I have mentioned it previously and will say it again: I hate the word “foodie” with a passion. Until now, the only instances I sort of don’t care much is when some local food bloggers use it (Mijune of Follow Me Foodie or Joyce of VanFoodies). Why I hate it? Please, don’t let me go there… In fact, aside from the cases already mentioned, the only instance where I would agree to use the word “foodie” is to construct the word foochebag. Feel free to guess where it comes.

However, when this last Wednesday, I will actually let is slip completely. Why the sudden change of heart? Because of an event called Vancouver’s Foodie Feast, organized by James of Bella Gelateria along with fellow bloggers Sherman (of Sherman’s Food Adventures) and Mijune. Wait, am I not the person who hate participating events and bash those bloggers who are in for the $$$ (aka, PR and blaggers)? Yup, that is still true; however, in this case, this event was for a good cause. In addition to getting us together, it was also a fund raiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (something that I have previously blogged). With such reason, why should I NOT participate?

Those who know me, know that I am a bit “anti-social”, in the sense that I might not necessarily be the person going out to meet others. However, in this case, food bloggers in Vancouver sort of know who is who. Even then, given the popularity of late of food blogging, I didn’t know several of the bloggers attending the event (specially “new” ones) nor I was particularly interested in meet and greet. Of course, there were exceptions: Mimi of Cute Pig, whom I asked for restaurant recommendations while in Edmonton. So, in a way, I am still “unknown” to a lot. Do I care? Not really! Now, I did notice something quite odd: While I missed some of the more familiar bloggers (Elaine of Parker Pages or Darina of Gratinee), most of the bloggers who went, were the more “independent” ones! I.e., those blaggers I mentioned above were MIA! Makes me wonder… Could it be they are so used to free food that they couldn’t spare the admission fee (did I mention for a good cause)? I am digressing here so back to the event itself…

I will apologize for one thing: I didn’t take pictures of the venue. Instead, I spent most of the time taking pictures of what matter more: Food! Oh, c’mon, given my blog name, what do you expect??? OK, I took some other pictures here and there but, for the most part, it was food only. Also, I won’t comment much on the food. After all, it is really unfair to give a negative comment, considering the restaurants wanted to contribute for the event, not for me to bash them. Furthermore, this was more on the lines of sampling dishes, not necessarily representative of what you would get in the actual restaurant, so any thoughts would be unfair and unrepresentative. I must also mention some of the restaurants have been on my radar for some time, so, in a way, it would be a matter of time.

Here are the links and addresses to the different restaurants participating in the event:

• El Barrio – 2270 E Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
• One Planet Catering
• EBO Restaurant – 4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC
• Falconetti’s – 1812 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC
• La Belle Auberge – 4856 48 Ave, Delta, BC
• Hapa Izakaya – Various locations
• Mochikas – 1696 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
• Red Star Seafood – 2200 – 8181 Cambie Road, Richmond, BC
• Bella Gelateria – 1001 W Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC
• Kitchening with Carly
• Mancakes

Now, notice something interesting from this list? Probably with the exception of Bella Gelateria and Hapa Izakaya, the remaining restaurants are somewhat low profile? I.e., they are not necessarily ones that have a huge PR department to attract customers. As a result, I will have to give kudos to Sherman and Mijune for the selection. It would have been quite easy to select some high profile restaurants and let it run. Not here. The selection was varied and the food served was good, despite the setting. What else could you ask for?

I must also mention different organization involved by either promoting or providing support:

• Urbanspoon – which I am an active collaborator. Special thanks to Kate and the Urbanspoon t-shirt!
• Justin Lam of Three Sixty Photo – who was the official photographer. Pictures of the event can be found here and here (Facebook links!)
• Steve Tan – who took videos from the event, including Mijune’s video

Overall, this was a really enjoyable evening. What’s more important is the fact that with the success of this event, there is the seed for further events like this have been planted – something I look forward in the future.

If you thought a street food fare welcome reception wasn’t enough, the folks at FoodBuzz organized a gala dinner as part of the festival. Did somebody say… More food????

The gala dinner was to take place at San Francisco Ferry Building and, given it was just after switch back to standard time, it was “dark enough” for some “interesting” pictures, hehehe…

The “blur” to the left is a ferry to Sausalito

When it was time, we joined the on-going cocktail. And, in a cocktail, of course you will have drinks and some finger food…

Now, I am not usually a fan of cocktails followed by formal dinner because, well, I might end up eating a little bit too much prior to the main event! Anyway, rather than mingling around, I gathered together with JS/TS, Mijune and Sherman instead. Anti-social? Well, let’s just say I was in good company! Eventually, they allowed us to enter the main dining room…

One thing was for certain: Lightning condition wasn’t necessarily an issue as we chose to sit in a really bright area. However, the lightning type also proved to be an issue. I am digressing here! ^_^;;; Anyway, to start…

Roasted bolden beet tart – Crimson beet, feta and currants, wild arugula and basil puree. It was OK and, in no way, I was excited about it. Other than the custard-y feeling of the tart in the tart, the rest felt… Average? A definite pass for me.

Seared scallops with Bonny Doon Vineyard verjus beurre blanc – served with braised fennel and garnished with fried fennel fonds. Before I go to the dish itself, if I was in an actual restaurant, I will have to call foul: There was a ~40 minutes wait between the tart and the scallops. Granted, you had ~350 guests and cooking 700+ scallops is not an easy task. However, they knew we were coming…

Back to business, I will have to admit scallops were well prepared, despite (or because?) it was seared properly on one side but the other side was lightly seared. I was wondering if this was prepared in an oven rather than in a pan, i.e., heat some sheets in the oven, pour some oil (to coat), put the scallop on top and to the oven for X minutes. The fennel was cooked really soft, almost to the consistency of Napa cabbage. The one part that felt slightly below expectation was that of the beurre blanc: I wished the acidic note of lemon or vinegar was more noticeable. Sorry, I know some beurre blanc aren’t made acidic; I just prefer my seafood with a bit of acid hints in it. But, overall, it was a good dish.

Not sure if readers here follow us in Twitter; if not, here is a “conversation” that ensued:

Sherman38: @followmefoodie Mijune, your rack looked so juicy…
followmefoodie: My rack was probably jucier and more tender than the ones you’re used too @Sherman38
KimKiuHo: You are jealous because hers is bigger than yours… RT @Sherman38: @followmefoodie Mijune, your rack looked so juicy…
Sherman38: @KimKiuHo @followmefoodie God, I certainly hope they’re bigger than mine!
Sherman38: @followmefoodie LOL, yah it looks like they Frenched her rack too…

Of course, there were a lot of speculation about this “thread”. Given the hoard of people who interpreted it in some, ahem, interesting ways forgot completely we are food bloggers and we were (obviously!) referring to a rack of lamb! In this case, rosemary and garlic infused rack of lamb, served with local wild mushroom, pinot noir sauce and butternut squash puree.

In a way, the racks served were a bit of luck of the draw. Mijune’s and Sherman’s were definitely smaller than my rack (errr…. that somehow didn’t sound “right”…) and, probably because mine was larger, it was cooked medium rare while Mijune’s was cooked to a medium-well done level. Even at medium rare, it was still past slightly the point I wished it was. The puree and the mushroom were quite good and didn’t “fight” against the lamb but complemented it by providing some sweetness and some earthiness. The one part of the dish that I thought failed was the gaminess of the lamb or the lack of it. We had a discussion about that “issue” and while some people like it that way, I disagreed because, well, that is partially the point (at least for me) for consuming lamb, otherwise, I might order pork!

Finally, dessert: Tarta de almendars with Oranges – Buttery almond cake with oranges and Spanish sherry sabayon. While I am not a sweets person, this one went a bit past that sweetness threshold I could bare. The fruits natural sweetness was fine, the rest wasn’t really the case. Also, the sabayon, if you look closely… Well, it had a really odd consistency.

Once again, if it was paid dinner, I would have certainly based it; however, that wasn’t the case. During the time we were waiting for the next course, we had some fun ourselves. In that case, well, that was sort of worth it. Else, it is what it is… So, to FoodBuzz, thanks for letting me part of your family!

