Chow Times

The Naam on West 4th and MacDonald, Vancouver

Ben — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:18:08 +0000

From being a family who usually have light breakfasts at home, we find ourselves going out for breakfasts quite a number of times lately. All this started since we first went to Bon’s Off Broadway which serves one of the best $2.95 breakfast in town.

Frankly, Suanne and I are not big fans of breakfasts but we got to make it up to Nanzaro who was still mentioning about him missing the breakfast in Bon’s. So we woke up bright and early last weekend and went to The Naam. What we did not tell Nanzaro though is that Naam is a vegetarian restaurant.

Naam starts serving breakfast at 6AM. You might think, wow, it’s early but actually they are opened 24 hours. The Naam is located on West 4th Avenue near the intersection with Macdonald St.

The beauty of going there early at 7AM is the quietness. The place exudes that kind of morning calmness with people enjoying a big breakfast, hot cup of coffee with a book in hand. The wooden varnished tables and casual decor adds to the charm of this place.

It was not like that for long. By 8AM, this place was absolutely buzzing with customers and getting service from the waiters is a true test of patience.

You know, you can’t just build a restaurant with these kind of ambiance these days. The total mood, character and experience we see here is built over the 40 years that The Naam had been in existence in the core of the Kitsilano neighborhood.

The Naam has a big breakfast menu. You could probably imagine that it took us a while before we finally settle on our selection. Anyway, if you can’t read the menu above properly, click on it for a larger image.

Hot Coffee and Hot Chocolate was $2.50 with free refills of coffee. The hot chocolate cup had a paper napkin tied to it. We were wondering why they did that because this is the first time we had seen anyone doing it. Does anyone know if there is a practical reason for this?

The hot chocolate was pretty good. It tastes like it is made with cocoa powder and is unsweetened. We like it this way but knowing Nanzaro, he hates it. To him, hot chocolate is not supposed to taste this way and it has to be sweetened like those you find in Denny’s and IHOP.

The Naam describes themselves as a “Vancouver’s Oldest Natural Foods Restaurant”. They pride themselves as saying most of everything they serve are made in premises, using pure and fresh ingredients.

Nanzaro opted for the Breakfast Quesadilla ($9). It has red organic corn tortillas with scrambled eggs. You can opt for tofu instead of eggs.

You got to hand it to Naam. Their breakfasts are …
More after the jump. Click to read the rest of The Naam on West 4th and MacDonald, Vancouver (541 words)

Guu in Aberdeen, Richmond

Suanne — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:30:46 +0000

It’s getting tougher to look for a new cake place for cake meet with Polly. I got a couple of places to check out but only found out that they are open late in the afternoon which does not suit our timing. It was also a rainy day and we ended up in Aberdeen Center in Richmond. At least the car park is covered and there is plenty of parking spaces. That’s why we ended up our cake meet at Guu in Aberdeen.

Guu in Aberdeen opens for lunch at 11:30am. That is still ok with us. Since we were there at about 11:00 am, we had some time to do some groceries shopping before our lunch. Polly likes to do her groceries shopping on Friday as most groceries places are packed with people in the weekends. As for me, I like to do my groceries shopping at the beginning of the week as I seldom cook during weekends.

Guu is a Izakaya type of Japanese restaurant. All the servers will greet you the moment you enter and leave the restaurant. They are full of enthusiasm. I like their high spirit. The only other Asian restaurant that practice such greetings are Taiwanese restaurant. However, they are more subtle.

Polly likes Guu’s cup and condiment holders, especially the cup with the fish imprints. Chinese restaurants usually have toothpicks at the counter but in Guu, they actually have them on the table. What a nice touch.

We ordered two items to share. The first item was called the Guuu’d Box. It’s on the lunch special menu. This bento box costs
More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Guu in Aberdeen, Richmond (143 words)

Go Fish at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf Near Granville Island, Vancouver

Ben — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:23:17 +0000

The best fish and chips in Vancouver is not a a place where you would stumble upon despite its close proximity to the one of top tourist destination in Vancouver, Granville Island.

Even if you so happen to stumble upon it, you would probably not give this shack a second glance if not for the hordes of customers.

But believe it or not, this humble looking fish shack is started by no other than the same chef behind the Bin 941 Tapas Parlour. That alone explains pretty much the popularity of the food.

Besides the food, it also had a million dollar view of the False Creek. This is certainly a gem of a place.

It is the type of place where you would recommend to tourists and you can be quite sure that they will be impressed with it. Go Fish is so Vancouver — beautiful view and good fish.

Their prices are not too expensive considering that they include GST. Click on the image of the menu above to get a clearer view.

Their specials are shown on the chalkboard. We wanted to just order the Scallop Sandwich but they were JUST sold out.

You place your order at the side of the shack. There was not a line at all when we were there. We had expected a long line as that day was beautiful with the sun out. I guess it was because it was cold and windy that afternoon.

Even that, we were told that it will be 10 minutes for our order. One can just imagine how long the wait is on a busy day. They make the food only when you order it, even the fries, so that you get absolutely the best.

For fish and chips, they had cod, salmon or halibut. Too bad they don’t have a combo of all three. They only have it either-or.

We thought we try the more expensive halibut. It is $10 for a piece of the fish and fries. Interestingly, it is served in a Dim Sum bamboo basket. It is so practical.

The fish looked and smell great. It was piping hot too having just been taken out from the fryer. The menu mentioned that the batter is made with …
More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Go Fish at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf Near Granville Island, Vancouver (378 words)

Toffee Apple Cake

Suanne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:19 +0000

Chris shared this Toffee Apple Cake recipe with the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors as dessert. According to Chris, this cake is tops. The best part is we can make most out the local apples in the fall.

This Toffee Apple Cake is very moist and almost custard like. The toffee bits topping add some crunch to it. This is certainly not a dietary kind of dessert. Well, it’s ok to let ourselves indulge for a treat once in a while.

Chris and Paul worked on this dessert. This recipe serves 24.

More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Toffee Apple Cake (185 words)

Mashed Cauliflower

Suanne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:42 +0000

The South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors served Mashed Cauliflower as the side dish for the Turkey Meatloaf instead of the regular mashed potatoes. Mashed Cauliflower is popular among dieters, who crave for mashed potatoes but with lesser carbohydrates.

The Mashed Cauliflower is delicious, diet or no. It has the texture of mashed potatoes and the taste of cauliflower. Being Chinese, we seldom have mashed up food except food for baby.

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups)

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

2 to 4 tablespoons water or broth

sea salt to taste

This recipe is adapted from Whole Foods Market and it serves 4. Helmut and Lorna made this very simple side dish.

More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Mashed Cauliflower (63 words)

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Post tags: Cauliflower, Community Kitchen, Recipe

Turkey Meatloaf

Suanne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:50 +0000

Marcel and Sydney worked together to make Turkey Meatloaf as the main dish at the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors. This lean and yet moist meatloaf is simple to make and is wonderful for dinner or as a sandwich filling.

When making meatloaf for solo dining, don’t form the meat mixture into one large loaf. Instead, spray a muffin tin (or two) with cooking spray and fill with meatloaf mixture. Fill each muffin cup to the top, but don’t pack down the mixture. Bake at a preheated 375F oven for about 25 minutes. A good way to save your hydro bill.

You can freeze the individual muffin loaves for future meal. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Turkey Meatloaf (296 words)

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Community Kitchen, Meatloaf, Recipe, Turkey

Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad

Suanne — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:00:25 +0000

If I remembered correctly, June shared this recipe of Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad. Brown Basmati Rice is gaining popularity for it’s higher nutritional values. It also tastes nuttier than regular white rice. A friend told me that after a few months of changing from white rice to brown rice, she is actually losing weight. I may try to include some brown rice in my regular rice and my family will slowly accept it. I’m sure Ben is going to make a fuss of it as he hates grainy stuff like whole wheat or whole grain bread.

This Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days, which makes it the perfect make-ahead dish for company. You may add the apples and toasted walnuts just before serving. In fact, this salad tastes better the next day.

Ingredients

1/3 cup toasted walnuts

4 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1/2 cup dried cherries, raisins or cranberries

1 apple, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

5 to 6 celery leaves, chopped

4 sprigs parsley, chopped

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

You may toast the walnuts in the microwave. Microwave them on high at 45-seconds intervals, smelling for doneness. It takes between 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

June and Frances make this healthy and nutty salad.

More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad (37 words)

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Apple, Community Kitchen, Recipe, Rice, Salad, Walnut

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Suanne — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:39 +0000

For the first meeting in October, the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors whipped up 5 dishes. What a great start for fall. Stella decorated the dining tables with a spaghetti squash and some miniature pumpkins. The squash and pumpkins are gifts from members of the community center. Initially, Stella wanted to use the squash as a prize for some kind of quiz. However, at the end of the cooking session, no quiz idea yet. So, the squash went to whoever who wanted it and it went to Chris. Stella also shared some pears and prune plums with us which she got free from friends who harvested them from their gardens. It is the time of the year where lots of sharing is going around.

The first item on the dining table is Cranberry Feta Pinwheels. These pretty pinwheels are perfect for a Christmas buffet with the festive colours of red from the dried cranberries and green from the chopped green onions.

The Cranberry Feta Pinwheels are great as appetizer. They are so rich with the feta cheese and cream cheese. This recipe is taken from tasteofhome.com. Christina and Ken made this delicious pinwheels.
More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Cranberry Feta Pinwheels (96 words)

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Appetizer, Community Kitchen, Cranberry, Feta, Recipe

Applesauce for Home Canning

Suanne — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:03 +0000

Due to the great response to the home canning workshops organised by the Richmond Food Security Society, Arzeena and Karen decided to hold three more workshops on home canning. This time, it’s home canning apple sauce as it’s the season for apple harvest.

The apples we used were donated by various sources which include groceries stores and people’s backyard who has planted apple trees. You dont have to use perfect apples, just trim off the bruises.

Ingredients

12 to 14 pounds apples, roughly chopped; peeled and cored if desired

3 cups sugar (optional)

4 tablespoons lemon juice or 2 teaspoons citric acid, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon and allspice for flavoring (optional)

8 x 500 ml jars

Applesauce is a great snack especially for kids and babies. It is also a good substitute for fat in baked goods. Substitute half of the fat in baked goods for a reduced fat diet. It is not advisable to substitute all the fat in baked goods as the result will be denser and chewier and not as tender as those baked with fat. To use the applesauce to substitute for fat, the applesauce must be of a thicker consistency.

Applesauce can also be used as a savory glaze on poultry. Season the applesauce with thyme or rosemary and salt. Glaze on roast chicken about half way through the roasting time.

A thicken applesauce can also be used as a filling for cake like swiss roll or used as a spread for your toast.

More after the jump. Click to read the rest of Applesauce for Home Canning (372 words)

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Apple, Canning, Community Kitchen, Recipe

Pork Jowl Stirfry with Green Bean

Suanne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:00:51 +0000

I have a piece of the pork jowl left in my freezer. I decided to use it to stirfry with green beans for the vege dish for dinner. Ben’s requirement for dinner is a meat dish. a vegetable dish and a soup.

This is a very simple stirfry dish. You can use other meat like chicken to substitute the pork jowl.

Ingredient:

a slice of pork jowl, about 5 to 6 oz, thinly sliced

a tablespoon light soy sauce

a tablespoon oyster sauce

a tablespoon rice wine

a teaspoon sugar

a drizzle of sesame oil

a sprinkle of ground white pepper

a teaspoon corn starch

3 cloves of garlic, minced

salt to taste

a bunch of green beans, trimmed both ends and sliced at an angle

Instructions:

Marinate the pork jowl with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, sugar and white pepper for at least 30 minutes

Add cornstarch to the meat and blend well just before frying

Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil

Saute garlic until fragrant

Stir fry the marinated pork jowl for a few minutes or until almost cooked

Add the green beans and stir fry to combine

Add a few tablespoons of water and cover to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the green beans are tender.

Add a pinch of salt to taste

Serve with steamed rice

© suanne for Chow Times, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Post tags: Green Bean, Pork, Recipe