— eatsiptrip.com

Archive
EAT

Ben Thanh Market

Noodles noodles noodles, I can never eat enough noodles, in broth, in miso, in curry, fried with thick sweet soy, deep fried topped with a mountain of veg, fried by a South Indian man, fried by a street hawker, made with well water from only one city in the world, pulled, cut or rolled, noodles made with egg, rice, buckwheat, mung bean, semolina or sweet potato, the varieties are endless.

When we were in Saigon, Vietnam, I had noodles in soup almost every morning for a month interspersed with a Banh Mi here and there. That made me happy as a clam, ready to start the outrageously hot day.

Bun Suong Noodles in Soup
When in Saigon we went to Ben Thanh market to check out the local food stands for breakfast. My eyes look around to find the stall most populated and with the freshest ingredients, we pull up a stool and order. We both have Bun Suong, while you cant actually see what’s in the bowl from our hasty photos, inside is shrimp paste rolls, huge succulent prawns and rice vermicelli in delicious broth and the customary plate of fresh herbs and sprouts, you know I could eat this every day. The big gringo orders another bowl, the stall girls giggle. Happiness.

Ben Thanh Market, Saigon
Walking around the market we eye more gorgeous foods and friendly smiles. Vietnamese are pretty smiley people, super hard working and industrious. Give a smile, get a smile, vice versa.

Read More

Boneta in Gastown, Vancouver, BC

Dinner at Boneta, just look at that luscious braised short rib, scalloped potatoes, and decadent onion rings, wow that is a lot of food for one gal. All mouthwatering. But wait, there’s more! Home-made gnocchi with fried sage in brown butter is fat+starch satisfyingly good. And to add to the already heavy deliciousness is Brooklyn Beer on tap.

Gnocchi in brown butter with fried sage

Entrées at $25+ is pretty standard for this calibre of dining, its a good choice to taste local ingredients done contemporary. Also awesome is the ever friendly owner partner wine guru Neil Ingram (especially friendly when you hang with CBC’s Margaret Gallagher).

The ceiling dons framed mirrors angled and hanging. The walls are adorned with local artist Charles Forsberg’s very large canvases. Charles, can I store one of these in my living room for you?

You can kinda see the painting on the right in my layered night shot.

Boneta, painting, reflection

Read More

les_faux_bourgoise

My new favourite restaurant is 50-seat Les Faux Bourgeois snuggled in the triangle shaped swatch at Kingsway and Fraser.

This French bistro is the brainchild of Andreas Seppelt(co-owner of Go Fish and the old Bukowski’s) and Stephan Gagnon (a former co-owner of Jules Bistro in Gastown). The consulting Chef was Tina Fineza of Flying Tiger.

The food is great and I won’t go on about it except for the fillet de boeuf grillé, all elements perfectly done, the escargot’s got garlicky goodness and the sweetbreads sandwich will make you swoon. But one of the best things about the vibe there is that its causal and friendly, while some of the accents of French waiters and bartender takes you half way around the world. So lovely.

The other thing that brings me back is that it has a long bar with nice selection of affordable wines by the glass, woo, no tables available? No problem, I can sit at the bar and eat a full meal or hang there for some social time with a friend. Highly lacquered wood walls and wood everything comforts you as you walk in, combined with low lighting gives it that popular ‘dive bar’ feel says owner Andreas.

Its been very busy since it opened last summer. Les Faux Bourgeois is now open on Sundays too. Make a rezzie or drop in after 9pm if you want a table!

Read More

lobster ladyclams & conch

Oh I love Nha Trang, I love it in all the touristy ways, lounging at the beach, temple seeking, hunting for art and hanging out with local artists or clinking glasses with expats, but most of all I love the food! Food, food, delicious fresh Vietnamese food.

I swear it is the easiest cuisine to eat, whether you are a vegetarian, meatatarian or fusspot. So my fav meal just so happened to be on the beach, it was a late lunch of fresh bbq-ed lobster & steamed conch with sweet, salty, sour chili dip. Just wait for lobster lady to come by in the afternoon, you’ll recognize her by the biggest smile beaming from her tanned face, her wiry body carrying her wears on  shoulder baskets.

