Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Eat Local’ Category

For my birthday, Mr. surprised me with a dinner at Supermarine. Since its opening, I’ve been wanting to check it out so I was very excited when our car pulled up right in front of the restaurant.

Supermarine focuses on sustainable, seasonal, local products, highlighting the best that our farmers and fishers can offer. There are a number of staple items on the menu with seasonal dishes as well as daily features.

Food

There isn’t a clear division of appetizers vs. entrees on the menu, so we basically just order a bunch of items to share. First, the name Octopus Chips immediately caught our attention and it just sounded like something fun to eat. And it sure was fun! Sliced octopus and fingerling potatoes were lightly battered then deep fried to become “chips”, served in a little jar. Both octopus and potatoes were crispy on the outside; the octopus was tender and not at all chewy, while the potatoes were soft and fluffy inside. The bravas sauce was a tomato-based aioli, slightly spiced. The chips became quite addictive and we couldn’t really stop eating them.

Octopus Chips

You probably don’t know but I’m a sucker for fried/roasted Brussels sprouts (best with bacon, of course!). Our friend NS makes a killer one and I even requested it for our Thanksgiving dinner. So when I saw Fried Brussels Sprouts on Supermarine’s menu, obviously it made its way to our table. There’s an Asian touch to this version with the use of soy and shallot as well as cilantro as garnish, and the honey added some sweetness to the dish. I always think balsamic vinegar and Brussels sprouts are a perfect match, but Supermarine used yogurt instead to introduce acidity and to my surprise, it worked just as well. The Brussels sprouts had crispy edges, yet they’re still tender. This was one of the best Brussels sprouts I’ve had.

Fried Brussels Sprouts

Squid & Lamb, what an unusual combination of surf and turf! And the Middle Eastern influence was pretty apparent as they’re served on top of hummus! (more…)

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

In Vancouver, there is no shortage of fine dining options to celebrate your special occasions. The suburb, is a different story. Last year, Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam revamped its restaurants and introduced Stake, a fine dining establishment focused on sourcing local products. I was there when it launched its menu in the Fall (here’s the proof – check out 0:45 and the hand model at 1:17 – I could be a YouTube sensation one day!) and was quite impressed. So to celebrate CC’s birthday, a few of us girls went there for dinner.

Food

The menu isn’t very big, but there are a few good options. We shared a few appetizers to start. The Signature Smoked Crispy Pork Belly was our favourite appy. The meat was tender, the fatty bits were rendered nicely. Perhaps the edges were a bit too charred but it didn’t have any burned taste.

Stake’s Signature Smoked Crispy Pork Belly

Even though the Albacore Tuna Tataki was a standard affair, I had to commend on the nice sear they’ve had on the fish. I liked the thick cut on the fish, so it gave you a bit of a bite. They could probably up the acidity in the sauce to help cut through the rich tuna.

Albacore Tuna Tataki

The Pan Seared Scallops were nicely caramelized on the outside, and just slightly rare inside. (more…)

Read Full Post »

As mentioned in my earlier post, we were invited to attend the private Amex Platinum Cardmember Dinner at Hawksworth Restaurant, joining roughly 60 Amex Platinum Cardmembers at the York Room.

champagne to greet each guest

#DineWithAmex at Hawksworth Restaurantwarm bread

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with a glass of champagne. Chef David Hawksworth made an appearance and walked us through the menu that was designed to celebrate the kickoff of the fall season. Each course was paired with wines provided by WineOnline.ca. Let me tempt you with some delicious photos!

Chef David Hawksworth made an appearance

Food

Our dinner started with a Roasted Acorn Squash and Pear Salad. It’s finished with chèvre (goat cheese) and a walnut vinaigrette. What a perfect combination to represent the fall. Wine Pairing: Nicolas Maillart Rose Champagne.

roasted acorn squash and pear salad

Then our server brought over this plate of seared scallop with crispy cauliflower and capers. It was difficult to stop ourselves from digging into the perfectly seared scallop, but we had to wait till they poured the silky Cauliflower Veloute into the dish. The surprise was in the lemon supremes (the naked flesh of the lemon — no rind, pith, or seeds), as well as the fried capers; they helped cut through the richness in the creamy veloute. Wine Pairing: Vinos Sanz’s Sanz Rueda Clasico.

pouring the veloutecauliflower velouté

Next, the Duck Conft Raviolo was definitely encore-worthy!

(more…)

Read Full Post »

[UPDATE: Our partner has generously donated another $25 gift card so we are now giving away 3 White Spot gift cards! Deadline has been extended to Monday, August 4, 2014]

Summer has officially started, which means our local farms are also busy harvesting. BC produces a huge variety of fresh ingredients — cherries, blueberries, apples, peaches, corn, cheese, salmon, tomatoes, etc. — everything is so close to home! Earlier this week White Spot launched its new Celebrate BC summer menu to celebrate exactly that, featuring local ingredients and select wines from farms and vineyards around the province.

Available until September 7, the Celebrate BC menu offers six seasonally-inspired creations:

  • Prawn & BC Brie Flatbread
  • Candied Salmon Spinach Salad
  • BC Beet, Brie & Bacon Bigger Burger
  • Gala Apple & BC Brie Chicken Burger
  • Lois Lake Steelhead with Warm Crispy BC Potato Salad
  • Legendary Burger, Caesar Salad & Fresh BC Blueberry Pie Combo

To make sure you get to try these items, we are giving away three $25 White Spot gift cards. Yes, three chances of winning!

3 ways to enter

(more…)

Read Full Post »

March 20 will be declared BC Veggie Day in a special proclamation to celebrate the annual springtime arrival of locally greenhouse grown vegetables from BC’s 42 greenhouse growers located throughout the Lower Mainland. There will be a celebration party at the Vancouver Art Gallery from 11am to 2pm on that day.

BC Veggie Day on March 20 (Photo from BC Veggie Day website)

BC Veggie Day on March 20 (Photo from BC Veggie Day website)

I’m quite excited about this campaign because this is very close to my heart. Watching the campaign video and familiar faces of local growers brought back memories of my work in the greenhouse vegetable industry, marketing and educating the public about this industry. It opened my eyes about greenhouse vegetable production, the zero use of herbicides, pest control using an integrated pest management program, the extended availability of product, and the superb quality of product thanks to the perfect climate inside a greenhouse. I learned that greenhouse vegetables are just as good as organic and you don’t have to pay a premium for them.

At the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza on March 20, there will be a pop-up greenhouse filled with plants and “good” bugs from the Bug Factory, a farmer’s market, live entertainment, a first ever pop-up restaurant by Earls and food trucks Verinicey Pankoras and Mangal Kiss. For more information, visit bcgreenhousegrown.com.

I will see you there!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: