CALGARY: Abandon Starbucks, all ye who enter here

Over the past eight years, Caffè Artigiano has built a reputation and loyal following in Vancouver for its outstanding coffee and beautiful cappuccinos and lattes. Now, it’s taking Calgary — the first expansion outside of Vancouver where there are six locations — by storm.

Because I don’t work downtown, I’ve only visited Caffè Artigiano on the weekends. You know it’s not just hype when the place is filling on up at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, after being open for just over a month now.

This place takes their coffee seriously, armed with a Clover system that brews one cup at a time and a shiny red La Marzocco FB80 espresso machine. (I don’t really know what that means, but it’s pretty.)

I’m not a coffee expert, but I know I don’t like it cold, burnt, bland, or overpriced. Those definitely don’t happen at Artigiano; even better, they design patterns with the foam and espresso on every cappuccino and latte. I just know my tall lattes ($3.79) are always warm and yummy.

I was actually blown away by Artigiano’s sandwiches, toasted just so. I’m salivating just thinking about the roasted leg of lamb panino ($8.49) on sundried tomato bread, cilantro aioli and roasted red peppers. I’ve never seen lamb sliced thin like that. So very good.

We’ve also tried the chicken and brie panino ($8.49) on ciabatta with fig jam and spinach. I always like a hearty sandwich with real chunks of meat and not that processed sliced sandwich loaf stuff.

The chain was started by two brothers, one of them a three-time Canadian barista champion who still trains and coaches staff. They sold their business to a former Earl’s Restaurant executive last year but continue to own a roasting plant that supplies Artigiano with coffee beans.

Their 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters is the only Canadian company to successfully bid on Hacienda La Esmeralda Especial from Panama, which has been called “the world’s best coffee,” and roasts it exclusively for Artigiano. A half-pound bag sells for about $135; you can try a cup yourself for $15.

Caffè Artigiano, Centrium Building, 332-6th Ave. SW, Calgary, (403) 699-9855.
Open Mon. to Wed. 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Thurs. and Fri. 6 a.m.-7 p.m., weekends 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Website here.

 

‘The world’s greatest Chinese restaurant outside China’

Like any self-respecting blogger, I like checking my stats once in a while (or three times a day) and I suddenly noticed a spike in people searching for “Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine” and finding this blog.

Turns out one of my favourite restaurants in the Vancouver area is cited as “the world’s greatest Chinese restaurant outside China” in a book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, by New York Times reporter, Jennifer 8. Lee.

An amazing compliment for sure, but according to this article, Zen is struggling just to stay open, resorting to slashing its set menu to half price ($36).

Click here for my original write-up in 2006 of the restaurant that my parents go to regularly. Zen should be booming — on par with lauded restaurants like Vancouver’s West or Vij’s but its location on the second floor of a strip mall in the suburb of Richmond probably hurts it more than anything.

I grew up resenting the Chinese food of my ancestors, thinking it was boring and not refined. Zen totally turns my childish misconception on its head, highlighting and respecting what Chinese food can be, with the advantage of B.C.’s fresh seafood.

Zen stuffs a whole whelk shell with delicious curried seafood. There’s silky smooth smoked Alaskan cod and stunning lobster buried under sweet, not pungent, garlic.

So let me tell you, Vancouverites or visitors, you’ll be kicking yourself if Zen closes before you get to visit.

UPDATE: Zen finally has a website here.

Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine, 2nd floor, 8580 Alexandra Rd., Richmond, B.C., Canada (604) 233-0077. Dinner 5:30-11 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.

 

VANCOUVER: Famous chefs of the future

There are so many reasons the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is a unique place. The cooking school is in a prime location at the mouth of Granville Island. Inside is a restaurant with huge picture windows of the marina and mountains on one side, and windows into its student kitchen on the other. Best of all, it features a 2-for-1 special Monday to Thursdays in January and February.