Friday Night Supper
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral
154 East 10th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

A lot of times we go to restaurants but, at times, you want something “different” yet keeping the same concept (i.e. food served to you). With that into consideration, for today’s post is a bit of a deviation of “normal” restaurant dining fare. Instead, it is about an event that usually takes place on the first Friday of every month: The Friday Night Supper at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral. Why I chose to drop there? Well, as the name suggests, there is food and it seems it is seldom blogged. So, why not!

As mentioned in their site, the Friday Night Supper is a fundraiser for the cathedral. A lot seems to going behind scenes as, on the day I went, even an hour and a half after I arrived, the lines were slow moving! But, you know what? While I do not like to queue up, for a good cause, I am willing to be more patient. The layout is quite simple: Wait in the appropriate line for eat in or to go. In the case of eat in, wait until you are guided to a table and fill up a small form with what you want: one sheet per order! Line up, pay and wait for baba to serve the food!

Of course, that brings the question, what is in the menu? Actually, I had the same question the day I was there. Despite the menu is available on-line, one thing is to read it, another would be to observe what ends up on a plate. So, while queueing up, I notice this on a table…

Matching it to the description on the forms, this would most likely be a mini-dinner, i.e., 4 perogy, 1 cabbage roll, sausage and coffee. No salad was listed but it was served here. Well, it looks decent but not sure if that’s enough food for me, though. As the line started moving, I decided to try as much as possible and ended up getting…

Borscht

Regular dinner part 1 – 6 perogy and 2 cabbage roll (with a rice filling)

Regular dinner part 2 – sauerkraut and Ukrainian sausage (the only meat component in the meals)

To finish, some carrot cake

As for the food itself, it would be a bit difficult for me to assess given my own unique like/dislike and the fact that I have only had that much Ukrainian/East European food. Instead, I will make reference to what the other customers at my table said: “this would be something that my baba would make”. Well, similar to my bias towards my mom’s cooking, I guess with an argument like that, I would rather not argue at all! In the end, it is about the fun you can have, plus food made with baba’s TLC. And the fact that you have contributed to their fundraiser…

Roaming Dragon
No fixed address – food truck
Vancouver, BC

As you already know, the most talked about food news in the last couple of weeks is that of street food in Vancouver, specifically, that of it expanding its offerings and locations (check here). I have written my thoughts about it last week in a post and, for the most part, I am not that optimistic about it. But, of course, there are entrepreneurs who are willing to bet it will be a hit. Among them, that of Roaming Dragon, a food truck that has done its round around town, including the Richmond Night Market. Heck, it has even been featured in local printed media, including the Vancouver Sun. Given my “optimism” about Vancouver street food, I was curious as to what they would be able to offer… And, since I was in the Granville/Robson area on the same day they were there, I thought, oh, well!

When I arrived (around noon time), there was nobody on the line… I guess it was a bit too early? OK, that was a rhetorical answer that was answered later, when I was done with my order. There was a small queue by then. That works both ways in my opinion. Street food is something fast, not something you necessarily want to have a queue. However, at the same time, it is possible that is what they actually want – if people see a queue, they believe something good must be for sale, as a result, it creates that sense of expectation. And what they have for sale?

A couple of days ago, I asked this on Twitter:

Can everybody tell me what is your concept of street food? Confused as to why/how duck confit salad can be considered “street food”…

Truth is, there are things that I have difficulties envisioning as street food. See, in my case, street food should be something simple and that simplicity leads to well prepared food. How? Because by focusing in one or two dishes, they can master it quite well. So, having all these Asian (as in Japanese, Korean AND Chinese) “inspired” (or to quote Sherman, “fusion”) dishes makes me wonder why… Could it be they are following that bandwagon/fad of adding an Asian twist? In the end, I ordered…

Three dishes, which basically means half of the menu. Clockwise, from 12:00, duck confit salad, Korean short rib tacos and Chinese pork belly sliders. Salad aside, had I been with somebody else, most likely would have ordered all of the dishes; the salad was because it was mentioned by the local media.

