Category: Food

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Comforts of the Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Vancouver

My Hamburg Inn No. 2 coffee mug

This has to be one of my favorite coffee mugs that we added to our collection when we were back in my old stomping grounds this past January. Just a quick shot while doing some client work for sixty4media on a Saturday.

Sadly, I never went to the Hamburg Inn No. 2 as often as I probably should have when I lived in Iowa City. Breakfast was never something I really regarded as important to me until I moved out of the downtown area of IC, and then it got to the point where I never wanted to bother with the pains of parking in the area or waiting in line for a table or booth to open up. That all seems completely insignificant now, but it’s nice to have this memento at least.

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Probably the best curry in the world

Flickr photo by: Miss604
Photo credit: miss604 on Flickr

We decided to put this little place in the Robson Public Market to the test last night. We’ve been walking by it over and over, doing the same old, “We should try that place sometime.” It took us forever to just think about setting foot into the market, and I have since become a huge fan of their fruit selections. They have a much better variety, it’s a little cheaper, and the grocery stores around the west end of Vancouver kinda suck in comparison.

Anyway, the best curry in the world? That’s tough to say because I haven’t traveled around the world enough to sample everything there is to sample, but for the money, we had a lot of curry last night.

Mui Garden Delight is a tad on the pricey side, compared to some of the other places you can grab a bite to eat at the Robson Market, but it’s worth the price. Having the beef and vegetable specials last night that were $6 a piece, it was more of a task rather than a meal. It wasn’t too hot, and the spice was comfortable to the pallet. The taste, on the other hand, was outstanding. Even with the $6 special ending with this month, they will probably see us again.

Anytime you give me something with lots of rice, a great curry sauce to pour over it, and a nice portion of meat or chicken on top, I’m a very happy person. Even the next morning, I’m thinking about that beef curry I had last night. Holy crap.

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Andeles restaurant on Davie Street, Vancouver

Something new to try with my blogging adventures is to review places to eat. More so, the places that Rebecca and I find ourselves exploring. We recently discovered that we’ve been getting into a little bit of a rut, so we’re trying to branch out with new places from time to time.

Andeles on Davie Street in the west end of Vancouver was a pit stop on a long day we had about a week ago. We were searching and searching for someplace to eat, and after plenty of wandering, we stumbled into Andeles.

Recently, someone said there is no good Mexican food in Canada, and it’s something I have attested to but hold hope that somewhere… somehow… I will find it. Gladly, I can say that Andeles has some really good food, not to mention that they throw in some Spanish cuisine as well. And trust me, there is a difference.

Dinner at Andales We both ended up getting the special for that evening, which consisted of two pork enchiladas in a verdes sauce, one (so messy you could only eat it with a fork because it was busting at the seams) beef taco, rice, beans, and a salad. $11.95, and this sucker was enough food to be twice that price. Not to mention, it was tasty.

The only thing that caught the both of us was, and you know we had to try them, the margaritas. It’s one of those rare things that I have become a snob about, and the carbonation in their recipe caught me off guard. I had never tried such a thing, and it very well could have been Fresca that was added in with the drink.

Don’t get me wrong, they did the trick, but I find it curious to have such good food with “odd” margarita concoctions. Won’t stop me from coming back, but the help wanted sign in the window almost persuaded me to apply so I could help fix this, at least in my mind, error. Although, it could be a west coast thing, maybe even a Spanish influence of some sort. Not knocking it, just saying that it caught me by surprise.

Fear not. We’ll be repeat customers.

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No Name

No Name Toasted Oat Os We picked this up at the store yesterday while running a few errands. I already mentioned sometime ago about how we really enjoy soy milk with our cereal when we make an effort to pick that up for the morning. When we were faced with either getting Cheerio’s or these No Name Toasted Oat Os, I could not help but want to go with something that literally says “no name” on the package as its brand name, with a registered trademark no less.

And you know what? It’s fantastic! I won’t say that it’s for everyone, but this stuff is good to me. Of course, I’m also the type of guy who got made fun of by roommates in college for buying “Soy O’s” opposed to the typical staples of Captain Crunch or those massive bags of econo-brand Fruit Loops. I also love granola and/or oats more than chocolate and/or cake.

Who knew that, literally, no name could be this good?

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White meat chemistry experiment

Last night, I had the urge to go to McDonalds. It happens every great once and a while. More likely than none, it’s after I’ve had an alcoholic beverage or two when the thought pops into my head. There’s the part of your brain, obviously weekend with stupid juice, that says, “you know, that does sound good.”