Normally, lunch is $24 and dinner is $36 for three courses. I think the school’s 2-for-1 deal is one of Vancouver’s best-kept secrets. Bookings fill up fast and there’s a limit of 6 people per table.

Staffing the restaurant is the final part of training for students in the culinary arts and baking/pastry arts programs. This includes front-of-house service.

We sat in front of one of the dessert windows. Apparently everyone in the baking program dreads the chocolate station because it’s smack dab in front of diners. I sympathize – though it didn’t stop us from gawking as one student made tray after tray of chocolate nougat for the bakeshop.

With supervision from the chef instructors, the students design and prepare the daily three-course menu, based on what suppliers have sent that day.

We had three choices for each course, and there were enough of us that we tried almost everything on the menu.

The Bombay-style scallop tartar was the most ambitious appetizer. I’m a sucker for tartar anything, though here, the scallops with a hint of curry were almost overwhelmed by the sweetness of the caramelized red onion. The pommes gaufrette gave a nice crunch to balance out texture.

The layered prawn and goat cheese napoleon played to its natural flavours on baby field lettuce with balsamic vinaigrette. The marinated broccoli florets however were a strange and unnecessary addition. No complaints on the broccoli, apple, acorn squash soup with herb croutons.

Everyone passed on the chicken pasta entrée with most of us ordering the pan-roasted lamb sirloin. We like the baa-baa. The meat was incredible, delicious and all cooked to order with a great tarragon sauce.

I got a taste of Kevin’s seared steelhead trout with garlic confit, braised beluga lentils, bell peppers and rapini. Very good, but it was no baa-baa.

The restaurant has a thoughtful wine list with about a dozen reds and whites. We got a deep 2003 Tommaso Valpolicella Ripasso.

Desserts were beautiful but I wished they had a knockout punch. There was a bit of a post-Valentine’s theme with red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, chocolate mousse with a phallic garnish, and a five nut tart with crème anglaise and chocolate ice cream. They were good and hopefully by the time students graduate, they’ll be fabulous.

The last item on the agenda is a feedback card. Top marks for gorgeous plating, working with fresh ingredients, and friendly service. The food was very good but I’m still waiting for the wowza factor. The students are probably saving that for when they open their own restaurants.

Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, 1505 W. 2nd Ave, Vancouver, (604) 734-4488, toll-free 1-800-416-4040. Hours and more info here.

 

RICHMOND: Pineapples and volcanos

Lido Restaurant is one of those places you’ll find only if someone takes you there. Like most of Richmond’s gems, it’s nestled in a strip mall with a plain sign. What gives it away are the Chinese people crammed into the tiny glass entryway, waiting for a table.

Next to the lineup is a rack of fresh, hot pineapple buns. A strange place to store them maybe but they don’t sit for long. The buns, named after the sweet crust textured like a pineapple, are one of Lido’s specialties. So in demand that when people register for the waiting list, they also reserve how many pineapple buns they want at the same time.

This is Hong Kong café fare at its best. Chinese breakfast is a whirlwind of combos. The waitresses think you’re crazy if you only order satay beef noodles on its own when you can get a bonus plate of ham and eggs AND some turnip cake for just a buck fifty more.

Turnip cake is ubiquitous around Chinese New Year. It’s a mash of Chinese turnip and rice flour steamed with bits of Chinese sausage and dried shrimp. To serve, you slice off pieces and fry them for breakfast. You can eat it with soy sauce or hot sauce.

The only problem here is all the breakfast specials are written in Chinese. Lucky for me, my mom is around to read them off to us. On another visit though, the lunch menus have both English and Chinese. Go figure.

My favourite here so far is the dry scallop Shanghai noodles, minced pork with Chinese dry scallops in a savoury and slightly hot sauce.

It’s nice to come here with my family now that I’m grown up and order the volcano rice that used to delight us as kids. It’s actually minced beef with egg on rice, but my dad sold it to us as volcano rice because he builds it up to a pyramid and then makes the raw egg “erupt” onto the rest of the plate. Eating is fun time!