To start off, the taco – Korean short rib tacos (2): slow-braised Korean marinated short ribs, with sesame sauteed spniach, shiitake mushroms, carrots and kimchi dressing in corn and nori tortillas. Now, first of all, I have mentioned previously that I have no love for Mexican food but, at least, I found La Taqueria to be good in its own ways. So, this is a case of I have something to compare against. To put it bluntly, I don’t necessarily like the Korean twist. Now, had it been something else (i.e., not served as a taco but in a bowl with rice as in a bibimbap), it would have been decent. My problem was that the bean sprouts mellowed the savoury tones. I make an emphasis on savoury as there was some sweetness, probably from the marinate. Furthermore, I don’t think I tasted any of the shiitake at all. Could it be a last minute substitution/switch was made? The portion size was quite generous though so, from that perspective, I won’t complain. However, portion size is not everything; if I rate it against La Taqueria, the later has the upper hand.

The second “dish” was the slider – Chinese pork belly sliders (2): braised pork belly cured in Asian spices, with pickled cucumbers, hoisin sauce, scallions, served in steamed buns.. I guess this is a case of taking a Western recipe and adapt it using Chinese staples, readily available in hand. The emphasis on the pickled cucumber was overrated mainly because any flavour that the could have been added by the pickling process was obliterated by the hoisin sauce used. Similar to what happened with the Korean taco, there was a lot of sweetness, almost ended up being a sweet (from their version of hoisin sauce) on sweet (from the mantou). Compare it to, say, a pork bun. In that case, you have the contrast of savoury vs. slightly sweet. As for the pork belly… Well, it was there based mostly on texture but, again, their version of hoisin sauce was too much. It simply didn’t work for me.

Duck confit salad as street food in #NightMarket is akin to selling ice blocks in the Artic. Sorry, @lexxgill http://tinyurl.com/3345efw

I wrote this when Alexandra Gill of The Globe and Mail wrote about the Richmond Night Market and made emphasis of Roaming Dragon. So, that was the reason I had to order this dish. Again, I will have to admit the green portion of the salad was quite good. I liked the combination of herbs used. The cashews was a good idea but the pineapple and watermelon, while a good idea, the execution was subpar, as they were neither sweet nor crunchy. Had the pieces been larger pieces, probably it would have worked better for me. And finally… The duck confit. At that point, I didn’t really care for it because the greens was taking care of this salad. The reason was that I couldn’t taste much of the duck component, just the saltiness in it.

In the end, the $15 spent on this meal… Well, I don’t believe it was worth it, specially considering my concept of street food. See, at $15, I might as well go to a sit down restaurant! (This is specially considering I had to find a nearby bench for me to put the food down and eat it). Compare it also to some shawarma places – you can get a wrap for as little as $6. As a result, unfortunately, Roaming Dragon didn’t really shake away my “optimism” about street food in Vancouver. While one swallow does not make summer, I only hope this is not the starting point of the street food trend in Vancouver. I can believe we can do better but, otherwise, we might as well not do it at all…

Finally, to close this post, I mentioned I was in Granville Street… Well, part of the reason was that I wanted to quickly check what were the plans for it during summer as they it will be pedestrian only. On that day…

Sorry, didn’t get to try this… $5 for small pakoras…

Greek Day
3230 West Broadway Street
Vancouver, BC

Greek Summer Festival
4641 Boundary Road
Vancouver, BC

Last year, around this time, I went to several festival (for eample, the Scandinavian Mid Summer Fest, Latin Summer Fest, Powell Street Festival and so on). One that I couldn’t make it was the Greek Day, as it conflicted with another personal matters (as mentioned in my Scandinavian Mid Summer Fest post above). Despite I went to Greek Summer Festival, in-lieu of the Greek Day, well, it isn’t necessarily the same. So, this year, I made sure I went to that festivity, despite the weather was un-summer like. But, hey, weather hasn’t stopped me before! So, without further ado, a small photo essay of this event.

The event took place in Vancouver West Side in West Broadway between McDonald and Bleinheim Street

Greek goodies…

More goodies…

Did I say goodies?

You got to have a stage, right?

I guess there ought to be some people in costumes…

Did I say food??? However, most of the same stands were selling the same dishes…

Preparing gyros

My gyro… Not from the stand mentioned above. It was a fail because it was more in lines of ground meat rather than that sliced version.

I didn’t order this; instead, I took it from somebody else… Without her noticing! Shame? What shame?

I also ordered a pork souvlaki…

I also ordered a chicken souvlaki from a different stand. It was better prepared than the one from the pork soulvalki.

At least Greeks are better than Chinese, from the dessert’s perspective…

Ended up ordering a galaktoboureko, custard sandwich between phyllo with a hint of orange. Yumm!

Now, as the subject of this post suggests, I also went to the Greek Summer Festival. This event will be up until July 11th so you still have a week to go! Now, I went twice already and there are chances I will go again so the pictures below are based on what I have ordered so far. Since I don’t expect things to be that different from last year to this, things like lamb will be… Oh, well, almost the same as last year! But, as for what I have ordered so far this year…

Pork souvlaki dinner, with salad, bread, tzatziki and rice – $14

Greek yoghurt with honey. Disappointed it was scooped out from a commercial container… And charge $3 for it!

Spanakopita (appetizer), served with tzatziki – $4

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email asking for recommendations for an out-of-towner for this past weekend. While I provided some restaurant suggestions, I also mentioned some events around town. One of those events is the BC Spot Prawns Festival, a local event started recently (this is its fourth year) and that involves local chefs (from the Chef’s Table Society) and organizations (like Ocean Wise). Last year, I didn’t attend because, well, I had other plans and I thought it would be a good idea this year!

Originally, I was going to go with Mijune and then Anita. However, due to some change of plans, Mijune had to cancel and Anita and I ended up going there. Now, those who have been to Granville Island know that parking might be a pain and, in my case, in a futile attempt of getting free parking lead us nowhere. In the end, I ended up going for metered parking… Anyway, eventually we arrived to the grounds (or should I say piers) where the event was taking place… Now, some pictures around…

Queue to the piers.

Boats bringing in the spot prawns

Bag of prawns.

Local chefs, part of the Chef’s Table Society, signing Vancouver Cooks 2 books.

How about a food blogger taking a picture of a food blogger taking a picture of food? Here, Melody Fury.

Eventually, paid my $10 for a sample of the day’s catch. That ended up being…

A plate of four spot prawns, with three dipping sauces, Thai, mango and cocktail. Out of the three, I would put them in this order: Mango, Thai and cocktail. The cocktail one taste “artificial”, as if they came out of a jar. The Thai had some interesting flavours in it, including some slight spicy kick and some pungency, courtesy of the fish sauce. However, while it was good in its own ways, the mango one won it because of the sweetness, fruity taste.

Finally, the “good” part of the prawns. If you ever have prawns heads on, you must suck this up. This is the tastiest part of it! Here, it had a light seafood taste, though not as strong as the ones you can find in other seafood. Alas, some people were going only body and missing these completely. In the picture above, a couple from either Quebec or France finished their prawns but didn’t even touch the heads. Believe me, I was so tempted to grab it from their plates… >_< Likewise, I was disappointed I was given without the head but, come to think about it, it is possible they might have given it with the heads on. Finally, by the end of the even (3:00 p.m.), I started to notice that a lot of the orders were four of the prawns, all heads on. Sigh…

So, here is the big question…. While I believe it is really good, specially if compared to tiger prawns, the question is, how does it compare to other forms of prawns? If you checked yesterday’s post of my mom’s cooking, you should have noticed several langostino dishes. It is partially a tough call but, if I have to choose between the two, I will go for the langostino. Part of the reason for this choice is the taste: in the case of the langostino, it had a stronger taste of sweetness and seafood taste in it, which I thought the spot prawns lacked a little bit. Still, here is the kicker: I live in Vancouver and what I can get is spot prawns, not langostino…

There is something I like to call the psychology of free. If there is something “free”, most of the time, common sense go out of the window. Take for example, the free meals at places like Denny’s where they were offering free breakfasts; however, due to the demand, the lines were a couple of hours long. Sure, feel free to wait those couple of hours but, assuming you had a job, the time you “wasted” waiting might be worth more than that meal you got for “free”.

