloche. Once they remove the cloche, the smoke trapped within is released and the aromas hit you before you even taste a single bite. The maple bourbon gelee is tangy, and almost overwhelms the salmon, but when paired with an Avocado Terrine, the balance of flavours is impeccable. I also loved the edible flowers. Whoa! We've hit the halfway point now...this is the Spot Prawn Carbonara. This was the richest dish of the night. Handmade linguini in a carbonara sauce with loads of spot prawns and Geldermen Farms Pork Belly, topped with a 64 degree egg. Again, when split, the yolk makes the dish even richer and creamier, and the colours were very vibrant. The noodles were thick and al dente, giving the dish a nice hearty feel. The fresh peas actually pop in your mouth and when combined with the spot prawns and pork belly, everything contributes to make this a perfect dish. And because this is a tasting menu, you don't get a huge plate of delicious pasta, but just enough to make you appreciate it. For our final course of the night, this is the Spot Prawns & Spring Creek Beef. The beef is cooked to a perfect medium rare, and plated alongside three spot prawn. There are fava beans strewn throughout the plate but a great garnish is the Pomme Maxim, a much more elegant scalloped potato. The thin slices of potato are dredged in potato starch and then arranged into a circle, before being pan fried. This was as pretty as it was tasty. For my mom, Chef Heinrich was nice enough to make her a Spot Prawns & Lamb entree, as she is not a fan of beef. Again, there are three spot prawns paired with three large medallions of lamb, cooked perfectly medium. The lamb was moist and super tender, and my mom loved that the lamb was lean and boneless. For dessert, my mom was thrilled with the Cardamom Ice Cream with on a Tangerine Consomme. The dried tangerine crisp was pretty cute too. The cardamom flavour in the ice cream was fairly mild, so if you're not a fan of the spice, don't let that deter you. My mom isn't a fan either but ended up polishing up my leftovers, probably because the tangerine really balances out the dessert. The 5-course tasting menu is only available until May 29 (due to the short Spot Prawn season), but don't fear, Chef Heinrich is already working on his next tasting menu after that. The food is amazing, but what sets this tasting apart is the artfully executed plating of each dish. And no, it's not too pretty to eat because although your eyes may appreciate the presentation, you have to treat your mouth to the exquisite flavours! To see other Spot Prawn dinners, click here.
Thank goodness for Spot Prawn season! Here is a recap of a few of the places I've visited in the past few weeks. There have been four visits so far, but the season is not over yet! The first of the season! Getting some Grilled Spot Prawns at Black and Blue. These are simply grilled Spot Prawns, Head On. The juiciness is incredible, and the quick grilling make the shells very easy to remove. The heads are juicy too, so give it a quick suck to get all the goodness out.
This is the lunch special at Hawksworth. I was dining with a friend from out of town, from a place where spot prawns are either impossible to source or ridiculously expensive. Once the server informed us that they had this special available, it was a no brainer. We were both going to have this.
The Spot Prawn with Polenta. There are about 7 prawns (headless, oh what a shame) as well as some grilled broccoli, guanaciale, and some slow roasted heirloom tomatoes. I have never been a huge fan of polenta, but the sweetness of the corn and lobster gave the creamy polenta an amazing flavour. Combined with the bouncy prawns, this dish was stellar.
For the next Spot Prawn tasting, I headed to Coast (also of the Glowbal Group). Not only did they have Spot Prawns, the also had Razor Clam. These are almost like miniature conch. Steamed with shallots, garlic, fennel and some onions, this was simple and really showcased the clam. The flesh is juicy, meaty and really quite satisfying. It was my first taste of a razor clam, and I think I will start seeking it out more.
But the star of the show was again the Grilled Spot Prawns, Head On. These were quite similar to the ones at Black and Blue, but were accompanied by a light tomato based sauced. The sauce, along with the cherry tomatoes gave the dish a bit of additional warmth and complexity that I appreciated.
My fourth Spot Prawns of the season, we again headed up to Black and Blue, The Roof. We got a dozen, again Grilled Spot Prawn, Head On. This was less grilled and more trimmed than my first taste, but delicious nonetheless. The salad that accompanied it was pleasant, with a light dressing that neither added nor took away from the dish. It seemed perfunctory, and I think something more innovative would have been better. Perhaps a light ceviche of some sort, maybe a bit of grilled bread with some creamy spread?
I am also going to try Chef Heinrich's (of Mosaic at Hyatt Vancouver) Chef's Tasting Menu, focused on Spot Prawns this weekend. That 5-course dinner will definitely need its own post! Here it is!
Most of my posts are about restaurants, here is one where there is a homemade version of Steamed Spot Prawns. These were bought at T&T, and works out to 40 for $46. If you don't mind doing the work yourself (or convincing someone to do it for you - thank you @bennettchin) this is the best deal ever!
The process is simple, boil water with a steamer basket. Throw the prawns in, and steam for four minutes. What come out is pure heaven. 20 Spot Prawns cooked to perfection. Choose your dipping sauce, be is a simply Soy Sauce with some chillies, or a bit of Red Vinegar, or a much more elaborate version of Soy, Sesame, Satay and Chillies with thinly diced Green Onion. Whatever you choose, these prawns will stand up to it.
Despite what you might think, man (and woman) cannot live on Spot Prawns alone. So what is a good accompaniment? How about some Roasted Pork and BBQ Duck. Um, YES! The salty meats are a great foil to the sweetness of the spot prawns. As I said earlier, there were 40 of these, so we steamed up the rest and here is enough for another full serving. I probably won't reheat this, because I don't want to overcook them. I might take the heads off and oven-bake them but for the bodies, I will likely eat at room temperature. This is when that elaborate sauce would be called for. If you like spot prawns like I do, head to T&T before these babies are gone!
Since it's Spot Prawn season, it's a no-brainer that I would be getting some. And of course, the heads are essential to the whole experience. Just flash fry them and you can eat them just like chips! 
I've never tried Knotweed before but here it is, Roasted Knotweed with White Prosciutto and a Duck Hollandaise. It had a texture like hollow asparagus, but chewier. (In fact, one of the botanical names is Fallopia japonica named for Gabriello Fallopia, an Italian anatomist who “discovered” fallopian tubes. Creepy, I know. *Source: Eat the Weeds) The hollandaise was on the lemony side and gave it a refreshing flavour. And who can say no to Prosciutto?
Our final savoury dish was their Striploin. It's not on their menu currently, but if it's available as a special the night that you go, please do yourself a favour and order it. The meat is so well-marbled and the each slice is juicy. It's not exactly "melt in your mouth, but it has a good chew to it. You know you're eating meat.