Oh yes, a warning if you are not familiar with Hong Kong-style cafés. They are ridiculously fast and efficient. Prices stay low because they deal in volume and fast turnover. Most of the time, your entire order will be on the table under 10 minutes. The waitresses always get my respect with a capital R. They never stop moving and they never mess up orders. These people know what they’re doing.

Lido Restaurant, 4231 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, B.C. (604) 231-0055.

 

VANCOUVER: Gallery stop

After the nostalgia and kitsch of Chinatown, stop by the Ayden Gallery for a breather. We were stuck in the Chinese New Year parade crowds and somehow found our way into this refreshing little spot.

Apparently it just opened, featuring the artwork of Canadian, if not local, artists and designers. It’s not all hoity-toity expensive stuff either. Very new and fun. These manga animation paintings were going by silent auction starting at a reasonable $250.

I coveted the unique glass chandelier but it’s hand blown so I fancy that costs quite a bit more.

Pop in for a peep.

Ayden Gallery, International Village (Tinseltown), 88 West Pender, 2nd floor, Vancouver, (77 891-4310. Open Tues-Thurs 5-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m., Sunday 5-9 p.m. or by appointment.

 

VANCOUVER: Delicious yelling

There’s a lot of yelling at Guu with Garlic but in a good way. When you walk in, the chefs and servers holler “IRASSHAIMASE!” It’s never really in sync so it’s more like “IRASSHAIRASHAIMASEEEEE!!!!” which still means welcome. Welcome indeed.

There are two other Guu locations in Vancouver but I’ve been assured this one on Robson has the best food, service and atmosphere.

It’s an izakaya, where traditionally drinks and food are served to an after-work crowd in Japan. Izakaya is huge in Vancouver probably because of the big Asian population and the general love of tapas and Japanese food there.

Where Shiru Bay Chopstick Cafe is a great place to impress the in-laws, Guu is the destination for a rowdy group of friends. You don’t come here for sushi, but you do come here for fine homestyle dishes. Plus it’s cheeeeap!

At dinner time, there are huge lineups in the relatively small location, but we’ve come for an “after dinner refresher” so it’s easy to grab a spot for four.

The blackboard specials are a good indication of the kind of place Guu is, such as “Sho-Chu. It’s Japanese vodka. It’s very smooth. It’s very Japan.”

We begin to order. “Tuna tataki, please.” The tiny waitress screams, “TUNA TATAKI!!!” The kitchen confirms, “TUNA TATAKI!” And so it goes. “EDAMAME! YAKI UDON!!! BEEF CARPACCIO!”

Everything arrives quickly. The tuna tataki ($5.40) comes with deep fried garlic chips and disappears fast. The beef carpaccio ($4.80) is very tasty. The yaki udon ($7.50) is memorable because the noodles are cooked just right, chewy and not mushy. The sauce is light and not goopy like those disgusting VH sauces.

The dishes are medium-sized and meant to share. You could order the whole menu and it’d still be a good deal. I just might do that next time - though there’d be a lot of yelling.

Guu is instantly friendly and comfortable. The giant bottles of Kirin beer ($7.80) are friendly and comfortable too. Hee hee.

Guu with Garlic, 1698 Robson St., Vancouver, (604) 685-8678. Open seven days, 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Menu here.

 

RICHMOND: On the waterfront

It was overcast and a little chilly, not exactly the best West Coast day. But I had mentioned fish and chips for some reason and suddenly it was all we could think of.

I remembered fellow blogger My Dinner Table has a favourite spot in Steveston but I forgot exactly where. I only knew it was right on the water.

Steveston Village was once home to a bustling commercial fishery and 15 canneries. Those no longer exist but hundreds of boats still use the wharf, selling their catch right off their decks. Even if you don’t need a few pounds of shrimp or fresh salmon, Steveston is a good place for a leisurely wander. (It’s the southwestern corner of Richmond, B.C.)

