Eggs Benny a Its Best

I was too busy eating the whole time that I was in Vancouver that I have once again neglected to post anything up.

I feel bad ... and even worst now that my SD card has decided on its own to erase a chunk of my food photos. Now i have no memory of that couple of weeks of my life. Sad. And I am sorry that I can't share with you some of the glorious places and dishes that I have tried.

Lunch dates with myself is my thing in Vancouver. Table for one, with my book. A chance for me to sample any dishes I want - and I do splurge once in awhile. Is therapeutic. Is lunch uninterrupted.

Locus Restaurant & Lounge on 4121 Main Street.

Cool logo on menu cover

A very rustic joint with a hypie vibe. I sat by the window looking out onto Main street at 3pm. I ordered a Caesar - Happy hour started early everyday when I was in yvr.

That's the bar. owner behind making my Caesar

Vancouver - Food Paradise

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on all the hot eating spots in YVR!! There are so many new places to try, the VanMag is my guide for this trip.

Restaurants that did not disappoint so far:

Pied-a-Terre

Bearfoot Bistro (Whistler)

xoxo!

Char

Easter Sunday

I was supposed to cook brunch and theme was of course, eggs. Obviously I did not wake up early enough to cook brunch for my parents. We went out for a late lunch and my dad and I played tic tac toe.

After a lazy afternoon with the 'rents, I decided to cook a dinner for them. Haven't done that in awhile and I wanted to see if I can create something new for them to try.

On the menu:

Potato hash with tomato ragu, chorizo and poached egg
First time ever making this. Thank goodness I had some left over tomato sauce from last time when Jim & friends were here for an ad hoc dinner. The egg wasn't really poached but rather brought to room temperature and bathed in hot water (i changed the water at least 3 times and I still didn't get the coagulation of the whites I wanted. But it was still good) for at least 20mins. Serve with breadsticks.

couldn't place the egg on top of the hash and the tomato sauce. but it was nonetheless very tasty!

Pan-fried Atlantic Salmon in Fennel & Coriander infused oil with broad bean puree & toasted pine nuts. Served with tomato salad.

Not a bad main course. The sweetness of the puree went really well with the richness of the salmon. The tomato salad was refreshing and lightened up the whole dish. Definitely can entertain with this dish.

Salmon cooked perfectly - still pink in the center

Also made mom's favourite - Angel hair with clams, which I totally forgot to take a picture of. 

Wine - Cloudy Bay, Chardonnay 2002

Champagne still in fridge, but I intend to drink it after I am done with this post.

Hope you all are having a great Easter break! :)

Maple Oatmeal Cranberries Muffins

Muffin cravings!!

Dislike that it is totally unexpected and out of the blue. Caught me completely off guard and I needed to fix it with this.

I had to abandon my saffron creations so that I can have a quick fix of this moist, doughy sugary treat. Is considered healthy since I put oatmeal in them. 

I wasn't patient enough to sit and think for 45 minutes to decide what to put into saffron muffin. That's life. It doesn't always go as planned . 

And the unplanned always seems to be better. See these muffins? I think they are better than what I have planned ... which was work. 

The Saffron Challenge #4 - Poached Pear with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Saffron Crumbs

My dear friend Allan has brought to my attention that saffron is the new aphrodisiac. And why wouldn't it be? Is lush in colour, sensual in scent and addictive in taste. Here is the article that explains it all. It also stated that there are no merits/data supporting chocolate to be an aphrodisiac. This I refuse to believe as I heart chocolates. The darker the better. And I think a little chocolate will always help, regardless.

Anyways, in the article, 3 things stayed with me - saffron, chocolate and alcohol. This calls for a little dessert making.

A lovely chocolate brandy saffron truffle would be nice (truffle was suggested by Victor a few posts back). But I've never succeeded in making truffles. They always turned into a glob of delicious mess instead of perfectly shaped rounds of velvety smooth goodness.

I love my friends for giving me ideas. Thank you. I heart you like I heart chocolates. And that's a lot of hearts.

The Saffron Challenge #3 - Vanilla Poppyseed Cupcakes with Saffron Lemon Curd

Cupcakes! Who doesn't like them? They have special effects on everyone ... even more so than cookies.

They are tiny, cute and when you look at them, perfectly lined in the cupcake pans with individual colourful 'wrappers' (i don't know what those things are called), how could you resist?!

And it gets even better. You get to do all sorts of things to it ... frost them, sprinkle them, dip them or just simply bite into them. Mmmmmm good! Satisfying. 

They make me feel like a girlie girl again. 

I've decided to pair the very simple yet classic Vanilla Poppyseed Cupcakes with a tart lemon curd, spiked up with saffron. Gorgeous, don't you think?

I tried to do the 'artsy' thing here. Focus at the back and blur at the front.

I am trying!!! ;)

Rainy Phuket

4 days in rainy (more like stormy) phuket had me ended up with no tan lines, only 45mins of beach time and an additional 5lbs plus 2 inches around my waist. 

Just a few pics for you all to look at. Will resume my cooking and dessert making soon! Have a good weekend!

Pool in our villa that I only got to use on the last 2 days of the trip. Very beautiful though.



First meal. A late lunch at the villa. Tong Yum Gong, Phad Thai, Spring Rolls,
Yum Beef Salad and Seared Tuna Salad.


I believe this restaurant is called Joe Louis



 Appetizer Platter @ Joe Louis


O-so-good Curry Crab!!


Whole steamed seabass with lime & garlic. Served with spicy calamensi sauce. 
Couldn't get enough of this. So fresh.