Lully’s Sandwich Mobile Cart
650 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Back when the original set of food carts came out, the one that we had to admit was a bit “different” from the rest was PanDa Fresh Bakery. While some of them would be as expected in other cultures (skewers from Chinese Skewer King and Satay King), others went for fusion (Cartel Taco, et al) and some went for old school type (pizza from Ragazzi, pulled pork sandwich from Re-Up and crepes from “>Kimono Koi Crepes), the folks from PanDa made a twist by offering stuffed croissants. Alas, it seems things went sort of sideways and they have come back in the form of Lully’s Sandwich.

Located just outside of Granville Skytrain Station (Granville Street exit), it has one thing that their old location didn’t have: foot traffic. After all, for food carts to work, you ought to have a lot of that. Without pedestrians, people might as well go to a sit down restaurant! Of course, without a good product, that would be meaningless. And what are they offering now? Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and, in an interesting twist, they seem they are associated with Lully’s Sandwich Bar from Victoria to bring their smoked meat goodness to Vancouver. Of course, there are some bigger questions with the main one being: would a restaurant formula work on the streets? Of course, with the caveat I have NOT being to Lully’s Sandwich Bar, I can’t say how they operate over there and can only based my thoughts on what they are offering from that cart. Instead, I will make a trip to memory lane and compare it to Kaplan’s Star Deli (it’s Downtown location which has closed). (Of course, I could have tried to compare it to Carnegie Deli, that might be an apple/oranges comparison of sorts, as I had their Woody Allen, which has pastrami and corned beef).

Of course, I am jumping ahead. After making my order, aka, telling them I wanted small, medium (the one I ended up ordering in the end) or jumbo stacked, they start putting some packed cuts of meat into a steamer. Of course, that might raise some questions: would it be good doing it this way? Actually, this method is a workable solution. Under normal conditions, the meat would be steaming and cut to order. However, when purchased in big slabs and taken home, guess how would you re-heat them? Suggested method is usually to cut them into pieces and them steam it for a couple of minutes. Sure, it takes away some authenticity but, given we don’t have the same consumption volume as in Montreal, we have to give some to get some. And the cooking alternative might be what needs to be done…

And here it is, the medium Montreal smoked meat sandwich, served with a pickle. Not necessarily a big fan of pickles so won’t say much. I had the option for yellow prepared mustard or Dijon mustard. OK, I went for the “untraditional” route and had it with Dijon. The rye bread, was a bit… Generic? But, the main question is… How is the meat?

The first part that left me with mixed feelings was the fact the meat was borderline sliced type. Now, Carnegie Deli did that with the Woody Allen and Kaplan’s did that with their Montreal Smoked Meat. However, I had sort of different type of expectations for them, specially because they were reheating them eat, they could have had it roughly cut. I guess, for purposes of consistency, they went for the sliced method.

The question would now be, how does it work as a whole package? In a way, it felt sort of mixed, the main problem for me being the texture. While piled high (I don’t want to imagine the jump extra), when I bit into it, there was no “resistance” from the meat. I am not sure about you, just that, I was expecting something to chew. In this case, it became too soft for me. From a taste perspective, actually, it was savoury and a smoke-like taste, characteristic of this type of meats. Because I asked for Dijon, it gave a contrasting “kick” something that others might not necessarily appreciate. In that case, I guess regular prepared yellow mustard would be for you.

So, how does that make it overall? Well, two things hit hard: the first one is price. One of the issue I raised back with Panda was it’s price. This sandwich is $7.50 which, from a street food perspective, it ain’t cheap. Of course, given they are bringing it the smoked meat from Victoria, I guess there ought to be some overhead. But, if we put that aside from a moment, there is the second factor with was (literally) external ones. The day I went was a cold day (as in borderline 0C) and it cooled down really fast after I unwrapped it (and, of course, to take a picture first). Compared that to eating it at the food court in Pacific Centre: weather won’t be an issue. In the end, if I were to share it with somebody as a snack, it would work. Back by myself as a whole sandwich… I didn’t necessarily convince me. But, once again, I am sure others will appreciate it.

Kim Chau Deli
1327 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC

Thu Hien Deli
1388 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC

After I came back from Edmonton, I wrote their Vietnamese offerings are way better than ones here. In the case of banh mi, while there, I visited and Van Loc and Nhon Hoa (my post here). But now that I am back in Vancouver, I have to live with what we have and back in the search for similar good eats it was. That brought me to that corridor in Kingsway between Frasier Street and Knight Street where you have a huge concentration of Vietnamese shops. And there is Kim Chau Deli, one that lately has been regarded as the place with the best banh mi. And, for good measure (and different eats), I went to Thu Hien Deli, too.

I will take this one out of it right away: Just because we share the same name, there is no preferential treatment for Kim Chau! But, that brings the question of how it was brought to my attention. Well, check this post from Sherman. See, it wasn’t just the banh mi, it is the story behind it. And you thougth The Family Restaurant was “funny”! But, you know what? things like this might have a side entertainment value but, in the end, it is about the food and here is what I ordered.

I went for two of their banh mi – sate (sic?) beef tenderloin sub and their special banh mi. Now, they do not have any seating area. In fact, this isn’t even technically a restaurant, think of it more of a Vietnamese grocery store (and well stocked I must say!). So, to draw a comparison to some of the banh mi shops in Vancouver I referenced in my Edmonton post, I took them home (to cause some transit time degradation) – after I went to Thu Hien that is.

A couple of things is evident out of the gate: The bread looks quite “sturdy” or has a good crust. OK, let me try again: unlike the more rustic version in some places, the bread crust kept its shape even after the internal car shock while I was driving back. That should be a decent indicator of the type of bread used. And then there is the packing. Yup, even after “swinging” the bag and toss it in the car, it just had some wrinkles in the wax paper! Can we say good wrapping job? (On that note, the bread is sliced and toasted before preparing the sub).

Moving to the banh mi itself, the first one is the sate (sic?) beef tenderloin. I will have to admit I wasn’t particularly fan of this one. Hmmmmm…. OK, let me try again: it was a good sub; however, the sate (sic? Sauteed? Satay?) beef had a strange issue. While it was flavourful, it wasn’t necessary a beef taste. In fact, the salty and slightly spicy sauce overpowered the beef. Not necessarily a bad issue just that it could have been any meat! The rest of the sandwich component did complement it: The pickled vegetables provided some good crunchiness and the fish sauce added provided some additional salty/savoury tones. The one component that provided a “good” effect was the mayo. In fact, there was something about that mayo… As in garlic mayo? Missing though was the pate. I guess it wasn’t intended for this sandwich. As an overall package, it was a combination of different flavours and textures that simply worked together. Alas, it felt slightly short in the meat department…

As for the special, it had the requisite cold cuts though not head cheese. Instead, they had something akin to a western type sausage. Pretty much all of what applies to the sate beef tenderloin applies here as well. But, being a different type of meat… In this case, the meat was there but, at the same time, I wished it was more savoury. And, unlike the beef tenderloin, this one had pate but it didn’t shine too much. Now, don’t get me wrong, the combination was good, except that it ain’t better or as good as the ones from Edmonton. In fact, compared to the other shops in Vancouver, it is definitely better, even better than Paris Bakery.

Now, here is the entertainment “side”: As Sherman mentioned, tending the banh mi station might be the “mom” or the “daughter”. If the daughter is there, you will soon find out she is quite chatty. Whether it is the customer or people in the back, it seems she has something to say. Of course, when she saw me there, she just kicked some strange comment as a conversation starter. But there was something I had to ask: is it true that, if her mother was there, only one type of sub was available? Well, actually no. It is not that she will refuse to sell others; rather, it is easier for her to prepare, because she is also taking care of the cash register! Now, this is a nutshell the story but, in between, we did talk about other things!

And here is a bonus of sorts. After I went to Kim Chau, on my way to my car, I stopped at Thu Hien. I could have technically done a banh mi comparison (as they have it); however, it would have been too much. Instead, I ordered banh cuon, something I have ordered previously at Truong Tranh. What is banh cuon? If I were to draw a parallel to Chinese cuisine would make explanation easier: That would be their version of rice noodle roll. How about some visuals?

Yeah, natural sunlight rules! As for the contents, the filling was pork with some mushroom, the plastic bag contains a dipping sauce and the white wrap was fried garlic chips. Was it good? Compared to Cantonese’s rice roll, this one was thinner and the usage of fish sauce/lemon/vinegar in the dipping gave it a different twist compared to soy sauce from the Chinese version. So, if you like the Chinese version, chances are you will like this, specially considering it has a twist. And given it is cheap ($6), I would certainly come back. The only catch is that it might cool down during transit time and its texture might change slightly. Otherwise, worth the drive!

Big Lou’s Butcher Shop
269 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC

“Me, too”, “Me, three!!!”. Isn’t it funny that, once somebody establish a new type of restaurant, copycats pop out as if there is no tomorrow? After Meat & Bread opened, there is Dirty Apron Deli and Big Lou’s Butcher Shop – the topic of today’s post. Well, it is not that it is bad; specially when these are different enough and/or has an unique twist. Rather, it is the fact that it does not feel… Original? Regardless, here is the question: How is the end product?

Now, what I just mentioned is not 100% accurate. Some delis have been selling sandwiches for a long time. For example, La Grotta del Fromaggio makes killer sandwiches; likewise, some banh mi shops double as Vietnamese delis as well. But, given some short-sightedness of some Vancouverites, i.e., it has to happen in Downtown Vancouver for it to spread or to be noticed… But, I am digressing here.

Big Lou’s is not a deli; instead, as the name suggests, is a butcher shop. And, yes, they have steaks, chickens and what not. But, at the end of the shop, there this small area where your sandwiches are prepared. Furthermore, they have some pedigree: they are the same people who run 2 Chefs and a Table (which I haven’t had a chance to visit yet). So, despite it is a “new” shop, the excuse of “recently opened” shouldn’t be used. But, moving to the food…

They have a couple of stools and after, getting my order, it is there where I sat myself to snap this shot. OK, I am just teasing you guys here, it does not tell you exactly what it is but it does show some details, specifically the butcher theme. Butcher paper to wrap the sandwich? Twine to tie it? As for the sandwich itself…

Since I have mentioned Meat & Bread (M&B), I had to order that one said sandwich instead of their namesake Big Lou’s Chicago Style sandwich (which is a house made sausage sandwich). Yes, I ordered a porchetta sandwich! So, a direct one to one comparison has to be made. Starting off with the bread, this one had a good texture and the fact it felt lightly toasted gives this one a slight edge over the one from M&B. Also, it felt chewier compared to M&B but, given this is a preference thing, it could go either way. As for the meat, M&B felt it was roasted a bit more and it had more cracklings sprinkled. The one from Big Lou’s had a slightly meatier/fattier feeling to it. Once again, depending on how you like yours… Now, here is the main difference between the two places: In M&B, they use salsa verde; in Big Lou’s, they use chimichurri. OK, there can be a bit source of confusion: salsa verde literally translates into “green sauce” and chimichurri can be technically considered to be a salsa verde. But, here is the key detail: salsa verde can be made from green herbs but chimichurri has to be parsley based (along with minced garlic, olive oil and probably chilli flakes). In this case, it was the chimichurri that provided a different savoury tartness and herbiness that M&B’s can’t compare. Does that mean one is better than the other? Not really, both have merits of its own; rather, it is a good sandwich to start a debate!

Should I have stopped at one sandwich? Nah… So, what sandwich is this one? And is that an… Asparagus? Yup, that’s an asparagus spear. Not only that, this is their banh mi. What?! Banh mi as in that Vietnamese sandwich? Should I add “only in Vancouver?”. But, as mentioned, Big Lou’s is a butcher shop and they have some pickled items so it seems it ended up being a case of why not? Anyway, this one contains pork should, house made pate, spicy mayo among other components.

Alas, just because it contains some banh mi components, it does not automatically makes it a banh mi. Sure, you have pate, pickled vegetables, cilantro, mayo in a baguette. However, it didn’t “feel” like it; specially considering the comparison I have to make in regards to Edmonton’s options. Now, here is how it went “wrong”:

• The pork was too sweet.
• It used the same bread as the porchetta; however, it felt too heavy for banh mi.
• Pickled vegetables… Nah, didn’t work the same way as the ones from Vietnamese banh mi.
• The spicy mayo felt more on the lines of a Thousand Island dressing than spicy mayo.
• Pate was physically there but didn’t have that strong taste.

I feel that, had they called it a braised pork shoulder sandwich, I won’t say too much and just say it was a decent sandwich, though still too sweet. But, as a banh mi? Please, no. If you want a banh mi, just walk a couple of blocks to Chinatown. For the same $8 you would have paid for this, you could have gotten two Vietnamese banh mi… And probably get some change back.

Overall, Big Lou’s offer a good sandwich; however, I feel you have to stick with the tried and true ones (porchetta, I am quite certain about their namesake sandwich). For more ethnic ones? Order at your own risk?

A bit over a year ago, when Tim Horton’s announced their English muffins, I jumped into the opportunity of comparing their sandwich against McDonald’s. In a funny reversal on things that have happened, recently, McDonald’s announced the return of my once-upon-a-time favourite: their buttermilk biscuits (OK, not really, more details in a moment). So, now that McD’s are back into this game, why not a second heads up battle? And, repeating what I wrote on that post over a year ago… (And borrowing that line from Iron Chef:) Whose cuisine reigns supreme?

Now, a couple of things before I go into my thoughts…

1. Unlike my first post, this time, I was a bit in a rush. SORRY!!! Usually, I do take my time taking pictures and what not. In fact, in my first “battle”, I took the sandwiches home, plated them, etc. etc. This time? Nope. It was a gray, raining morning and I was HUNGRY. I was in no mood of getting this back home and plate them and what not. As a result, I ended up going to Timmy’s, order one and then go to the nearest McD’s and get theirs. No fancy plating and, alas, crappy lightning. >_<
2. Before everybody jumps in, the McD’s biscuits (I will omit the word buttermilk from here on) is not a new item. As mentioned in my previous post, it was one of my favourites eons ago but they discontinued it for some odd reason. Now, it is not that it was removed completely from their menu. You could sort-of order it. How? Their Big Breakfast! See, in that one, you get eggs, sausage, biscuit and a hash brown. There were some catches, though: The egg was in the scrambled form, unlike the folded version or the “poached” version (from the Egg McMuffin), and, of course, it might be trickier to get bacon (you can always order it “on the side”).
3. To their PR people… For god’s sake, did you need to flood my email with this announcement? How many emails I got? 4!!! *shakes fist* At least I didn’t do what I did with certain other local Vancouver PR company: after pissing me off with their almost everyday announcement and choosing not to exclude my address from further spamming, I set up a server side filter where all emails from their domain would be send back to one of their email addresses.

However, on the positive side of this announcement: on February 9th and 10th, 2011, they are giving these free. So, if you want to try them, just go to your closest McD’s. Now, putting all these aside…

I will start off with Timmy’s. In a way, it has pretty much stayed quite “similar” to what I have tasted since it was originally released, except for one minor detail: It seems their “biscuit” is more in-line to bread than a biscuit. How so? I recall these used to crumble somewhat easily but, nowadays, it is closer to bread. Is it necessarily bad? In a way, it depends how you like yours. In this application, I didn’t mind it that much but, if you are a purist or have some (higher?) expectations, you might not let it go so easily. Here is the reason why I liked: It maintained its integrity and, as a result, the overall sandwich didn’t “break” down while I was eating it.

Moving past the biscuit, the egg didn’t have that non-egg taste I mentioned last time. This time, it was just that custard feeling to it. The sausage had a light pork taste but you had to try really hard. Not necessarily complaining here. Overall combined you have an interesting package of soft (egg), lightly crispy/crusty texture of the bread and some savouriness from the sausage.

As for McD’s, let’s start with the “key” component, the biscuit. First, buttermilk? Hmmmm… Maybe? But, past that, here lies the main difference compared to Timmy’s: this one was crumblier. In fact, you could “separate” the crusty portion from the crumblier portion, as if they were two distinct pieces. But, it had a slight odd secondary effect. Depending on how you hold your sandwich, there is a light chance part of the biscuit will “stick” to the contents of the sandwich. If I were to eat it by itself with jam or fruit preserve, there might be a slight chance it will break down. So, depending on your preference, this might or might not work.

As for the rest, once again, given it is a chain and standardization is key, it was pretty much the same as last time. The eggs felt overcooked and lacked a bit of taste; the sausage had more pork taste compared to Timmy’s. Well, McD’s is good at what they do…

So, overall, which one is better? It boils down to which one you prefer. Both works fine. However, there is one loser in the end: At over 500 calories each, my waist for eating one of each… >_<

Nhon Hoa
10622 97 Street Northwest (location visited)
10154 82 Ave Northwest
Edmonton, AB

Van Loc
10648 98 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB

Paris Bakery
1403 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

This is my third post on Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton. As mentioned in my previous posts on Tau Bay and Pagolac, there is a large Vietnamese community, to the point that, Chinatown might look more on the line of Viet Nam Town! This time, I am falling back into yet another of their stereotypical dishes (from our perspective, that is): banh mi. See, when Stimulant Junkie was in Vancouver, “for fun”, we did an impromptu taste test from several banh mi shops in town – which I will briefly go through further down in this post. During my trip to Edmonton, it was really difficult to notice how many places they had, so it was almost natural I should try banh mi here as well to see how it compares to the ones in Vancouver. And, after checking around, it narrowed down to two places: Nhon Hoa and Van Loc.

First, the contenders in Vancouver: Ba Le, Tung Hing, Chong Lee Market and, a place I had not visited previously, Paris Bakery. Now, because I was a bit too entertained with the tasting, I didn’t take picture of any of the banh mi this time and, to be fair, we did a blind tasting (read: I might not have necessarily “known” which one was which). Conclusion? With the caveat that there might have been some degradation due to the transit time from all these places before the actual tasting (which would have affected all of them the same way), here is what we thought (for easier comparison sake, we ordered their “special”, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink versions):

- Chong Lee underperformed compared to last time.
- The major disappointment was Ba Le. It was gone downhill since my last post. Flavours weren’t there and the only consistent part was the size: It was still loaded but the components were not flavourful.
- Paris Bakery, which looks really ghetto (or, a place where I could feel at home) was actually quite decent. For reference purposes, I will suggest you check Sherman’s post of this place.
- Tung Hing was consistent.

Now, moving to Edmonton. The days I was there were unseasonally warm. Of course, for Edmonton, “warm” in January means something on the lines of -5C (not counting wind chill or other factors). And while the mercury dipped below zero, one thing it did have: Sunlight. Yes, while we can brag about a lot of things here, during winter, it is mostly gray here. So, when I arrived, the sun was out and good time for some good pictures! (Hopefully, that is…).

First order of business is usually what to order and, following an approach similar to the comparison above, I was going to order their “special” just to find out there wasn’t such item in the menu. In fact, all the menu was, for the most part, in plain English! Of course, after ordering is when I realized I overlooked the obvious: the menu which includes the names in Vietnamese was behind the counter, not in the sheet in front of me. Doh? Anyway, by almost peer sheer luck I got it right: I ordered their combo which includes “bacon roll, head cheese, Vietnamese sausage, served with liver pate”.

Before going on, I ordered it in a combo (a possible “WTF?” moment if you are used to the Vancouver shops) and, in this case, spring rolls and a pop. The spring rolls were almost a mini version of the spring rolls found in most Vietnamese shops here in Vancouver, i.e., a meaty filling inside. The “issue” with this one was the fact they weren’t fried to order; rather, these were under a heating lamp. I won’t necessarily be harsh on them for this fact, as I was going for the banh mi instead.

Back to the banh mi, here is yet another “WTF?!” moment. Yup, these were wrapped in a plastic film. I was a bit perplexed at this for several reasons, with the obvious one being that I don’t recall ever seeing it in that form (probably with the exception of the ones found in supermarkets like T&T). OK, that is not much of an issue per-se, instead, is the issue of condensation. Since the bread is toasted prior to the sandwich being prepared (there is a toaster right there), it would create some heat. If it is wrapped in the plastic film, it would certain create some condensation. That was proved later to be true, as I took the leftover pieces with me to test that hypothesis and, indeed, the consistency was starting to get a bit mushy. Of course, -5C would certainly be a factor…

Enough digressing and back to the sandwich. Out of the gate, these sandwiches were obviously larger than the ones found in Vancouver. As for the taste, one bite and… I have to hands it down to them… These are indeed better than the ones we have! It was quite well balanced in terms of vegetables and meat plus there is a good spread of the pate (though it didn’t have a strong taste). Furthermore, the bread… Ah, the bread. At first, based on visuals, I thought it would be quite heavy, but, nope, it was crispy and light. Enough to hold the meats; not too much to make it dense.

Now, I did something stupid here: I had the recommendation for a “siu mai” banh mi for somewhere else but, by mistake, I ordered it here. Oh, well… That “siu mai” was spelled as “xiu mai” which was actually meatballs. In this case, it was more on the lines of ground meat and, while it could hold itself, I preferred the cold cut taste from the combo sub.

Of course, a “battle” post means I had to visit at least one other place and that place ended up being Van Loc, a block and a half away from Nhon Hoa. “Fortunately”, they do have a “special” and that is what I ended up ordering. After paying and getting the goodies, I sat on one of the tables inside which, in its own way look really strange. How so? The glass “windows” were mostly covered, giving a sense of… Enclosed space? As if they had something to hide. Too bad because that meant not enough sunlight and had to rely on the fluorescent light as source. But, back to the food: The bread was more on the lines of a “regular” baguette, which, depending on your preference, it might work for you. However, here is where things started to go a bit in odd ways. The meat was actually even more savoury than the ones from Nhon Hoa. Could it be I am confusing it with a sauce they add? However, what stole the show was the pate: it had a strong taste. In other words, if you don’t like that meaty, almost metallic taste, this might not be for you. Alas (or fortunately?), it wasn’t spread evenly, so not all bites had some of that said pate.

So, which one was better? Pricewise, they are the same ($3.50, which, looking into perspective, it is not that different compared to Vancouver prices). Nhon Hoa’s bread and other non-meat components were better; while the pate stole the show for Van Loc. So, it might be difficult to say which one I prefer, as both had its strengths and not much of a weakness. But, I will repeat it: These were *WAY* better than the ones we have in Vancouver. So, while I can’t say which one was better, and to badly paraphrase Adam Richman (of Man vs. Food fame), “In the battle of Vancouver vs. Edmonton, this one goes to Edmonton…” (But, until restaurants on the lines of Sanpachi, we still have some other better restaurants. However, they are starting to catch up with offerings like Corso 32!)

(Sidenote: After the fact, I was told there might have been one ingredient that, while eating, I didn’t notice but could have made a lot of difference: a mayo prepared for the banh mi. Woops!)

Culina
6509 112 Avenue (Culina Highlands)
9914 89 Avenue (Culina Mill Creek)
9626 96A Street Northwest (Culina at the Muttart – Muttart conservatory, location visited)
Edmonton, AB

Before my trip to Edmonton, I checked with several people who lived there as well as natives for points of interests. Me being “me”, there were some usual “caveats”, one of them, for god’s sake, please, do NOT tell me West Edmonton Mall (WEM)! (And, yes, I indeed went there and, due to bad timing, I could skate in the rink at the Ice Palace). But, once they knew what I was looking for, i.e., walkable areas (with the warning Edmonton is not as walkable as Vancouver), something outdoors (yes, again, call me crazy…) and things that, because you are “local”, you tend to overlook it. One of such places ended up being the Muttart Conservatory. But, in addition to the flowers and plants, I knew there was a new location of Culina, a restaurant that seems to be well regarded. So, that’s how Dumbfries and I ended up having a brunch there.

Unlike the other days in my visit, this one was more on the lines of a typical winter day in Edmonton. Snow… Snow… Did I say snow? How so? Driving there was a bit of an adventure for Dumbfries (whom I will have to, once again, say thanks for driving me there on a day that would have otherwise stayed at home!) but we eventually made it. When we arrived, I will have to admit: I was quite underwhelmed by how the restaurant is set up. Hmmmmm… Let me take that back: It does NOT look like a restaurant in the straight sense of the word: it appeared more like a cafeteria. Of course, this might be due to the setting, after all, it is located in a conservatory, not Metrotown or WEM!

We were originally seated in a corner but, after some tables near the glass window cleared, we requested to be moved there. Hey, natural light! One thing I did observe during our meal: The other customers were families with toddlers in hand. Whether they were going to the conservatory later (don’t think they did, don’t recall them inside) or they are from the neighbourhood, it means the restaurant can cater to all type of customers.

Now, to the food! Because we were there for brunch (which, actually ended being more on the lines of lunch), I do not expect the food to be representative of a meal at Culina in their other locations. However, it would be the question of execution: If they are able to produce good eats in a more constrained environment, what would it be in their regular one? But, let’s not jump ahead and first the dishes we ordered:

Dumbfries went for something “light” in the form of smoked salmon and egg salad on croissant with fruit salad. The dish is as described. Nothing more, nothing less, almost down to a T. OK, probably aside from the greens in the croissant. First, the bad: the croissant. Now, it wasn’t “bad”, except it could have been better had it, as Dumbfries pointed out, been warm. It wasn’t crispy (compared to Panda Bakery) but that soft airy texture worked fine. The salmon wasn’t really strong but you could tell it was salmon. And the temperature of the egg salad (room temperature) didn’t take away from the rest. So, in a way, it felt Zen-like, i.e., a bit sweet (from the croissant), a bit savoury (from the salmon), extremely light acidity (from the mayo) and a bit bitter from the greens (but, similar to the acidic tones, it was really light). Not difficult to make but it was well done. As for the fruit salad, it was a mix of fruits and a dollop of mascarpone cream (which I might have it confused as vanilla yogurt, as it tasted as such!) on top. Won’t say more about it as it would be what you can expect from such combo.

To share, we had the soup of the day: split pea soup. I have a bias for this type of soup, as I am a sucker for legumes. And I will hand it to them: aside from temperature (I would have prefer a more pipping hot version), it was a smooth and savoury soup. And they didn’t hold back in terms of smoked ham, as you could have easily have had a bit in every spoonful. The sweet peas on top was a nice touch to finish it. I had a discussion with Dumbfries about this, specifically how difficult it is to make. While it is relatively easy (mirepoix, split pea and hock of ham, top with water and cook until soft), at times, the legume does not break up as intended or some other things happen. And, if it breaks correctly, you might not need a stick blender; however, now that I am writing this, it is possible Dumbfries might be correct that it might have been used to achieve the smooth(er) texture… But, in the end, a good soup.

However, the one part of the soup order that didn’t work that much was the sweet potato bread on the side. In a way, I felt it was your regular plain bread, colour aside, that is. Did I miss something? :/

Now, my dish. In my case, I went for something heavier: bacon and eggs – scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, rosemary-cheddar potato hash, sweet potato toast. Let’s start everybody’s favourite… Bacon!!!! In this case, I don’t know, it was OK but nothing extraordinary. It was a bit salty, a bit smokey but that’s about it. While it wasn’t extremely greasy (ha!), that aside, there wasn’t anything else. However, while that and the sweet potato toast as mentioned above, didn’t work that well, the scrambled eggs and the potato hash stole the show. In the case of the eggs, it was still slightly runny and it had a quite light, almost custardy feeling to it. However, the interesting note is that it didn’t feel as if it was over cooked nor too airy. In a way, I would love to be able to get the recipe for this! As for the potato, I am not sure if a “hash” would be the best description. From a recipe perspective, it looks like as if some new potatoes were boiled/cooked and then mashed in a heavy cast iron skillet over some heat. Add some light seasoning and serve! And, in this case, it retained some crispiness as well as some of that starchy feeling as well. In other words, a combination of textures.

Again, as mentioned above, while they do have stoves tops and what not, I don’t think I should compare the food represented here to their other Culina restaurants. Having said that, what they served here was quite well executed. And, for that reason, I would certainly want to come back. Or better yet, their other locations!

Now, to finish this post, a picture (yes, one and only one!) that I took of the conservatory itself… And, I did enjoy my trip there!

Havana Cafe
1212 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

On my University years, my schedule was the usual crazy one for those who were working and studying. In my case, my latest class was 10:30 p.m. and, a lot of times, it mean grabbing something to eat. There were some “usual” 24 hours places and, in one of such places, I always went for one thing: a Cuban sandwich. What I liked about that sandwich was that combination of savoury, sweet (*), sour/acidic and gooey cheesy. While there are great sandwiches here in Vancouver, I haven’t been able to find anything that resembles it yet. Now, it isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing, as I have learned to “appreciate” the other sandwich types. Instead, well, I miss it. When Sherman went to Havana Cafe and mentioned they make this sandwich, I was all up for it. Alas, it partially fell off the radar but, on one night, I was near Brittania Community Centre and that gave me a good excuse to drop by for that Cuban sandwich.

(*) This might due to the use of a braided bread, rather than the traditional Cuban bread.

When I arrived, I chose to seat outside. No particular reason other than, probably, lightning. But, even then, lightning conditions were not that good. Anyway, there wasn’t much need for me to take a look at the menu. Given the restaurant’s name, it was more a formality to check if they had the Cuban sandwich… And to check if it came with anything else! And here it is.

Their Cuban sandwich and I had the option of soup of the day, fries or salad. I went for the soup of the day which happened to be a corn and chorizo chowder. From a plating perspective, it is clean but there is something else… that bugged me right away, which confirmed one key note from Sherman’s visit. More of that in a moment.

I will have to give them credit for this one. The soup was actually good, as it had a good mix of sweet and savoury. Now, it wasn’t perfect by any stretch: I wish it was slightly creamier or slightly sweeter (due to the corn), not to mention spicier (due to the chorizo). But, I guess it is a case of cater to the masses which I will have to leave those preferences aside and accept the fact that it is still a good soup. Anyway, back to the soup, it had a good broth and a decent amount of vegetables plus the said corn and chorizo.