Anyway, we knew Pajo’s was the place as soon as we saw the “Famous for fish and chips” banner. And it’s the only one floating on the water. Pajo’s is named after founding partners Patricia and Joan in 1985, and is not “Pa Jo’s” as my boyfriend kept insisting.

We ordered two large fish and chips - cod for $9.59 and halibut for $11.65 – a relative bargain compared to anywhere else in Canada.

There was a short lineup even for a winter day. As we waited, none of us could figure out what the holes in the plastic tables were for – until we noticed everyone else sticking their cones of fish and chips through them. Duh.

Pajo’s wins points with me for a light, crisp batter and extremely fresh fish. The halibut was a nice treat, much smoother and meatier than the cod. The fries are hand-cut but a tad too soggy.

Brits in Edmonton is still my favourite.

My sister also got a clam chowder and for once, the clams tasted fresh and not out of a can.

The large order (2 ½ pieces plus fries) is enough to share if you’re not too hungry but make sure you portion it out first. My sister ate her fish then proceeded to eat her boyfriend’s share too, leaving him with an empty half piece of batter and bitter resentment for the rest of the trip.

Enjoying our meal on the wharf was nice, even with our jackets zipped right up. I can only imagine what it’s like in the summer with the sun setting over the water.

Pajo’s Fish and Chips, four outdoor locations, phone ahead in the fall/winter for hours.
Directions to Steveston Village here.

 

RICHMOND: Two dollar mania

The Japanese are inventors of wonderful things – ramen noodles, compact cars, and the Wii. I’d add The Daiso to that list. It’s Japan’s biggest 100-yen franchise. But unlike dollar stores here, most of Daiso’s products are very high-quality.

Daiso’s first North American store is in Richmond, B.C. It’s mere minutes from the airport and worth the half-hour (or so) drive in from Vancouver. Some time in traffic really is worth the armful of cheap goodies.

You see, everything at Daiso - from gorgeous dishes to handy storage units to plush animals - is $2 Can. There’s so much good stuff that on my first visit, I kept asking clerks how much things cost. Everything really is only $2.

I can spend hours wandering the two floors. My favourite section is dishware where I’ve seen the same plates sell for substantially more at other stores.

It’s a great place to pick up gifts but also for things you didn’t know you needed. Cast-iron skillet? Gardening tools? Happy when you know it coin purse?

Daiso is located in the Aberdeen Centre shopping mall. For all intents and purposes, it’s considered an “Asian mall.” There are several clothing stores with styles imported from Japan and Hong Kong that – for better or worse - you won’t see anywhere else.

There’s also a great food court on the third floor with amazing Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese food.

This visit, we were stuck between breakfast and lunch so we settled on trying a “frappé,” mainly because my aunt gave us a free coupon.

We ordered yogurt frappé with caramel. The woman behind the counter hauled out a big cylindrical white block and thrust it into a machine which then spit out shaved bits into a Styrofoam bowl. This was all topped with caramel sauce.

It was kind of like shaved ice but lighter in consistency, and tasted faintly of vanilla yogurt and chemicals.

After all the shopping and eating, make sure to visit Aberdeen’s lovely bathrooms. There’s just something about the colour palette and automated systems that I enjoy. The automatic tap always has warm water, and not freezing coldness. Oh, and they’re very clean.

The Daiso, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, B.C., (604) 295-6601. Mall info here.

 

VANCOUVER: Butter beef memories

There are some foods I can immediately link to certain times in my life. The butter beef, chicken wings and dry noodles at Phnom Penh mean I’m 11 again. My sister and I are sitting in our school uniforms, having walked several blocks from our parents’ office, waiting impatiently at the round table as the grownups chat about their day.

Phnom Penh has been located in the slightly less sketchy side of Vancouver’s Chinatown for more than 20 years. We used to come here every few weeks for Cambodian and Vietnamese food. It was faster and cheaper than rushing home for dinner sometimes.

