Lunch at Copa Cafe

On weekends, I love going to HK-style cafes because there just aren't any in downtown Vancouver, where I slave away at my day job, Monday to Friday.

A few weekends ago, I went to Copa Cafe on Cambie (near King Ed) and had one of my go-to dishes...BBQ Duck Rice Noodle Soup. I am one of those people who actually enjoy chewing on bones versus just eating chunks of meal. It seems to make the meal last longer. So I was delighted when my noodles arrived and I had gotten the BBQ Duck thigh...a great blend of meat and bone...and skin, the best part!

As per my usual order of business, I removed all the BBQ Ducky-Goodness onto a side plate so that I could enjoy the noodles underneath, without getting the crispy skin all soggy. Imagine my surprise when I found an "internal organ" as part of the dish. In all my years of devouring BBQ Duck (and BBQ Goose while in HK), I have never actually be served this. I have eaten the more common chicken version of the same thing...but never the duck at a cafe. I think I will be back just to see if this is de rigeur for them.  

My friend ordered one of their Thai-styled Fried Rices (I think it was the Roast Chicken one) and it was a huge portion. And really, you can't go wrong with anything that is topped with a fried egg. The only decision is exactly when you pop the yolk. I prefer to wait until half the dish is done, so that the yolky goodness is enough to make the remaining rice all wet and saucey.
Mark this BBQ Duck craving - satisfied!

Lunching at Italian Kitchen, on the Pati-OH

A few weeks ago, one of my fellow foodies came to downtown for a patio lunch. Having been to Coast recently for my mom's birthday, we decided to try another of the Glowbal Groups restaurants, Italian Kitchen. We made resos so we knew we would have a table, but we totally lucked out with a table on the patio. Awesome! 

We both love mushrooms, so the Tartufo Funghi Pizza with portobello mushrooms and truffle cheese was a sure bet. Large slices of portobello baked right into the cheese, and topped with a small pile of arugula. What more do you need? One order is more than enough for a meal, or as an appetizer for two very hungry people, or three people who actually ate breakfast.  At $17 a pop, it's their most expensive pizza, but much more inspired than the usual pepperoni you'd find elsewhere.

The entree we decided to share (yes, we filled up on the pizza bigtime) was a panini. Known for their Kobe meatballs, Italian Kitchen found the perfect way to serve them up for lunch, for those of us who don't relish devouring a whole plate of pasta for lunch. They put their meatballs into a panini! And they didn't just shove a few Kobe meatballs into some slices of bread...oh no.  Accompanying the panini was a small green salad, but the presentation of the dish on a rustic wooden board made the dish much more fun. 

The meatballs were stuffed into the mushroom, along with roasted portabellini, provolone and a crispy onion ring. Nice and spicy, but we still asked for a few chili flakes on the side. The onion ring was perfect...much better than the raw slab of onion you get at some other places. They have a Lobster and Crab Monte Cristo that I might have to try next time, but we'll need more than two people to eat something that rich! The Spicy Kobe Meatball Panini is a great deal at $13.
For the two of us, a pizza and a sandwich were all we needed...some carbs, some veggies and some Kobe beef...a very satisfying lunch, even if I did have to go back to work afterwards. 

Fish balls...spicy ones!

One of the rites of passage for living in Vancouver in the summer is the Richmond Night Market, well known for it's delectable hawker-style foods. My first stop is always to the Curry Fish Ball stand...and I don't just get the Curry ones, I get the ones that are just Extra Spicy. There is probably some curry flavour in there, but it's so burning hot that I can barely taste it! It's something I have to do first, so that it warns my taste buds to be ready for some kick-ass action later. We had some skewers too, but I forgot to take photos. But it's meat on a stick so pretty much what you would expect.

The one new thing I tried tonight was the Sumo Bites Rice Burgers. If the burger is supposed to be the patty, then they have this name completely wrong. The rice is actually used to form two patties (but they stand in for the burger bun, not the burger patty. Then it is filled with beef or chicken teriyaki and some lettuce. The whole process takes only two seconds to assemble, but I guess making the rice/burger bun is the time consuming part. The burger itself was filling, but it was like having a small bowl of rice with a bite of chicken teriyaki. The meat-to-carb ratio was way off. Don't think I'll try it again.