Concurring with Batali and Bourdain’s ‘last bite’ being Vietnamese food, mine might just have to be grilled lobster from Nha Trang lobster lady.

Read More

Where can we get a local cheap meal in Ubud, Bali we asked our friend? We wanted authentic fare not a for tourist only resto, so buddy suggested Bu Oka west of the town market(for tourist) and across from Ubud Palace. We walked by and it was just what we were looking for and they sold ice cold Bintangs too, hello!

The sight of a freshly roasted pig stuffed with spices then slow roasted over a fire pit with glistening dark coconut water basted skin was very exciting. We ordered up 3 plates and jostled for a spot streetside. You can sit inside(which is just roofed, sans shoes) but we like the pig carving action and the thought of catching a breeze that never came.

As you can see from the photo, our plates did not disappoint. Flavour of the pork was piggy-li-cious, it was moist and skin cracked between your teeth, veggies were spicy, random fried innards were tough but good(but what were they?), there was some blood sausage thingy, all washed down with a frosty beer and a cheers to good health etc., all was good.

Also check out Anthony Bourdain’s Bali/Indonesia episode for his experience at Bu Oka.

Note: not open for dinner

Read More

One of my favourite places to take in Vancouver’s scenery and indulge in some fresh local seafood Pacific Northwest style and of course cold beer and local wines(also boasts an international collection of 1800 bottles) is the Sandbar Restaurant on Granville Island, Vancouver.

Its mostly always busy and there is a after work crowd around the main level bar on weekday afternoons, don’t let that deter you because the view through all the exterior glass walls on the main level or the upstairs patio is excellent! Totally like being a tourist in your own city.

The best part of the experience is the view from the upstairs(3rd level) outdoor covered patio, thoroughly outfitted with heat lamps and personal lap blankets for those chilly VanCity nights. Its hard not to just sit and catch the sunset and cheers the night away, maybe you’d be lucky enough to score a table with personal fireplace, maybe you are ok with sitting at the small bar but you def have to sit outside! The last visit ended with much scotch and rum on the rocks…ow!

Their website here

Read More

We had the local albacore tuna ceviche to start, love the ceviche!

Then to share, Maple chipotle glazed beef short ribs with sweet potato chips, and Pan seared BC sablefish y fennel sausage chilaquiles, achiote azafran tomato broth y mole amarillo.

Read More

The Islands Project

(Canada, 2007, 102 mins)
Canadian Images

Thank you for reminding us that we live in a beautiful, lush and abundant part of the world.

Read review via tasteto.com (i know, Toronto!)

Read More

Heat, aromas and composition of certain scrumptious foods are said to heighten sexual desire. Food and sex are synonymous and essential for the survival of us lascivious humans right? So what can be better than a slow, sucking, slurping dish of spicy mussels in milky coconut ginger sauce to start things off. Enclosed within the tight-lipped shell, it only exposes its pearly interior after minutes of high-steam heat…yawing to reveal their succulent bounty. Accompany this with a crusty long baguette to sop up the juices and sip many glasses of Sauvignon Blanc.

Mussels enhance sexual desire. Many scientists have related this phenomenon to the excellent nutrient content of mussels – especially vitamin E and Zinc. Seafood contains vitamins and minerals not often found in dry land foods, nutrients that our bodies are often lacking, so a feel -good result is not uncommon. Add to that the non-stuffed feeling and most people find they have enough energy for a night of lust.

Eating yang or hot foods, stimulates the body and increases energy and blood flow. The warmth, the ginger combined with the hot chilies, which doses you with endorphins (all those addicted to chilies will understand the pleasure that comes from the pain), will make you feel like taking a layer off.

Go on to your next sexy taste sensation, vanilla cardamom crème brule with chocolate wafer. The word vanilla hints at amorous properties. It derives from the Spanish word vainila, a diminutive of vaina meaning vagina (or pod). Crème brule is warm and thick in the mouth. Eat the chocolate wafer with your fingers so that it melts leaving you licking your fingers contentedly. Chocolate gives you a dose of phenyl ethylamine, or PEA, the brain chemical that induces feelings of passion and that adrenaline-like rush of new attractions.

