Yes this is a very long overdue blog. But since Hopscotch, a lot has happened - rolled into the Christmas season, flew back to Ontario to visit family and friends for the holidays, sold our home, bought a home, moved, and got ourselves out of our boxes as soon as possible. Whew...reading that felt like running a marathon (which I would never do...not my style). It's never too late to share our boozy adventure. For those unfamiliar with Hopscotch, it's the ultimate liquor expo. It's a great way for vendors to showcase both new and beloved spirits, and for the public to try something new. It's not easy to get ourselves to spend good money on a bottle of something we may or may not enjoy. At Hopscotch, you have your tasting glass, and you can try as much or as little as you'd like. Please note you may be susceptible to stumbling home. This year, we enjoyed quite the variety of gin, scotch, whiskey and rum. While I could list every single vendor we visited, I figured I'd share a few that stood out for uniqueness and worth discovering! If you're looking for a congac that tastes good at a decent and affordable price, I highly recommend Bache Gabrielsen's latest American Oak Cognac. American Oak is barreled for six months, giving this beautiful rich colour and flavour. American Oak hits on several flavour points, beginning with notes of caramel and vanilla, into a subtle sweetness, followed by the distinct woodsy taste. American Oak brings a new modern take on cognac, while staying true to its roots. If you're starting to venture into Congac, I think you'll be pleased with this. Visit: www.bache-gabrielsen.com/uk/ I'm a sucker for Arbutus Distillery. Every time we go to an event and they're present, I always hit up their booth and check out what's new (or ongoing because they're great!). Feel free to read about them in my Punchbowl blog from the summer. As you all know, I love my gin, so of course I had to try their latest Citrus Gin. This smooth neat gin is robust with citrus flavour and aroma, and containing a crisp yellow colour. Infusions aren't always a success, but I found this one to be a what I expected of Arbutus. This is something worth sipping on a hot summer day if you're looking for a solid go-to west-coast gin. Visit: www.arbutusdistillery.com I could not stay away from this booth. I absolutely loved Taynton Bay Spirits and their tea-infusions. I tried all spirits available, including their blueberry rooibos, strawberry herbal and orange turmeric. These spirits are delightfully refreshing smooth and not overly sweet. If you're a fan of tea (or iced teas in summer *hint hint*) I suggest trying any of these. You can drink as a standalone, or as Taynton suggests, combining with carbonated/sparkling water to make a spritzer. Great for spring or summer, buy for yourself or for your tea-loving friend! Visit: www.tayntonbayspirits.com For someone who wants nothing to do with bees, I love honey. I use it in cooking, and Derek and I use it for cocktail syrups and mixes. Devine Distillery & Winery were showcasing their honey spiced rum and honey shine, which caught my eye. Their signature Black Bear rum gives all those warm an savoury winter flavours of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, allspice and star anise, with a touch of sweetness. The rich yellow honey shine is an elegantly smooth rum with blissful honey flavour. It's rich, spicy and warming....okay give me a blanket, fire and some honey shine on the rocks please! Visit: www.devinevineyards.ca Nikka Whisky is something worth waiting in line for. Their products are absolutely divine and unique. They aren't cheap, but are worth every penny...wait those don't exist anymore...nickels? I really need to do a blog dedicated to Nikka. Nonetheless, we tried their Coffee Grain Whisky. Smooth up front and a little bite in the back, this whisky has sweet fruit and toffee flavours, finished with oak and vanilla, creating a wonderful blended profile. Fancy yourself a sip of Nikka! Visit: www.nikka.com/eng/ I always enjoy my time at Hopscotch Festival, and who better to cruise down the aisles of infinite booths with than this handsome fellow! Derek's getting grumpy these days because my palate for hard liquor develops every year, leading me to venturing into new territories, and possibly stealing "his" bottles he hoped only he'd get to drink. The struggle is real!
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When my husband first introduced me to the annual Hopscotch Festival - a liquor expo, my palette for tasting alcohol wasn't quite what it is now. After my first experience 4 years ago, I have ventured from trying the flavoured vodkas and hard iced teas, to searching for a gin, rum, whiskey or scotch, which may be the best for sipping on its own, without added flavourings. That being said, there are some pretty amazing honey-flavoured whiskeys out there right now. Enter Punch Bowl, the first summer cocktail festival, brought to you by those who operate Hopscotch. For those who don't particularly like their alcohol on their own or on the rocks, the festival is for you. Sure, you can try items by themselves, but the focus is on the small cocktails each vendor has crafted for your enjoyment. A bunch of my sibling-in-laws and their partners joined us over the weekend, and we all had a fabulous time. Understated...this is quite a highlight for the summer! While there were line-ups for pink gins (crowded by mostly ladies) and what appeared to be a never-ending line-up of club go-getters at Don Julio, my husband and I ventured around to discover new craft liquors, either from ones we hadn't heard from or from our favourites, which had something new to offer. Here's what were standouts for us, which are in on particular order: 1. Arbutus Distillery - Bohemian Mule We've had a bottle or two from Arbutus at home, and I kickstarted the evening with their take on a Moscow Mule - the Bohemian Mule. Combining their BabaYaga Absinthe with ginger beer was a refreshing way to start things off. The flavour combination of liquorice and and spice was divine. Arbutus Distillery may be located in Nanaimo, BC, but you can find them easily at private liquor operations. Visit https://arbutusdistillery.com/ 2. Sheringham Distillery - Coffee Liqueur Another goodie from the island (Sooke), my close friend got us into Sheringham by gifting us a bottle their Seaside Gin. We currently have a bottle of their Kazuki Gin at home. They are so incredibly smooth and delicious on their own, but if that's not your jam, you can access several recipe ideas on Sheringham's website. While at Punch Bowl, they were offering a very new addition - the coffee liqueur. It's so new, even the distillery rep hadn't tried it yet. Hey coffee lovers, if you like having coffee liqueurs at home, this one's for you. My reaction was that it kicks Van Gogh's double espresso to the curb. It's smooth, not overly sweet, and perfect with a single ice cube. Visit https://www.sheringhamdistillery.com/ 3. Stillhead Distillery Inc. - Wild Blackberry Collins So it appears distilleries on the island are killing it with their craft liquors. Stillhead Distillery, out of Duncan, BC, was new to us, and they have a delicious wild blackberry gin, which is perfect for summer enjoyment. Stillhead was showing off this spirit in their fruity Wild Blackberry Collins. After tasting my husband's, I later purchased my own, because on a beautiful summer evening, this refreshing, fruity cocktail is what you want to be sipping on. Visit https://stillhead.ca/ 4. Mount Gay Rum - Bajan Rum Punch We always have a bottle of Mount Gay at home. This rum has been around for so long for good reason. Mount Gay was showcasing their Eclipse Rum - a beautiful amber-coloured spirit with warm flavours of molasses, caramel, clove and more. The rum punch they were serving is something you could enjoy year round, which included pommegranate, lime and shaved nutmeg. the aroma and taste of nutmeg has me wanting this drink on a Christmas morning....yes that's correct....morning. Visit https://www.mountgayrum.com/ 5. Anderson Distilleries - Earl of Bergamot Unfortunately I missed out on saving the spirit name that Anderson Distilleries had available, that's very popular to locals in Greece. If you track it down, it has a distinct anise-flavour; it's a Greek-style Grapa. Anyways, they were also featuring these flavourful tea-infused gins. If you're someone who like their drinks on the lighter-tasting side, tea-infused spirits are perfect for you. We tried their earl-grey infused gin cocktail, infused with their tea-infused simple syrup and bitters. We found this citrus drink quite delightful and not overpowering at all. Visit https://andersondistilleries.ca/ 6. Cocalero - Unique Spirit Yes we'd like to try a spirit that looks nuclear. Okay, so they did mention a hint of colouring was added to make the green more vibrant, but this unique Cocalero spirit does include ingredients that give it an intial greenish colour, including coca leaf, an leaf belonging to South America. Having 17 botanicals, with some exotic ingredients familiar to Andean culture, this is something served best on ice, with a wedge of lime. It's smooth, refreshing and herbal. Visit https://cocalero.com/ 7. Tofino Distillery - Everything I say everything because we tried everything from Tofino Distillery. We even went out the next day to Langley and purchased the jalapeno vodka and old growth cedar gin. I guess we left this until last as it was our favourite of the day. The one rep bet me all my tokens that the jalapeno vodka would not disappoint me with flavour (something I often find underwhelming with food and beverages advertising jalapeno flavour). I was sold (and didn't lose my tokens) and enjoyed a cocktail from Tofino. For the record, I told the rep that for having a vodka straight up, it's one of the best I've ever had - and I've had a lot of vodka. We ended up having at least all of them straight on their own and the cocktails they were serving. the flavours of them all are very unique, flavourful to what they describe and lend themselves as well to a crafted drink. My hats off to you gents! Visit https://tofinocraftdistillery.com/ The Honourable Mention Honourable mention goes to Wildebeast. This restaurant is one of our favourites as they dish out unique, delicious eats and have a solid cocktail bar. This is a dangerous combination. As one of food vendors onsite, I made sure they were aware of our love for them, and that if I could I'd easily just sit with them and eat all of the elk. Their smoked elk pastrami with grand fir mustard and puffed sorghum was divine. The meat was so tender, perfectly grilled and apparently NOT something I wanted to share with my husband once I took the first few bites. Visit https://wildebeest.ca/ Punch Bowl Festival, I think, was a huge success. And there's no better group of people to be with at such a wonderful event. Enjoying an evening with such good family and friends is what these festivals are all about in my books. You don't need to be an avid cocktail connoisseur or love every spirit. It's a good time out with good people. Crossing our fingers for 2020!
Cheers to summer of 2019. If you're like me, you probably cringe when you hear the word 'Tequila'. You've probably had your fair share of cheap tequila shots and wondered why, when it's so vile and disgusting, you would continue to do so when someone said it was time for shot.
However, if you've dipped into the world of tequila, you would know there are many that strip away the bad name tequila gets. Insert Aha Toro Añejo. We picked up a bottle on our way home from Mexico last year, which is in my mind, a worth-while bottle to get your hands on. This smooth tequila lends itself to be sipped on it's own, or combined into a beautiful cocktail. With a crisp golden colour, this tequila is made 100% of agave. The amount of time it is barreled in oak, gives off a wonderful aroma and tasting note you might expect with a whiskey. And this isn't a one-note tequila - it has flavors of warm spices and caramel. If you're not quite ready to sip on tequila (fact - I'm not quite there yet either), you can use it in one of many crafted drinks. We decided to use it in the Eclipse Cocktail from Jim Meehan's PDT Cocktail book. This smooth, semi-sweet cocktail is perfect for an evening start. Eclipse Cocktail: Ingredients:
Directions: Shake with ice and strain into a chilled, Mezcal-rinsed coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. New Zealand has been my number one bucket-list destination for over a decade. I absolutely love volcanoes, so going to the North Island had always been on my list. We went to New Zealand as the adventuring portion of our honeymoon a few months ago. Twelve days was not enough time to see everything, but we covered off a lot of territory, hiked some amazing trails (including the infamous Tongariro Crossing), enjoyed some delicious New Zealand wine, and of course, took a culinary adventure. Not only is New Zealand the master of the land and sea when it comes to cooking in the kitchen, with the massive cultural diversity, including European and South-East Asian influences, you can essentially find whatever it is you're craving. Speaking of cravings, I was always wanting (and had at least 4 or 5) one of the most notorious items you can get at almost any cafe, diner, coffee shop or supermarket - meat pies. These delicious hand-sized pies are pastries typically filled with minced meat and gravy, and there's no shortchanging when it comes to stuffing those pastries. These buttery, flaky and savoury pies come with all kinds of fillings - maybe you want a traditional minced meat with mushrooms, onions and cheese? Or seafood? Chicken and jalapeno? How about bacon and egg? Yes you can have any and all of them! We had so many varieties of pies, but some of the ones we enjoyed were the award-winning mince meat pie and venison pie from Fast and Fresh Bakery Café in Taupo and the chicken and jalapeno pie and creamy mushroom pie from Cactus Cream Café in Whanganui. New Zealand pies are so good you'll eat it all before making it to your next crosswalk. Having one of the longest coastlines in the world and surrounded by ocean, it's no surprise New Zealand is known for it's seafood. While we were venturing around the North Island, we drove through The Coromandel. We decided to get a snack from a small fish and chip shop, Coromandel Takeaways. They'll cut and serve fresh whole fish, oysters, mussels and other seafood varieties to take home, but if you're looking for some good fried food, they serve some of the best fried fish you'll ever have. We enjoyed fried lemon fish, which was cooked in a thin crispy, flavourful batter. Lemon fish reminded us of a combination of Mahi-Mahi and Halibut. It's a beautiful white fish that isn't very oily, lending itself well to frying. We also had fried mussels, which were fairly large in size and a great tasty bite. When we reached Auckland for the last few days of our trip, we spent part of it wandering the Auckland Fish Market. I get such joy discovering sea life I've never seen or heard of before. It's wonderful to stroll and observe the fish up for sale, watch a massive crayfish be removed from it's tank for an evening's meal, and take in the aroma of the ocean. We decided to order some afternoon delights from Azabu. While the price of sashimi was more expensive than what you can find in British Columbia, the freshness and quality more than made up for it. I'm not 100% sure what was on the plate other than salmon and tuna, but it was all fantastic. We also had a soft shell crab bao, which was equally tasty. For those unfamiliar with soft shell crabs, they're crabs that recently molted from their hard exo-skeleton. Typically the mouth, gills and abdomen are removed, and then the entire crab is cooked. In this case, the crab was fried in a thin crispy batter, and served in a bao with cabbage, sambal, coriander and tartare. Because we had only two days in Auckland, we wanted to make most of having local-inspired dishes, and also get to try something that brings forth creativity. So we went to Culprit. Culprit is a great place showcasing local farmers, producers and suppliers, and serving creative and fun, yet simple dishes. We ordered from the tasting menu, so we could enjoy a bit of everything. Everything on the menu was absolutely flavour-packed, and even if a dish seemed very simplistic, there was always something that would make you say "Wow, that's so unique!" or "I didn't think that would work, but it totally does!" One of the most memorable dishes was the monk-fish infused panna cotta, which doesn't necessarily sound appetizing up front. However, that beautiful silky-smooth texture and hint of fish flavour with some lemon to bind it all together absolutely worked. It was such a tasteful surprise. Other honourable mentions go to the wild paua (sea snail) fritters, trevally sashimi, and pressed pig face. I even suggest you order the chicken liver parfait donuts. Seriously, I know chicken liver sounds disgusting, and I'm not one to bounce of my seat for liver, but they taste exactly like a mini-donut drizzled with pinot noir syrup. Last, but not least, there was one tasty dessert I was on the hunt for that my co-worker told me out -Hokey Pokey ice cream. Hokey Pokey is a New Zealand staple, which the ice cream is vanilla with chunks of honeycomb toffee. What's not to love about that? Nothing! We swung by Corner Cone while strolling around the downtown core and it did not disappoint. If you're ever in New Zealand, be sure to treat yourself!
A month ago, Derek and I went on vacation in beautiful Iceland. It was the nerdiest adventure I've been on so far. Having a background in geology, Iceland was the place to be. Stunning scenery, spectacular views, an infinite number of waterfalls (all of them with their own name), and ever-changing landscapes. Some highlights included kayaking in Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón) and getting a little more up close and personal with icebergs, experiencing what it's like to be inside a lava tunnel, and going off the beaten path to take in some sights to behold (Dynjandi and Hvitserkur above). While we took our adventure around the country, we reserved our culinary interests for the last few days of our travels. Sure, we could have eaten at various places along the way, but Iceland is so expensive. So, we thought we'd save our bank for the end of the trip. We spent 10 days eating homemade camp-like meals and a lot of peanut butter and jam sandwiches. If I wrote a blog for everyday eating on our trip, it would mostly entail peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, trail mix, oatmeal, Skyr and pasta. Skyr is Icelandic yogurt that I would replace what I purchase at home in a heartbeat. It's incredibly smooth and creamy and whether you have it plain or flavoured, it's fantastic. I know you can purchase it in Canada, but with all added sugars and only flavoured varieties, I can't find some good ol' plain skyr! We spent the last few days in Reykjavik. You can spend your time walking along the seawall, visiting a museum (if you can imagine a type of museum, it likely exists), or strolling in and out of the downtown streets cruising through the various shops. We may have splurged and purchased 100% Icelandic wool sweater. So cozy! And we may have visited the Phallological Museum. Yup, YAY penises! BUT, what you should also do, is take in some Icelandic food! Many eateries in Iceland have been putting a modern spin on traditional meals, or adding ingredients to dishes to make some items a little more appealing and appetizing. Spoiler alert: we did NOT try fermented shark. I don't need to subject myself to something that sounds disgusting, especially after watching Chef Ainsley Harriot spit it out on an Iceland episode of "Ainsley Eats the Streets." I don't need to spend a lot of money on something I will likely vomit back up. If I had the money...maybe?.....maybe not.... Not everything needs a twist on tradition though, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Take Icelandic Street Food. This family-run business is serving up traditional meals as a fast-food concept. This small joint packs up quickly, and if you feel like the meals taste like someone's grandmother made, well it's because that grandmother has a lot to do with the menu. The menu is fairly simple - a lamb soup and a shellfish soup are the staple dishes, with a small handful of other options and pastries. If you're not sold already, well they had a basket of free pastries near the door and sweets on all the tables...bribery maybe? We orderd both the lamb and shellfish soups. The lamb soup had beautiful chunks of lamb, potatoes and root vegetables topped with fresh cilantro. The broth was incredibly light and exploding with the wonderful gamy lamb flavour, which you could easily go for seconds (Another spoiler alert - free refill on soups!). The shellfish soup contained delicious scallops and shrimp served in a langoustine coconut-curry broth. This dish is so hearty and comforting, it's what you'd want on a wet or cold day. Their soups are served with home-made Rye bread, perfect for dunking. For the two of us, it was around $15-$20 CAD. Overall, if you're looking for a place where you don't have to break bank, but get an authentic Icelandic meal, Icelandic Street Food is your go-to place. The first evening we spent in Reykjavik we went to Ostabutin for dinner. The restaurant brings fresh and some unusual ingredients to the menu and has a wonderful selection of meats, cheeses and wines. We opted for the reindeer appetizer and Meat Feast (yes...meat feast!!) The reindeer was served with blini, beech mushrooms, garlic mayonnaise and sweet pears. This two-bite appy was a flavour bomb. The reindeer was incredibly tender, the garlic mayonnaise was creamy (and of course everything I expect of anything that contains garlic) and the pear added that little hint of fresh sweetness to balance it out. Reindeer isn't far off the beaten path for meats we've tried. If you've had venison, elk or caribou, it's very similar. The meat feast was by far the best charcuterie board I've had when it comes to variety. The board was covered with Foie gras terrine, cured horse meat, smoked goose breast, game meat paté, cured beef, ewe fillet, olives, blue cheese and Gouda. The best meat on the board? Probably the smoked goose breast. I loved how smokey and tender the goose was. It's more similar to beef than chicken in flavour and texture. Now, I know you just read horse meat. Horse meat is very common on menus in Iceland and whether you approve or not, it's pretty damn tasty in my books. (side note - I've actually had it in Vancouver! Thanks Wildebeast!) The cured horse meat is a bit chewier than beef, though it's texture is very similar. It taste like beef steak, but a bit gamy. Everything on the board was delicious, and as much as I dislike blue cheese, it was so mild and creamy even I loved it! The next evening had us at Grillmarkadurinn, where traditional and modernity come together. The name means "Grill Market" and if you're a fan of the grill, oh you'll love this place! We were sold of a 7-course tasting menu, which consisted of some recognizable foods and some unique eats. The tasting menu including mink whale, puffin, lamb, lightly smoked arctic char, halibut, horse tenderloin and beef short rib, all grilled to perfection! In case you're concerned, mink whale is commonly fished in Iceland and is sustainable. We had no idea what to expect, and it was best part of our meal. It tasted like the most tender steak you've ever had, but with an additional ocean-like flavour. I also loved the fact that some Asian flavours were brought into the dish - wasabi and soy vinaigrette. The puffin was beautifully smoked, had the flavour of the ocean, and reminded us of a juicy duck. the pickled blueberries complicated the puffin wonderfully. The beef short rib just fell off the bone (yum!), the arctic char, lamb and halibut were cooked perfectly and the horse tenderloin was incredibly tender. If that doesn't have you salivating already, just imagine the best dessert platter being presented to you. Never have we ever received a dessert that had multiple items on one large plate, it was an entire board worth. A chocolate ball filled with coffee ice cream caramel, strawberry pavlova, raspberry sorbet, chocolate tart and fresh fruit graced our plates. If you order the tasting menu and aren't full by the end of the 7 courses, the dessert will do you in! Our dining experience was fantastic in Reykjavik. There are two shoutouts though I must mention. One goes to the salty and delicious fried cod skin served with tartar sauce we had as a late night snack at the bar Insleski Barinn where we were able to try Iceland's own brewed and distilled alcohols. The other goes to the incredibly creamy Icelandic merge of ice cream and gelato from Valdi's, where they have dozens of flavours.
It seems it's impossible for us to go on any vacation without checking out the local food scene. I loved the fusion of traditional foods with modern ingredients as well as the simple traditions that shouldn't be altered. The best of both worlds were found in Iceland - geology and food! It's a place where you can be adventurous on foot, or with your taste buds. I know it's been a very long time since I blogged. In fact, I kind of dropped off on blogging and updating my recipes altogether. Life gets busy sometimes. That doesn't mean I stopped on the sidelines. I have a line-up of food to share and I have several places for you to check out. I just spent the last 2 months working in Watson Lake, YT. For those unfamiliar, it's a 4-5 hour drive east of Whitehorse. Land of the North! After spending a good chunk of time back and forth from there and home, I was quite ecstatic to return to cooking and check out the amazing food I've been missing out on. Derek suggested I get back into my routine by starting with Noodlevember. Doesn't it sound tasty already? We're big noodle fans (fyi ramen joints are hands down my favourite kind), so what better way to kick-off being home, by checking out a new restaurant each week, featuring yours truly. So brings me to my first delicious pick at Shang Noodle House in New Westminster. Quality noodles are difficult to find in certain cities, but I always aim to find at least one place that takes care of the noodle cravings. I was a little thrown off at first knowing Shang's is at the Starlight Casino. However, the reviews seemed good and we thought we'd check it out. Shang's has a very warm environment with the open contemporary wooden decor. It's a fair size so go by yourself or show up with a large group! Our draw here was the various and unique noodle soup dishes you could order as well as their different home-made Chinese and Japanese ramen and udon noodles. Most people are familiar with Japanese ramen, but traditional Chinese ramen is a slightly thicker, paler noodle than that thinner yellow noodle you all know and love. Derek and I ended up ordering two completely different ramen dishes. Derek went for the exclusive Red Reishi, which is made with traditional hand-pulled Chinese ramen and 7 types of Japanese mushrooms. Disclaimer - if you don't like mushrooms, this soup isn't for you. But don't worry, there's many others you could order! Before that night, I had only heard of 1/7 of those mushrooms (Shitake...augh i need to research my mushrooms). This dish was loaded with mushrooms, which added so much flavour to the broth. Without the mushrooms, I'd expect the broth to be just your standard and ordinary Miso base. The mushrooms enhance the flavour profile so there's a balanced composition of salt, earthiness, and smoky richness, and if you're a mushroom lover like we are, you want to finish the broth even when you're full! On the flip side, I opted for the Malaysian-style traditional ramen with chicken, prawn and squid in a spicy Laksa Soup. I've never had a ramen like this before. I did a bit of research before ordering this to familiarize myself. Laksa soup consists of a spicy curry coconut milk broth. That sounded pretty damn delicious to me, and it certainly was! There's a lot of bold rich flavours in this ramen. the broth is smooth, fragrant and slightly spicy. If you like spicy foods like I do, you'll probably still end up adding chili oil. the seafood was perfectly cooked and added an extra flavour and aroma to the broth. I would have preferred a bit more seafood or chicken in my dish, but overall, this ramen was a winner. Warning - this is a heavy dish due to the rich broth. You WILL be waddling out of the restaurant. The only criticism I have about Shang's Noodle House is that it seemed like the staff forgot about us when we were ready to pay and leave. We ended up having to call someone over after waiting and watching staff walk right by us without looking. That being said, the staff were very friendly and just because of this one shortcoming, I'd still recommend this place. Derek and I will be back there for sure. I really want to try to BBQ duck spinach ramen in bonito shoyu.
P.s we also ordered the steamed Shanghai pork dumplings and BBQ Sakura pork and i highly recommend you do to. I could eat the BBQ pork any day as it just melts in your mouth and has both sweet and sour notes. When I first told people about the trip my boyfriend and I were going on through BC and Alberta, they all said I would love Nelson. Those who had been raved about it and those who hadn't couldn't wait to go one day. Amongst the little town of nifty stores, hot springs and a beautiful waterfront, there was one thing that we had to make sure we indulged in - the amazing food we heard about. So if you are going to take a trip to Nelson, make sure you leave yourself some time to enjoy some of the tastiest dishes around. The first night we arrived in Nelson, we hit up a small place called The Outer Clove (http://outerclove.com/). This place is bold. It's all about garlic with a fun space-like theme. I know it sounds cheesy but I assure you, this place does not mess around. I find we can't go anywhere without ordering something with meat and cheese on a platter. Here, we ordered the "Beyond Inner & Outer Clove" to start. The creamy brie just oozes when cut, and went so well with the blueberry reduction. I can't remember what the sausage was, but it was so delicious. The roasted garlic bulbs served I could have eaten so many more. I don't care if I had garlic breath all night that bulb was a sh*t! We finished with some supernova salad entrées. After visiting the land of meat, sometimes you just need some vegetable goodness! So came the day where it called for 38 degrees of torture and we went to Ainsworth Hot Springs. Figure that one out. It was still hotter in the hot spring cave.... We started our morning by visiting Grounded Organic Coffee House, which was next to our hotel, and both got the daily special. The coined term for the dish is going to kill me as I can't remember at all. Essentially it was like a mini omelette, topped with prosciutto and brie, all smacked together between pesto smeared English muffins. It was full of tasty goodness. The creamy melting brie, saltiness from the meat and fresh pesto brought it together nicely. And of course I had to have it with some good tasty coffee! Attention Starbucks lovers, did you know that there's coffee out there better than yours? I should write about the unexpected places that put your coffee to shame! When we got back from the Hot Springs (remember it's now above 30 degrees and climbing) it was time to grab a light lunch and explore the town. If you've been to Nelson, you'd know it's a total hippy town. It's all about organic this, fresh that and every place has a substantial vegetarian/vegan menu. The café we went to was a full experience of this. Kooteney Bakery Café (http://kootenaybakerycafe.com/) had the delicious smell of homemade bread and was filled with homemade goodies. I opted for the potato tortilla, which was a frittata-like slice of potato and egg, with fresh onions, vegetables and seasonings, served up with their tasty in house salsa. For wanted a light lunch, it's exactly what you need. That evening we decided to go out for a nice romantic meal, and All Seasons Café (http://www.allseasonscafe.com/) delivered. This fine dining restaurant shows how casual Nelson people are, yet the level of culinary professionalism in the kitchen does not go unnoticed. By this point we enjoyed the patio in much cooler (but still hot) weather. I think the bottle of red wine helped forget about it! If you love olives like we do, start with the bowl that's swimming in a sundries tomato sauce topped with orange and rosemary. And yes that's delicious focaccia served with it! A new dish came out for the summer menu and Derek didn't hesitate. This tasty halibut sits on a Farro and shiitake pilaf with a mint chimichurry sauce and paquilo pepper purée. A little bit of fresh, a little bit of heat, this dish had it all. Even though this dish was amazing, I'm pretty sure mine was better.... or maybe I'm just being subjective as all I wanted was duck. My dish couldn't have been better. I couldn't resist ordering the duck and I got what I expected. A juicy tender duck breast with in-house made chive gnocchi with a sesame gastrique sauce. I made a compliment to the chef as gnocchi is quite difficult to cook well and I wish I had more on my plate! Savoured each bite with this I sure did! So we're almost finished a bottle of wine, just ate some fine food... wait, let's not forget about some dessert. We had three options and chose the chocolate torte. You really can't go wrong with this one. Delicious chocolate with caramel. Need I say more? I'm pretty sure we waddled back to the hotel only to end up downstairs in the bar, have some drinks and sing off the food with karaoke... Success! If you think for a minute I'd be foodied out, you are so wrong. We were leaving the next morning to head home and had some breakfast at Front Street Burger and Breakfast (http://frontstreetburger.com/). All day breakfast, all day booze (if you choose) and all the hashbrowns you can eat.... that is if you can even finish your plate. I got the breakfast hash, which consisted of two basted eggs on top of a mixture of hashbrowns, three cheeses, and saluted vegetables - all topped with a yummy hollandaise. I absolutely love breakfast. I did hit a wall at one point, but at least I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day! Well.... you gotta be hungry for the first thing you would want getting home for dinner... delicious delicious Pho! Not that you needed these reasons to visit Nelson, but perhaps at least one of these visuals will lure you. Go to Kootenay Lake, visit the hot springs and don't forget to fill your belly with goodness! |