There was never any argument about what we wanted. The butter beef was a given. The rare beef is sliced carpaccio-style with a lime, soy and fish sauce, and sprinkled with cilantro and fried shallots. I remember meticulously loading equal amounts of everything together to get the full flavours in each bite.

The chicken wings are deep fried with heavy doses of garlic, salt and pepper. The kicker is the lime-pepper dipping sauce on the side. I used to put a wing in the sauce bowl and leave it there to soak. (Okay, I still do that.)

The Cambodian dry egg noodles come with slices of pork, prawns, and liver. It’s “dry” because there’s no soup, though it’s served with broth and bean sprouts on the side that you can add yourself.

It’s tasty, featuring that savoury/sweet/sour punch so common in that part of the world.

On this visit, we also had the hot and sour soup with chicken. I really liked the clear broth with bean sprouts and pieces of pineapple.

The other two dishes we had were okay. The curry frog legs tasted like, well, chicken and the curry sauce tasted like the sweet Japanese stuff that comes out of a box in cubes.

The oyster omelette tasted much better than it sounds but I found the texture a bit gummy inside. My mom guessed some sort of starch was to blame as opposed to the oyster itself.

My sister and I were over the moon, revisiting this part of our childhood. But we had hyped the dishes up so much to our boyfriends that they weren’t as impressed as we had hoped. Luckily, they were enchanted with the black sticky rice with coconut milk for dessert.

We also had a crème caramel, but the rice pudding was the favourite. Oh well, they’ll have their memories and we’ll have ours.

Phnom Penh, 244 East Georgia St., Vancouver, (604) 734-8898. Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Call for reservations for large groups.

 

Chinese brekky

I often get cravings for Chinese breakfast. It’s easy enough to make at home but it’s usually so much cheaper and faster at bakery restaurants, there’s no point.

Chinese breakfast is served til only about 10 or 11 on weekend mornings, and usually in a restaurant that doubles as a Chinese bakery. It’s great to sit there and smell the freshly baked buns while ordering breakfast.

There’s a standard menu of noodle soups, fried eggs and bacon or congee (rice porridge). These almost always come with white toast or a Chinese bun as well as tea or coffee - all for under $5. Everything is a combo. You can’t say you don’t get a bargain.

When I was little, my mom made macaroni soup for breakfast. I think every Chinese kid has memories of macaroni with sliced ham and frozen peas floating in broth.

Now, I usually get satay beef with rice vermicelli soup. No macaroni for me, thanks.

You can go the “western” route at Chinese breakfast and get eggs with some sort of meat - bacon, wieners, pork chop, or minute steak - but it will taste like Chinese food. It might have something to do with the oil or the pan used in the kitchen, but my boyfriend swears it’s true.

Breakfast can come with Hong-Kong style milk tea - black tea with evaporated milk. You add sugar to it at the table according to your own tastes. One teaspoon for me, four if you’re my dad.

No one really lingers at Chinese breakfast. It’s all about filling up first thing in the morning and then heading on your way.

ABC Bakery & Cafe, 112C-3rd Ave. SE, Calgary, Alberta, (403) 266-2888.
Garden Bakery, 10019-106th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta, (780) 421-1228.
Boss Bakery & Restaurant, 532 Main St., Vancouver, B.C., (604) 683-3860.

 

TAIWANESE: Comfort food

The only things I remember from a short visit to Taiwan a long time ago were the ridiculous number of scooters and rows of delicious street stands.

Taiwanese food isn’t fancy. I associate it more with comfort food. Lots of fresh noodles in steaming broth, dumplings, pork chops, baked chicken on rice.

For good or bad, bubble tea is Taiwan’s most famous export these days. And the food seems to merely accompany the drink at some places. But ya still gotta eat right?

I love that Taiwanese food is usually inexpensive enough and the dishes small enough that you can order a real spread to try everything.

A standard dish is known as three cup chicken, named after the fact it’s made from one cup each of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. See? Simple. However, my sister swears it tastes like bourbon chicken.

There are various noodles in broth served with deep-fried pork chops or minced pork and peanut sauce. I usually get that.

Hot pots are also fun. Especially served in an individual metal pot with my own little burner. Cool. But a little scary too.

Pearl Castle Cafe, 1128, 3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond, B.C., Canada, (604) 270-3939.

 

VANCOUVER: Sister’s choice

Everyone thought my younger sister was mute when she was little. We finally figured out she never talked because I would talk FOR her. Like if someone asked her how old she was, I’d blurt out, “SHE’S THREE!”

She got over it by age six or so. Anyway, my little sister is quite the izakaya fan so she wanted to try Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe in Yaletown. I agreed since well, I delayed her developmental skills.

Popular with Japan’s after-work crowd, izakaya basically serves small plates of food as well as drinks. Like Spanish tapas but different.

Overwhelmed by all the amazing sounding items at Shiru-Bay, we copped out and ordered the 10-course tasting menu for $35 Can. They served a combination of their most popular dishes and the day’s specials. It turned out to be a helluva deal.

We found the service quite friendly. The waitress helped us navigate the substantial sake menu. And the chefs themselves brought some plates straight from the kitchen to our table.

We started with a tuna tartare topped with avocado and caviar, and Dungeness crab avocado salad with mango and cherry tomato pieces that came with garlic toast. That was followed by a simple yellowtail and sockeye salmon sashimi that just melted in your mouth.

At this point, this is just an excuse to post pictures of gorgeous food that really shows off the Japanese art of presentation and the fresh seafood only Vancouver can offer.

A cured mackerel was seared at our table and then served two ways: sliced on a bed of pickled ginger and also in a red pepper, red onion salad with sesame oil dressing.

This was by far my favourite. Most of the time, mackerel is too salty and fishy, but you could actually taste the mackerel and not just salt.

A play on traditional tempura, the pork tenderloin tempura came with a nice daikon and watercress salad with Japanese plum vinaigrette.

Then came the world’s biggest, meatiest mussels in ginger miso soup. I didn’t post the close-up photo because the fatness of the mussel would be too alarming.

Two tiger prawn dishes made me miss living on the West Coast. The Ebi-Chili-Mayo is Shiru-Bay’s famous dish. The battered and deep fried prawns in a chili-mayo sauce, and topped with wonton chips and almond slices, is a party of textures. The special tiger prawns with mushrooms in butter sauce was subtle but yummy.

The last show-off was the modern take on sushi, served on mini beds of rice, instead of rolled in seaweed. Our platter came with:

• dragonball sushi: prawns and avocado with salmon caviar and tobiko
• tuna tataki: seared albacore tuna with shiitake mushroom duxelle and avocado oil drizzle
• musashi sushi: Dungeness crab with mango coulis, topped with tobiko.

For dessert, we had sorbet made with yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit.

The room is minimal but not cold. If you miss out on a table, there’s ample room at the stainless steel bar where you can watch the 23-year-old (!) head chef do his thing.

There’s a choice of three tasting menus, but nothing on the regular menu is more than $10.

Great place. Thank god my sister found her voice.

Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe, 1193 Hamilton St., Vancouver, B.C., (604) 408-9315. Open daily 5:30 pm - midnight. Sunday til 11:30 p.m. Extensive menu online.

 

VANCOUVER: Bistro dawn

Solemn steakhouses and swank French restaurants used to render me awe-struck, but now I’d much rather worry about a good entree than a snobby dress code. I think I’m getting older and wiser.

Maybe it’s a West Coast thing, but Vancouver is a great place for restaurants with laid-back vibes but not laid-back food.

Aurora Bistro cares about Canadian content - fresh, seasonal ingredients and an all-B.C. wine list. And it’s got street cred, anchoring a neighbourhood that just a decade ago was mostly famous for the XXX movie theatre across the street.

