Bel Cafe

Recently I went for lunch at Bel Cafe – the new cafe in the Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver.  I had eaten sugary snacks there before and gone for hot chocolate and coffee.  However, this time I was determined to eat a proper meal and I was not disappointed.

I ordered the winter squash soup, while my fabulous friend ordered the roasted butternut squash sandwich.  I actually clapped when the adorable bespectacled server delivered this bowl of fabulous goodness.  The soup was rich, smooth and creamy, with a healthy dollop of what I believe was creme fraiche and a smattering of pumpkin seeds.  Happy food sounds came out of my mouth in between stuffing my pie hole with this stunning masterpiece.

Soupy goodness

My friend’s sandwich was a tasty melange of butternut squash, arugula, asian pear, brie and apple marmalade.  She was equally happy with her choice, as was I when I had a nibble

Butternut squash sandwich fabulosity!

After this experience at Bel Cafe, we couldn’t resist going back again with another friend.  This time we tried the soup and half sandwich combo and dessert!  I had the spiced pulled chicken chicken sandwich, a delicious blend of chicken, bibb lettuce, carmelized onion, harissa aioli and provolone that had just the right amount of heat to it.  The small bowl of winter squash soup was perhaps a bit too much food for my stomach to handle….tape worm must be on strike.

Thankfully my pal tapey made a comeback as I found room for dessert.  As part of the hot chocolate festival (which requires further investigation and reporting), Bel currently has a special hot chocolate with orange and cardamom,  together with a dark chocolate cookie.  The hot chocolate was like a high end liquid Terry’s chocolate orange, whereas the chocolate cookie was moist and rich.

Dark hot chocolate with orange and cardamom - nom!

However, my newest obsession is their lemon tart.  With just the right amount of sweetness and a perfect amount of tartness, this tart is absolute perfection  Ceci and I are already dreaming of more tarts in our future!

The object of my affection - lemon tart

Loving Hut – a vegan food cart

On a dreary, wet Saturday I went with fellow food bloggers Simon and Caroline to check out the Loving Hut vegan food cart.  As part of my healthy eating resolution for 2012, I decided if it’s vegan, it must be healthy

Loving hut menu

We ordered two burgers:  the crispy chick’n burger and the BBQ onion ring cheese burger.  The crispy chick’n burger had a spicy apricot jalapeno relish that gave it quite the kick and was loaded with iceberg lettuce.  It’s not a dainty burger to eat, so be sure to get plenty of napkins!  I enjoyed the spice and the crispiness of the deep fried fake chicken patty, but I wasn’t so keen on the taste of the patty itself.

Crispy chick'n burger

My favourite was the BBQ onion ring cheese burger.  The texture and flavour of this burger was incredible and if I hadn’t known it was vegan, I never would’ve guessed.  The BBQ sauce was tangy, the vegan cheese rich and gooey and the onion rings delectable.

BBQ onion ring cheese burger goodness....

Burgers cost $8 each including tax and Loving Hut is open on Saturdays, unlike a lot of food carts in the city.  As an added bonus, the staff is incredibly sweet and put up with our need to take multiple photos of the burgers.  I only wish they weren’t located in front of the Yaletown Roundhouse so I could munch vegan goodness more often.

As an aside, I used my brand new Lumix X5 to take these photos.  I’m hoping with time and a few lessons, my food photos will be a lot better.   I’ve got a European vacation planned for this summer, so I must take good photos of Belgian frites to decorate my condo

Best of 2011

Daisy & I are happy to say good bye to 2011 and hello to 2012!  Although it was the Year of the Rabbit (which technically isn’t over), Daisy was quite disappointed that rabbits did not take over the earth.  Though she has big hopes for the Year of the (rabbit) Dragon and is hoping the fire breathing dragon rabbits will disapprove their way into total world domination

Here is my best list of 2011.  No, it is not my favourite movies of the year (the Artist, the Muppets and Hugo), but my foodie best list:

