Tapas, Pintxos y Gaudi

Cafe Barcelona
Spanish Tapas and Pintxos
1049 Granville,
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L4
Canada
ph: 604-909-2223

Years ago, a former co-worker of mine once shared pictures of her work-related trip to Barcelona, Spain when an alien-looking mass of a church called La Sagrada Familia caught my attention. This was the beginning of my Gaudi obsession. Spain was never really on top of my places-to-go in Europe even with my Spanish background. I guess it just seemed a bit overrated for me especially growing up in the Philippines, Gaudi though changed me overnight. Barcelona immediately became one of my top destinations in the world.

In Vancouver, when I found out that there was a newly-opened, boutique style club on Vancouver's entertainment district called Barcelona, my love for Gaudi will no doubt make me enter those doors. Having heard this, I always keep my eyes peeled while walking on Granville St., looking out for Barcelona Nightclub and that's how I found Cafe Barcelona.

I mistook Cafe Barcelona to be the trendy, much-talked-about Barcelona (who would even open up two businesses on the same street, with the same name and at the same time?? Confused much!) but seeing the menu of this small, sleek cafe, I didn't even care anymore to check out at an over-priced nightclub and decided to just head down to Cafe Barcelona for some delicious Spanish tapas and for a little bit of the Barcelona experience.

Cafe Barcelona was a dark, sleek room with wooden tables and black leather upholstered chairs. In contrast to the dimness of their space, bright paintings of Barcelona shows that this cafe is indeed promoting Gaudi's home and even had little reference books on the table with the menu. Our friendly server came, offered us water and gave us the rundown of what this little cafe is all about.

Their menu consists of small plates called Tapas and Pintxos (pronounced peenchos), both having cold and hot selections. There are really not much of a difference between the two, both are small quantities of food and which are mostly eaten while consuming alcoholic beverages. Pintxos though is originated in Basque which literally means "pinches" -- pinches of food. The pintxos are smaller than the tapas but both are equally very satisfying in taste.

Cafe Barcelona's tapas and pintxos are priced economically with their most expensive tapa, the Basque sausage called Txistorra at $11.00 and is even served in pintxos size at $3.00. You can also get a croqueta for $1.75, which is a popular tapa of fried starch with a creamy bechamel and ham centre. All in all, their menu is perfect when you want to drink and indulge in good tasting food that is glutton guilt free considering the quantity, unless of course you over-order.

Since we are a table of 7, we ordered some smaller plates in 3, just to make sure that we all get a taste of the dish. Our picks included Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and allioli), Calamares (deep fried, Spanish style squid served with a lemon wedge), Gambas Ajillo (prawns sauteed in garlic and parsley), Champinon (sauteed mushroom with caramelized onions and ham), Mousse Queso Azul (blue cheese cream over minced walnuts), Olives Arbequires (Arbequina Olives), Manchego con Membrillo (Manchego cheese with quince paste), Jamon Serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham) and Croquetas which had tuna and bechamel sauce instead of ham and of course a pitcher of Sangria which is reasonably priced at $18 and a couple of pitchers of beer.

Everything that was put on our table was delicious. It is a bit hard to pick a favourite. I loved the Gambas Ajillo dish which was tasty in every succulent prawn bite but if you're not a garlic fan, stay away. The mushrooms were made delectable with the caramelized onions and a bit of ham flavour and the croqueta was equally delicious with its rich tuna centre. The calamares was good but if they bend the Spanish style a bit and serve it with the allioli (Spanish style garlic mayo), it would be better. The patatas bravas was filling and with its spicy tomato sauce and allioli, both sauces made this dish 3 levels higher than your regular french fries. The Olives Arbequires is a good deal costing only $2 for a small plate and is a great addition to a scrumptious Spanish feast. I thought the blue cheese mousse was very interesting, of course this should be eaten with bread (or 'pan' in Español) which you will be given lots of together with your orders. Since I recently developed a love for blue cheese, I enjoyed the mousse maybe this will be a bit rich especially for the non-blue cheese lovers but it's still worth a taste. I'm also a fan of the sharp Manchego cheese and the flavourful, distinct taste of Jamon Serrano so there was no surprise there when I had them at Cafe Barcelona, both tasty as itself but better together.

Sipping my sangria and having bites from the spread of Spanish tapas on our table really made my night, most especially when the bill came, very reasonable indeed. I can totally get used to eating Spanish style, hopefully the next time I do, I'm within 2 mile-radius from my beloved La Sagrada Familia but if this does not happen anytime soon, Cafe Barcelona will always be there to serve me some authentically delicious Spanish tapas and pintxos and will make me feel close to the most amazing art nouveau architect the world has ever seen.

** picture stolen from: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4173916480_922861d7b7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ethniceats.ca/category/spanish/&usg=__Ibvs4yCK4FK8aBjGZHnlN5VV2OM=&h=375&w=500&sz=148&hl=en&start=12&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=gJn7pZnJ2XM6hM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcafe%2Bbarcelona%2Bvancouver%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4RNWN_enCA316CA316%26tbs%3Disch:1

We All Scream for... FROZEN YOGURT!!

Qoola
Frozen Yogurt and More
1116 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2M8
Canada
ph: (604) 801-6338

Ice cream has always been my all-time favourite dessert. It is also my quick cure for bad days, heart aches and such which makes it one of the best treats ever and I'm sure many people feel the same way. You crave it and you may curse it for your expanding waistline but I don't think anyone will ever quit eating this creamy indulgence. Thankfully, many companies revolutionized the ice cream world and came up with a healthier option called THE FROZEN YOGURT.

The frozen yogurt made ice cream eating better. It's a bit tart and lighter compared to your regular favourite but it's definitely NOT a lousy alternative. In Vancouver, the market for frozen yogurt is rapidly growing and one of the newcomers, Qoola had definitely made an impression.

Not even a year old when Qoola opened its first branch in the West End, specifically on Denman St., it's a perfect location since it's steps away from English Bay so this little yogurt place is packed in the summer. Now, branches in Metrotown and Richmond are opening and many people are enjoying this fresh take to frozen yogurt.

I was first introduced to Qoola during one of my many walks to English Bay. It was the beginning of the summer when I saw the spick and span, bright green store that lured me right in. Offering fresh, NOT frozen fruits, waffles and crepes, slushes and smoothies and environmental friendly cups and spoons to top all that, Qoola is a step above the existing frozen yogurt chain. It just has so many more to offer, more fresh toppings and more variety even for their yogurt flavours. The environmental part of this chain store also added more appeal to the market considering how everyone is getting on the go-green bandwagon which is very good actually.

With a wide range of selection, it is hard to take a pick an order but the friendly Qoola staff will surely help. For my first cup of Qoola frozen yogurt, I had the Apple Caramel which is Qoola's very own creation with the regular frozen yogurt, crisp green apple slices, cinnamon flakes and of course caramel sauce. My first spoonful spelled danger for me. I knew from then on that I was hooked and indeed I was. For the summer, I needed to have my Qoola fix at least once a week or thrice a week max, trying out different variations and trying out different flavours. From my own creation, I loved the green tea yogurt, the triple chocolate shavings and chocolate sauce, simple but good. You can never really go wrong with matcha and chocolate together. Coming up with your very own concoction is a chance to be creative as you can, sometimes it can be trial and error but if it's a success, you landed a gold mine.

Next time you feel the need for ice cream, choose wise and have a cup of frozen yogurt instead and if you go to Qoola, give yourself a pat on the back cos not only that you're being good to your body but you're being good to the environment as well.