On the way home last night, we stopped by one of the three locations that are all within easy reach from our home, all separated by an average of four blocks in the downtown area. When that spark lites in your head, it’s pretty hard to detour around it. You’re too weak to tell yourself that you’ve seen Super Size Me[imdb] enough times to run away. However, the other side of you says Harold and Kumar[imdb] went to White Castle, and they had a wacky adventure. I can totally do this.

Hollywood… you have failed me once again. Miserably. I guess I could blame the lack of common sense, but we can all just assume that one, right?

No worries, though. I’m not completely sick, and no, it’s not the effects of the tasty beverages. I’m “experienced” enough to know what is and isn’t. I even get upset when Rebecca gets McDonalds, so you can bet that I am kicking myself doubly over this one.

It gets better though. Going to the McDonalds website, I decided to look up exactly what crap I put in my stomach last night that’s still making me feel like the Hamburgler has setup a refugee camp in my intestinal track.

White Meat CHICKEN MCNUGGETS: Chicken meat, water, modified corn starch, salt, chicken broth powder (chicken broth, salt and natural chicken flavouring), seasoning [(vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), extracts of
rosemary, mono, di and triglycerides (from sunflower oil) and soy lecithin)]. Breaded with: water, wheat flour, yellow corn flour, modified corn starch, salt, baking powder, spices (white and black pepper, celery seed), wheat starch,
whey powder, sodium aluminum phosphate, corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil (manufacturing aid), (par-fried in partially hydrogenated soybean oil, corn oil, TBHQ, citric acid and dimethyl silicone). Cooked in 100%
vegetable oil (Canola oil with added THBQ, citric acid and dimethypolysiloxane). [mcdonalds]

It all starts making sense within a few words, doesn’t it? Forget that the menu even lists them as being “white meat”. And “dimethypolysiloxane”? I tried to do a quick search on it and came up with nothing after just a few tries. If I can’t go to Google and come up with a fairly quick explanation, then you know that can’t be good.

What I did find mentioned dimethypolysiloxane as a polymer in some sort of environmental science study, and the other website listed it as an ingredient in some sort of skin cream for applying to areas of your body that had laser surgery. Wow! A million and one uses. And you can eat it, too!

Sadly, it doesn’t end there, but I’ll bypass the explanation as to what’s in the barbeque sauce. Yet another thing that I hardly, if ever, consume. I will say that if you have to have sauce with your nuggets, go with honey and steer clear of everything else. It only has three ingredients, and it doesn’t get more natural than the stuff that bees make. All your other options have ten or more. Who knows what science experiments or cosmetic products you can create with them.

I guess I could rephrase that opening thought. Last night, I had a horrible idea to go to McDonalds.

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Not used to so much smoke free

Smoke free restaurants and venues are something I became very accustomed to when I moved to Vancouver. In the states, this is taking effect from the inside out. It starts with hospitals pushing the proximity in which one can smoke further and further away from their walls. From there, it’s moved on to places where you can get a bite to eat, but bars fight back tooth and nail on it. At that point, there is a settlement over how much the percentage of revenue is taking from food compared to other goods that are sold, this often being alcohol. The less food you sell, the more you can have smoking in your establishment.

It’s all baby-steps towards a state-wide ban or stiff regulation on where you can or can’t smoke. In Canada, it gets even steeper. I did a little looking around, and the greater Vancouver area seems to have a more relaxed stance on it compared to other parts of the country. That doesn’t mean that people are content with the way things are.

The city of White Rock is poised to become the first community in B.C. to impose an outdoor patio smoking ban, with council set to vote on the issued Monday night.

Dozens of owners of restaurants along the beach in White Rock plan to be at the Monday council meeting to voice their opposition. [cbc]

No don’t get me wrong and start saying that I hate everyone who smokes. If that’s your habit, then that’s your thing. Enjoy the things you enjoy, and I will enjoy mine. It’s not the healthiest thing that anyone could pick up, but I’m sure no one usually gets cancer from biting their fingernails or picking their nose. Nasty habits, but far less risky.

The crappy thing about this, in terms of living in this city, is that I can recall so many times when Rebecca and I go out to eat and we don’t sit on the patio because of all the smokers. That is one of the best things about Vancouver, too. Enjoying your meal with a cool ocean breeze blowing and over priced, under juiced cocktails. There’s nothing like it, but you can’t do it without the potential company of some one who is enjoying a cigarette while chowing down. And generally speaking, that potential is usually for certain.

It’s a really tough argument. I don’t want their smoke, and they don’t like being pushed deeper and deeper into a corner. What I find it really strange about all of this is that I notice smokers, at least in public places, outdoors more than I ever did indoors. Such is the enigma of Vancouver.

Update: White Rock turned down the ban proposal last night[cbc].

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Eat at Rolly’s

Rolly's in Hope, B.C.I was going through my photo library on my laptop and came across pictures from the weekend getaway that Rebecca and I took to the Okanagan a few months ago. Perhaps one of these days I will get around to posting some of those to my Flickr. When you take a boy who has lived in the rolling prairies of the midwest all his life into the mountains, he tends to get a little camera happy.

Let me just say, landslides are impressive. I fear them now.

We stopped in Hope, B.C. for some breakfast on our way out, obviously at Rolly’s. Personally, this will be one of the most memorable parts of our trip because not only is the food good, but that little grease stop is too cool. Never before in my life have I ever felt more like Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction[imdb]. The locals kept looking at Rebecca and I like we were going to rob the place ourselves. That doesn’t imply that they were unfriendly. We just weren’t apart of the local crowd, and it might be fair to say that this fact was on the obvious side.

Still, I will make my demands that anytime we pass through Hope and are looking for a meal, we’re stopping at Rolly’s.

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Cranberry slurpees are divine

I’ve been able to replace my summertime craving for ice cream with slurpees. Truth is, I can really go for ice cream at anytime of year. Even back home, when it is -15F in the dead of winter, there’s nothing better than grabbing some ice cream. A blizzard during a blizzard? Done that many times, but back to slurpees…

Just the other day, a new flavor popped up on one of the machines we frequent. Cranberry. Most of the time, colors are the flavor. And until that wonderful day last week, orange was my favorite, closely followed by blue. However, cranberry has knocked both of them from the top and earned the honor of being called by its true name.

A flavor this good cannot be called by it’s color. I’m sorry. I just can’t get myself to do it.

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Spending Sunday in Fort Langley

Planet Java's ceilingThere isn’t a whole lot in Fort Langley, but sometimes that’s just what you need. A place where there isn’t a lot of hustle and bustle to get away from the city for a while. We were able to check it out a little more than just the drive through that I have experienced before. And if you are driving through, that doesn’t take too long.

Needless to say, it’s a small town with some character. Reminds me a lot of the small towns from where I grew up, but I think it’s a lot harder to get soy in your lattes back home than it is in Fort Langley. Even though there isn’t a Starbucks or Blenz in sight of downtown, there certainly is no shortage of coffee related establishments. You’ll have to wander past the numerous antique shops to get to them.

Autographed Tori Spelling photo at Planet JavaYou can tell that the town gets more traffic in the summer. People head out from the city to do the exact same thing that we did on Sunday. And if you do get the chance to get there, check out the little 50’s diner for a bite to eat, Planet Java 50’s Soda Fountain Café. They don’t do fries as a side to your sandwich of choice. The potato salad is just as good though, perhaps even better than the fried alternative. And it still tastes good for at least two to three hours after. How can you beat that?

And there have been movies film in this little downtown area as well. What kind of B.C. town would this be if it wasn’t used as a film set? It’s getting to the point where the game is spotting the place that has yet to be in a movie.

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The Olympia Restaurant vs. the COC

Last Saturday, we ate at the Olympia Restaurant on Denman Street.  After a long day of hiking, Rebecca tempted me with the thought of some greek food, and I was totally down for that, especially with my empty, fully hiked stomach yelling at me for nourishment.

The food was outstanding, but the restaurant itself has become a bit of a famous landmark due to it’s name.  As 2010 approaches, the Canadian Olympic Committee has hit the Olympia with an order to take down their sign as it uses the olympic rings in their logo.  They have used the name and logo this way for fifteen years, but with the games coming to Vancouver, the COC has deemed that the Olympia has no right to use the sign they have been all this time.

Check out 998denman.com and see for yourself.  Oddly enough, we were searching the web before heading over for dinner only to have Mosi, the guy pictured on the front page, as our server.  The place was pretty packed the night we were there.  As far as I’m concerned, sign the petition because the meal was pretty freaking spectacular!