Next time I go, I'm going to get those potato curls everyone was walking around with...one almost poked my eye out...

Cin Cin

Several months ago, I had dinner at the well-known Cin Cin (used to be known to have constant A-listers in attendance, before the boom of Yaletown). It's been years since I've been there, but a friend suggested it, and it was high time to revisit. 

I knew I was having pasta as my main, so I chose a meat dish for my appetizer. Their carpaccio is made with Black Angus beef and the meatiness does come through. They were a little too liberal with the mustard aioli, but the fresh greens and parm made up for it. You could see just how well marbled the meat was too!

The other appetizer we ordered was the caprese salad, most of the variations I have tried usually consist of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella. It was a delight to see heirloom tomatoes being used and the buffalo mozzarella unsliced. Very rustic in presentation and flavour. I really enjoyed this. 

Whenever I see Buccatini on a menu, I am immediately drawn to it. Sorry for the messiness of this dish, but we stirred up the pasta before realizing I hadn't taken the photo. Simply done in an olive and spicy tomato sauce, the crispy pancetta really stood out. And as I said before, I love buccatini...how do they get those holes in there!?

My other favourite pasta is the garganelli, (Yew at Four Seasons does an amazing variation too). Done with braised veal cheeks, the sauce was richly flavoured with loads of mushrooms, both porcini and trumpet ones.
Simple hearty fare if you are in the mood for pasta...The two pasta dishes we ordered were both "main" sizes...but we managed to finish them easily. Their appetizer portion might be worth a shot next time, if I was in the mood to have three dishes instead. 

With Aunt Sophie at Salmon House

I had an aunt visit from San Francisco last month, and we decided to take her somewhere fun for dinner, but also with a good view. We settled on Salmon House, a well-known long established restaurant in West Vancouver. The weather was gorgeous that day, so we had stunning views.
The restaurant also had a great special for Prix Fixe called Taste of BC. For $35, you get 3 courses if you are seated before 6:30pm. Be sure to check with the restaurant to see if this is still ongoing before you go! 

Our first dish was the Amuse Bouche, which was a poached clam, plated with a saffron aioli, very refreshing. We had to ask for bread several times, so by the time they brought it over, we inhaled it and I forgot to take any photos. But they did serve it with a white bean puree, instead of the usual butter.

I got the oysters to start...and they were humungous! It arrived on a bed of salt and peppercorns, which was very pretty...and different from the usual icebed. Served with a mignonette, the oysters were meaty and fresh.

The starter that came with the $35 deal was a salad topped with Crusted Albacore Tuna. As you can see from the photo above, it was a generous portion of beets, cucumber slices, yam frites and fennel. Definitely worth the price.
My only complaint was that the amuse bouche, bread and appetizers practically came on top of each other...no time to savour each item. But then when we were done the appetizers, we were left to sit with our plates for at least 5 minutes before someone came to clear them. And then we waited about 10 more minutes for the mains to be brought out. Inconsistent timing to say the least. 

When the courses did arrive though, they were good. The salmon was a generous portion and came with a nice and crispy skin. There were sprinkles of pancetta all over the dish to add crunch and saltiness. The Coho salmon was placed atop a bed of gnocchi, asparagus, fresh peas and green beans. There was a little minty/cheese doughnut on top of the fish...we didn't really feel it added to the dish, but then again, it didn't take anything away from it either.

The lamb dish was gigantic, with about 7 little racks of lamb. The plate was elegantly adorned with some fresh raspberries and asparagus and baby carrot. I really liked the ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes too!

My tenderloin was really good as well. Lots of wild mushrooms and pearl onions all over the plate, almost in a ragu like sauce. The potato chips were really good and light, but complemented the dish well. 

Not normally one for dessert, I did test this Rhubarb and apple pie on my aunt's request. The crust was really tough, and not good at all. However, the lemon sorbet was nice and tart, going well with the sourness of the rhubarb.
If you come here for the view more than the food, you'll be pleasantly surprised, since most of the dishes were well-executed and presented. However, if you are a true foodie, you'll probably have to look elsewhere for more inspiring dishes.

Family Dinner at Poor Italian

A few weeks ago, in honour of my sister's arrival in Vancouver, our family went out for dinner at The Poor Italian. It's the perfect middle point between my new home, and my parent's home, where my sister is staying.
I'm not going to tell you what we ordered, you'll just have to wait and see. First, the bread basket...it looks simple, but it's not...keep digging...

And your reward, raspberry and blueberry bread, in the gratis bread basket...

Oh, and look, sundried tomato, savoury artichoke and pickled onion topped bread, awesome find!

To start, we ordered their antipasto platter for four, even though there were eight of us. As you can see below, even four orders is a LOT of food. Loaded with proscuitto, smoked salmon, capers and onions, there was also a smattering of olives, some grano pandano, as well as some chicken liver pate. Not to mention the marinated vegetables, such as eggplant and zucchini. There were some pickled onions, and artichokes and red peppers, to go along with the bruschetta. A few whole anchovies lined the platter, along with a refreshing tomato and mozzarella salad. Rounding out the whole thing were roma tomatoes and gherkins...the sourest you've ever tasted!

Another appetizer we ordered was the Funghi Pizza, filled with oyster and button mushrooms, on a thin crust pizza pie.  

Proscuitto, smoked salmon with onions and capers, with some olives, and the tomato and mozzarella cheese ...

Marinated goodness, the pate, the peppers and onions and some olives... 

Bruschetta topped with sundried tomatoes and artichokes... 

My portion of the antipasto - round one

My neice ordered the Linguine alla Vongole for herself, clams with a light garlic flavoured olive oil. There was a light lemon tang, but you could tell that the pasta was very fresh. There was a mixture of regular clams as well as a smattering of baby clams. Fortunately, the garlic didn't overpower the whole dish.

My mom ordered the Grilled Halibut, which was lightly crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside. You know my mom loved it because she didn't offer us a single bite!  

My stepdad ordered the Lamb Sausage special. Despite the fact that it was a sausage, I couldn' believe how much lamb flavour there was in each bite. It was served with a flaky onion tart and a side of grilled artichoke. A perfectly plated dish...meat and veggies paired wonderfully.

My order was a combination of their Rigatoni and their Rack of Lamb. Here is a close up of the rigatoni...precise tubes of pasta tossed with spicy Italian sausage. 

The Rack of Lamb was highly recommended by my stepdad, and I can see why. Nicely grilled on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. We had four meaty pieces of the lamb, and the smokey flavour was prominent throughout.

It was served family style with a small side of roasted veggies (which they initially forgot, but brought over once we noticed its absence). 

Although the service at this place can be stretched a bit thin at times, the food more than makes up for it. Prepare for a long leisurely meal, and just take your time. Enjoy the food and the wine, and don't expect overly attentive service. Mind you, the service is good, just not smothering. 

On the search for Spam at McD's in Maui

Heard rumours of Spam being sold in McDonald's in Maui...so the hunt was on! The restaurant was totally decorated for kids...this is what greeted us upon arrival. Little burgers...

Little Fries... 

...and Grimace. 

Alas, there was nothing there even remotely related to SPAM, but we still couldn't leave empty handed...so a Sirloin Burger was procured, along with a medium fries. Does anyone else load their ketchup up with pepper??

Although we didn't track down the elusive Spam product at McDonald's this time around, I think we will succeed in the end...Mahalo...

L'artista with Mommy

The week before I headed to Toronto, I had a delicious dinner with my mom and stepdad at one of our favourite neighbourhood joints. The place is call L'artista. We discovered them at first through the Entertainment book, but have returned because of the quality of the food and service. Places where the chef is also the owner usually have a certain sense of pride that you don't find otherwise. Federico Murruni is the chef/owner of this place and you can tell he loves his food!
My mom loves her seafood, and decided to order their pasta special that night It was a Penne ai Frutti di Mare, and it was loaded with mussels and clams, all tossed in a tomato sauce that tasted like it had been stewing all day. 

My favourite here is the Linguine Della Casa...it's linguine with Italian sausage, peppers & artichoke in a tomato sauce, and under $15! You can always ask them to make it spicier, but it has a good kick for most people...not me though! 

I am not a 100% sure, but I believe my stepdad got their veal special...which came with beans, carrots, purple cabbage and potato wedges...I think the "vino" was getting to me at this point! 

Our family comes here all the time, and have always loved the fresh warm rolls they bring, the hominess of the jug of their house wine, and their attentive service. If you are looking for something in Burnaby, give L'artista a try, you won't be disappointed!