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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails’

Tocador – Cocktails and Cuban Inspired Eats in Mount Pleasant

Posted in Cocktails, Dinner, Hang-Out with Friends, Joyce, Late night, Latin American, Neighbourhood Gem, Restaurants, Tapas, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , on November 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Cuban inspired restaurant in Vancouver? You don’t see many of them around, but there’s one right in Mount Pleasant. Tocador opened just last year and it’s all about the cocktail menu and share plates. I actually had the pleasure to interview one of its co-owners, Guy, a few years ago. This time, I was invited to sample the menu at Tocador.

Cocktails

First of all, let’s talk about its cocktail menu. It’s two pages long! One page is full of the classics, such as Negroni, Mojito, Hot Buttered Rum, Manhattan and Mai Tai. The other, is a list of original cocktails created by the team at Tocador. The two owners both started out as a bartender so it only makes sense that they pay a lot of attention to the cocktail menu. They infuse a lot of their liquors so you would see something like mango butter infused rum, red bell pepper infused mezcal and paprika infused tequila.

The Escocesa, for example, uses beet infused Dewars scotch.

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West Oak – Five Years in the Yaletown Neighbourhood

Posted in Baked Goods, Canadian, Cheese, Cocktails, Dinner, Fine dining, Food Bloggers, Joyce, Meat, Patio, Restaurants, Seafood, Sustainable, Vancouver, West Coast, Yaletown, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2018| 1 Comment »

West Oak recently celebrated its 5th anniversary in the Yaletown neighbourhood. As a follow-up, Areta, Alice (Double A!) and I were invited to a hosted dinner at the restaurant. I’ve been here a couple of times beforehand, one of which was an evening out with a few of my girlfriends a few years ago.

Disclosure: This meal was provided to me complimentary of the restaurant. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Food

We got a sneak peek of some of their new cocktails (from left):

New Cocktails at West Oak

The Aperol Spritzer Mimosa is their new take on the classic brunch cocktail. This is available only during brunch, but the restaurant made one for us to try. Aperol, prosecco, fresh juice (orange, grapefruit, etc.) — it was juicy, citrusy, fizzy, refreshing. Great for a patio brunch. There’s no reason a mimosa fan wouldn’t enjoy this.

Tiffany Blue could become a local IG sensation. The Ciroc Apple came through and gave it some tartness, almost face puckering. You can really taste the apple here. The addition of edible silver makes it sparkle like a precious piece of jewelry.

Tiffany Blue

The last cocktail, at the time this was written, hasn’t been named. It just had a nickname “Green Thumb“. It had gin, elderflower liquer, basil, cucumber. It reminded me a bit of mojito – it’s light and crisp, and herbaceous.

Then, we dove into dinner, with a couple of appies to share. (more…)

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Science of Cocktails 2018 – Recap

Posted in Beverage, Cocktails, Culinary Events, Drinks, Food Bloggers, Joyce, Meat, News, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Earlier this month, as media, I was invited to attend the 3rd annual Science of Cocktails event at the Science World. It was the perfect venue as the Science World was transformed into a giant lab where drinks were changing from blue to pink, bananas being sous vide in honey, popcorn was frozen with liquid nitrogen, a “toothpaste” palate cleanser, smoking herbs, vaporized gin & tonic, fermentation, a sniffing station, foodies pulling themselves up a lift… the list goes on!

Science of Cocktails 2018

Science of Cocktails 2018Science of Cocktails 2018

Science of Cocktails 2018

Science of Cocktails 2018Science of Cocktails 2018

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Supermarine – A Hidden Gem Tucked Away in Kitsilano

Posted in Bistro, Cocktails, Dessert, Dinner, Drinks, Eat Local, Joyce, Meat, Neighbourhood Gem, Restaurants, Seafood, Sustainable, Vancouver, West Coast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2016| 1 Comment »

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…)

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[Interview] Discussing the bar scene with Guy Stowell of BaoBei

Posted in Drinks, Interviews, Joyce, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , on August 30, 2015| 1 Comment »

Guy Stowell started his bartending career at 19, where he found his first job cleaning glasses at a pub in London. Fascinated by the endless possibilities in alcohol and spirits, he slowly moved around the industry. Four years ago, Guy moved to Canada with his wife and has been behind the bar of BaoBei for the past 3 years. I sat down with Guy and we chatted about the mixology/cocktail scene in Vancouver.

What is the bar scene like in Vancouver?

Guy Stowell, BaoBei

Guy Stowell, BaoBei

It’s quite different between Vancouver and London. There are limitations on the type and brands of alcohol we could use here for mixing, so bartenders are challenged to be more creative with the recipes. The enormous support for local food producers also encourages bartenders to incorporate local ingredients in the cocktails.

Customers in Vancouver also have a more sophisticated palate, not just with food but also with their cocktail selection. They are open to trying different things, and pay attention to food pairings. We have moved away from sweet cocktails for a number of years now, more focused on sours, but what’s also catching on is earthy, medicinal spirits. Bartenders have been drinking these for awhile now, because we have to try different spirits to look for inspirations, so it’s great to see that customers have started to pick that up.

What are a few bars that you would suggest us to visit?

There are many great bars in Vancouver so depending on what you like/feel like, there’s always something for you. The ones I’m suggesting here all have a great cocktail list, some classics, some non-pretentious, some with unique regional items (e.g. Tiki cocktails): (more…)

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