Now, given all the activities during these Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the question is: is there something worth waiting 5+ hours for? Just in case, to those who are living here and, most likely, have an idea about it, no, I did not wait for the zip line (I would rather pay for it, though I am also afraid of heights! So what did I wait for? Continue reading this post!

Yes, I went to the Royal Canada Mint Pavilion, which ended up being one of the most popular exhibits for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. To give you an idea of how popular it is, the day I went there, I arrived at around 7:30 a.m. and there were already over 50 people lining up! Did I mention that exhibit open at 9:00 a.m.???

(Note: Click on the image for a larger version of the picture in a new window!)

And what you get to see once you are inside? To start off… I will paraphrase a certain movie… Show me the money!!!

Coins with holographic design in it

You have heard jokes about carrying gold ingots. OK, here is one for you…

To actually try to lift it! OK, that is not it; however, there is another one you can actually lift but it is secured by a chain.

Estimated cost of this bar? Somewhere around CDN$400,000 to CDN $500,00 CDN!!!

As if it wasn’t enough… a CDN $1 million coin! On one side, Queen Elizabeth II and, on the other…

A maple leaf, of course! Oh, while originally its cost was *originally* CDN $1, nowadays, due to fluctuation of the gold, it is valued at $3.5 million!

That is all? Aside from the shop (mostly things you would be able to buy online from their site), I would have called foul. 5+ hours? No way in hell! If that is the case, why would people line for 5+ hours???? Well, scroll down…

Yes, those are the medals! And, yes, you can actually touch them!!!

Above the bronze, silver and gold medals of the Paralympic Games. The difference is the shape and, as see on the reserve, it contains braille.

And here are the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games medals. There are a lot of things I can repeat (based on what was described, for example, the reason I had to wear gloves) but I won’t. Not matter how much I say, it is not something that can be explained… Was it worth it? A couple of minutes with the medals? Priceless…

One more thing… The other posts related to this Olympic Games series…

• Alberta House
• Robson Street
• Maison du Québec
• Saskatchewan Pavilion
• LiveCity Downtown/Canada Pavilion
• Saxony House
• Northern House
• Ontario House
• Olympic Cauldron

Let me overstate the obvious: It is currently the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. And what is one of the most representative symbols of the games? The cauldron, of course! While I can see it almost every day since it only takes a small detour from my stroll to work, that is not necessarily true for those not living in Vancouver (or chose to take some days off from Vancouver). (Aside, of course, from the TV). So, below, a photo essay of the Olympic Cauldron of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games!

And, of course, a list of all the posts related to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games…

• Alberta House
• Robson Street
• Maison du Québec
• Saskatchewan Pavilion
• LiveCity Downtown/Canada Pavilion
• Saxony House
• Northern House
• Ontario House

Click on the picture below to open a larger version in a new window!

This was taken on the day they just lowered the fences. Not too shabby if I can say so myself…

Taken another night; however, there was still a lot of people…

At the same time the fence was lowered, they opened an observation platform right next to it for an unobstructed view. And below are the pictures…

For some reason, I am starting to feel like the Energizer bunny; you know, it keeps going and going and going… And that is despite the burnout I am going through! For today, Ontario House, which means I have only one (and a half) exhibit/pavilion left to visit – Atlantic Canada House. Depending on circumstances, I might or might not blog about that one as I queued for it during the weekend and it was downright ridiculous… But, back to Ontario House. Let’s just say they are lucky I persevered. That is because it took me two attempts to get in there! (Sorry, I do not have Elaine’s luck… >_< ). But, not that I did….

Oh, once again, the rest of the posts of this series!

