Sushi Showdown @ Alma St & 4th Ave

I used to live on Alma Street and 4th Avenue, and during that couple of months, I would walk by Ikebana Sushi every day. I have visited it a few times and always got the sushi special combo. I've never taken pictures of the exterior but it's a small corner restaurant and it does not look very impressive on first sight.

Just round the corner along 4th Avenue, there was an empty store which was leased during the time I was living in the area. Months of renovations went by and soon, posters appeared on the windows stating that a new sushi restaurant was opening.

Finally, around May, Irori Sushi opened its doors. It was glamourously decorated with modern, dark-coloured furniture, a floor-to-ceiling bamboo display and beautifully crafted light fixtures.





There were not many customers as it was still early. We were ushered to a table by the window. This is the leather-covered menu.



When I opened it, I was quite taken aback by the prices. Definitely not what I would expect in a small sushi restaurant in this neighbourhood. I was not pleased and want to leave right away, but J.S. convinced me to stay and try something. We settled on a sushi combo with California roll and assorted nigiri to share.

The miso soup that came with it was too regular, I even suspected they used a microwave to reheat it, since I heard some microwave noises.



When asked what we would like to drink, I asked for water and J.S. asked for tea. This is what we got each. Great service indeed (no sarcasm here!).



Here's our full table before our food even got here. She even got us plates for sharing the combo. I'm quite amused.



The food took longer to get here than I expected, and when it came, I was appalled.



This was it! Four pieces of nigiri and eight pieces of California roll. I had expected portion sizes to be bigger but I guess this place is not where one should expect quantity. Quantity aside, we ventured to taste how much quality there was.



The nigiri were not impressive; the tuna was tasteless and the salmon was nothing like what I usually have. I've had rich, creamy fatty salmon that melts in my mouth; this salmon appeared to be smoked but had neither flavour nor texture. However, the shrimp was juicy.



The California rolls were not much better, the imitation crab meat was salty and the seaweed was tough. I could not wait to get out of here.

This terrible combo cost us $8.95 plus taxes and tips!

With our bellies half full, we set off next door to Ikebana Sushi for more sushi!

We got the Special Combo A to share and we got the nice waitress. She served us hot tea and the food came in a long while (because many people were getting takeout).



Look at this! Six pieces of fresh tuna roll, eight pieces of California roll and eight pieces of yam tempura roll! I'm quite sure this is enough food to feed a small army.

One thing I like about Ikebana's sushi is that they are very generous with the fillings. The filling takes up 3/4 of the sushi and rice makes up the other 1/4.

The tuna was definitely a lot fresher and didn't disintegrate once it entered my mouth. The yam tempura was fresh from the fryer and still slightly warm, which was an interesting mix of hot and cold flavours.

There is also a generous portion of pickled ginger and wasabi if you are a fan of them! Last time, I got this combo and had half of it to go. They even gave me a small container of the ginger and wasabi to go! That's excellent service, but it really depends on the waitress on shift that day.

To top all of this off, guess how much was this platter of sushi? $5.95 + taxes. If you get it to go, you won't even have to pay tips! That's slightly over $6 for a takeout that can easily feed me for two meals!

If you are ever in the Kitsilano area, try these two sushi restaurants for yourself!

Irori Sushi is located at 3692 W 4th Ave., Vancouver, B.C.
Ikebana Sushi is located at 2090 Alma St. Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki

Eat! Vancouver @ BC Place

This year, we visited the Eat! Vancouver, the annual food and cooking festival that takes place over a weekend. Last year, we went to the festival and got tons of freebies and samples!

We decided to go again this year, but they didn't give as many freebies as before! But we still got to sample lots of yummy and interesting food, many of which are so-called "health foods." We ate so many samples over the afternoon and evening we didn't really have to eat lunch or dinner, but we did get some food with paid tickets just to try it out!

I won't bore you with words, but I will leave you with pictures of all the different stalls and booths we visited!

[slideshow]

We also saw celebrity chefs Rob Feenie and David Rocco perform some cooking demonstrations, and even our favourite radio station JRFM 93.7, which gave us a Cobs Bread gift card! We will finally get to try some Cobs Bread -- there is one right across from our place!



Also got a little stuffed panda from a tourism booth.. The lip balm from the radio station makes a nice baseball bat for the little panda!

♥ Nikki

Transylvania Flavour on West Broadway/Arbutus St

A couple months ago, I got a Groupon for Transylvania Flavour. I have never heard of this restaurant although it's conveniently located on West Broadway and Arbutus Street. We must have passed by this a dozen times because we always see B.C. Sushi yet never noticed the tiny place with European fare.



The almost invisible sign is so hard to notice and the entrance is actually at the "open" sign right next to the huge B.C. Sushi sign. Here's a picture of the entrance.



When we went in, we were cheerfully greeted by a lady who showed us to our table. We made reservations for 6:30 p.m. and the restaurant was filling up fast, with many customers also holding on to their Groupons.



After observing the restaurant for a couple minutes, it's easy to tell this is a family-run restaurant. A man (whom I assumed to be the owner) named Nick and (presumably) his wife take care of all the customers personally and they do not have any other waiters or waitresses! They bring menus, serve water, take orders, dish up the food, bring the bill for every single table, all with a cheery smile on their faces.



We ordered the Knight's platter, which came with eight different dishes meant for sharing between two people. They comprised several appetizers on the menu.



I don't have pictures for all of them because it was so awkward to keep taking pictures every few bites! People need to know that there are food bloggers out there trying to do their work! :P Next time, we should just request to sit in a secluded corner so we won't disturb other patrons trying to enjoy their food. But rest assured, I have photos to accompany the best-tasting treats!

1. Caesar salad

Lovely crisp lettuce with creamy, homemade Caesar dressing, topped with a generous helping of shredded Parmesan cheese. My only complaint? They served the lettuce "head" part, which I don't think should even be served to the customer.

2. Perogies



European-style "dumplings" as I call them, these thick pasty dough pockets are filled with mashed yam and Friulano cheese. I didn't know they were filled with yam, but guessed it was the sweet taste of pumpkin. They were topped with roasted red pepper sauce (I could identify the very distinctive taste), sour cream, bacon and spring onions. I would prefer this to be pan-fried and not deep-fried as the flour in the dough was heavy enough.

3. Cabbage Rolls

The juicy, tender meat loaf wrapped with cabbage surprised me. Cabbage rolls are infamous for being soggy and lumpy but this held its shape well and the cabbage was not overdone. They were topped with sour cream, spring onions and bacon bits.



*Here's another picture of the platter as I do not have pictures of each individual dish.

4. Meatballs

These meatballs looked like mini slider burger patties, and a little too dry to me. But they were moist and tasted quite special, unlike other meatballs you usually have. The tomato sauce on the top was a nice touch to the little patties. I'm sure these would go great as sliders for a fun twist.

5. Schnitzel



I couldn't tell if it was chicken or pork (I'm thinking it's chicken) schnitzel. Schnitzel is a traditional European dish where a piece of meat is pounded thinly, lightly covered with bread crumbs and pan-fried till golden brown. This schnitzel was dry and did not have very exciting flavours to it; it was nothing more than a chicken cutlet to me. I'd prefer a Japanese tonkatsu any day.

6. Paprika-dusted fresh-cut fries

Boring ol' fries. No hint of paprika whatsoever. I think mashed potatoes would make a better side dish to balance out some of the heavier items in the platter.

7. Mititei (Romanrian-style sausages)



I thought these were going to be regular grilled sausages, but they were certainly out of ordinary! First of all, they were skinless; none of the tough, rubbery exterior to interfere with the intricate flavours of the meat. These sausages had strong spices in them and it gave my tastebuds a kick. The special characteristic of these sausages was their texture -- they had a little bounce to them when you bite into them, since they contained gelatin. I would have enjoyed these a lot more if they weren't charcoal burned to a black, bitter layer on the outside.

I'm saving the best item for last -- the one thing that stood out among the rest in the entire platter. The winner of the platter goes to....



POLENTA AND CHEESE CROQUETTES!

I've never had polenta ever, and this sure made my first polenta experience an unforgettable one! Polenta is a thick pudding made from cornmeal and it tastes creamy and rich on its own. I loved how they mixed it with cheese and deep-fried it into pretty little rounds! Sure makes it easy to eat and good to look at.



The cheese in the croquettes held the polenta together nicely and gave it a richness that not many ingredients could. The crusty outer layer of the croquettes gives it a great crunch. These come drizzled with sour cream and their signature roasted red pepper sauce.

If there is one thing you have to try from Transylvania Flavour's menu, that has got to be the polenta croquettes!

We concluded the meal with complimentary chocolates which they brought when our bill came.



I was rather impressed with the restaurant's service, especially there was only the two owners of the business serving the customers. When we were finished with our food, the restaurant got quite busy and the cooks from the kitchen personally dished up the food to the customers. I like how they tried to keep to the family-run restaurant by not having any other waiters or waitresses. Yet the owners still had time to come around the tables and ask us how we were doing and refill our water glasses.

Definitely a good place to visit with a bunch of friends as their serving sizes are quite generous and good for sharing! It would be fun sharing a few appetizers with a couple of drinks while catching up with friends. Great for people who love deep-fried food (I personally thought it was a little too heavy). Excellent service is a plus! Do make reservations as it can get quite packed during dinner hours.

Transylvania Flavour is located at 2120 W Broadway St., Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki

Cooking Japanese Curry!

Yesterday, I made Japanese curry! Easiest thing ever, especially if you are using curry roux cubes from a box!



Seriously, I don't usually like to use instant food packages, but in my opinion, there's no simple combination of everyday ingredients that can produce the intricate sweet yet savoury flavour of Japanese curry, hence I am FOR THE BOX this time!

(No pictures of the box because it was from a long time ago. The most well-known brand is Glico Curry, which comes in a variety of levels of spiciness -- mild, medium and hot. But I can assure you even the HOT variety is NOT spicy at all! There are of course other brands but I think Glico produces the most authentic-tasting curry.)

Ingredients you will need are shown in the picture.



I used pork, two onions, two or three carrots, two sticks of celery and two potatoes (lettuce was for a side dish). You can easily use whatever meat you fancy or omit it altogether for a vegetarian dish. Of course, not forgetting the curry packages! I had the mild and the hot ones.

Now let's start making this delicious curry!



1. Start by sauteing the onions in olive oil until slightly brown.



2. Add in the pork and fry till slightly cooked.



3. At this point, you can season with some salt and pepper.



4. Add in the carrots and about three or four cups of water (depending how thick you like your curry to be). Simmer on low heat until it starts to bubble.



5. When it is just coming to a boil, add in the celery and the potatoes. Here I used leftover roasted potatoes, but if you are using raw potatoes, I would advise to add them together with the carrots. Simmer with the lid on for another 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender (but not overcooked!)



6. When everything is pretty much cooked, it's time for the curry magic! It will look like a pot of vegetable soup, but when you add in the curry cubes, it slowly thickens to a sauce depending how much you add. I chopped up the curry cubes to smaller pieces so they would melt more easily.



I added two of the mild curry cubes and one of the hot one, so three altogether for this big pot of curry! I didn't add much more seasoning as the curry roux is already very flavourful by itself. Taste and add the cubes until you have reached the desired taste. If there is too much water, keep adding more cubes until you have a thick, glistening golden sauce.



8. Serve with white rice and your choice of vegetable sides, and enjoy! I love lots of curry sauce to eat with my rice so my plate is loaded with sauce! I may have simmered my vegetables on too high heat, resulting in my pork becoming a little tough; so make sure to simmer on low heat!



Here's a secret tip: Use previously roasted/fried potatoes for the most amazing potato texture in your curry! I had leftover roasted potatoes from a couple of days ago, so I threw them in and it worked out great! The crispy, golden brown taste coated with the thick creamy curry sauce is just out of this world! Beats regular potato any day!



I hope you enjoy this recipe! Try it out and let me know how it goes!

♥ Nikki

Macaron Class @ French Made Baking!

Today's post is a special feature on learning how to make macarons with David Introligator of French Made Baking! French Made Baking, a spanking new bakery on Kingsway in East Vancouver, opened its doors in December, 2011, and the grand opening was in late March this year.



The store offers all sorts of French pastries such as caneles, choux pastries and of course, macarons!



Owner David Introligator is offering classes to teach you how to bake the all-too-popular macarons!



Macarons are taking the world by storm right now, including Vancouver! These smooth, delicate little rounds sandwiched with creamy fillings are sweet, crunchy, light with just the right amount of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Not to be confused with the French coconut macaroon (OO!), a macaron is a sweet merignue-based cookie. Look at this awesome macaron tower display in the shop!



Let's get started, shall we? We were fortunate to be invited to observe one of David's macaron classes. Each class is limited to six spots and is two to three hours long. David covers both the French and Italian methods to make macarons.



Participants gather round a large table to watch David demonstrate the making of the macarons in the kitchen behind the shop front.



Basic ingredients need to make macarons (same ingredients but different proportions for the French and Italian methods):

• Almond powder (ground almonds, basically);


• Confectioner's sugar (aka icing sugar, powdered sugar);


• Egg whites (best if aged for a day or two);


• Granulated sugar;


• Any flavourings you like such as cocoa powder, green tea powder etc.

Equipment needed:

• Weighing scale;


• Sieve;


• Bowls;


• Spatula;


• Food processor;


• Hand mixer or stand mixer (stand mixer is highly recommended for Italian macarons);


• Piping bags and tips;


• Oven trays.

First, before making the actual biscuits, David shows us how to make chocolate ganache for the filling with three simple ingredients -- chocolate chips, heavy cream and butter.



Start by boiling the cream in a pot.



When the cream is boiling, pour over the bowl of chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks broken into small pieces).



Gently stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the cream is totally incorporated with the chocolate. Add a small nub of butter and mix well. You should have a glossy smooth chocolate mixture. Place into the fridge to set for a couple hours and you should end up with something like in the bottom right picture.

The French Method

Now, we can start making the biscuit part!



Combine the almond powder, icing sugar, and your choice of flavouring (here, David used cocoa powder) in a large bowl and give it a rough mix. Then, pour it into the food processor for a good grind.



After blitzing it in the food processor for a few minutes, sift the mixture and discard the bits left in the sieve.



Time for the meringue! With the egg whites in a big bowl, use a hand mixer to get fluffy soft peaks, then add the sugar and continue mixing at high speed until stiff peaks form. You'll know its done when you can hold the bowl upside down over your head and nothing falls out!



Finally, add the dry mixture to the meringue all at once and fold it gently until most of the air from the meringue is gone and none of the dry mix remains. You should end up with a runny batter.



Time for piping! David gave tips on the right way of holding the piping bag and how to prevent batter from dripping from the tip.



A handy tool to have while piping the macaron batter is a template of rounds so you can be sure that all your circles are uniform and of the same size (more or less). You can find templates on the Internet or draw your own circles on a piece of parchment paper and piping on the opposite side. When using a template, place a piece of parchment paper over it and slip the template out when you are done, and it is reusable again!



With swift and practiced hands, David expertly pipes the batter onto the cookie sheet, at the same time explaining the batter will spread out and the rounds will flatten, so it is important to leave some space between them.

After piping, the batter gets a 30-minute rest as you want them to dry up and be smooth to the touch (the dried batter should not stick to your fingers). It is now time for hands-on practice for the participants!





While the batches of macarons rest, David shows us the Italian method , which is slightly more complicated than the French method. He uses the Italian method to make the macarons he sells in the store.



Same procedures for blending and sifting the dry mixture, and this time, you add some of the egg whites directly into the dry mix. If you wish to add food colouring, it is advisable to put a few drops of gel colouring on the egg whites.



The Italian method involves boiling sugar and water to a temperature of 118 degrees Celsius (you will need a candy thermometer for this!).



While the sugar syrup is coming to a boil, begin whipping your egg whites in a stand mixer. When the syrup has reached the right temperature, pour it into the stand mixer while it continues to whip the egg whites. Be careful as the sugar is VERY HOT! Turn up the speed on the mixer and continue mixing until you get a thick, shiny meringue (but not too firm).

Add some of the meringue into the dry mixture and mix well, and add the remaining meringue and gently fold it into the batter. Then, pipe the batter into rounds in the same manner as the French method, and leave the rounds to rest.



At this time, the batch of French-method macarons have rested enough and is ready to go into the oven!



Every oven is different, so you may have to experiment at different temperatures to get the right setting for your oven at home!



Take a look at the baking macarons and make sure they don't burn! They don't take very long -- about 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven.



When they are out of the oven, wait for a few minutes before you remove them from the parchment paper. Have your choice of filling ready and pair up the cookie rounds. Then pipe a small dollop of filling (David used good ol' chocolate ganache) and gently press the two sides together.



Class participants get to take home a batch of their macarons made during the class, as well as a box of six macarons from the store and ingredients to make a batch of their own macarons at home.



And today's chocolate macarons are done! It is best to let them mature in the fridge for at least 24 hours before consuming -- this is so the biscuit has a chance to meld with the filling and the flavours combine for a more textured taste. When mature, the cookies should not open like an Oreo cookie; the two sides should be tightly fused together by the filling.



Here's a mini macaron tower to end this post! Happy macaron making everyone!

♥ Nikki