So naturally, we brought our parents here to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. For starters, we shared from the small and medium plates sections of the menu.

Despite the parental warnings of “Red tide! Red tide!,” the cornmeal crusted Fanny Bay oysters were surprisingly good. Crunchy, meaty, very tasty. The drizzles of smoked paprika aioli and pumpkin compote just enough to enhance the oysters.

I loved the bison carpaccio from B.C.’s Nicola Valley. It came with cute pickled beets and brioche croutons but the bison was extremely tender and flavourful.

Our last appetizer was a lovely, creamy mushroom risotto. Four duelling forks and one empty plate can’t be wrong.

For our mains, my parents both ordered the lamb two-ways: rack of lamb and a braised lamb (I believe). They never fight about food. That’s probably why they’ve been together for 30 years.

They loved the two lamb rack pieces but said two more would’ve been bliss.

My sister and I both got the duck breast. I’m mad because I’ve now forgotten what the sauce was. But it was delicious. The duck was perfect. Or as my dad remarked, “It doesn’t taste like those BBQ ducks from Chinatown.” No, Dad, it doesn’t.

My sister also loved the side Jerusalem artichokes. I enjoyed the change from potatoes et al.

The vanilla bean pannacotta with carmelized roasted pineapple and mint sounded intriguing - and it actually worked. Dessert’s not usually my thing but the pannacotta disappeared quickly.

Dad is only ever happy with apple pie and vanilla ice cream, but his hazelnut tart also went fast.

The curvy blonde wood decor is just like its menu, simple and creative without overwhelming the focus of the food. It was a lovely, laid-back night.

Aurora Bistro, 2420 Main Street, Vancouver, B.C., (604) 873-9944. Reservations by phone only. Open for dinner seven days a week from 5:30 p.m.

 

VANCOUVER: Chat and chew

This is one kooky brunch place. First the name, Slickety Jim’s Chat N’ Chew. Then there’s the kitschy decor, padded bus benches and a lamp made of plastic flowers. Finally, the menu has funny names. Hint, any eggs with hollandaise sauce are listed under benedictions.

But there are constant lineups for a reason. Atmosphere for one. Our awesome server with a giant scorpion belt and salt and pepper hair was fond of calling people “dear” and “angel.” I like being called angel.

Despite the limited seating and aforementioned lineups, Slickety Jim’s really believes in the chat and chew part. I thoroughly enjoyed my “Ball and Bull” - eggs benedict with proscuitto and gorgonzola - as well as my time with my aunt and cousin.

There are lots of vegetarian options. Plus it’s cheap here (less than $10 for most plates) with efficient coffee refills.

Hint: come early or come late. If you come when everyone else does, make sure you add your name to the waiting list at the back counter. Then pass some time at the kickass clothing boutiques that fill this block.

Slickety Jim’s Chat N’ Chew, 2513 Main St., Vancouver, B.C. (604) 873-6760. Mon-Fri 8-5, weekends 9-5.

 

VANCOUVER: The return of lardoons

Bistro Pastis is one of my Uncle Philip’s favourite restaurants and he enjoys a fine meal. I was lucky enough to be his guest there last week.

A few things really stuck out. Really attentive service, and real French cooking.

I know this because I got to eat lardoons again. The last time was in Paris. Bistro Pastis has a simple but so delicious endive salad with the double-smoked bacon and a poached egg.

I indulged in le cassoulet et le canard. Cassoulet is a French peasant’s stew of braised white beans. I’ve said before I hate beans but this one came with merguez sausage, and it’s unnatural to not enjoy something that comes with sausage. The canard part was a salty duck confit.

I’m also not much of a dessert person, but Pastis’ apple tart tasted amazing… light, fresh, flaky. Didn’t taste like lardoons but that’s probably a good thing.

Bistro Pastis, 2153 West 4th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., (604) 731-5020. Closed on Mondays.