1. Best hot chocolate in Vancouver

I have to pick two of them here because one just isn’t enough!  Giovane’s house hot chocolate has a healthy dollop of Nutella in it, making it a great morning snack for your kids (if you believe those Nutella ads and yes I do!).  Mink’s dark hot chocolate is rich, creamy and in my books is healthy enough to qualify as a salad

Hot chocolate from Giovane

2. Best sugary snack addiction

So many sugary snacks and so little time….but the wannabe French girl in me turned 2011 into the year of the macaron thanks to Thierry in downtown Vancouver.  Not only are they tasty, but they look pretty and are thankfully not messy to eat.  I stopped short of letting the staff at Thierry garnish my wages but it was tough!

Thierry macarons - almost too beautiful to eat!

3. Best cheesecake

With a mom who makes some of the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted, I must say I don’t try cheesecake when I’m out very often.  However, I recently had a great cheesecake in Saskatoon at Calories Restaurant on Broadway.  I have fond memories of eating their cheesecake while growing up (sorry mom) and I can happily say that the pastry chefs at Calories still make one fantastic cheesecake.  Flavours range from Oreo to toffee and lemon yogurt with berries (healthy – sort of!) For those of you who will hopefully not show up at my mom’s door demanding cheesecake (psst…she’s really nice so if you know me, give it a shot), check out Calories on Broadway!

Mom's cheesecake - nom!

Lunch at Calories on Broadway

4. Best new discovery

Vancouver has a plethora of Meetup groups and one that I have started attending is the Food bloggers meet up, organized by the fabulous Jenny Shen  Not only is it wonderful to be around people who truly adore food, but it’s strangely comforting to be one of many at the table whipping out a camera to photograph it!   I look forward to many more of these meetups in 2012!

Yule log at Ganache, one of the food blogger meetup destinations

5. Cooking class

I didn’t do much in the way of cooking classes in 2011, but I did take an Italian cooking class at the Dirty Apron in Vancouver this summer.  Be sure to wear comfortable footwear and comfy clothing (Gap boyfriend jeans that keep falling down are not recommended!)  What I learned is that making pasta is rather time consuming and panna cotta is very tasty I should really take a knife course this year to make up for my dodgy chopping skills but then again I say that every year!

Pasta I made at the Dirty Apron cooking class

Daisy & I wish all of you a happy, food filled 2012!  My resolution – more cooking at home & less eating out.  Wish me luck!

Happy holidays!

My apologies for being absent for such a long time.  No good excuses other than sheer laziness!  Anyway, I wanted to wish all of you all the best for the holiday season.  May you be stuffing your pie hole with lots of good noms.  Promise to be less of a slacker in 2012

 

Vanilla souffle with salted buttery caramel sauce

Leisure – it’s a good thing!

Lately I’ve been pursuing leisure on the weekends like it’s going out of style.  Some may even call me a “slave to leisure”. Hmm….wonder if I should get a sweatshirt with that on it…nah, too tacky…

My pursuit of leisure usually involves trips to bakeries, spending large quantities of money on chocolate just to get a free gift card (cough…yesterday…), lounging in pyjamas with my best friend Toshiba and my personal favourite – naps.  Napping is a lot harder than it looks – trust me on that one.  Don’t even get me started on my issues with my mouth guard…sigh…

So what’s the point of a post about how fabulous leisure is, other than I have apparently decided it should be an art form….well, for one thing if you have the chance to sit still for a few minutes, it gives you a chance to slow down and live in the moment.  With how busy some of us are on a regular basis (apparently not me since I can lounge away my weekends), time is a luxury that cannot be bought.  It’s something we have to take for ourselves and appreciate….I know it’s easier said than done, in particular for those of you with spouses, houses and little ones.

On that note, there’s more stuff on Toshiba that I have to watch….and I think I need another nap

The weather is turning, so I’m thinking some soup posts in the future are in order…stay tuned…if I can tear myself away from my sofa!

Some kitchen essentials….

Dear readers (all 3 of you),

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I really took my Labour Day slothfulness seriously and it’s spilled over into the rest of the month.  I also fear I’m going to turn into a giant macaron….tasty tasty goodness…. However,  if I don’t get a handle on my addiction, I figure I’ll just invest in stretch pants and muu muus if things get too bad  If any of you see me doing my best Jabba the Hut impersonation at Thierry, just throw some snacks at me and be on your way…

Despite my macaron-intense diet, I still use my shiny kitchen and I’ve rounded up a few new items that I think are fantastic:

1. Peugeot pepper grinder

It’s fancy, sleek and tres Francais.  This is hands down the best pepper grinder I’ve ever owned and I love it!  If I was into salt, I’d buy the salt version too.

The perfect pepper grinder!

2. Bodum garlic keeper

It looks like a harmless little piece of plastic, but this clear garlic keeper really does an excellent job keeping garlic fresh.  Plus you can actually see how many cloves are left and talk to them about current events!  Someone really needs some more friends…I digress…

Simple, sleek and so good at keeping garlic happy!

3. Bodum containers

In case you haven’t noticed, I am rather fond of all the Bodum products on the market now.  I’m sure I’ll cave and get an adorable lime green toaster at some point just because it’s super squee.  For now I’ll happily enjoy the Bodum airtight containers I use to store items such as coffee and rice.  Stylish and practical – what more could I want.

Shiny, pretty and practical containers!

Labour Day – extreme slothfulness and snackage…

What better way to celebrate Labour Day weekend than pursuing slothfulness and excellent snacks.  It has also become a bit of a “European” staycation:  lots of MI-5 episodes, BBC and French baking makes it almost feel as if I’ve crossed the pond.  Okay a slight exaggeration but the important thing is I’ve discovered excellent macarons can be found in my neighbourhood courtesy of a new bakery/cafe called Thierry.

This weekend I consumed pistachio, caramel, raspberry, blackberry, chocolate, coffee and lemon macarons.  Now that I’ve listed them, it looks perhaps a tiny bit excessive….whatever, they’re made from egg whites so it’s like eating a bunch of delicious air….

Macarons from Thierry - pretty and tasty!

I also did a very unscientific comparison of pain au chocolat between Thierry and Boulangerie Chopain.  Sadly Chopain did not have any pain au chocolat left, so I bought a chocolate croissant instead.  Both were tasty, but Thierry’s was flakier and Chopain’s was more chewy.  The first day they were fine – the 2nd day required the microwave to soften up the Thierry pain au chocolat as it had hardened.  I’d say eat on the day you purchase for best taste and if you prefer chewier croissants, go with Chopain.

Pain au chocolat

I’ve also discovered really good but not almost free chocolate from Michel Cluizel.  It’s French, in keeping with the Euro nature of the weekend.  If you have about $9 burning a hole and your pocket, I highly recommend checking out the 45% grand lait or the 50% 1er Cru de Plantation Mangaro.

I must go watch some US Open Tennis to work off all these sugary snacks….Happy Labour Day and may you all embrace your inner sloth

My very first sofa….

After what seemed like an eternity, the tiny sofa gnomes finished building my very first sofa.  Of course I couldn’t just pick up any old sofa – it had to be velvet.  Sure, I flirted with a purple velvet one a few years back, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  Instead, I went with something that was a lot more expensive (because this is me we’re talking about and I can only rebel in the most bourgeois ways possible) and came with a fancy name like Olivia.  Despite being all posh and lovely, this baby is extremely comfortable to nap on.  Beautiful and functional….sigh….it’s really difficult having such fabulous taste

The new sofa...ignore messy coffee table please

Family matters…..

Yes I think that’s the former show with that Urkel kid and no, that’s not what I’m writing about….Instead I’m writing about my family and why I guess they kinda, sorta matter to me.  I’m visiting family on the beautiful prairies right now and I must say it’s so good that I want to move back home. 

