Hawksworth Restaurant (Vancouver)

I finally had a chance to visit Vancouver last month, a city I haven't been to in more than 20 years (I blame the ridiculously expensive airfare). I spent one very chill week in and around Vancity just eating, drinking and hanging out. It was exactly what I needed; I came back home very well rested (7 lbs heavier!) and I didn't feel like I needed another vacation from my vacation (I hate that feeling). Anyway, researching which restaurants to check out naturally became my main mission before the trip. My final list consisted of around 7-8 places, with Hawksworth being on the very top of my list.

Hawksworth Restaurant (Instagram: @hawksworthrest, Facebook: Hawksworth Restaurant) has received an impressive number of awards and accolades since it opened in 2011, some of which include Best New Restaurant from enRoute Magazine, Canada's Restaurant of the Year from Maclean's Magazine, Second Place in Canada's 100 Best list, Chef of the Year, Sommelier of the Year, and Best Upscale Restaurant from Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, etc, etc. The list goes on and on (click here for the full list of awards). So, to say I was "excited" when my friend Mijune of Follow Me Foodie snagged a reservation there is clearly an understatement.

Located in the gorgeous Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Hawksworth serves contemporary Canadian cuisine. The restaurant's menu is seasonal and features local Canadian ingredients. We left it up to Chef de Cuisine, Chris Stewart, to feed us that evening. It's always better that way, trust me.

PUFFED BEEF TENDON (amuse)

Iberico ham, liquefied fat trimmings

Take a look at that iberico. Thinly sliced with a dark-ish red hue and some natural fat infiltration, the 48-month old iberico had a sharp flavour and an oily texture (amplified by the liquefied fat trimmings). The fried beef tendon puff had an intense crunch that quickly dissolved on the palate. Yum. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the meal.

Wine Director, Bryant Mao, leads the award-winning wine program at Hawksworth. Here is Bryant pouring Mijune and I our first glass.

HALIBUT

Buttermilk poached halibut, fresh peas, pea puree, pea veil, pea tips, pea powder, edible flowers, puffed rice.

Pairing: Little Farm Riesling 2015, Mulberry Tree Vineyard, Cawston, BC. 

So much yes for pea season! Nothing symbolizes the sweet, light, and freshness of spring quite like peas. Underneath the velvety pea puree, the poached halibut was soft and flaky, and the puffed rice added just the right amount of texture to the plate (or bowl). Beautiful flavours, textures, depth and colour. This was a wonderful representation of the terroir of Vancouver, with land and sea uniting to form a perfectly made dish. 

2017 Chinese New Year Dinner: Poon Choi ("盆菜")

Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese friends! 2017 is the year of the Rooster, and because I have no idea what that entails, I googled it. I found this nifty graph showing how people born in a year of the Rooster (i.e. 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, and 2029) will do in 2017 when it comes to work, love, wealth and health. Check out how scientific the folks at Chinahighlights.com made it all look:

This shows what's lucky and unlucky for Roosters. Note the cockscomb (obviously) and how Roosters should never, ever, venture east.

I'm not superstitious at all but it's fun to look at horoscopes sometimes, especially during Chinese New Year! But y'all know what's more fun than zodiacs during CNY? Eating the food my Mom makes.

This year, my Mom switched it up a bit. Instead of making multiple dishes, she made poon choi, or 盆菜, which literally means "basin vegetables" in Chinese. Ingredients are cooked separately, layered carefully and topped with an assortment of delicacies. Each person at the table takes food from the "basin", layer by layer, from the top to the bottom. Eating 盆菜, or "big bowl feast", signifies abundance and richness in the coming year.

FYI. According to Wikipedia, poon choi was invented during the late Song Dynasty. When Mongol troops invaded Song China, the young Emperor fled to the area around Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. To serve the Emperor as well as his army, the locals collected all their best food available, cooked it, and because there were not enough serving containers available put the resulting meal in large wooden washbasins.

There are all the ingredients that went into my Mom's poon choi:

⇒ Bottom layer: white radish, carrots, cabbage (白蘿蔔, 紅籮蔔, 長紹菜) 

⇒ 2nd layer: roasted duck, oil chicken, roasted bbq pork, brined pork stomach (烧鴨肶, 油雞肶, 烧肉, 鹵水猪肚) 

⇒ 3rd layer: fish maw, sea cucumber, shiitake mushroom, dried scallop (花膠, 海参, 冬菇, 瑤柱) 

⇒ Top layer: black moss, abalone, soy sauce marinated tiger shrimp, egg tofu and broccoli (發菜, 鲍魚, 豉汁明蝦, 玉子豆腐, 西蘭花) 

A short Instagram video of my Mom pouring homemade chicken broth into the pot on the stove. That sizzle thooo (don't mind my Dad talking in the background).

Each bite of the poon choi was such a treat - I wouldn't change a thing. The poon choi fed the five of us no problem..there was so much food in there!

Before I go, I want to mention the most precious ingredient in the poon choi, which was the abalone. My mom bought this "Gold Price" boiled canned abalone from the supermarket. With just two abalones inside, this can was close to $70. The mollusks were tender with a bit of chewiness to them, and due to the salt water they lived in, the meat tasted a bit salty.

Like always, my Mom totally spoiled us :) Thanks, Mom!

Related Posts:

2011 Chinese New Year's Eve Feast

2012 Chinese New Year's Eve Feast

2013 Chinese New Year's Eve Feast

2014 Chinese New Year's Eve Feast

Maillard.co Gift Card Giveaway - CLOSED

I'm giving away a $100 Maillard.co gift card!

Maillard.co is a brand new online butcher shop that offers over 100 different cuts of meat of all sorts, free of artificial colouring, from beef and veal, to pork, poultry and lamb. I was sent a sample Maillard.co box last month to try so I'll share my experience with you here. If you like what you see, make sure you enter my contest below!

All Maillard (Instagram: @maillard.co, Facebook: Maillard) products come in a 100% recyclable isotherm cooler that allow the meats inside to remain frozen for at least 30 hours following their shipment. When you open the box, you'll also find a layer of dry ice blocks used to maintain an inside temperature of -80 degrees for maximum preservation. The cuts of meat – sold by unit or in boxes – are individually vacuum sealed then instantly frozen. All online orders are delivered the next day.

Maillard.co guarantees its meat to be free of artificial colouring. From slicing to shipping, all of their meat, except their flattened chicken which is packed directly from their supplier, is processed in their HACCP-certified facilities located in Terrebonne, Quebec. Their beef is selected according to its high-quality grading (AA, AAA and Prime), which guarantees optimal marbling, tenderness and flavour.

"From slicing to shipping, all of our meat is processed right here in Quebec at our Terrebonne facilities that are HACCP certified, which are the highest food processing standards in the world. Our customers will enjoy choice cuts of meat that have been carefully selected and prepared by our artisan butchers year-round." - Pascal Arsenault, owner of Maillard. 

For my Maillard sample box (valued at $85), I received:

The Maillard Grilling Guide

A Maillard apron

1 pkg AAA boneless ribeye steak (Selection 1913)*

1 natural flattened chicken

I pkg trimmed boneless chicken breasts

1 pkg boneless duck breast

1 pkg frenched bone in pork chop

*Selection 1913 is Maillard's finest tasting product. The best meat in categories AAA and Prime is selected according to marbling, colour and musle size. These choice cuts are aged for 45 days for optimum flavour and tenderness.

With all the wonderful cuts of meat in my freezer, it was time to get cookin'! My box came with several recipe cards, so I decided to use one of them, their "Portuguese Piri Piri Style Chicken" using their flattened chicken (there are currently more than 20 featured recipes on the Maillard website that shows you the different ways you can cook your choice cuts). We seasoned the AAA boneless Ribeye with some salt and pepper, and pan-seared it to a nice rare to accompany our piri piri chicken and roasted vegetables.

Jackpot Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice (or "海南雞飯" in Chinese) is a dish of Chinese origin from early Chinese immigrants from the Hainan province in southern China. One would usually find the dish associated with Hainanese, Malaysian, Singaporean (it's considered as one of the national dishes of Singapore), Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Therefore, there are many regional variations of this popular dish, from differences in preparation and cooking styles, to the various condiments and accompaniments served with it. I am, by no means, an expert on Hainanese Chicken Rice, but what I do have are very fond memories of it. Back when I was a toddler living in Hong Kong, my family and I would often have dinner at a homey Thai restaurant near where we lived, and we would always order their Hainanese Chicken Rice. It was one of their signature dishes and it was damn delicious. My Mom made it several times at home, too. Her version was fantastic too, but the dish required a lot of time and effort so it's not something that she would make often. It has been awhile since I've had Hainanese Chicken Rice and I miss it (which reminds me, I remember having a terrible version of it here four years ago).

So, imagine my excitement when I heard about Jackpot Chicken Rice, a restaurant specializing in Hainanese Chicken Rice! Chef Craig Wong of Patois and Jamaican restaurant Ting Irie in Dubai, took over the former Lucky Red space in Chinatown and opened Jackpot Chicken Rice three weeks ago. The restaurant's menu features Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roast Chicken Rice, and Tofu Mushroom Rice, along with several side dishes and add-ons.

A very eye-catching mural of a chubby baby grasping a huge watermelon surrounded by gigantic pink roses just as big as he is.

Colourful colanders lanterns hang from the ceiling.

To my disappointment, Jackpot Chicken Rice (Instagram: @eatjackpot, Facebook: Jackpot Chicken Rice) did not have their liquor license yet when I visited so I couldn't try any of their cocktails (their Chinese Old Fashioned and Hainan Long Island caught my eye). But no worries, they are now licensed :)

KAFFIR BROCCOLI TEMPURA ($5)

The tempura batter was light and not oily. Dressed in a creamy lemon-kewpie mayo then finished with cilantro and lime leaves, everybody at the table really enjoyed this broccoli side dish (this and the Baby Fish Fry are listed under "side dish" on the menu but they are really appetizers since they came before our chicken rice).

Angelo's Coal Fired Pizza

This was my first coal-fired pizza experience and it certainly won't be my last.

Angelo's Coal Fired Pizza, situated at 106 Front St. E. across from the St. Lawrence Market, opened its doors on July 18th. Originated in Boston, Massachusetts, this spot is Angelo's second location, and is Ontario's first coal-fired pizza restaurant. Angelo's pride and joy is their coal-fired oven, which takes up 32 sq. ft. of cooking space and weighs approximately 10,000 lbs. Co-owner Joe Rizzo told me the oven arrived from California on a flatbed truck and was installed at the restaurant by forklift. 

Co-owner Joe Rizzo

The pizzeria is very roomy at 5,000 sq. ft. and can accommodate up to 124 guests including the bar. There's also a patio out front that seats 32 people. I like the Edison light bulbs, the black herringbone patterned floor tiles, as well as the exposed brick wall, but why do they have to ruin it all with TVs? The space is casual and tastefully decorated, yet the flatscreens scream "sports bar". I'm not a fan.

Angelo's offers 50+ wines from regions of Italy​,​ California​,​ Australia​,​ New Zealand​,​ ​Chil​e ​and France​.​

This mighty TerraLuxe coal-fired oven can reach up to 900 degrees and above, and uses 150 lbs. of the highly efficient, anthracite coal a day.

Revisiting KAKA All You Can Eat Japanese

It's been almost a year since my last visit to KAKA, an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant located at First Markham Place (read about my experience at KAKA here). Since then, KAKA All You Can Eat (Instagram: @kakaallyoucaneat, Facebook: KAKA All You Can Eat) has introduced several new items on their already sizable menu, and I was invited back to the popular AYCE spot to have a taste.

I started the meal with Mio Sparkling Sake, a very light and bubbly sake.

The newly introduced items include three varieties of poke salad bowls and two types of tacos. I applaud KAKA's effort in offering the trendy poke to their menu but I was not crazy about them. In general, the poke bowls were under-seasoned and had too many competing ingredients. In my opinion, the best poke bowls are often the simplest ones with cubed fish seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sweet onions, then finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds or scallions. That's it. I thought KAKA was overly ambitious with the number of ingredients. The tacos, on the other hand, were quite delicious. I would order them again.

POKE SALAD

JALAPENO POKE

Salmon, avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion, garlic chips

CITRUS SOY POKE

Salmon, nori, sesame, avocado, cilantro, green onions, tempura bits

YUZU PONZU POKE

Butterfish, cucumber, avocado, sweet egg, green onion, melon, yuzu sauce

TACOS

FISH TACO

Asian slaw, avocado puree, chipotle mayo

SHRIMP TACO

Pico de gallo, avocado puree, wasabi mayo

After the poke and tacos, we continued to make our way through the KAKA menu. Highlights for me were the Ox Tongue Skewer, Chicken Meatball Skewer, the very creamy Bacon and Mushroom Carbonara and the Grilled Okra.

Ox Tongue Skewer

Butternut Squash Soup (new)

Chicken Meatball Skewer (new)

Bacon and Mushroom Carbonara Udon (new)

Hello Fresh - A "Cook from Scratch" Meal Delivery Service

With 7.5 million meals per month and 850,000 subscribers globally, HelloFresh made their way to Canada in May 2016. HelloFresh (Instagram: @hellofreshca, Facebook: Hello Fresh CA) is a meal delivery subscription service that delivers locally sourced fresh ingredients and recipes straight to your doorstep. HelloFresh's team of in-house chefs create easy-to-prepare, nutritious recipes, and pre-measured ingredients are delivered right to your door every week. The recipes are quick and easy to follow (they all take 30 mins or less), and don't require any fancy equipment or techniques. All you need to have available at home is salt, pepper, sugar, cooking oil, and butter. 

HelloFresh delivers on Tuesday and Wednesday of each week and delivery typically occurs between 9am-5pm. If you are not home during delivery, their courier will drop the box off at your front door (or wherever you specify in your delivery instructions). HelloFresh's subscription service is very flexible; there's no minimum length for subscriptions and you can deactivate at any time. You can even pause your subscription, just as long as it's done before midnight on Wednesday before the following week's delivery. HelloFresh currently delivers across Southern, Central, and Eastern Ontario (see delivery zones here).

Every week, HelloFresh's Pronto and Family Boxes feature 4 meal choices: 3 with meat options and 1 vegetarian option. You can choose your top 3 favourites each week and also set personal preferences such as Beef Free, Fish Free, Pork Free, Seafood Free, or Shellfish Free as choice defaults. I was sent a 3 Meal Pronto Box for Two to try. 

You can now receive $30 off your first box order and another $30 off your second box order (total savings of $60 overall) when you use my code FOOD_JUNKIE at checkout!

HelloFresh have specially designed boxes that are lined with thick liners and are 100% recyclable. I love how each recipe and its ingredients are in separate boxes. This keeps everything neat and in-place.

Underneath the boxed ingredients is a separate layer containing protein and ice packs.

Everything in my 3 Meal Pronto Box for Two are shown below. HelloFresh offers three types of boxes (prices include delivery):

3 Meal Pronto Box for Two - $79.99 

3 Meal Pronto Box for Four - $139.99 

3 Meal Family Box for Four - $129.99

Upper Deck by Fran's

We've been having quite the summer, huh? That heat! You won't hear me complaining about it though because I absolutely despise winter. I hate everything about the season - the frigid temperatures, the snowstorms, the freezing rain, the drive. Ughhhh. So, if you're like me and are scouting around the city, trying to enjoy the last of summer and chilling on patios, then I highly recommend you check out Upper Deck by Fran's (Instagram: @upperdeckbyfrans, Facebook: Upper Deck by Fran's)

Upper Deck by Fran's, which took over the two upper levels of Fran’s flagship College Street location, is less of a classic diner and more of a casual eatery. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, the restaurant's menu focuses on Americana and international flavours. Customers can expect generous diner-style breakfasts and home-style comforts with contemporary twists.

The first floor of Upper Deck by Fran's is fully indoor and features a large wrap around bar.

Take a look at this cool art installation of the College subway station on the way to the second floor of Upper Deck by Fran's.

Berrylicious. Farm Fresh - An Interactive Culinary Workshop with #CanolaConnect

Last Wednesday, I was invited to Berrylicious. Farm Fresh., one of eight FARM TO FOOD canola oil inspired culinary workshop series presented by Canola Eat Well, a joint partnership between Alberta Canola and Manitoba Canola Growers. The interactive event, hosted by Joey Salmingo and led by chef Cory Vitiello of The Harbord Room and Flock Restaurants, provided guests with an opportunity to connect to the farm, learn more about canola oil, and get inspired in the kitchen. This #CanolaConnect culinary workshop took place at the Bosch Luxe Studio on 334 King St. E., a beautiful, posh kitchen featuring professional Bosch appliances.

Chef Vitiello (right) uses canola oil everyday in his roast chickens and salads at Flock, as well as in his famous burger served at The Harbord Room (click here for recipe). Chef Vitiello taught us two recipes that evening: romesco sauce and hush puppies.

Romesco is an almond and red pepper-based sauce that originated from Tarragona, Catalonia, in Northeastern Spain. Ingredients include tomatoes, roasted red peppers, shallots, onion, espelette pepper, almonds, garlic, paprika, sherry vinegar, salt and canola oil. Placed in groups of two, we were encouraged to make the sauce without a recipe, so we all just went with it. We used our instincts, experimented with the flavours along the way, and hoped for the best. After chopping up all the ingredients, we placed everything into a pot to simmer away. I was happy to learn that there is apparently no right or wrong romesco sauce because many variations of the sauce exist out there. Whew!

A friendly competition among us naturally occurred since the winner of the best romesco sauce wins a dinner for two at The Harbord Room! Despite learning that there are many variations of romesco, I also learned that an excellent romesco sauce is one that balances the following three flavour components the best: smokiness (paprika), heat (peppers), and acid (sherry vinegar).

Tasting Menu at Canoe

Canoe is so good it's ridiculous.

To be fair, my last couple of visits at Canoe were all tasting menus at the chef's rail, which is, in my opinion, a very different experience than ordering a la carte from their dining room. The thing is, if I'm at Canoe, I'm gonna go all out since I'm most likely there to celebrate a special occasion anyway. Needless to say, I do hope that I can call Canoe a "regular spot" one day. I'm definitely not there *yet* but one day :) #Lifegoals, am I right?

 Canoe's tasting menu blows me away every single time, and I feel like the Canadiana-focused restaurant just keeps getting better and better. Sounds almost impossible given that Canoe (Twitter: @CanoeRestaurant, Facebook: CanoeToronto) has been around since September 1995, which is more than 20 years ago! But I truly believe that one can never get bored of eating at Canoe. The restaurant is so innovative, and constantly strives to create new and ambitious plates. It's contemporary Canadian cuisine at its finest.

 This post is, regrettably, two months late. I contemplated just not blogging about it but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't since the food was so good. The one reason why I thought of not writing about the dinner is because Canoe changed their tasting menu like two days after my visit, which means most of the dishes you see on this post is not even served at the restaurant anymore :( Oh well, bad timing. I still hope you guys will enjoy this post, though!

 My friend took me here for my birthday and we reserved two seats at the chef's rail. Seriously, why would anyone want to sit in the dining room when you can get front row seats to the kitchen? The only "bad" thing I can think of was my constant urge to reach over the counter for oysters the entire night.

Té: Asian Fusion on Ossington

Serving Asian fusion share plates, the newly opened Té on the Ossington strip combines traditional Asian ingredients and flavours - specifically those from Korea and Taiwan - into popular North American comfort foods. The result is a very whimsical and innovative tapas-style menu.

Té (Instagram: @te_toronto, Facebook: Té) is open for dinner, late night and weekend brunch. Served on Saturday and Sundays from 11am - 3pm, Té's brunch focuses on classic breakfast/brunch favourites with an Asian twist; think Kimchi and Pork Belly Eggs Benedict, Dark-Spiced Taiwanese Fried Chicken & Egg Waffle, and Bulgogi Burger.

The restaurant is divided into three sections: a round banquette up front, several tables towards the back, and a long bar that separates the two. I admire the decor because I love the use of retro colours and hip style, but at times it could feel a bit too polished and bare. My friend and I picked the coziest spot at Té for dinner, which was the cushioned banquette by the window. Check out this cool light fixture above us.

From the Spanish word for tea, Té offers cocktails that are tea-inspired.

THE CHAI MILK TÉ ($13)

Vodka + amaretto + vanilla chai tea + cream + cinnamon stick + mini tapioca pearls

MANGO BLACK TÉ ($12)

Scotch whisky + assam tea + mango syrup + teapot bitters + dried mango + mini tapioca pearls

Diwan's Patio at the Aga Khan Museum

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, the Aga Khan Museum at Don Mills is dedicated to the collection, research, preservation and display of works of art, objects and artifacts from various periods and geographic areas of the Muslim world. Opened in September 2014, the Museum's mission is to provide visitors with an understanding of the artistic, intellectual, scientific and religious heritage of communities, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

The McEwan Group, which manages four critically-acclaimed restaurants (North 44, Bymark, ONE, and Fabbrica) and two gourmet grocery stores, oversees the menu at Diwan, the restaurant at Aga Khan Museum (Twitter: @AgaKhanMuseum, Facebook: Aga Khan Museum). At Diwan, chef Mark McEwan offers a wide-ranging menu that showcases his innovative approaches to Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian cuisine. 

Diwan is participating in the upcoming Summerlicious from July 8-24. For those who are interested, feel free to click here for their Summerlicious lunch menu.

I was invited by Aga Khan Museum to dine one the Diwan patio a few weeks ago. Diwan’s patio has the capacity to accommodate 140 people with comfortable lounge seating and a view of the Aga Khan Park. New this summer on the Diwan's fully licensed patio is an added an outdoor grill, and a new summer menu featuring a variety of grilled meats, salads and a number of lighter entrees for summer, focusing on fresh and aromatic foods that explore the tastes of the Middle East.

MALIVOIRE PINOT NOIR 'MOIRA' NIAGARA 2014 ($14)
SAUVIGNON BLANC STONELEIGH MARLBOROUGH 2014 ($13)

MEZES PLATTER $28

Basturma, kalbas, labneh, olives, pickles, hummus, and naan

A generous mezes platter of Middle Eastern and South Asian delights. My favourites here are the hummus, labneh, and basturma (cured beef slices). Naturally, I was very happy to see all that naan on the platter!