Slow Food is always better than Fast Food! But DAMN! Does it have to be that slow?
Anthony Bourdain had a few things right in his book "The Nasty Bits", the slow food revolution is healthier and alot better tasting. Think of one large pot being cooked for hours upon hour, pork bone marrow, beef marrow, chicken bones, miso, soy, various vegetables all rendered down into one goldenly delicious broth. Most definitely, this stuff will always taste better and bring back familiar warm fuzzy feelings that you could never get at your local golden arches. Bourdain also got another thing right, the restaurants that always serve that one dish and only one dish do it right and is the best thing you'll ever taste. Think about it, if the person behind the kitchen has been doing this one dish for 40 years, it must be good and he/she MUST be doing something right. I'll give you an example from my own experience. When in Hong Kong, go to the stalls/noodle stands that make one type of thing and only one type of thing. Right above Central up the hill towards the mid levels there is one noodle stand that you would definitely have to try. For those familiar with Richmond Lansdowne's No. 9, I'll tell you now that the place is but a shadow of the noodle restaurant with the same chinese name in Hong kong. What is the one thing you always had to order at 4am after a long hours in the flashing lights of night clubs? BEEF BRISKET NOODLE SOUP. Well this noodle stand makes ONLY that. You can order all types of noodles with the Beef Brisket and soup and only the Beef Brisket. Let me tell you, theres no way the damned place could've stayed open for that long if it wasn't doing something right, and it that beef brisket noodle soup was the best damned noodle soup (Cantonese style) that I've ever had. Well on to the point of all this.
I recently went to Benkei Ramen on Robson by Denman. No, it's not your dried pack of instant noodles you have at home when you're desperate for something, when you're in your 13th hour studying for that exam tomorrow morning that you haven't learnt anything for all semester. No, none of those nightmares came back to me while I was eating at Benkei on a warm summers day with the patio open. Nope, I was relishing the home made recipes of this master broth maker. We ordered the Gyozas and a Chasu (Roast Pork) Rice Ball. My friend ordered the Shio which is a mix of the miso and pork broth with a special sweet soy. I ordered the Shoyu which is the pork broth. The Gyoza was not amazing, but that's not what you really go to Benkei for. When the bowls of Ramen came, they were piping hot, and our growling stomach began to feel warm and fuzzy before we even took a sip. My broth has a deep meaty flavor, you can taste the many hours of simmering marrow and vegetables combining to create the perfect crock pot concoction. Do you remember the scene from Ratatouille when the evil food critic's heart melted and was reminded of eating home cooked food that always soothed the soul? Well, my damned cold heart was melted. All that bitterness of Vancouver? Still there, but I'm pretty sure a bit of it was chipped away. Benkei Ramen is definitely worth a try when you're down in the westend. Ramen is not your make shift sustenance when you're struggling to stay awake shivering under the cold florescent lamp cramming away. Ramen is food of the soul made in Japan.
I'll admit that Bourdain had the slow food revival thing right. It does taste damn good. But I've got to wonder when slow food is too slow no matter how good the food tastes.
So as I said last post, that Italian Kitchen and the Glowbal management decided to fuck me over with a 5:15pm dinner time slot. WHO EATS DINNER AT 5:15! I don't even think your grandparents would eat dinner at 5:15 at the senior residence. My fuckin imaginary dog doesn't even eat dinner at 5:15pm. Now who in the right mind would say yes to a reservation like that, especially when they decided to take $500 from my credit card as a deposit. Oh yes, please take $500 from my account so I can take a dinner time slot that no one would show up to, please do. No I decided to take my business elsewhere. So what restaurant in Vancouver can accommodate me and show me a good time on my Birthday? Yes, this spoilt, self-righteous and discerning bastard wants a place to pamper him and treat his guests right. Well the first place to answer my pleas were So.cial at Le Magasin. Yes, the French were the first to respond and come to my aid! A damned welcome surprise. And talk about hospitality! They went over the top for me.
So.cial gave me the entire Oyster Bar room for my group of 20. This beautiful room included the Oyster ice bar and the drinks bar. We had a personal bartender that doubled as our server and a small nook with a faux fireplace just finished the space off. So.cial is a unique business in the heart of Gastown. Their business includes a Charcuterie/Butcher Shop, a restaurant and lounge. I got to So.cial early with a few friends and decided to order a dozen Malpeque oysters and a Gin tonic while we waited. Malpeques are my favourite oyster and the ones they served were nicely shucked and served with a brine that almost resembled a Vietnamese "Nuoc Cham". As the group began to drift in the room was abuzz with energy. After an hour of waiting around we finally began to order. I decided to try their specialty there, the Charcuterie ( a trio of cured meat pate). For the main I ordered an entree of 38 day dry aged AAA Alberta prime Ribeye over potato fingerlings and topped with shoestring onions. I finished the meal off with their vanilla lavender creme brulee.
Now, I'm a man who likes pate. I like rich meaty flavors. This was some of the best pate I've ever had. The chicken pate was excellent and had a touch of cumin. The buffalo rillete I wasn't so wild about as it was quite sweet. However when my friend told me to mix the two together, it was like peanut butter and jam or eggs and ketchup. The last was a chicken and liver terrine which was topped with capers to cut the rich fatty flavour. On to the main event, this was what I was waiting for all night! The 38 day dry aged AAA Alberta Prime Ribeye cooked medium rare. The steak was perfectly melt in your mouth buttery tender piece of beauty. I was in carnivore heaven. This was what T-rex must've felt when he tore into the flesh of a Steak-o-saurus. The brulee was a little watery and led me to believe it had been sitting awhile due to the amount of servings they had to fire at the same time. I ordered a bottle of Orofino Cabernet Merlot which my friend graciously paid for. It was a great match with the steak. The waiter Alex was very friendly and had an awesome time serving us suggesting and complimenting our choices. Let me tell you, you would've never noticed that the entire crew of So.cial is authentically French.
So here is my point about Bourdain's slow food revival opinions. 4 hours was our total dinner time. My friend called it a Marathon dinner. I have to admit it was a damn long dinner. The saving grace was the remarkable French hospitality? I know, when pig's fly right? But I guess even the French have learnt to adapt in an overly agressive Vancouver hospitality industry. Whether or not 4 hours is worth a great tasting dinner depends on your intentions. I had intentions of getting intensely drunk after dinner and enough time to dance it off before passing. This was not to be because of our French style dinner. I understand that eating should be an experience but 1/6 of a day for one meal is not my idea of having a good time. I had enough wine and alcohol to get me through the experience though.
The rest of the night included a inebriated showing by two of my co-workers and a test of gag reflex after downing 4 straight shots of Crown Royal at Fabric night club. This wasn't the club I expected to go to, but I was inclined to go anywhere by this time. Plenty of eye-candy helped the ambience and I was enjoying the rest of our short clubbing drop-by. The rest is a blur and for all it's fast pacedness, I could not for the life of me recall too much.
Well Summer is finally starting to kick off. The summer solstice usually means the anniversary of my overlordic fascist father's birthday. He's been awfully mellow lately and our night at Steveston reflected that.
We ended up at Kisamos Greek Taverna. Yet another rule of thumb I agree with Bourdain about is to follow the locals to the packed establishment. We waited for a table for about half an hour and were seated window side on a nice and bright evening. I ordered the Roast Lamb and it met my expectations. It was as good as any good taverna should be. The kicker is the price which at 11.95 is rediculous for a good roast lamb dinner.
Went for a nice stroll after dinner at the pier and decided to grab a iced ceremonial matcha tea. Refreshing end to a refreshing evening.
I guess I really am starting to feel an inclination towards this place I've called home for so long.
My dinner did bring out a side of me I've been holding back though. My disgruntled feelings toward an organization at school I've been a part of. I won't repeat these things due to my utmost respect for the people within the organization and because I'm a loyal person, but I will say that I have been very disgusted with the ways things have turned out this year and the change in dynamics of the group. There was a total split and alienation created from the top down. This to say the least was not what I was expecting from the beginning of the school year. Another of my friend confided me telling me that I didn't need them. In a sense I don't but I also owe alot of things to the group and I feel a sense of loyalty to them, at the same token I believe it's my time to let go because of my situation next year.
Recently the Vancouver School Board has ruled that parents would not be allowed to pull their Children out of gay friendly classes that they have enacted into the curriculum, but they are allowed to pull them out of health and physical sexuality related classes due to religious beliefs. I believe this is the biggest hypocrisy on earth. Our liberalist hippie activist province is at it again. I have nothing against gays, I've worked with a whole group of them for years and I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. But if a Child does not even conceive simple sexuality topics what makes them able to comprehend a homosexual relationship? Learning about homosexual does not always mean they will tolerate them. Some of the most educated people in this world have been the biggest bigots and racists. I have no respect for a school board that forces an education upon children that is not prescribed by the opinions of all parents. I believe parents should still have a filter veto to what goes on in their Children's education. Though I believe they should have access to all information I have to question the age at which these Children are being introduced to such things. Lettign Children know something so early does not necessarily solve the situation in our society. Neither does seperating this course into a specific "Gay friendly" course help by patronizing the social classification. Vancouver politics is fucked because it is full of hippies. I will always believe that. Hippies are the ones running our city, beware!
I guess leaving isn't so bad. If it wasn't for all the DAMNED good food!
Till next time my dear readers.
Benkei Ramen - 1471 Robson St. Westend
So.cial at Le Magasin - 332 Water St. Gastown
Kisamos Greek Taverna - 3420 Moncton St. Steveston
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Monday, June 23, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Frostbite in Summer. Cuando, Cuando, Cuando
I'm shivering up to my hair follicles, and this is the best that summer in Vancouver has had to offer... so far.
It's a wonderful feeling to be had when you sitting on a camp chair in the middle of summer with the stars and a cold cup of white wine in your hand, especially when your pecker is shrivelled up in the fuckin' intense cold and the only medium you have in keeping your manly parts on track is the wine. But this is all for a good cause Weldon, man it up. Fuck you brain, you don't have to endure this painful heart piercing chill.
I decided to be charitable, and though I am a compassionate person, I've never truly been charitable. Over the weekend of my birthday, yes my birthday, I spent it running around a god forsaken track in Burnaby. It was fun to say the least. When's the next time I get to drink in public where people shout at you for not having a beer/wine in hand? Well think about the children. That poor little kid with one leg and one ballsac can now join the other kids just like him prancing around at summer camp. I don't hate kids, I just have anxiety issues around them. But koodos to the organizers for putting on a gong show in the middle of a park.
Just for kicks I decided to make some skewers, korean style. I used a korean bbq sauce and doused the pork in that sweet shit. It was delicious, there is something special that happens when all that sugar is clashed with the burnt smokey charcoal flavour of a barbeque. I also brought a few deep friend fish balls and tofu puffs for kicks as the Richmond "Summer" Market still hasn't been allowed to bring in the food vendors. I got alot of praises for the skewers. BBQ is a great thing when you know what you're doing. Heres a few guidelines I use when I grill my meats.
- Always use a sweet base for your pork
- NEVER sauce up your beef, salt and pepper is all that baby needs
- Don't be Bobby Flay and cake your damn meats in dry rub than pouring 40000020940923092 million sauces over them. He's a cunt of a cook.
- Try the innards and otherwise normally inedibles in American culture. Americans don't know the first thing about BBQ even though they claim they do. If they knew a thing about BBQ they would know that beef tripe and bunts taste delicious when made properly. That's right, man up and eat the large intestine. My meals are a daily fear factor for you pink skinned Arkansans.
So I had another foray into wine during this 24 hour relay. I bought a bottle of Gray Monk Latitude 50 which was made of a 50% blend of Bacchus grapes and 50% Riesling. It was delicious, and the bottle was downed in no time. I honestly believe though that the White Merlot from Jackson Triggs, though cheap is a great summer wine and easy to drink. This was the only thing keeping me sane in the cold weather in the middle of the night.
Talk about a bite, I discovered that Peanut Butter is one of the most versatile spreads and should in my humble opinion be considered a condiment. Yes, I decided to make my burgers and hot dogs with peanut butter. No I'm not insane from the post winter chills, but in all honesty PB tastes good with anything. I pity those who are allergic to the beauty of the peanut. Next time you make a burger, spread on some peanut butter and give it a go, I promise no disappointment.
11am of the 15th. After a million happy birthday songs and wishes I get to go home and pass out. Yeap, I slept through my birthday. I woke up at 6:30pm got ready for dinner and headed out to Laguna Blu. This Italian restaurant can be found in New Westminster at the Quay next to the defunct casino. Now, I've always been very cautious about having Italian food. The Italian cuisine in North America is stricken with the Trattoria disease of little Italy. The heavy tasteless sauces made in countless so called Mediterranean eateries. But I have to admit, this place did a great job. My parents and I started with their antipasto platter. For $12 dollars this was a steal! They had proscuitto, gorgonzolla, olives, mozarella over a bed of roquettes and drisseled with balsamic vinegar. We also ordered the Calamari and the batter they used was very light and delicious. Though I must admit, deep frying Calamari is never my favourite way to cook it. I had the Laguna Blu Linguine which had a treasure of seafood from clams, scallops, snapper, mussels, to shrimp. The white wine tomato sauce was delicious. My dad is not a vegetarian but he awkwardly ordered the Pasta primavera and he thoroughly enjoyed it. On top of the good food we were treated to live music and seniors dancing. Nothing more engaging than watching an 80 year old jacked on Viagra hitting the dance floor. I however, was paying more attention to our hostess. She was eyeing me the whole night and kept a cheeky smile everytime I asked her to help our table. A good dinner and a good night. It was a great way to make up for the lack of day I had on a birthday.
Well Italian Kitchen was a bust and I must say I am already dissappointed before I've tasted anything. I guess it really is just a Glowbal PR machine's work. I've settled on Social, which ironically has been a place I've been wanting to try. So until after my gorging on June 20th I hope to see your comments showing sheer delight at my blogs. Goodnight, and Goodluck ladies and gentleman.
It's a wonderful feeling to be had when you sitting on a camp chair in the middle of summer with the stars and a cold cup of white wine in your hand, especially when your pecker is shrivelled up in the fuckin' intense cold and the only medium you have in keeping your manly parts on track is the wine. But this is all for a good cause Weldon, man it up. Fuck you brain, you don't have to endure this painful heart piercing chill.
I decided to be charitable, and though I am a compassionate person, I've never truly been charitable. Over the weekend of my birthday, yes my birthday, I spent it running around a god forsaken track in Burnaby. It was fun to say the least. When's the next time I get to drink in public where people shout at you for not having a beer/wine in hand? Well think about the children. That poor little kid with one leg and one ballsac can now join the other kids just like him prancing around at summer camp. I don't hate kids, I just have anxiety issues around them. But koodos to the organizers for putting on a gong show in the middle of a park.
Just for kicks I decided to make some skewers, korean style. I used a korean bbq sauce and doused the pork in that sweet shit. It was delicious, there is something special that happens when all that sugar is clashed with the burnt smokey charcoal flavour of a barbeque. I also brought a few deep friend fish balls and tofu puffs for kicks as the Richmond "Summer" Market still hasn't been allowed to bring in the food vendors. I got alot of praises for the skewers. BBQ is a great thing when you know what you're doing. Heres a few guidelines I use when I grill my meats.
- Always use a sweet base for your pork
- NEVER sauce up your beef, salt and pepper is all that baby needs
- Don't be Bobby Flay and cake your damn meats in dry rub than pouring 40000020940923092 million sauces over them. He's a cunt of a cook.
- Try the innards and otherwise normally inedibles in American culture. Americans don't know the first thing about BBQ even though they claim they do. If they knew a thing about BBQ they would know that beef tripe and bunts taste delicious when made properly. That's right, man up and eat the large intestine. My meals are a daily fear factor for you pink skinned Arkansans.
So I had another foray into wine during this 24 hour relay. I bought a bottle of Gray Monk Latitude 50 which was made of a 50% blend of Bacchus grapes and 50% Riesling. It was delicious, and the bottle was downed in no time. I honestly believe though that the White Merlot from Jackson Triggs, though cheap is a great summer wine and easy to drink. This was the only thing keeping me sane in the cold weather in the middle of the night.
Talk about a bite, I discovered that Peanut Butter is one of the most versatile spreads and should in my humble opinion be considered a condiment. Yes, I decided to make my burgers and hot dogs with peanut butter. No I'm not insane from the post winter chills, but in all honesty PB tastes good with anything. I pity those who are allergic to the beauty of the peanut. Next time you make a burger, spread on some peanut butter and give it a go, I promise no disappointment.
11am of the 15th. After a million happy birthday songs and wishes I get to go home and pass out. Yeap, I slept through my birthday. I woke up at 6:30pm got ready for dinner and headed out to Laguna Blu. This Italian restaurant can be found in New Westminster at the Quay next to the defunct casino. Now, I've always been very cautious about having Italian food. The Italian cuisine in North America is stricken with the Trattoria disease of little Italy. The heavy tasteless sauces made in countless so called Mediterranean eateries. But I have to admit, this place did a great job. My parents and I started with their antipasto platter. For $12 dollars this was a steal! They had proscuitto, gorgonzolla, olives, mozarella over a bed of roquettes and drisseled with balsamic vinegar. We also ordered the Calamari and the batter they used was very light and delicious. Though I must admit, deep frying Calamari is never my favourite way to cook it. I had the Laguna Blu Linguine which had a treasure of seafood from clams, scallops, snapper, mussels, to shrimp. The white wine tomato sauce was delicious. My dad is not a vegetarian but he awkwardly ordered the Pasta primavera and he thoroughly enjoyed it. On top of the good food we were treated to live music and seniors dancing. Nothing more engaging than watching an 80 year old jacked on Viagra hitting the dance floor. I however, was paying more attention to our hostess. She was eyeing me the whole night and kept a cheeky smile everytime I asked her to help our table. A good dinner and a good night. It was a great way to make up for the lack of day I had on a birthday.
Well Italian Kitchen was a bust and I must say I am already dissappointed before I've tasted anything. I guess it really is just a Glowbal PR machine's work. I've settled on Social, which ironically has been a place I've been wanting to try. So until after my gorging on June 20th I hope to see your comments showing sheer delight at my blogs. Goodnight, and Goodluck ladies and gentleman.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Kung Fu Uguis, Flying Foxes, and Hungry Pandas
Orientalizing, bastardizing, Caucasian preconception, Glorified Digital Animal, Piece of Work! but Oh! So FUNNY!
Waiting in the dim lit theatre on a random weekday night seems demure compared to an evening of viewing countless food network programming. I damned well missed that seductive Giada des Laurentes and the action packed cursing of Ramsey in his nightmares. Nothing better than sitting next to some damn caucasian teenagers talking like ozzy ozbourne mixed with the latest circus punk band lead singer. Fools. Well the previews have started and the hope of silence rang through my drums. "I WANT TO KILL WALL-E MAAAAAN". Nope I wasn't spared the idiocracy of these trashy kids. I want to shove a cue stick up your.... hows that for etiquette in a theatre? Let me watch my god damn panda fight god damn kung fu or I'll god damn wushu finger you myself! The movie starts and I'm greeted with silence. Thank GOD!
If you don't know already, Kung Fu Panda is a dreamworks movie about a Panda who learns Kung Fu. Wow, redundant and original, I know. Don't let the lack of creative title give you qualms about this movie. It is what it is. A farce, but a good one at that. There are a few jokes in there only orientals would know. The elderly Kungfu master called Ugui is simply the romanization of the word turtle in Chinese. This brought many laughters from the crowd on the exception of the trashy kids and caucasian minority in Vancouver. Don't take me as a bigot but it brings joy to me when even a bastardizing, orientalizing movie like this can break subtle jokes that even their own North American viewers barely understand. Overall I enjoyed this movie quite surprisingly. There are some questionable moments and as I said this movie is bastardizing and orientalizing. The concepts are philosophically Western masked with names and characters that resemble oriental concepts. But go ahead and enjoy a few laughs, I did.
I was recently invited to a Facebook group, yes another facebook group, that was petitioning for the re-naming of the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to the Terry Fox International Airport. This is one of the most rediculous petitions among many rediculous petitions that liberal hippies and anti-developmental but pride filled Vancouverites pass around. I informed the petitioners that re branding of an International Airport requires millions of dollars, and this money will come from Tax Payers. Why spend millions on rebranding something established with a good reputation for over 40 years. Their simple argument was that Toronto has the Lester B. Pearson Internation and Montreal had the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International. Well I'm sorry but central Canada is just that, in CENTRAL CANADA. Vancouver is an international HUB where many tourists and corporations pass through or stay at. To suddenly rebrand the airport would leave travellers confused and the entire brand equity created by 40 years of branding goes down the drain. I have nothing but respect for Terry Fox, he is a local hero. I have to question why these people are pushing for something so rediculous though and why Terry? I told them to save their creativity for developing infrastructure in Vancouver rather than waste it on such frivolous sentiments. Vancouverites are such foolishly proud people sometimes. All this creative energy could be put towards better things in our city.
I have a love hate relationship with AYCE (all you can eat). I love AYCE because it's AYCE. I hate AYCE because it's AYCE. The usual AYCE haunt would be semi-edible food filled with hundreds of options to fill you up before you break their food cost records. There are exceptions of course. In Vancouver, AYCE sushi is the greatest cookie cutting machine. You take a beautiful food concept and you beat it and contort it to a cheapened level till its half edible but profitable. The exception in this case would be Ninkazu and Tomakazu, their qualities are still quite bearable. Along comes Posh, now growing at 3 restaurants a year, and breaks my preconception of AYCE. First of all, Posh is a chain franchise that brings you Japanese Sukiyaki hot pot, albiet in a Taiwanese lens. They claim to be the original Sukiyaki franchise in North America, I don't have historical records to disprove this but they have a damn good business model and food quality to match. The cut of beef is fat, and yes this is a good sign. All you damn Vancouverites complaining about how fat beef is should learn what good beef has, FAT! Why is kobe beef expensive? IT'S FAT! Back to my elboration on posh. The cuts of meat are good quality and the quality of hot pot ingrediants including produce are quality. They spare no cost on this. They have a spicy soup version which is amazing as well, the chili hot sauce they make is just as pleasing. The restaurant is extremely clean and the waiters wipe down the marble surfaces painstakingly over and over again like Michaelangelo "wax on, wax off". The ambience is clean, zen like and modern. The washrooms are clean! HALLELUJAH! Asian proprietors who know how to keep washrooms clean! Now the reason I hate AYCE is the primal side of me comes out of hibernation to feast. I feel like a Panda bear with ravenous appetite. Theres no end to it. I specifically wore a linen shirt and shorts to fit the extra belly of mine for that meal. There were seven of us and a total of 40 dishes of meat were consumed by the end of the night. A close friend of me reminded me that eating should be savoring and tasting the delight not to eat my money's worth. A recent article I read by Anthony Bourdain was thoughtful and eloquently put it, "STOP EATING SO DAMN MUCH!" I've learnt my lesson. Give me a tapas menu anytime and I'll gladly choose it over the AYCE. Izakayas are all the rage right now and rightly so. My hate for AYCE is slowing overcoming my love for AYCE. Time to hibernate again FungFung the Panda.
Posh: The first exclusive Sukiyaki Restaurant in North America
Richmond: 1123 - 3779 Sexsmith Rd. Richmond BC 604-303-7674
Broadway: 101 -1788 W. Broadway Vancouver BC 604-737-7674
Kingsway: 105 - 6462 Kingsway St. Vancouver BC 604-434-7674
Waiting in the dim lit theatre on a random weekday night seems demure compared to an evening of viewing countless food network programming. I damned well missed that seductive Giada des Laurentes and the action packed cursing of Ramsey in his nightmares. Nothing better than sitting next to some damn caucasian teenagers talking like ozzy ozbourne mixed with the latest circus punk band lead singer. Fools. Well the previews have started and the hope of silence rang through my drums. "I WANT TO KILL WALL-E MAAAAAN". Nope I wasn't spared the idiocracy of these trashy kids. I want to shove a cue stick up your.... hows that for etiquette in a theatre? Let me watch my god damn panda fight god damn kung fu or I'll god damn wushu finger you myself! The movie starts and I'm greeted with silence. Thank GOD!
If you don't know already, Kung Fu Panda is a dreamworks movie about a Panda who learns Kung Fu. Wow, redundant and original, I know. Don't let the lack of creative title give you qualms about this movie. It is what it is. A farce, but a good one at that. There are a few jokes in there only orientals would know. The elderly Kungfu master called Ugui is simply the romanization of the word turtle in Chinese. This brought many laughters from the crowd on the exception of the trashy kids and caucasian minority in Vancouver. Don't take me as a bigot but it brings joy to me when even a bastardizing, orientalizing movie like this can break subtle jokes that even their own North American viewers barely understand. Overall I enjoyed this movie quite surprisingly. There are some questionable moments and as I said this movie is bastardizing and orientalizing. The concepts are philosophically Western masked with names and characters that resemble oriental concepts. But go ahead and enjoy a few laughs, I did.
I was recently invited to a Facebook group, yes another facebook group, that was petitioning for the re-naming of the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to the Terry Fox International Airport. This is one of the most rediculous petitions among many rediculous petitions that liberal hippies and anti-developmental but pride filled Vancouverites pass around. I informed the petitioners that re branding of an International Airport requires millions of dollars, and this money will come from Tax Payers. Why spend millions on rebranding something established with a good reputation for over 40 years. Their simple argument was that Toronto has the Lester B. Pearson Internation and Montreal had the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International. Well I'm sorry but central Canada is just that, in CENTRAL CANADA. Vancouver is an international HUB where many tourists and corporations pass through or stay at. To suddenly rebrand the airport would leave travellers confused and the entire brand equity created by 40 years of branding goes down the drain. I have nothing but respect for Terry Fox, he is a local hero. I have to question why these people are pushing for something so rediculous though and why Terry? I told them to save their creativity for developing infrastructure in Vancouver rather than waste it on such frivolous sentiments. Vancouverites are such foolishly proud people sometimes. All this creative energy could be put towards better things in our city.
I have a love hate relationship with AYCE (all you can eat). I love AYCE because it's AYCE. I hate AYCE because it's AYCE. The usual AYCE haunt would be semi-edible food filled with hundreds of options to fill you up before you break their food cost records. There are exceptions of course. In Vancouver, AYCE sushi is the greatest cookie cutting machine. You take a beautiful food concept and you beat it and contort it to a cheapened level till its half edible but profitable. The exception in this case would be Ninkazu and Tomakazu, their qualities are still quite bearable. Along comes Posh, now growing at 3 restaurants a year, and breaks my preconception of AYCE. First of all, Posh is a chain franchise that brings you Japanese Sukiyaki hot pot, albiet in a Taiwanese lens. They claim to be the original Sukiyaki franchise in North America, I don't have historical records to disprove this but they have a damn good business model and food quality to match. The cut of beef is fat, and yes this is a good sign. All you damn Vancouverites complaining about how fat beef is should learn what good beef has, FAT! Why is kobe beef expensive? IT'S FAT! Back to my elboration on posh. The cuts of meat are good quality and the quality of hot pot ingrediants including produce are quality. They spare no cost on this. They have a spicy soup version which is amazing as well, the chili hot sauce they make is just as pleasing. The restaurant is extremely clean and the waiters wipe down the marble surfaces painstakingly over and over again like Michaelangelo "wax on, wax off". The ambience is clean, zen like and modern. The washrooms are clean! HALLELUJAH! Asian proprietors who know how to keep washrooms clean! Now the reason I hate AYCE is the primal side of me comes out of hibernation to feast. I feel like a Panda bear with ravenous appetite. Theres no end to it. I specifically wore a linen shirt and shorts to fit the extra belly of mine for that meal. There were seven of us and a total of 40 dishes of meat were consumed by the end of the night. A close friend of me reminded me that eating should be savoring and tasting the delight not to eat my money's worth. A recent article I read by Anthony Bourdain was thoughtful and eloquently put it, "STOP EATING SO DAMN MUCH!" I've learnt my lesson. Give me a tapas menu anytime and I'll gladly choose it over the AYCE. Izakayas are all the rage right now and rightly so. My hate for AYCE is slowing overcoming my love for AYCE. Time to hibernate again FungFung the Panda.
Posh: The first exclusive Sukiyaki Restaurant in North America
Richmond: 1123 - 3779 Sexsmith Rd. Richmond BC 604-303-7674
Broadway: 101 -1788 W. Broadway Vancouver BC 604-737-7674
Kingsway: 105 - 6462 Kingsway St. Vancouver BC 604-434-7674
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Intermittent Revelries; Scarce Acts of Hedonistic Indulgances; Bacchus' Call to Gluttony
Mondays! I Hate Mondays! But Bacchus made it RIGHT!
Do you remember Garfield and his emnity of Mondays? Well I hate mondays too.
It brings a forboding feeling of doom when you have to sit in your office for 8 hours a day
for the next 5 days. How pitifull. But what's so special about this past Monday? Well it was MONDAY and the
first day of the week deserved a brief and exhillirating moment of recklessness. If life was mundane, I wish it would be mundane as that of the Romans. I mean drinking everyday and binging and purging must be so tedious! And those Orgies! How utterly BORING. Well maybe Bacchus set those Romans straight and showed them how to live a tedious life of utterly gluttony. I WANT IN!
Well I was in. . . On Monday. And this is where the story of Monday begins. The Chaberton Winery in Langley was holding a private party for their customers. Guess who was invited? A couple of co-workers and I left the office at noon to head out to rural Langley for a taste of elixer with our minds set on getting totally sloshed. Mission accomplished? Well I'll have to start with the details, I'm sorry to say. The drive to Langley was wet, and arduous. Speeding on Hwy 1 over a pool of water isn't the best way to go out even if the lack of screeching tires makes the wreckage seem more serene. Twisted, I know. Driving brings the worst out of me. Well the rain kept coming down, like all the Angels in heaven were out on their piss break after breaking into cabinet of Sachristy wine. Blasphemous I know, but sue me. We made it despite our deficiencies in mapskills.
I could taste it on the lips, that beautiful elixir made from wines. Bacchus was definitely guiding us this afternoon as we stepped into his very own aboding, The Bacchus Bistro. We went in and put on our masks - lame name tags w/ company names. Ek, networking at a time like this is distasteful. I just wanted my DAMN WINE. Well I got it. First glass of beauty was a Gewurtz. Oh that glorious white hit my tastebuds and a dance of merriment tingled within. The next refreshing nector was a Meritage. A little young, but given a few years to age it would've been a gem. 5 glasses, 10 glasses. We decided to move to the store for some Chaberton Specialties. The BACCHUS! The irony! The Bacchus wine is definitely a glorious work of a wine chemist. You are immediately hit by the senses of peaches, grapes, and apples. I took my sip and a rush of pleasure rushed through me, than a shudder. It was quite a sweet wine. If my taste wasn't so descriminating, this wine would've top honors. But no, that honor went to a glass of Cabernet Merlot. My God, the rich, the bold, the mellow, and soothing notes of chocolate. I was brought back to an experience of eating the perfect NY Striploin topped with a Stilton fondant. That drink made me want to drink even more wine! Bring on the Libations. Hedonistically I ran back to the bistro to fill up more glasses. The canape's and hor'douvres were just what we needed to cut that alcohol back. My co-workers and I enjoyed our revelries as the Canadiana pub like music roared through the afternoon. One of my female counterparts decided to hit on the chef hoping to get us a recipe for the rich quiche they made. As dusk came upon us, all we really wanted to do was to head over to Chuck'E'Cheeses and slam a few pizzas while playing carnival games before heading back into the civilized world.
Here are a few wines I would recommend from Chaberton:
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - 2004
The Bacchus
The Madelaine Silvayner
The Ortega
The Meritage - Give it a few years
The Gavay Noir
The Syrah
The Gewurtztreimer is worth trying
The Bacchus Bistro Food is definitely worth trying if you have the
patience to venture out into Langley.
The Homestyle french food is rich and matched perfectly with their wine.
For now, I leave you with a bit of Roman hedonism.
Until next time, I bid you all goodbye.
Do you remember Garfield and his emnity of Mondays? Well I hate mondays too.
It brings a forboding feeling of doom when you have to sit in your office for 8 hours a day
for the next 5 days. How pitifull. But what's so special about this past Monday? Well it was MONDAY and the
first day of the week deserved a brief and exhillirating moment of recklessness. If life was mundane, I wish it would be mundane as that of the Romans. I mean drinking everyday and binging and purging must be so tedious! And those Orgies! How utterly BORING. Well maybe Bacchus set those Romans straight and showed them how to live a tedious life of utterly gluttony. I WANT IN!
Well I was in. . . On Monday. And this is where the story of Monday begins. The Chaberton Winery in Langley was holding a private party for their customers. Guess who was invited? A couple of co-workers and I left the office at noon to head out to rural Langley for a taste of elixer with our minds set on getting totally sloshed. Mission accomplished? Well I'll have to start with the details, I'm sorry to say. The drive to Langley was wet, and arduous. Speeding on Hwy 1 over a pool of water isn't the best way to go out even if the lack of screeching tires makes the wreckage seem more serene. Twisted, I know. Driving brings the worst out of me. Well the rain kept coming down, like all the Angels in heaven were out on their piss break after breaking into cabinet of Sachristy wine. Blasphemous I know, but sue me. We made it despite our deficiencies in mapskills.
I could taste it on the lips, that beautiful elixir made from wines. Bacchus was definitely guiding us this afternoon as we stepped into his very own aboding, The Bacchus Bistro. We went in and put on our masks - lame name tags w/ company names. Ek, networking at a time like this is distasteful. I just wanted my DAMN WINE. Well I got it. First glass of beauty was a Gewurtz. Oh that glorious white hit my tastebuds and a dance of merriment tingled within. The next refreshing nector was a Meritage. A little young, but given a few years to age it would've been a gem. 5 glasses, 10 glasses. We decided to move to the store for some Chaberton Specialties. The BACCHUS! The irony! The Bacchus wine is definitely a glorious work of a wine chemist. You are immediately hit by the senses of peaches, grapes, and apples. I took my sip and a rush of pleasure rushed through me, than a shudder. It was quite a sweet wine. If my taste wasn't so descriminating, this wine would've top honors. But no, that honor went to a glass of Cabernet Merlot. My God, the rich, the bold, the mellow, and soothing notes of chocolate. I was brought back to an experience of eating the perfect NY Striploin topped with a Stilton fondant. That drink made me want to drink even more wine! Bring on the Libations. Hedonistically I ran back to the bistro to fill up more glasses. The canape's and hor'douvres were just what we needed to cut that alcohol back. My co-workers and I enjoyed our revelries as the Canadiana pub like music roared through the afternoon. One of my female counterparts decided to hit on the chef hoping to get us a recipe for the rich quiche they made. As dusk came upon us, all we really wanted to do was to head over to Chuck'E'Cheeses and slam a few pizzas while playing carnival games before heading back into the civilized world.
Here are a few wines I would recommend from Chaberton:
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - 2004
The Bacchus
The Madelaine Silvayner
The Ortega
The Meritage - Give it a few years
The Gavay Noir
The Syrah
The Gewurtztreimer is worth trying
The Bacchus Bistro Food is definitely worth trying if you have the
patience to venture out into Langley.
The Homestyle french food is rich and matched perfectly with their wine.
For now, I leave you with a bit of Roman hedonism.
Until next time, I bid you all goodbye.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Unappreciatively Appreciating the Appreciable things of Vancouver
Yes! Yes! I am one of those people who dislike Vancouver for what it is...
Sadly, I have a resentment towards everything I am. Yes, I am a Vancouverite. Yes, at times I love this city. And YES, at times I have a great distaste for it.
Beautiful Vancouver, I will have to admit that the city is simply that. You are guaranteed a breath of fresh air regardless of where you are in the city. Beautiful people are strolling the streets and a Diversity of people that you could never find elsewhere in the world. Socially Liberal and welcoming. Friendly City.
Why do I dislike this city? COMPLACENCY! People here are complacent with their lives. They make good money, they really do, with real estate like this how could you not? But living your life 9-5 and living at a pace no faster than a worm on a moist day? C'mon people! This is why I'm determined to leave this city. I feel like im in a sand pit sinking fast. Starting to feel complacent.
But ah! THE FOOD! OH THE FOOD! This is the only thing worth living in Vancouver for! And this is why I am determined to write this blog! For the food. And before I leave for Hong Kong (another great Mecca of food) I am determined to feed my culinary lust.
A little trip to Tokyo before I get to Tokyo:
I recent ate at Gyoza king with a few friends of mine. We were hoping to go to Zakkushi (I've proclaimed this place my Shangri-La as I have attempted to go here countless times without finding a SEAT!). We waited for our seats for 45 minutes to no avail and was left to find another establishment to feed my hunger for Japanese eats. We settled on Gyoza King which I've been hoping to go to for awhile. I've been to their sister restaurant "Nan Chuu" in Richmond on Alexandria Rd ( A diner's little strip of Heaven). The Nanchuu experience was great, but was nothing mind blowing. I was hoping this place would feed that gluttonous urge for Izakaya food. Amazingly "Izakaya" has undoubtedly been the fastest growing dining experience in Vancouver. Rightfully so I say, Drinking and Tapas sized foods made for drinking! The Japanese always have food right. Well anyways we were seated warmly by our hostess/waitress. We took our time deciding what to order and I had it all written down on our napkin for our waitress. She was surprised and delightfully so, but I have a horrible memory and wanted to make sure everything was down there. I must say that I was thoroughly satisfied with our meals, but maybe it was my grumbling stomach and taste buds dying for anything to hit those lips after the 45 minute wait at Zakkushi. We had the Gyu Yukke which was their version of Beef TarTar. The beef was sweet and fat, melt in your mouth delicious! It had a hint of miso, mirin, and light soy topped with a quail egg. The prawn, chicken and chive Gyozas, on my friend's advice, were well made, though anything resembling a dumpling will never be as good as a Xiao Loong Bao, but that's being bias. My favourite item that night was the Grilled Saba swimming in a Miso sauce. My God! The dish was a melt in your mouth delight! For Libations, I ordered my favaourite Japanese Sake and a large bottle of Asahi. The Yoshi Sake never fails me, although I would've enjoyed the organic one alot more. Despite some awkward conversation I was able to dine through with glee and a GAMBATTE here and there ever so often, as required.
Gyoza King is definitely the big brother of the two Restaurants. I was more satisfied with my meal at the Westend location and would definitely go back for more. Now I have to ponder my next search for a seat at Shangri-La (Zakkushi). Before that, I have a trip to make to a Kitchen, Italian Kitchen that is. This time I will be celebrating my joyous day of birth. I hope the hype of this restaurant, another Glowbal proprietor's PR engine, will be as good the press says. A little rich carbohydrate never hurt anyone, especially one that's about to get plastered for his enduring lifetime.
Cheers and until next time, I'll be wishing to leave this mundane city for good!
Gyoza King
1508 Robson St. Vancouver BC 604-669-8278
Sadly, I have a resentment towards everything I am. Yes, I am a Vancouverite. Yes, at times I love this city. And YES, at times I have a great distaste for it.
Beautiful Vancouver, I will have to admit that the city is simply that. You are guaranteed a breath of fresh air regardless of where you are in the city. Beautiful people are strolling the streets and a Diversity of people that you could never find elsewhere in the world. Socially Liberal and welcoming. Friendly City.
Why do I dislike this city? COMPLACENCY! People here are complacent with their lives. They make good money, they really do, with real estate like this how could you not? But living your life 9-5 and living at a pace no faster than a worm on a moist day? C'mon people! This is why I'm determined to leave this city. I feel like im in a sand pit sinking fast. Starting to feel complacent.
But ah! THE FOOD! OH THE FOOD! This is the only thing worth living in Vancouver for! And this is why I am determined to write this blog! For the food. And before I leave for Hong Kong (another great Mecca of food) I am determined to feed my culinary lust.
A little trip to Tokyo before I get to Tokyo:
I recent ate at Gyoza king with a few friends of mine. We were hoping to go to Zakkushi (I've proclaimed this place my Shangri-La as I have attempted to go here countless times without finding a SEAT!). We waited for our seats for 45 minutes to no avail and was left to find another establishment to feed my hunger for Japanese eats. We settled on Gyoza King which I've been hoping to go to for awhile. I've been to their sister restaurant "Nan Chuu" in Richmond on Alexandria Rd ( A diner's little strip of Heaven). The Nanchuu experience was great, but was nothing mind blowing. I was hoping this place would feed that gluttonous urge for Izakaya food. Amazingly "Izakaya" has undoubtedly been the fastest growing dining experience in Vancouver. Rightfully so I say, Drinking and Tapas sized foods made for drinking! The Japanese always have food right. Well anyways we were seated warmly by our hostess/waitress. We took our time deciding what to order and I had it all written down on our napkin for our waitress. She was surprised and delightfully so, but I have a horrible memory and wanted to make sure everything was down there. I must say that I was thoroughly satisfied with our meals, but maybe it was my grumbling stomach and taste buds dying for anything to hit those lips after the 45 minute wait at Zakkushi. We had the Gyu Yukke which was their version of Beef TarTar. The beef was sweet and fat, melt in your mouth delicious! It had a hint of miso, mirin, and light soy topped with a quail egg. The prawn, chicken and chive Gyozas, on my friend's advice, were well made, though anything resembling a dumpling will never be as good as a Xiao Loong Bao, but that's being bias. My favourite item that night was the Grilled Saba swimming in a Miso sauce. My God! The dish was a melt in your mouth delight! For Libations, I ordered my favaourite Japanese Sake and a large bottle of Asahi. The Yoshi Sake never fails me, although I would've enjoyed the organic one alot more. Despite some awkward conversation I was able to dine through with glee and a GAMBATTE here and there ever so often, as required.
Gyoza King is definitely the big brother of the two Restaurants. I was more satisfied with my meal at the Westend location and would definitely go back for more. Now I have to ponder my next search for a seat at Shangri-La (Zakkushi). Before that, I have a trip to make to a Kitchen, Italian Kitchen that is. This time I will be celebrating my joyous day of birth. I hope the hype of this restaurant, another Glowbal proprietor's PR engine, will be as good the press says. A little rich carbohydrate never hurt anyone, especially one that's about to get plastered for his enduring lifetime.
Cheers and until next time, I'll be wishing to leave this mundane city for good!
Gyoza King
1508 Robson St. Vancouver BC 604-669-8278
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