 I haven’t lived here since 1994 and after all those years of figuring out that housework is highly overrated and learning to cook things that don’t involve a microwave, I can say that I’m officially tired of looking after myself.  That and I’m not all that frightfully good at it.  I’m trying, perhaps in vain to convince my parents that Daisy and I should chuck our not so glamorous lives in Vancouver and move back in with them.  This would involve me self-actualizing to become the housepet I’ve always knew I could be.  I mean wouldn’t that Maslow chap be totally stoked if someone out there hit the self-actualization point?? 

There’s been talk about me having to pay for some utilities and have a job that somehow befits my educational background if I were to move back in.  My law degree is in Latin, so technically I could argue it isn’t a law degree at all, but a degree in leisure studies because I can’t read Latin and it could say anything….I’m really trying to bestow upon my parents the benefits of me doing some sort of volunteer work like saving the whales – because if whales end up on the Prairies, they obviously need lots of help.  I could Google map directions to the nearest body of water, give them some snacks and send them on their way.  What lost whale wouldn’t want that kind of help! 

Sadly Daisy has taken to making my parents’ home her own giant litterbox, so I’ll be lucky if we’re welcomed back for Thanksgiving.  Until then, if anyone would like to have Daisy & I as housepets, we’d be truly honoured.  Did I mention I like to nap a lot but I can also bake?? 

Stay tuned for more food shots and recipes when we’re back.  If any of you know my parents or are somewhat persuasive, drop them a line and plead our case.  We really are pathetic creatues in need of excessive pampering

Neat things to do in San Francisco

I didn’t really plan much to do when I was in San Francisco.  My extent of planning was booking a place to stay and a flight.  Otherwise, I figured I’d do whatever seemed reasonable at the time – which was a whole lot of eating.  Other than stuffing my pie hole, here are a few neat things I did in San Francisco. I mean I had to do something in between meals and snack time!

1. Renegade Craft Fair

The biggest craft fair I’ve ever been to, this place was chock full of crafty hipsters and lots of 80s music (the only thing my lone neuron remembers with any clarity over the years).  I’ve never seen so many Ray bans and skinny jeans in my life. This place was awesome and sadly it was only a 2 day event, so if you missed it in SF, too bad.  However, it seems to travel throughout the US, so check to see if it will be in a city near you. I’m thinking a trip to Austin, Texas in November wouldn’t be a bad idea….yes I’m obsessed with Austin even though I’ve never been there….

Behold the crafty goodness at the Renegade Craft Fair

One of my crafty purchases....

2. SF Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

My cousin and I went to the Stein family exhibit at SF MoMA… because who didn’t move to Paris and have a fabulous life as friends of Matisse and Picasso…..Best part had to be the photographs showing where these priceless pieces were hanging in a study or living room.  Somehow I don’t think my cheese and candy photos I have hanging in my living room quite measure up….did I mention I took them myself with a digital camera from Shoppers Drug Mart???

The roof top at SF MoMA

Pretty art cake at Blue Bottle Coffee at SF MoMA - photo by Aysha the fabulous one!

3. Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

Serene, peaceful and the perfect place to get away from the bustle of the city.  I got over my disappointment that the de Young Museum was closed on a Monday and instead enjoyed the beauty of this garden.  This is definitely a place I want to go back to.  An added bonus is that you can eat mushy weird cake things and have tea while looking at the greenery.

Japanese Tea Gardens....serenity now....

Mochi cakes and jasmine tea....

4. The Ferry Building

We went to the Ferry Building to check out the food stands and restaurants.  I stopped at Recchiuti Confections and resisted purchasing the whole store, but still managed to bring home a bag full of chocolate goodies.  We also checked out the beautiful Heath ceramics, sampled macarons at Miette and had an incredible dinner at the MarketBar.

Mushroom & arugula flatbread from MarketBar - nom!

The best part of my trip to SF was definitely spending time with my family.  To my cousin Aysha, you are the most incredible person and I’m so lucky to have you as part of my family!  I can’t wait for our future adventures together

My beautiful, fabulous cousin!