OK, let’s go through a checklist of the ingredients that are usually in this sandwich: Roasted pork? Check. Ham? Sort of check. Cheese? Sort of check. Pickle? Sort of check. Pickle? Check. Cuban bread? Fail, but will give it some leeway. Before I go to the major epic fail, let me add that, those “sort of check” can go either way. First, the ham. In their case, they used black forest ham. In my case, I am used more to either the honey ham, cooked ham, glazed ham or Virginia ham. The reason why I prefer these? Because black forest adds too much saltiness to the overall conction and, as a result, didn’t work for me. The cheese used is not something I worry too much about as it is partially “absorbed” by the rest of the flavours but, at least, it does provide something “gooey” to the rest. The resulting sandwich “as is” is still decent but it does no justice to the Cuban sandwich of my past for one reason: it wasn’t pressed.

See, it is that action of brushing some melted butter outside (or, in some cases, oil) and then press it, is what melds everything together. That is specially true with the cheese… By not doing so, it is just a plain sandwich that you can get even in Subway. (OK, exaggerating here, as the bread there is nowhere comparable to the Cuban or braid bread). The funny thing about all this is that, when I made mention of this fact to the waitress, she just dismissed it as “the sandwich being bigger”. Hmmmmm…. OK, you completely missed the point…

Because of that simple fact, I will have to say it is a fail for me. It is possible they have other good dishes but the fact they can’t make a sandwich related to their namesake is a let down. One other thing that does not help is their price. At $14, this ain’t a cheap sandwich; in fact, it just compounds to my overall issues. Oh, well, the “quest” continues? :/

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro
4016 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC

Last week, Sherman wrote a post about Dirty Apron Delicatessen and, on that post, Holly wrote a comment about Chez Meme. It just happens that place has been on my radar for quite some time. How far? As early as spring when Jessica (who has been MIA) wrote a post about them. Of course, that comment was a good reminder and, in the end, it was a matter of finding time. So, given I wanted to go, how come I didn’t make time to do so? Because of their schedule. See, they are only open for breakfast and lunch, 3:00 p.m. at the latest, Monday to Friday and open on some Saturdays (as in every second Saturday of the month, though it might be different on that Saturday in January 2011), hours which would be “normal” working hours for me. But, fortunately (?), I had a day off on an otherwise regular working day, I jumped at that opportunity.

I arrived way past noon but, still, the place was packed full. Of course, with only that many tables, it would be unavoidable. Fortunately, since I was a “party” of 1, I could sit at high stool overlooking outside so that gave me one very important “feature”: sunlight! Anyway, after being set up, given the menu, I noticed one key detail. Other than their mains, which are $13.50, most of their other dishes are below $10. And, after making my order, it was only a matter of waiting…

Alas, given I was a party of 1, that also meant I would only eat that much. To make the most out of it, I went for one of their sandwiches with a side (salad, fries and soup). And, out of all sandwich options, even with some fancy ones like cocktail (with shrimp), nordique (smoked salmon) or jarret (lamb shank), I went for something that can be considered a good yardstick: bourguignon – boneless beef short ribs, caramelized onions and horseradish, for $10.

For the soup side, the soup of the day was cauliflower, thyme and truffle oil soup. To me cauliflowers is an odd beast. By itself, it is mostly plain and it desperately need help from other flavouring agents, herbs or spices. Unless, that is, you roast it (but that is another topic). In this case, while the truffle oil was mostly their in name, the thyme actually made up for the lack of flavour from the cauliflower. However, that does not mean it was bad; instead, the cauliflower provided texture. So, while it was quite light, in the end, it was still good, as I was thinking it to be a side more than anything else and it complimented the sandwich quite well.

And here is the main, the bourguignon sandwich. When I first looked at it, I was quite sure it would be good. How so? That glossy shine on the top could either mean fat or collagen. I was willing to be it was the letter and, indeed, it was. At first bite, a deep beef taste could be savoured right away, followed by a light hint of the horseradish. The onions provided some sweet note to balance the flavours. Finally, the bread… Ah, the bread! It was soft but not dense; yet with some crunchiness but not to the point of it leaving a lot of crumbs on the plate. It could be contradicting and difficult to explain but, trust me on this one, it was good!

Overall, this is a place I would definitely come back if it wasn’t for the hours issue. In fact, I want to go *around* those hours problems just to have their sandwiches again and/or mains. Furthermore, prices are good which provides yet another bonus. So, in the end, we have a winner!

Dahlia Bakery
2001 4th Ave
Seattle, WA

As I have mentioned in the past, Vancouver, being so closed to the US, at times, it can be trivial for us to go there – border crossing aside, that is. So, with that in mind, I recently did a day trip just to get out of the holidays madness in town. Nothing wrong with it; except that, well, I felt I needed to be out of here. (Or, go from one madness to other madness!).

Originally, I was considering on taking a detour to Din Tan Fung for some XLB; however, when I was told there would be hour long wait, I reconsidered: Do I want to drive to another country just to line up? I would have done it had there been other people with me; no, if I was by myself. Anyway, back to Seattle, I decided to go to that one major point of interest: Pike’s Place Market. But, given I was parked a couple of blocks away and was hungry, rather than walk to the Market and search for (possible) good eats, instead, I went to a backup option which I had a small previous encounter with: Dahlia Bakery. Nope, I haven’t been there previously; rather, I was earlier this year in Lola, another restaurant under the umbrella of Tom Douglas, which Bahlia Bakery belongs to.

Now, I wasn’t sure if it was what I was expecting. Somehow, I was expecting it to be something on the lines of Thomas Haas, Bakery Nouveau, Ganache Patisserie. Heck, even Boulangerie Cho Pain. However, this is a really small place. Let me try again: You could see the kitchen, which might be partially shared with the restaurant (Dahlia, in this case, and, who knows, Serious Pie, given they are all Tom Douglas restaurants!). So, customer area, as in the place you would order and wait was limited to less than 3 square metres (or ~9 square feet). Of course, that’s not including displays, as in these:

Despite I wasn’t here for the sweets, I am sure people would bash me if I do not order some sweets. In this case, I ended up ordering a token piece before people start coming with pitchfork and torches. That one piece ended up being the Toms Famous Triple Coconut Cream Pie, which have a bite size version. At $2.50, it might be one of the priciest one bites I have had in a while so the question is whether it was worth it. In my case, it wasn’t. OK, I am not sure if it is because I have lived in tropical country but, when I read “coconut”, my expectations are different. For one, I expected some really crisp coconut flakes and some hints of coconut infused in the cream or crust. If that was the case, it definitely failed. Now, from the North American perspective of a coconut pie, well, it wasn’t that bad; however, at the same time, I have had better. Come to think, it might be related to the size rather than it being so-so. Because of the distribution of the ingredients, the cream wasn’t proportioned the same way as a regular size so it was overwhelmed by the rest.

And here is what I came for a sandwich. In this case, their roasted turkey, cream cheese, fresh cranberry sauce & arugula on stuffing spiced foccacia bread. From an ingredient perspective, everything was there. But, from an assembly perspective, it was a bit disproportionate: in some parts, I could taste the cream cheese but, on others, it was absent. Plus, on one side, the turkey was “doubled” while on another part, it was a single chunk. On that note, the turkey, despite being pure white meat, didn’t have a dry consistency; instead, it was a decent piece of it. Of course, me being Asian, I would have preferred dark meat. The selection of bread was a bit strange for me. I felt it was a bit to soft/fluffy for me. I would have preferred ciabatta instead here (which is used in their other sandwich, which is an egg salad sandwich). From a taste perspective, it is short of being a Thanksgiving in a sandwich type sandwich; however, for that, I think I would have gone for Panda Bakery’s version instead (specially considering they have “stuffing” and mashed potato, too).

Overall, once again, this is not necessarily a place for me. Probably for Mijune because she likes her sweets; in the case of savoury stuff, like sandwiches or soups, I can think of other places. So, it is a case of YMMV.

Boccalone
1 Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA

A couple of weeks before I went to San Francisco, I received an email from a very dear friend telling me “[this picture] is for you! All things PORK! ”. That “thing” my friend was making reference to was a sandwich board saying “Tasty Salted Pork Parts”. I guess some people really do know me, hehehehe. So, when I was in San Francisco, I made sure I visit Boccalone, this place with this sandwich board!

Interestingly, I passed by Boccalone several times on this trip: while walking around San Francisco’s Ferry Building for their Farmer’s Market, before going to Hamburgers in Sausalito, then on our way back to San Francisco, then later that night for Foodbuzz gala dinner. So, after parting ways with Sherman after dim sum at Dol Ho, I had the afternoon to decide what to do. I said to myself “well, I might as well go to Boccalone now!”.

When I arrived (battling some rain, I must add), I did a quick walk around first. Hey, who knows, there might be something that might entice me more! Wait, why the sudden change of heart? Well, unless you missed my Incanto post, in one of the pictures, they have some Boccalone stuff hanging in a display. What that has to do? Well, it just happens that Boccalone is owned by Chris Cosentino who also own Incanto. So, given I was going to try some of his cooking, I could second guess it. But, no, since my dear friend made mention of it, I had to make sure I went there!

So, the usual question: what to order? Since I had to pace myself, I knew that the only option was a sandwich, which begs the usual question: Which one? Because of what happened with Sherman in Salumi (my post here; his original post here), I knew that, if I order the “wrong” one, I am somewhat certain I will unleash the fury from some readers. But, well, those are the chances I had to take…

That sandwich ended up being a hot sandwich, namely their “Mess Piggy” sandwich – Pulled pork with spicy pickled peppers. The sandwich was what promised it was and a bit more: The bread was sliced then pressed in a panini grilled before pulled pork was added to the mix and then the hot peppers. The pork was juicy and had that nice pork texture. However… One thing failed: the spicy peppers overwhelmed any hints of smokiness from the pork. And that was despite it wasn’t excessively spicy but just enough. It was a shame because, otherwise, I would have really loved the crispy texture of the bread and the softness of the pork.

On my way out, I decided to grab some of their cold cut “snack”: for $3.50, you get a “meat cone”, which has a sample of some of their cold cuts. With an average of slightly over $1 a piece, I believe they provided a good example of what their cold sandwich could have been. If that statement is true, in that case, it was good in its own ways, though, of course, it brings back the question of whether any “additional” component (like the spicy pepper above) would have throw things sideways.

With that in mind, how was it? Based on its location and the end product, I will have to say it more or less provides what it promises. It could be better, yes; but, still good enough for me to consider a revisit. Now, if they had pig ears sandwich…