** picture stolen from: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://604foodtography.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/qoola-6237.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.604foodtography.com/2009/04/qoola-yogurtfruit/&usg=__rG4zdJbnoq_9R6_yGpkkWlWkyAk=&h=800&w=533&sz=81&hl=en&start=11&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BL-muWcy6jcuAM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dqoola%2Bfrozen%2Byogurt%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4RNWN_enCA316CA316%26tbs%3Disch:1

Thai Love

Thai Basil
Thai Cuisine
1215 Thurlow Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1X4
Ph: (604) 685-6754

It's part of my job to organize staff lunches at work and ever since I started this task, I have steered away from ordering boring sandwich lunches and made it a point to get my coworkers excited with whatever menu I can find. Having a budget gave me some constraint but if you look hard, you can find restaurants which serves economic meals which leave a lasting impression, inexpensive yet deliciously sastifying.

Variety is also something which I highly recognize and we've taken a trip around the world with the kinds of food that we've had but I realized that Thai was still an unexplored cuisine at our office staff lunch. Considering this, I remembered a small, hole-in-a-wall Thai restaurant called Thai Basil only a few blocks from where I live and a few more blocks from where I work.

I did my on-line research and gave them a call. Budget and delivery used to be the two important things when choosing a restaurant or catering service but since some helpful coworkers were willing to pick up the grub, we started to have more choices. Ordering from Thai Basil was not an easy task since all their dishes sounded delectable so I opted for the more popular dishes. Pad thai, massaman curry with chicken (mild curry with tomatoes, cashew nuts, onion and potatoes), swimming rama with tofu (steamed broccoli topped with Thai peanut sauce) and eggplant and basil with beef (Japanese eggplant wok fried with peppers, onions in fresh garlic-chili sauce topped with basil) and rice were my picks and the very helpful server took her time to assist me and make sure that we will not just feed 30 plus people but also satisfy them.

On the day of the meeting we headed out to this tiny, hole-in-a-wall like restaurant and picked up our feast. Numerous tupperwares of steaming food were packed in 5 plastic bags and we laid them out on the table for to be consumed. As soon as my co-workers had a taste of what I have ordered, compliments on how good the food is were flying across the room. It was a success. Thai Basil definitely delivered the authentic, scrumptious Thai flavours on to our plates. That day, it made 30 plus people gastronomically happy.

Crabbing at the Richmond Public Market

Richmond Public Market
Asian Cuisine
1880-8260 Westminster Highway,
Richmond, BC
Canada
ph:(604) 821-1889

Thanks to our bubble tea craving after a very fulfilling dimsum brunch in Richmond, I stumbled upon a heaven of Asian culinary delights known as the Richmond Public Market. Located a few blocks from the Richmond-Brighouse Station, the very accessible Public Market is home to a variety of vendors serving shockingly cheap, authentic Asian cuisine which makes over-$10-a-meal Chinese restaurants look bad, very bad.

With many food choices even desserts to boot, Richmond Public Market is the best place to go when you want to have your Asian food fix especially if you're on a tight budget. Heaps of Chinese food favourites such as beef and brocolli, sweet and sour pork, the Chinese version of the calamari and in my opinion, the Market's selling point -- the $7 crabs are being sold all over the place. MSG aside, you can definitely get your money's worth, especially with the crab dish which is usually sold for about $20 or even more in restaurants (and all you really get are a few measly pieces of crab claws). Served crunchy and with your choice of salt and pepper, black bean, ginger and green onion, curry or cream sauce, the Richmond Public Market crabs are highly addictive as long as you are the type of person who doesn't mind getting and down and dirty, working (in this case cracking) for their food.

For less than 5 dollars, you can get a mountainful of 3 entrees and a choice of chowmein or rice which you can take home for instant lunch the next day. Most customers go to the market for take out but personally, the place itself is clean enough, spacious and it even has a patio where you can savour the Richmond air on nice-weather days -- not bad, so dining in is actually an option.

Their Chinese food stalls seem to be the most popular but trying out the other Public Market fares will definitely make for good gastronomic experience. Don't skip on dessert, the cream-filled tiny waffles at the bubble tea place is a good way to take out the Asian food after taste or just go for the bubble tea which is always deliciously refreshing but filling.

I guess my only complaint at Market is the 20 cents they always charge you for anything extra -- take out styros, plates, cups -- 20 cents, 20 cents, 20 cents but I shouldn't be complaining anyway since the food is good and incredibly cheap. Well, maybe I should say that after the MSG induced dizzy spells have gone away. That will still be forgiven though, the Public Market crabs will always be their saving grace, it's that worth it that I will actually let them get away with smelly bathrooms and rude service although I never really had a problem with both.

Pinche Good Taco

La Taqueria
Mexican Food
322 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1K6
Canada
ph: (604) 568-4406

My Mexican ex-boyfriend and Mexican friends always rave about how absolutely delish "real" Mexican food is, particularly their taco. They said that the North American versions don't even come close to the taste and the flavours of the true Mexican taco. Breaking it down, the true taco is 1.) never served in a hard shell but served in soft tortillas 2.) does not require any sprinkle of that gooey cheese goodness unless of course you ordered a quesadilla 3.) does not come in mega jumbo sizes (that is why obesity is not a problem in Mexico) but instead comes in small, 3-bite sizes so you can try all the other taco flavours 4.) has a good variety of flavours, fish, chicken and pork included (but not all together of course) 5.) condiments such as guacamole and hot sauce and pickled vegetables of some sort are usually eaten with it and 6.) always served with a wedge of lime. Yes, the true Mexican taco seems indeed to be far from the taco we have grown to know and unless you've actually stepped on Mexican soil, you will be deprieved of the authentic taco flavour which is available on every street corner of Mexico and that is why La Taqueria was born.

Situated in a semi-shady area of downtown Vancouver, La Taqueria will surely catch your attention with it's bright-coloured Lady of Guadalupe painting on its facade. It's welcoming inside and out adorned with pretty Mexican art on its interior walls which also gives it a very authentic feel. Details such as bottlecaps nailed on the side of the bar, colourful plastic plates and cups, menu posted on a blackboard and a picture of a Mexican churro street vendor near the til also gives this little taqueria a Mexican street vibe which is what this place is all about -- Mexican street tacos. It's space maybe small but it's not cramped with the space-server bar tables and stools although I can imagine this place to get very crowded during the peak dining hours. It is a self-service taqueria where you place an order and a kitchen staff will deliver your picks of the day. Fast and fresh, just the way a taco should be.

Coming into La Taqueria, I was armed with my Mexican friend so that she can give me tips on what to order. The menu is pretty much just tacos and quesadilla but the variety of taco ranges from the special of the day, carne asada (grilled beef with cucumber), pollo con mole (chicken with mole sauce), pescado (fish with pico de gallo), carnitas (pork confit), de lengua (braised beef tongue) and even vegetarian options such as tinga de hongos (mushrooms in chipotle sauce) and so many more to choose from. The quesadilla could also be added with any choice of topping for an extra dollar fifty. Mexican drinks and candies are also available to be tried and consumed and if you're having problems with your taco choices, the server will gladly help you decide.

For my first La Taqueria experience, I ordered the special of the day, pollo con mole and quesadillas. The special of the day was cochinita, it was a tasty slow-roasted pork dish which was made even better with a squeeze of lime juice and some of the guacamole, chipotle sauce and pickled onions and jalapenos which are all available for consumption and are found across the counter. The chicken was also very good as well as the quesadilla which was served with sour cream although tasting the very flavourful toppings, I wished that I have ordered them with any of the available topping choices so I went back the next week and I did as what I promised myself to and ordered the quesadilla with the chicken and I also had the taco pescado and the asada. The fish stood out for me, very fresh flavours and the quesadilla was made 10 times better with the chicken, the asada was also very good... it is very hard to pick a favourite when every variety offers something quite different and so I am more than sure that I will be coming back again to La Taqueria to try all the other flavours cos the tacos are not just good, they are pinche (fucking) good.

* picture stolen from: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3928280106_9670b7ce03.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/kwu/3928280106/&usg=__C6dsoQvHHRea7B4rXS3n4WlgTyo=&h=375&w=500&sz=126&hl=en&start=34&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=iAQ44ICizZz8yM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dla%2Btaqueria%2Bvancouver%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4RNWN_enCA316CA316%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

Nuba is Good, ah!

Nuba Restaurant
Lebanese Cuisine
207 West Hastings Street,
Vancouver, BC
Canada
ph:(604) 688-1655

There is a prime spot on West Hastings which always attract my attention. It's a few steps below street level and at the very corner of a heritage building, called the Dominion. Even on drunken nights leaving The Cambie, I never failed to look at this spot, it just has something that lures you in, maybe it's the building itself which just spells c-h-a-r-a-c-t-e-r all over it. The old tenant was an interesting Mexican restaurant called The Old Mouse and Bean. I made a mental note to pay them a visit but unfortunately, it closed down before I could sample a taste of their wares. Thankfully, a Lebanese restaurant called Nuba stepped in.

Nuba from the outside looked exotic, cozy and mostly inviting and as curiosity took over me, I googled the restaurant and reviews and found out that their dish called Najib's Special made it on the list of Vancouver magazine's "Things to Taste Before You Die". Finding out about this, I quickly sold this restaurant to my friends and scheduled a Nuba date. Making reservations has become a good habit of mine even dining on a week night. Learning from experience, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Inside, the restaurant was even better with its modern-exotic ambiance which ironically gives it a hint of retro feel with its wooden tables and olive green upholstery. The space is big and on a Monday night, it was packed, thank god for reservations. The hostess was friendly as I was led to our table and was immediately given glasses of cucumber water. Being the first one to arrive from our party of four, I had the opportunity to go over the menu and noticed the two-course vegetarian platter for two called La Feast. This seems to be a good Nuba starter dish so you can have a try of what the restaurant has to offer which included the Najib's Special which is all I cared about really. As long as I get a bite of that crispy cauliflower seasoned with lemon and sea salt, I'll be happy.

When my friends finally arrived, the server gave us the rundown of the specials and most of us made a quick order of the drink special which was a concoction of cucumber, mint and Pimms liquor -- whatever that was and my other friend ordered the organic sangria. The drink special was interesting, it's not something I would re-order but I'll always try anything new and unusual as long as it doesn't involve eating cute, furry creatures (rabbits included). The organic sangria actually suites my palate more but both drinks were refreshing nonetheless. With our hunger pangs making its presence, we ended our order discussion and decided to go for the La Feast, chicken tawook which is a dish of marinated grilled chicken breast and the fire-grilled halloumi cheese with sweet vinaigrette.

After some chit chats, the first part of the La Feast arrived which was a huge platter of hummus (chickpea, lemon, garlic and tahini dip), baba ghanooj (roasted eggplant puree), taboulleh (parsley and burghul salad), some pickled vegetables which I thought were beets but I could be very wrong and of course a bowl of pita bread. Just basing from the first bite of my hummus and pita, I knew it was going to be a good meal. Everything on the plate was delectable and we were still wiping it clean with our pita when round number two arrived. It was a heaping platter of green and brown dishes which could fill up three hungry people especially since we already had a good fill from the first course. Falafel, mjadra (green lentils with crispy onions and jalapeño), roasted potatoes, fattoush salad (greens, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions and roasted pita chips) some black olives and Macedonian feta cheese and of course the Najib's Special make up the second course and these are served with side dips of creamy jalapeño, tahini and tzatziki.

Naturally, the Najib's Special was the first thing I put in my mouth. Drizzled with a bit of tahini for that first perfect bite, this dish was tangy, tasty and every bit memorable and it did deserve to be well-renowned, definitely to die for. The falafel topped with the jalapeño dip for that extra zing will make your taste buds sing. It maybe the best falafel I had, not dry and very flavourful and fresh. The mjadra was delicious as well with the crunchy onions for the added flavour. The salad was also refreshing with a nice crunch from the roasted pita chips, the potatoes very well-seasoned and the olive and feta cheese added a good variety to this must-try dish. Our chicken tawook came as well as the halloumi cheese. The chicken was tender and tasty but was over-powered by the vegetarian dishes. The halloumi cheese was also good but if you just had a dish like the Najib's Special, everything else will be second rate, the cauliflower was hands-down the highlight of our Nuba night.

Feeling very full and satisfied except for my sweet tooth that was annoyingly nagging me, I was forced to call our server for the dessert menu. I opted for the mamoul which was a Lebanese style shortbread cookie with walnut and rosewater filling. My friends ordered the Turkish coffee which looked like a very potent, good-luck-with-sleeping-tonight pot of java which they seemed to enjoy. As for my cookie, it was the perfect ending to my Nuba experience. It was just the right kill-the-craving size and was delicately sweet.

Nuba definitely made Lebanese dining exquisite. Even if this restaurant is not located at my favourite spot, it will still be worth a thousand visits. You can even put it in the worst area of Vancouver where you curse the commute everytime, just as long as the cauliflower is on the menu I would definitely go.

* photo stolen from: www.chowtimes.com

Holy Smoked Meat

Schwartz's
Deli/Sandwiches
3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montréal, Québec H2W 1X9 Canada
ph: (514) 842-4813

When I mentioned that I will be going to Montreal for a vacation, people would tell me excitedly: "Must go to Schwartz's and have their smoked meat, it's the best ever!" naturally, that was the first place that I wanted to attack when we landed in Montreal. Staying at a hostel near St. Laurent, we ventured out in search of this ever-famous Delicatessen.

After a few "Do you know where Schwartz's is?" and being told that we have a few more blocks to go was making us impatient and surely enough, when we got there, there was a nice little queue already formed outside the door. Thankfully, the nice sunny weather made the hour long queu more like a chance to soak in all that Montreal sun. I had no complaints getting a good dose of Vitamin D except that my tummy was already making those "feed me" noises which I never failed to satisfy.

Before impatience and hunger won the best of us, we were finally unshered in. The restaurant was fully packed, right from the bar to every seat in the big white room and to take out area which were also filled with people waiting to order. The restaurant is a simple Delicatessen where cafeteria-like tables and chairs occupy the space and the menu is written on a piece of paper, it is simple but it works. You don't really expect a Delicatessen to have fancy adornments since they were serving smoked meat and fries not foie gras and caviar.

We were led to a table big enough for a party of 6. My friend and I were then asked to share our table with 4 people who seemed to be out-of-towners and Schwart's first-timers like us. Ordering was easy for me since I wanted to get some food in my body so I immediately picked the smoked meat sandwich and a side of fries. The service was fast and efficient considering it's very busy state but after all that waiting, my friend didn't order anything since she didn't want to eat any beef, well, bad choice of restaurant for her, as for me, I couldn't wait for the much-talked about smoked meat.

When my sandwich arrived, it was so loaded that chunks of meat would fall off when I picked it up. I took one big bite and made my taste buds take over... it was good but way too hyped up for me. I'm not a smoked meat expert so I can't really tell if that was indeed the best of the best but it was good. I'm also a condiment fanatic and I thought that it needed a bit more mustard. The fries were typical fried potatoes and I thought maybe my meal would have been better if I ordered the more interesting sides such as coleslaw, olives, sour pickles and even peppers but I was already getting full with what I had.

Our "table mates" seemed to have over-ordered and were drowning in smoked meat. I didn't hear any Oh-my-god-this-is-so-good! statements so I guess the hype also killed it for them. All I can say is that if I lined up for an hour, I expect to swoon in deliciousness, unfortunately that didn't happen but I'm still happy that we did head down to Schwart's otherwise our Montreal gastronomic trip would never be complete.