• Alberta House
• Robson Street
• Maison du Québec
• Saskatchewan Pavilion
• LiveCity Downtown/Canada Pavilion
• Saxony House
• Northern House



OK, what is the deal with this sign? Reality is, it does not portray the “house” very well. However, what it does it tells you of one of the most popular attractions of this house which results in two different queues, i.e., one for the the house itself and one for a movie. Yup, if you are patient enough, you get to see a ~6 minutes 4D movie feature different “features” of Ontario. And what is a 4D movie? If you have seen any 3D movie (Avatar, et al), think of that “experience” but add some actual physical interaction. For example, in a scene where some kids are tobogganing down a hill, there is a snow machine in a corner pumping some snows. Likewise, there are instances where the seats rock and so on. While it is a novelty, I just want my old movies back…



This might as well be the “best seat in the house”… OK, I was actually standing at the far corner of the bar. The reason was that the few tables available were already taken and I needed some space (more on that in a moment). But, this gives you a good idea of what to expect if your expectations from this house is mostly to party. On that note, please also check Elaine’s post (of Parker Pages) about this place.



I will just add one thing that Elaine did not really mention (or just partially). Since Research in Motion (read: Blackberry) is located in Ontario, you bet there will have something from them there, right? In this case, is an interactive game where you use the Crack… I mean Blackberry to solve a puzzle (move different pieces in its location).

And, now, what I came for… Food! (Note: Click on the pictures of the food below for a larger version in a new window!)



Trillium meat trio: King Cole smoked duck breast, pingue Niagara capicola and Bresaola. I didn’t like the fact the capicola and bresaola were sliced this thin; however, it provided a good contrast of meaty and salty flavours, which was enhanced by further more contrast thanks to the mustard and pickles.



Spring rolls, specifically, duck spring rolls. When I first saw it, I wasn’t thinking on ordering it until I re-read it and noticed… “Duck?!”. I will have to say these were quite good, still hot, with some good duck taste (yet, couldn’t taste the actual meat due to the other parts of the filling) and, most importantly, not greasy. To me, this was a winner.



3 cheese mac & cheese (with MacBalderson cheddar, Gruyere and Parmesan). I didn’t really like this one, as I couldn’t taste much of the cheese. They were there; however, I felt more on the lines of a béchamel sauce. The worst part was that the mac didn’t really “soaked” the sauce so it was partially a mess. I think I can do better…



Ontario mini burger (with smoked cheddar and bacon). It was good to an extent but I felt it could have been better. The meat patty wasn’t dry and the pickle and tomato provided something else in addition to the meat. Oddly, I didn’t taste much of either the cheddar or (gasp!) the bacon. It was a case I knew it was there but…



And to finish, a chocolate cheesecake “bliss-on-a-stick”. Imagine cheesecake covered with chocolate. I am just going to say it could have been better…

Now, the “interesting” detail here (in terms of food, of course!) is that they took a different route compared to Maison du Québec (as a side note, the food in both locations are catered). Whereas the later is more of an actual meal, here, it is more on the lines of small treats. At $5, it sounds like a good deal… Until, that is, still feel hungry with one and ended up ordering several dishes, like I did above. Still, I give points to Ontario House for what they provided.

Overall, I think this house is better done than the others, as it caters to all groups at the same time. But, then again, it boils down to the level of expectation.

Aside to my visit to Robson Street and LiveCity/Downtown for the Canada Pavilion, most of my houses/pavilions so far have a food component. Today’s post is that of the Northern House, a house dedicated to the northernmost Canadian territories, i.e., Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, is mostly a cultural one. That does not mean it will less interesting than the others; I certainly enjoyed it because it was a break from the hecticness of other pavilions and houses. So, please, enjoy!

Oh, once again, the rest of the posts of this series!

• Alberta House
• Robson Street
• Maison du Québec
• Saskatchewan Pavilion
• LiveCity Downtown/Canada Pavilion
• Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games – Saxony House

No, that’s not Russell Peters. It was a narrator on site, telling the story of the Inuit.

They have a second floor with additional exhibits but, unfortunately, the day I was there, they had it closed… Other than that small disappointment, I will have to say I really enjoyed this one. It is a real break from what goes outside and shows a side of Canada we are aware of but may not put too much attention.