Throw away those Chinese aphrodisiac potions and concoctions you were afraid to ingest like Bald Chicken Tonic to make your penis invincible, Gates Open Wide for women and Three-Day Glory consisting of Red Cock (soy), ox penis, ginseng root, and dried human placenta. Yuk! Indulge instead in a flirty lingering not too filling seafood dinner whose ingredients are packed full of stimulating properties.

Aphrodisiac foods are generally the most expensive but you don’t have to pay an emperors weight in gold to get good fresh mussels. It goes on to say that any lover who would go to this outlay to feed you the best may just tweak your libido with this show of love.

Now how large are your muscles?

MUSSEL BOUND
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
6 thin slices galangal or ginger
1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 3 inches sliced thinly on a bias
2 Serrano chilies, julienned (seeds and all)
1 kaffir lime leaf, julienned
1 lb mussels, cleaned
1c vegetable stock
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c coconut milk
4 Thai basil leaves, julienned
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
4 lime wedges
1 crusty baguette

METHOD:

Heat a large saucepan or skillet. Add the oil. When hot, add the galangal / ginger, lemongrass, chili pepper, and lime leaf, and stir briefly. Add the mussels and toss with the herbs. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the mussels open about 5 minutes. Discard any that don’t open. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and coconut milk, bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat.

Pour the broth and mussels into a deep platter, sprinkle in the basil and cilantro leaves, place lime wedges on one side and serve immediately. You must eat these with your fingers and dip your bread into the hot juices.

Read More


While in Singapore attending my cousin’s extravagant wedding I was facebooked by my friend Barbara Mill’s, wine expert & gorgeous gal to possibly host a Scotty Hard Suppers fundraiser night. Scott Harding a Vancouver-born, NY-based musician and sound engineer was paralyzed in a car accident. Friends, musicians, restaurants, chefs and diners have been uniting since to help Scotty out with his gargantuan US health care bill. This micro-philanthropy ball is still rolling. Check scottyhardsuppers.com for upcoming events.

Barb had heard that we, Margaret Gallagher of CBC Radio 2 and I, had in the past organised and cooked at a Southeast Asian foodie night we called Komodohouse (which was the name of our idealistic future restaurant). Hey we like a party and we love to cook! Summer backyard party it is!

So, we, along with Chris Mooney who heads scottyhardsuppers.com, discussed the details of how we would create an Southeast Asian food and jazz fundraiser and called on our pal Brooklyn based saxophonist / composer / arranger Michael Blake who is a long time  friend of Scott Harding to perform. You rock, I mean you’re awesome Michael!

Plans, volunteers and menu all in place everything was in order except the weather! Now all we had to do was scrunch our eyes and wish hard that the sunshine would stick but, no joy or luck, the rains were coming and they came hard.

Guest persevered and gathered under the donated tents (thanks to Cam Andrews & Dragon Boat folks). Cosy under shelter, wine in hand donated by Andrew Peller’s Bill Sanford and Barbara Mill’s of That’s Life Gourmet, all braved the typical(winter) Vancouver weather, met each other and chatted furiously. Actually the downpour added to the ambiance in a very Asian monsoon way and nobody complained. How could they at this fundraiser. With cheers all round, and thanks acknowledged by host Vancouver Courier’s “Man about Town” Fred Lee, everyone set into the food.

Margaret and I whipped up a menu of:
Appetizers: pork saté, grilled pineapple and prawns skewers. Mains: spicy beef rendang curry, gado gado – vegetable and tofu with spicy peanut sauce, otak-otak – fish mousse in banana-leaf and grilled, sautéed green beans and nasi kuning (yellow rice) with Southeast Asian salsas and condiments. Dessert: bitter chocolate ginger cake with ginger whipped cream (so delish!).

With dinner done guests eagerly filed into the living room ready to get warmed up with more wine, dessert and phenomenal live jazz. I loved ‘feeling’ the music. When you’re in close quarters with the instruments its a whole other experience. The night was a bit of a blur to me and ended with volunteers having a nightcap, winding down, chit-chatting and confabulating.

One day I will meet Scott Harding and clink a cheers to his determination and inspiration.

Read More
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline