The Order of Things

Now that Ethnic Eats is a little over a month old - yay! I’m going to try and impose some order around here. Restaurant reviews will happen on Tuesdays. If, as has been happening lately, I hit up more than one place in a week, then any subsequent reviews will happen whenever I feel like it, but there will definitely be reviews on Tuesdays. There is also going to be drinks on Fridays. For no reason other than I like cocktails and a lot of the drinks I like fit into the ethnic category, if not the “eating” one. So Fridays will be Happy Hour and we’ll see how that goes. Tell me if you like it. And of course tell me if you have any good ideas that I should write about too.

OK, so far so good. Now I need a name. vancouverethniceats.wordpress.com accurately sums up what I’m writing about, but it’s a bane for poor typists, so I’m going to buy a domain name and point it here. I’m thinking vancityethnic.com since ethniceats.com is taken and everything else is too long. What do you think?

2 Strange Drinks; BibiCaffe and Karamalz

BibiCaffe advertises itself as “the bubbly espresso”, which I guess is true, but what struck me about this little Italian drink was more the caffeine than the carbonation.

I was first intrigued by the size of the bottle (only 6 ounces) and then turned on to the idea of a caffeinated pop that I may actually like. I find most American pop to be either too sweet or too fizzy (or both), but the Europeans tend to be on the same wavelength as me on this one, so I had hope.

At first blush, the drink was tasty, like coffee for people who hate the taste, or maybe for those who can’t decide whether they want a coffee or a pop. The vanilla and caramel flavours vied well with the natural espresso taste and subtle carbonation.

I was about to give it a perfect score until about 10 minutes after drinking it, I realized that I was having a great deal of trouble sitting still, figeting around and coming close to actually twitching a couple of times! I have a pretty high tolerance for caffeine, so let me tell you that that 6 ounces sure packs a punch. I like this drink a lot, but I may need to save it for road trips.

All Natural ingredients: Water, Neapolitan espresso, Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla and Carbon dioxide.
Bought at: Marketplace IGA.

If BibiCaffe is bubbly espresso, then Karamalz is surely the German non-alcoholic dunkelbrau (dark beer). In fact, on the Wikipedia list of soft drinks by country, it is listed as a “beer for children without alcohol”. Interesting.

There are also apparently some vitamins and minerals included, but I don’t think I got very many in my three mouthfuls. This drink is seriously disgusting. It has a skunk, malty fermented smell as soon as you open the bottle and that taste follows through with slight flavours of sweet caramel. Like cotton candy stored in a dank basement, or old socks with butterscotch candies stuck to them.

Like the BibiCaffe, there is only a subtle carbonation, which I was grateful for because it allowed me to gulp down 3 mouthfuls before I was completely repulsed and there was thankfully no burping.

Ingredients: Water, barley malt, glucose Fructose syrup, carbonic acid, coloring material E 150c, hop excerpt.

Bought at: Mediterranean Specialty Foods (1824 Commercial Drive)

My final analysis is that I think I prefer my espresso hot and un-carbonated - although I will have this one again, maybe in summer - and I definitely prefer my beer with alcohol.

Edible?

Photo courtesy of Edible.com.

This morning’s mail found a link to Edible.com in my inbox (courtesy of Daily Candy), an online shore that sells the sorts of things that I would call technically edible. Hornets and worms and pearls, and that sort of thing. The sort of thing that people will ingest just because they can (or were dared).

What I love about it is that instead of marketing to adventure seekers and practical jokers, they have a beautiful site (albeit with a huge amount of spelling errors) that generally tries to sell the flavour and health benefits of the products.

The chocolate covered scorpions are apparently “similar to Kit Kat in texture”and the giant toasted leafcutter ants have a “nutty, bacon-like taste”. The scorpion vodka warns to “please be careful of the sharp stinger” and suggests that it might be a more exciting garnish on a martini than an olive. And so on, from canned crocodile to pearl dust to lizard lotion.

I was almost tempted, but I knew that whatever I ordered would arrive and I would likely lose my nerve. It does make me wonder how many orders they get though. I wonder if it’s a measure of how far the exotic has come to be familiar. What do you think?

Chocoatl: Hot Chocolate HQ

A couple of weeks ago while snowshoeing I put myself in charge of hot chocolate, but instead of using my new power to influence the winter drinking habits of those around me for good (rich, creamy cocoa) and not for evil (Carnation Instant Hot Chocolate mix), I promptly forgot about it. That is until a friend and I stopped in for gourmet Mayan hot chocolate at the Chocoatl Chocolate Boutique after healthy sushi last week.

Now I can fully command any situation that calls for hot chocolate expertise because not only does Chocoatl have a fine selection of thick and rich hot chocolate from around the globe, but they also have several specialty infused hot chocolates in flavours such as chili, rose, lavender, cornmeal, etc. I went for the Caramel concoction, a mixture of dulce de leche, vanilla and chocolate mixed with milk and although I was a little bit hesitant (because I don’t like anything overly sweet), this was a match made in heaven. Sweet without being cloying, rich without overpowering and arguably most important when dealing with hot chocolate - something warm to wrap your hands around on a cold day.

Tricia chose the Champurrado, a modern take on a traditional drink made with cornmeal, chocolate, vanilla and milk (soya milk and water are also available), which had a earthy, grounding taste underneath the sweetness, which we were also in favour of. On other visits I’ve had both the Aztec hot chocolate (with chilis and peppers) and the lavender one, and none of them have been too sweet for my liking - something that really surprises me because the trend in chocolate really seems to be to make it sweet enough to make your jaw hurt and that really leaves no room for the flavour to shine through. At Chocoatl, the balance is perfect, although I’m not sure I could have drank more than the small size.

I also took home a sampling of truffles for a mini-chocolate tasting, and since I am not the choco-holic that a lot of my friends are, I made them all take notes. After trying such obscure flavours (for chocolate) like Cuba (tobacco), Olive oil, Kalamata (fig), Matcha and Chipotle as well as the more traditional varieties of Espresso, Vanilla, and Dulce de Leche, we sadly concluded that we didn’t really like them. Whereas the flavour/sweetness balance in the hot chocolate was perfect, here it was overwhelming. Either the truffle was pure sweetness with only a trace of flavour, or else the flavour was overpowering and didn’t taste enough like a chocolate. Also, some tasters said they preferred a creamier ganache. The more suble flavours were the winners here. Olive oil was surprisingly good, as was the Matcha. Cuba didn’t taste anything like tobacco, Vanilla was too overpowering and Dulce de Leche just made my jaw hurt with sweetness. With lots of untried flavours, however, there’s bound to be a few more winners in there and I definitely know of a few people who are happy to keep tasting chocolate until they find them.

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Chocoatl

1127 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Daily, 10 AM - 10 PM

Georgia Straight Announces the Golden Plate Awards

This week’s Georgia Straight announces it’s Golden Plate Awards for Vancouver’s best eating.

This is what was chosen for ethnic restaurants in the Readers’ Choices Category:

Chinese:

1. Hon’s Wun-Tun House
Various locations

2. Kirin Restaurant
Various locations

3. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
3888 Main Street, 604-872-8822;
102–4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond, 604-273-8208

Korean:

1. Insadong Korean Barbeque & Live Fresh Seafood Restaurant
301-403 North Road, Coquitlam, 604-936-3778

2. Jang Mo Jib Korean Restaurant
Various locations

3. (tie) Seoul House Royal Korean Restaurant
1215 West Broadway, 604-739-9001

3. (tie) Shabusen Yakiniku House
2993 Granville Street, 604-737-6888; 202–755
Burrard Street, 604-669-3883

Japanese:

1. Tojo’s Restaurant

1133 West Broadway, 604-872-8050

2. Guu
Various locations

3. Toshi Sushi
181 East 16th Avenue, 604-874-5173

Indian:

1. Vij’s

1480 West 11th Avenue, 604-736-6664

2. Maurya Indian Restaurant
1643 West Broadway, 604-742-0622

3. Tandoori King Restaurant
8017 Fraser Street, 604-327-3355

Thai:

1. Thai House Restaurant

Various locations

2. Sala Thai Thai Restaurant
3364 Cambie Street, 604-875-6999;
102–888 Burrard Street, 604-683-7999

3. Montri’s Thai Restaurant
3629 West Broadway, 604-738-9888

Vietnamese:

1. Vina Vietnamese Cuisine

777 Dunsmuir Street, 604-682-8016

2. Phnom Penh Restaurant
244 East Georgia Street, 604-734-8898

3. Pho Hoa Restaurant
Various locations

Southeast Asian:

1. Banana Leaf Malaysian Cuisine
Various locations

2. Tropika
Various locations

3. Rekados Grill
4063 Main Street, 604-873-3133

Asian:

1. (tie) Tropika
Various locations

1. (tie) Red Door Pan Asian Grill
2996 Granville Street, 604-733-5699

2. (tie) Azia Restaurant
990 Smithe Street, 604-682-8622

2. (tie) Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
3888 Main Street, 604-872-8822;
102–4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond, 604-273-8208

3. Guu
Various locations

Italian:

1. Anton’s Pasta Bar
4260 East Hastings Street, 604-299-6636

2. CinCin Ristorante & Bar
1154 Robson Street, 604-688-7338

3. Il Giardino
1382 Hornby Street, 604-669-2422

Continental:

1. The William Tell Restaurant
765 Beatty Street, 604-688-3504

2. Chambar Belgian Restaurant
562 Beatty Street, 604-879-7119

3. The Pear Tree
4120 Hastings Street, 604-299-2772

Middle Eastern:

1. Afghan Horsemen Restaurant
202–1833 Anderson Street, 604-873-5923

2. East Is East
3243 West Broadway, 604-734-5881

3. Nuba Cafe
322 West Hastings Street, 604-688-1655;
1206 Seymour Street, 778-371-3266

Dim Sum:

1. Pink Pearl Chinese Seafood Restaurant
1132 East Hastings Street, 604-253-4316

2. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
3888 Main Street, 604-872-8822;
102–4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond, 604-273-8208

3. Kirin Restaurant
Various locations

Latin American:

1. Havana
1212 Commercial Drive, 604-253-9119

2. (tie) Baru Café

(ed. It’s actually called Baru Latino Restaurante)

2535 Alma Street, 604-222-9171

2. (tie) Cobre Restaurant
52 Powell Street, 604-669-2396

3. Samba Brazilian Steakhouse
1122 Alberni Street, 604-696-9888

Mediterranean:

1. Provence Mediterranean Grill
100–4473 West 10th Avenue, 604-222-1980

2. CinCin Ristorante & Bar
1154 Robson Street, 604-688-7338

3. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill
1133 Hamilton Street, 604-688-7466

African:

1. Nyala African Cuisine
4148 Main Street, 604-876-9919

2. Simba’s Grill
825 Denman Street, 604-974-0649;
7413 Edmonds Street, Burnaby, 604-525-8904

3. Harambe Restaurant
2149 Commercial Drive, 604-216-1060

French:

1. Le Crocodile
100–909 Burrard Street, 604-669-4298

2. Lumière Restaurant
2551 West Broadway, 604-739-8185

3. (tie) Le Gavroche
1616 Alberni Street, 604-685-3924

3. (tie) Bistrot Bistro
1961 West 4th Avenue, 604-732-0004

Spanish:

1. La Bodega Restaurante & Tapa Bar
1277 Howe Street, 604-684-8814

2. Pepitas
2015 Burrard Street, 604-732-8884

3. Cobre Restaurant
52 Powell Street, 604-669-2396

Mexican:

1. Las Margaritas Restaurant & Cantina
1999 West 4th Avenue, 604-734-7117

2. Pepitas
2015 Burrard Street, 604-732-8884

3. Topanga Cafe
2904 West 4th Avenue, 604-733-3713

Greek:

1. Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna
1124 Davie Street, 604-683-2555

2. Maria’s Taverna
2324 West 4th Avenue, 604-731-4722;
1037 Denman Street, 604-681-8500

3. Kalamata Greek Taverna
388 West Broadway, 604-872-7050

Eastern European/Russian:

1. Rasputin Russian Cuisine
457 West Broadway, 604-879-6675

2. Budapest Restaurant & Pastry Shop
3250 Main Street, 604-877-1949

3. Ukrainian Village Restaurant
815 Denman Street, 604-687-7440

I agree with these selections for the most part, although I have a soft spot for Shiro Sushi and there is better Mexican food in this city than at Las Margaritas (perhaps lacking the ambiance, however). Also, the Red Door Ranking perplexes me. How can a Spectra Group generic restaurant (one that spans the cuisine of an entire continent, no less!) compete with the amazing authentic Asian cuisine we have here? My only answer is that the Readers are sometimes wrong. The Critic’s choices are somewhat more discerning, but don’t have an ethnic category.

Image is from the Fortune House Restaurant at Metrotown, one not shortlisted for a Golden Plate, despite their adorable mango pudding.

Sushi is Healthy at Bistro Sakana

When my friend first mentioned that Bistro Sakana had a Healthy Sushi lunch special, my first thoughts were that I was in some serious trouble, because here I’ve been going happily along thinking that sushi was healthy and now I was about to be proven wrong. Thankfully that is not the case. The Health Guidance website lists many health benefits of sushi and it turns out that Bistro Sakana has simply come up with a way to make it even more healthy. That’s Yaletown for you.

But following hot on the heels of a large poutine, I will happily take all the extra healthy choices I can find. The Healthy Lunch Special comes with a green salad with tangy citrus dressing and soba noodles, miso soup, a side of Agedashi tofu in broth with daikon shredded daikon on top, your choice of a California or Avocado roll made with brown rice, a side of white rice and of course tea. Because we are rebels and leery of being too healthy, I had a chopped scallop cone and Tricia had a mango roll as well Actually, I had a chopped scallop roll, which was not what I wanted, but that was really the only complaint.

We’ve had the healthy lunch a couple of times now and it’s a good option if you’re feeling like something light and good for you. The tastes in the various dishes are complementary in the extreme, so you get a little bit of salt in the miso and tofu, a bit of tang in the salad dressing and then the hearty, earthy taste of brown rice, etc. I wouldn’t the healthy lunch special if you’re extremely hungry - although the number and variety of dishes does seem to satisfy…something in the place of a hearty meal - but you can always order something extra off the regular menu as well and failing that, they have an excellent sushi and hot menu. I keep meaning to go back and try some of my old favorites, then end up defaulting back to the special. What I like about is that it’s almost ridiculously healthy, the kind of food that you feel good eating, but it also has the bonus of tasting good as well.

The place is pretty tiny and fills up fast at lunch, so go early or be prepared to wait. There is also a small patio that should be open as soon as the weather is warmer, but we all know by now that sitting in the sun just isn’t good for you. Not even the healthy lunch can help you with that.

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Bistro Sakana

1123 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Belgian Fries Poutine Takes the Pain Away

When I read “Could I quit the drinking but keep the hangovers?” at Salon.com’s advice column, I thought I had come across a true crazy, asking nutty questions like that. But then this past weekend, I realized that the pain of a hangover justifies the comfort of hangover food, and so  there is something nice about that after all. I’m not going to quit drinking though! Just so we’re clear…

I actually wasn’t even really hungover this weekend, but sitting in the sun drinking coffee, I managed to convince myself that I was in just enough pain to justify having Belgian Fries’ poutine for lunch. And oh, it was so good! It even would have been worth the feeling of nails behind my eyes, but luckily it didn’t come to that.

At the first bite of hot cheese curd, fries and gravy, I think my heart melted a bit (or it may have just momentarily stalled in horror at the amount of artery clogging food that just entered my mouth). The fries were perfectly cooked and not too oily and the gravy was warm and salty. No complaints whatsoever.

Because I only am allowed to enter the house of poutine about twice a year, that’s all I’ve ever ordered. The cone of chips with various dips (chipotle mayo, roma tomato, chive, etc) look good too and I’ve always wanted to try the War dish. Apparently it’s a Dutch specialty involving fries, peanut satay sauce, mayo and onions. For some reason I can’t seem to find anything else about it, but the photos on the wall look pretty tasty. Deep fried Mars bars are also on the menu, but that is just too much of a heart attack in a dish for my liking.

I always forget that the large size is too big and soggy fries at the bottom of all that gravy doesn’t really make for good leftovers, so I suggest a regular serving accompanied with a glass of the sickeningly sweet peach drink that seems to be the house specialty. Get that down and hit the couch for an hour or two and you’ll forget all about last night’s Jagers.

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Belgian Fries

1885 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Kombucha the Wonder Drink - It Slices! It Dices!

Wonder Bread aside, anything with “Wonder” in the title of it begs to be tried, so I wasn’t very surprised when I found myself in the checkout line at IGA holding the groceries I came for and a bottle of Kombucha the Wonder Drink. If you are missing amazement and awe in your life, then some sparkling fermented tea may help fill the gap.

The flavour I chose was Jasmine Niagara Grape and while it may have fallen short of wonderful, it was actually pretty good. Like the love child of an unsweetened grape soda and iced tea. Turns out the “wonder” isn’t in the taste of it anyways, but in the reputed health benefits. Hailing from Asia around 250 B.C., Wikipedia tells us that ‘the Chinese called it the “Immortal Health Elixir,” because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing,” while also mentioning that no clinical studies have been made to actually prove this.

Because it’s fermented, there is sediment at the bottom that needs to be shaken up before drinking it and there is also a distinct fermented smell to the drink. It’s not exactly off-putting, but there is something not refreshing about drinking something that smells like old socks with sludge in the bottom and the fact that I don’t really like fizzy drinks means I’ll be unlikely to have it again. I would like to try the Rooibos Red Peach, though. Maybe in a highball with a shot of vodka and peach schnapps.

Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill Serves Up Sunshine and (Some) Spice

We were sitting by the window with sunshine streaming in, people and dogs lounging outside, snippets of Spanish coming from the kitchen…and plates of tasty food on the table in front of us. It wasn’t Mexico, but it sure felt close. Instead, it was right around the corner from the office, at the Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill in Yaletown. A cute little Latin eatery on Pacific, it seems like a secret tucked in amongst all the Canada Line scaffolding.

The last time my coworker and I were here we had the mixed tacos - pastor (marinated pork), carne asada (grilled beef tongue), barbacoa (lamb), chorizo (sausage) and vegetariano (green pepper, onion and mushrooms) and were intending on sampling something from the South American section of the menu, only to find out on arrival that the culinary dishes have now been restricted to Mexico. No matter, the tacos - regular style or rolled - are an excellent choice and since one of my favorites last time was the carne asada, I decided to try the Carne Asada plate with chilaquiles verdes. This is a tender grilled beef dish made from a thin cut of steak and served with fried slices of tortillas soaked in green salsa. At Salsa and Agave, like most traditional Mexican eateries, it also comes with rice and refried beans. Tortilla chips and fresh made salsa are provided at the table in case, like us, you have been thinking about lunch since 8 AM and are about to gnaw your own arm off.

I’ve not had chilaquiles verdes before, but they were delicious and complemented the relatively bland flavour of the rice and beans. Tangy, starchy, and spicy make a delectably simple meal taste well, but the addition of the beef threw me off. It was cooked to a desired tenderness, but it was so bland as to taste like meaty pulp and I got tired of it before I was finished. I much prefer a carne asada that has a bit of spice to it and to compensate, I forked over a lot of my salsa verde onto the meat and that tasted pretty good. This could easily be a matter of personal preference, however. It’s definitely authentic.

To drink we had tamarind soda, but there is also a wide variety of tropical juices and pops available, and they also serve homemade horchata, a milky cinnamon, sugar and vanilla drink. They don’t have a liquor license, so dreams of sitting in the sun drinking Coronas will unfortunately be quashed, but it does make it a little easier to get back to work.

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Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

1223 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver