Afternoon Tea – My Golden Apron

March 2017 : Baci Baci Italia e Giappone (Kiss Kiss Italy and Japan)

March 29, 2017March 29, 2017For Your Information, Local VancouverLeave a Comment

Udon in Tomato Nduja Miso Broth with pea shoots, napa cabbage, spinach and pickled Shallots Homemade!

Deconstructed Afternoon Tea at Wild Sweets: “an affair to remember”

I revisited Wild Sweets with my dear foodie friends one Sunday afternoon for their “Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Afternoon Tea”, their 13-course afternoon tea is a very unique and “hands on” affair. All courses came “deconstructed” with detailed explanation presented by Mr. Dominique, each item includes a cocoa bean to chocolate element, all served with a chocolate tea infusion. Their take on this old tradition is very refreshing and modern filled with wonderful surprises, I felt I was taken “back in time” to secondary school days experimenting in the science lab. We had the most wonderful 2 hours assembling and styling the delicate treats, it is definitely an “affair” to remember.

Thank you very much to Dominique and Cindy and their staff for this wonderful learning experience!

Booking for this event is available online through their website:

http://dcduby.com/

Epic Italian Cooking Night : Nduja!!!

My dear friend James now resides in Casperia, Italy and comes back to Canada to visit his family twice a year. Whenever he is in town, we always get together to cook an Epic Italian Dinner at my home. We always have the best time preparing all the dishes together for our friends, I hope in the near future someday I will be cooking with James, a truly wonderful teacher, in Italy..

James always introduce a tasty and authentic Italian element to our dinners: I rarely use already processed sauce or paste, however I am willing to make an exception for James! And here comes “Nduja”: a spicy cured pork salumi spread originally from Calabria, Italy.

This is the bottled version found at Bianca Maria on East Hastings…You can purchase the sausage form from Oyama Sausage at Granville Island

When using nduja, a little goes a long way, the smell and taste reminded me a little of chorizo sausage (without the distinctive smell). We used it as the base for the sauce, cooked together with a little olive oil, white wine and minced garlic; then we steamed the clams in the sauce, finished off with grated lemon zest. Toss in “al dente” spaghetti (nduja is already salty so be light handed with salt when boiling pasta) and Voila! The flavors melted together and lifted the pasta dish to a different level, and the sauce tasted even better on the next day.

James was such a sweetie and got rid of all the clam shells!

The bottled version is available at Bianca Maria, a quaint Italian food store on East Hastings; the sausage version is available at Oyama Sausage in Granville Island; give it a try and tell me which version do you like better?

Always cook with love and thoughtfulness, and eat with your love ones (quote Peter Ciuffa “pastaboy”)

Spaghetti with Fresh clams cooked in Nduja, white wine, lemon zest, and garlic !

Baked sea bass with romano beans cooked in San Marzano tomatoes and nduja; with pea sprouts salsa verde (modified recipe from Great British Chefs)

Beautiful sea bass from Brian’s wonderful Seafood City at Granville Island, nduja sausage from Oyama Sauage and Co., romano beans from Granville Island Market.

http://www.seafoodcitygi.com/

http://oyamasausage.ca/

“Little Happiness Starts Here” : Baker and Table (6414 Fraser Street, Vancouver, BC)

I checked out the sweet and rustic Baker and Table bakery cafe at East 48th Avenue and Fraser, it was wonderful to meet the owner Ms. Hitomi who provided really wonderful and friendly service.

I really enjoyed the organic chicken with cashew pesto sandwich and the cheesecake for dessert; I also purchased the tasty white bread (whipping cream incorporated) which was “pillowy” soft, I used to make thick toast at home for breakfast. She does accept special cake orders, I returned the next day and purchased a delicious strawberry shortcake and enjoyed it with my friends on our Epic Italian Dinner Gathering. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook for menu information and updates.

http://www.bakerandtablecafe.com/

Herbal tea and organic chicken cashew pesto sandwich; it was their one month anniversary and they were giving away thank you treats to customers (OO)

Half Loaf from Baker and Table on Fraser: Thick Toast!!

Baci Baci Kissa Tanto in Chinatown: Memorable Dinner and Superb Service

One rainy Thursday night after a long and hectic day at work, we decided to head to Chinatown and got in to Kissa Tanto (it was around 8 pm) without any reservations!

The experience left us speechless: the dishes (our favorite was the lasagna of the day (picture shown) were filled with interesting elements of Japanese and Italian flavors, a combination which I personally enjoyed a lot.

The service (I believe our server’s name name is Celina) was very attentive and superb. Love their retro decor and ambiance: Kissa Tanto, thank you for a memorable dining experience.

Reservations recommended or walk in early.

http://www.kissatanto.com/

Lasagne del Giorno: Sake Kasu Pork Ragu….Packed with interesting layers of flavor, never had a light “sake-flavored” lasagna and it works..I actually created a similar sauce served with penne pasta at home…

Summer Time…Chilin’ and Cooking

July 26, 2016July 26, 2016Eating Out, For Your Information, Local Vancouver, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Chilin’ on Fourth – Yuzu Lemonade @ Raisu

Summer Time: Chillin’ and Cooking….A snapshot of my July in Vancouver..

On Wednesday July 27 I will be on Ms. Deborah Moore’s radio show on Fairchild Radio 1470 at 10:30am sharp! ‘If you have any feedback or recommendations, I would love to hear from you! Drop me a line anytime at goldenapron@gmail.com

Keep Chilin’ and Cooking (OO)

Modern Chinese Cooking Class @ Nourish Cafe (3742 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC)

Last week my “cooking buddy” Jo and I took a ‘Modern Chinese Cooking Class” at the newly opened Nourish Cafe; owner and instructor Dan taught us how to make a simple version of “baos” (steamed buns) and “Dan Dan Noodles” – it was a fun and refreshing take on some old Chinese classics! I went with no expectation and left with great ideas; in fact Dan has solved one of my recent cooking dilemmas! Nourish’s food philosophy and practices are actually very close to what I’ve been learning over the past few years since we made some significant lifestyle changes; Thank you Dan and Lisa, it was great pleasure meeting you both and I shall return sometime! Check their website for class schedules.

http://www.nourishvancouver.ca

Brunching at Nourish – Sriracha hummus and potato cakes and Eggs Benny; they offer delicious and nutritious options for Vegetarians and Vegans

Dan’s Dan Dan – here’s what we assembled and devoured in class ; the tahini and almond butter base “dan dan” sauce was absolutely delicious! Thanks Dan for the inspiration, you actually just solved one of my cooking dilemmas!

Deb’s experimental Dan Dan – inspired by Dan’s recipe, I’ve changed things up a bit by adding sea kelp noodles (50% kelp/50% regular noodle), sesame tahini (omit sesame oil) and balsamic vinegar. Recipe coming soon.

French cooking classes: Tartine and Maple

http://www.tartineandmaple.com

French cooking is always very close my heart; Jo and I attended two demo-cooking (French cooking and later Brioche) classes learning from the lovely Valentine at Uncommon Cafe, she definitely made everything so easy! Check her website for class schedule!

Below is the picture of the asparagus and cheese tart which I created at home, following her recipe (from her other french cooking class); I think I may have conquered my fear in working puff pastry…one step at a time!

Shrimp croquettes @ Raisu in Kitslano

The latest “sister” restaurant to Kingyo (Davie), Rajio (west 10th) and Suika (West Broadway); Raisu opened recently on West 4th Avenue (2340 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC), a big thank you to Brian (Seafood City) who told me about this new venue! There’s no storefront on the street level, look for a small entrance which leads you to an open space with patio on the second floor!

The shrimp croquette was so delicious and resembled the fluffy crab claws at a Chinese banquet; the vegetarian udon was packed with flavor! A cool open space with good vibe, where else would you be listening to Billy Joel and watching old-time Bruce Lee’s movies while enjoying some delicious bites? Reservations recommended (by phone only).

We usually associate croquettes with potatoes; this is completely different and I think they have hit a home run with this dish! Now I’m curious and want to “dissect” this at home..

We waited for 45 minutes for a table at another drinking place; so we didn’t try their Teishoku! Vegetarian udon was light and packed with flavor (miso)…Love it!

An old favorite revisited: Secret Garden Tea Company

My buddy DP and I paid a visit to this established and timeless favourite in Kerrisdale, they will be moving this summer! We had their High Tea set and I think their lemon tarts is still my favourite…They will be moving to a new location (on West 40th, still in the neighbourhood) sometime this summer.

http://www.secretgardentea.com

It’s never too hot to cook: check out my noodle recipes (new and old postings)

I’m making more “mixed” noodle dishes this summer, experimenting with the spiralizer (yes finally new toy!) and new products (kelp noodle); meanwhile check out my old recipes (Type in the keywords in the “search” box (left column) above “RECENT POSTS”. My favourite recent posting is last month’s Sake Kasu sablefish (OO)

Sea Kelp “noodle” – available at Whole Foods – experimenting and recipe coming soon! Check out my instagram!

My Lazy Phnom Penh Noodle (July 2014) – it’s still one of my favourite things to make)

Mushroom Soba Salad (February 2014)
Vegetarian Soba with Lemon Vinaigrette (March 2016)

Kale chips for tea? Vegan High Tea @ Indigo Food Cafe

November 20, 2013March 17, 2014Eating Out, Local VancouverLeave a Comment

Raw Vegan High Tea Dessert Time: My favourite was the coconut cream pie (raw whole coconut, dates, vanilla, salt, lemon)

I love Afternoon Tea; it’s one of those English customs which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed from the days when I was still living in Hong Kong. This afternoon delight seems to have gained much popularity here in Vancouver; gone were the days when there were limited offerings of this service as in recent years quite a few unique tea houses have sprouted throughout the Lower Mainland; it is a wonderful way to spend an easy weekend afternoon with girlfriends.

Two weekends ago on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I shared a very unique high tea experience with three lovely ladies (Thanks Deb M, Jo Jo and Mavis) at the Indigo Food Cafe on West 16th Avenue (and Trafalgar Street). The idea of trying out a raw vegan meal is definitely a novelty for me; this experience was ultimately curiosity driven! As I’m not familiar with vegan dining, I can only tell you my overall impression and what I’ve enjoyed at this quaint and wholesome little place.

Deb M made reservations (recommended especially on weekends due to limited seating) and ordered our Raw High Tea Sets. Listed as extra service on the menu, it must be ordered and confirmed in advance. The set is a great way to get a taste of their menu, just as regular high tea offerings at other establishments, we each choose our tea from their organic and fair trade loose leaf teas selection.

The bite size delicacies were served in the traditional three tiers: with the savouries on the bottom and sweets on top. When the owner presented our food, we were taken back! All the items, especially the desserts, do not look raw at all! Visually they are very pretty as the colours are vibrant, and the play on texture shows a lot of thought has been given to the entire creative process. We enjoyed the whole foods in their natural state; overall the use of ingredients and combination of flavours are sharp yet tasty.

We had kale chips (picture not shown), my favourite savoury items were the buckwheat crepe (the only cooked item) and the stuffed mushroom;

Buckwheat crepe with enoki mushrooms and sprouts

Stuffed mushroom (with cashews, lemon juice, garlic, red star nutritional yeast

As for desserts, I could have done with a bit less and finding most of them too sweet for my liking (it’s a personal preference). However I did enjoy immensely the coconut cream pie (picture in header) and their fresh in-house made fruit and yogurt cup.

Organic raw fermented coconut cashew yogurt with raw sprouted granola and seasonal fruit

The service was very attentive, the owner also took her time to explain each item and describe the ingredients (actually listed on menu), they truly took pride in their work and they should! Afterwards I chatted with the owner briefly to obtain more information on their classes which are taught on site (schedule available online); I am definitely looking into attending a class (Jo Jo Let’s go!) sometime in the future.

I went with no expectations and the overall experience was filled with pleasant little surprises; perhaps this was the first time I didn’t feel guilty after having “cheesecake”..(OO)

Information:

Indigo Food Cafe – 2589 West 16th Avenue (at Trafalgar), Vancouver, BC.

Dairy and Gluten Free, Diabetic and Vegan Friendly; Reservations recommended and required for Afternoon Tea; Metered parking available on West 16th, free parking available on side streets. Attentive service, pricing for tea service is comparable, reasonable portions. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 8pm, Menu, cooking classes information and pricing available on their own website (http://www.indigofood.org/)

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: